2020: Thankful No Matter What

For me, the end of every year is marked by our church Year-End Thanksgiving (YETG) worship services. It is the last occasion I ever look forward to annually.  Some other occasions that usually follow this is mom's birthday and of course, New Year's eve.  But yeah, the YETG is the exclamation point to my whole year.

Today is one of the most blessed days of my year 2020. I officiated the household thanksgiving worship of my relatives at the old folks' house. This scene I have not imagined happening but it did! I was moved by simply the sight of my in-laws gathered together to worship and thank the Almighty God for His great love. And there I instantly thanked the LORD for giving me the chance to lead this special occasion. Also amazingly, the four kids behaved all throughout the service. Special mention to my youngest. 💕

#ThankfulNoMatterWhat

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought so many changes in this world but the hymn we sang in the thanksgiving worship service gave us all the more the conviction to carry on and continue putting our trust in God. Indeed, the love we feel for God will never change! #ThankfulNoMatterWhat

This year has been a "realization" year for most. As I've noted in one of my emails to our Management Committee at work: "Thank you and let us all end this year by being grateful for all the things that we may have taken for granted for the past many years, but began to appreciate and love even more when we were forced to be locked down almost the entire 2020." - this was said as a reminder for some of the members to submit their part in the year-ender corporate video which our team conceptualized to be played in the corporate thanksgiving (virtual) party. Grateful by Nimo was a first time music to my ears and I thought it is a good song as its title suggests. The output was awesome! Thanks to the editing skills of sir Raymund.

Over-all, FAMILY IS LOVE. It is the reason for waking up each day. Above all, it is GOD who keeps us going. 

"Sadness will end, for this, too, shall not last--- hardship and pain will forever be past; thus, He has given this vital command: PUT ALL YOUR HOPE IN THE GRACE THAT WILL BE YOURS!" #ThankfulNoMatterWhat

Meet & Greet... work!

It is one of those very rare moments that I get to schedule a meeting at the first hour of a working day. Thanks to work-from-home (WFH) set-up, I still have a lot of time to prepare after performing my duty in church early morning today. Meeting was scheduled at 8:00 A.M., and I logged in 20 minutes before the schedule. While waiting for the participants, I still got to talk to my St. Edward School Marketing colleague, Ina, to discuss Dr. John's preferences with the layouts that are to be posted in our official social media page. We finished our discussion in more or less ten minutes and just in time, our chairman was requesting to be let in the meeting room already. It was ten minutes before 8 in the morning. Being the meeting host, I let him in the meeting room and a usual smiling face greeted me. "Hi, Jon! How are you? Are you in the office?" sir Gerry asked. You just can't get a bad vibe with that executive smile! "Hi sir, I'm good. How are you? I am at home po," I answered back. "Oh, ang ganda ng wallpaper mo ha! Para kang nasa cafeteria," he said. Yes, I set my background to that google meet coffee shop design and my sleeveless batman shirt didn't look so casual. "Ok na rin pala ang work from home, ano?" sir Gerry added. I wasn't expecting that statement from our chairman, so I just smiled widely. Before pandemic, I was pitching it to my boss when she was asking our team how we can help the company find ways to cost-cut expenses for the entire organization. "Work from home!" I suggested, reasoning out that employees (and their bosses) will be more output-based conscious since they will have the free time to finish the tasks they are assigned to do. And the office need not worry in spending too much for electricity (and water) use, six times a week. Well, I just didn't imagine that it will be realized due to a pandemic.

Early morning interview of PRO-FRIENDS Chairman, Sir Gerry Choa
with Philippine Daily Inquirer Property Editor, Tek Samaniego

So Tek joined us a few minutes after and we started the interview session ahead of schedule. It was a great start of day--- to hear wisdom from your big boss. Wisdom about life, how he runs his business, how he planned ahead of the pandemic, and how we transform lives of the stakeholders. It was beyond that marketing-sounding answers, it was more of life's wisdom and realizations. I'm sure Tek gained a lot from the interview as well, aside from the usual questions she was programmed to write about for their section's anniversary feature.

I am simply thankful for meeting a Gerry Choa in my life. How he envisions things, how he takes care of his assets, how he runs his business, and how he looks after his people. Truly, a man with a big heart, and full of humility.

Old e-mails

Working from home gives me a lot of time to sort out old files in my computer, and revisit my active email accounts. I used to have 2 excite mail addresses. I remember my very first though, it was an Edsamail account. One of my oldest email addresses is that Yahoo account which I recently reactivated (read: declutter spam folder).  Upon browsing it, I chanced upon the email of dad to me and my sister. He was explaining how hard he was feeling to continue holding on to his relationship with mom. While email does not give emotions when read, I felt the sadness that goes with the whole message. It was a preparation for having a broken family after my anticipated wedding 6 months after the email was sent. I was always the innocent one in the family when it comes to marital issues between mom and dad. And that very day when the email was sent, everything was confirmed. No more hope for a happy, complete family. But at least they tried. It just didn't work out anymore. I'm thankful for my email. It is preserving memories, the good ones, and the not-so-good ones.

On This Day, 30 Years Ago

It was a lazy Monday afternoon. We were in the middle of our thrice-a-week subject (MWF 4PM to 5PM) at the second floor of the 4-storey high school building in my Alma Mater, University of the Assumption. Last subject, as I recall, so we are just waiting for that 5PM dismissal bell. Advance Biology was the subject. Perfect topic for an unexpected real-life example: theory of stimulus and response. Almost halfway past 4PM on a Daylight Savings Time set-up, Sir Rommel Canlas was enthusiastically discussing:

Mr. Canlas (our Advance Bio teacher): "OK now... once there is a stimulus, you should expect a response..."

Whole class: (silent...)

(pounding sound)

(floor moving)

(school mates began shouting) "mamayun!" (Kapampangan for "earthquake!")

We began to panic, took our bags and hurried to the classroom doors. "Don't panic!" Mr. Canlas shouting at us to remind us to be calm and be orderly in exiting the building. But at one glance, we already saw him leaving fast going to the other direction to the faculty room. Our room was beside the stairway and Mr. Canlas took the opposite way. To each his own, we thought, uttering a prayer while walking patiently towards the stairs, that the building will not collapse at least until all of us get to the open field grounds. Saw some school mates posing to jump from our floor since stairways are crowded but they were held by the faculty who were watching over the scenario. Girls were crying already but we all managed to reach the open field without having a stampede or accident.  While sitting on the grass, we can literally see our building swaying. And the tremor didn't stop sooner. It was probably one of the longest earthquakes we have experienced and the shaking was a combination of up and down, left to right and circling direction. The 45-second strong earthquake seemed minutes long and we can hear cries already from the students around. It was just Monday, but classes were already suspended for a week to give way to building inspections and for us to stay at home while anticipating more aftershocks in the succeeding days.

Christian College of the Philippines after the July 16, 1990 earthquake.
Photo credit: picryl.com

The earthquake left over a thousand and six hundred casualties. The popular Hyatt Hotel in Baguio City collapsed (place where SM Baguio is now erected), Dagupan City heavily damaged due to liquefaction and as a result, many buildings and roads collapsed. Its rehabilitation has to be done for weeks, and even months. In Cabanatuan City, the Christian College of the Philippines looked like an accordion, 6 floors down and hundreds of students trapped for days. Days of darkness and agony. No changing of clothes, no food. Some survivors interviewed on TV said they had to drink their pee to survive for days. It was horrible, given that the victims there were students like us. Empathy, but admittedly, really scary.

As I look back to that day, I realized that unfortunate events happen in cycle. Each time different, but each time it makes you stronger. More importantly, more faithful and trusting in God. Today, before a new decade begins, we are faced with a pandemic. Kids of today will remember this time and most likely have their own stories to tell for the upcoming young generation. As for me, as I age, I realized that a very prominent Filipino saying, "papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ako" begins to fit my life. Grey hair as they say, are experiences in life. Experiences that come with a lesson to be passed on to generations.

Menudo!

Canonball.
Explosion.
Please Be Good To Me.
If You're Not Here.
I'm Going Back To The Philippines.

These are but some of the songs popularized by the famous boy band during the 80's, Menudo!
Kid of the 80's here! And yes, I can sing some of their songs with that 80's feel! LOL. But my post today is neither about their music nor their group. You see, this morning while working from home, I craved. So, I decided to cook! But how? It is my first time to be trying this menu so I did search on the web where I can find easy to follow MENUDO recipe!  Take a look at my first Menudo cooking. Didn't capture everything on video but yeah, the two-minuter(+) clip will give you a good glimpse of a very amateur 'chef,' trying out a recipe for the first time! Enjoy! ...and I hope I will be able to make you hungry for a menudo meal later when you finish watching. 😆

ABS CBN Shutdown

Toxic sa social media.  Here is my personal take on the ABS CBN shutdown issue.  Mabuti linawin muna natin yung mga pangyayari. Dahil franchise ang isyu ngayon, kailan ba ito nagsimula?

Noong March 30, 1995, pinirmahan ni Pangulong Fidel V. Ramos ang Republic Act 7966. Ito ay nagbibigay sa ABS CBN ng 25-year franchise para makapagpatuloy ng operation. Limang taon na maaga ang renewal nito bago pa ito mag-expire noon. Nagkabisa ang nilagdaang RA 7966 noong May 4, 1995.*
*If you are to calculate, the 25-year franchise to operate should expire by May 4, 2020

So, anong nangyari? Bakit inabot ng expiration ang franchise nito?

Sabi ng ABS CBN Corporation, pinili nilang mag-apply ng early franchise renewal noong September 2014. Idinaan ito sa karaniwang legislative process. Nai-file sa mababang kapulungan ang House Bill 4997 sa ilalim ng 16th Congress pero hindi ito nag-progress sa committee level. At dahil kinulang na rin sa panahon, nagpasya ang ABS CBN na bawiin ang application at isumite na lamang ang renewal application sa panahon ng 17th Congress (administrasyong Duterte).

November 10, 2016, under the 17th Congress, House Bill 4349 was filed seeking to renew the network's franchise for another 25 years. Isa pang House Bill na katulad ng nilalaman ng HB4349 ang binalangkas sa mababang kapulungan. Ang parehong panukala ay nanatili lamang sa committee level. Sa mga panahong ito, mainit ang usapin ukol sa kampanya ng pamahalaan laban sa droga. Maraming media ang nagbabalita ukol rito pero ang madalas lumutang na media entities sa mga dismayadong bahagi ng talumpati ng Pangulo ay ang Inquirer, Rappler, at ang ABS CBN.

Mula 2017 hanggang November 2018, madalas mabanggit ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang pagkadismaya nito sa network. Pangunahin ang isyu kaugnay noong hindi pag-eere ng kaniyang political ad noong bago mag eleksyon ng Mayo 2016, sa kabila ng ito ay bayad na. Meanwhile, a paid advertisement putting Duterte in bad light was aired in the same network. This has prompted the President to always mention in his speeches that he will not allow the network's franchise to be renewed.

July 2019, the House Bill seeking for the network's franchise renewal was refiled in Congress on the second day of the 18th Congress, and within the same month, a similar bill was also filed in the Senate. But the chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises in December 2019 said that they will not tackle the bills on ABS CBN until the end of 2019. The House Speaker said that even the network is aware that budget and revenue bills will be priority and that there is enough time in January & February of 2020 to discuss about the franchise renewal under HB 4349.

Issues on ABS CBN franchise violations surfaced: tax evasion, servicing of TV Plus "without permits" which causes cable TV operators to lose business, issuance of  Philippine Depositary Receipts to foreigners, which the Solicitor General equated to ceding control and voting rights to foreigners--- a violation of 1987 Constitution that says it prohibits foreign ownership of media entities in the country. In one of the Senate hearings last February, ABS CBN maintained that they did not violate any of the franchise provisions.

From January 2020 up to Congress recess last March 11, 2020, no bills were passed by the House of Representatives to grant a fresh 25 years in favor of the network.  Yesterday, May 5th, the National Telecommunications Commission ordered the giant network to stop its operations due to the expiration of its legislative franchise.

*Timeline source: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/2/13/ABS-CBN-franchise-timeline.html

image credit to CNNPH

- - - - - - - - - - - -

I have a lot of friends / colleagues who worked and are working in ABS CBN. For the next two administrations after the Marcos ruling, ABS CBN has cemented its relevance to every Filipino family. Even before TV Patrol, there was The World Tonight. In my high school years, what wakes me up in the morning was DZMM's Kabayan from my grandfather's transistor radio. The network's TV public service program Hoy, Gising! was a standard among other succeeding public service programs.  And TV entertainment was given a new life with the shows produced by the network.

My personal affiliation with ABS CBN should be the recent years in my current profession when we partnered with the network for a number of projects: Reality show - I Do; program plugging engagements in Umagang Kay Ganda, Mornings@ANC; Open House (Lifestyle show) aired on ANC; and the numerous meetings and photo shoot inside the ELJ building.

I Do Village opening at Lancaster New City

Nalungkot ako sa shutdown ng ABS CBN. Hindi para sa network executives kundi para sa mga maliliit na tao na doble-kayod kung gumawa para maitaguyod ang adhikain ng kumpanya at para na rin may maiuwing pangkain para sa kani-kanilang pamilya.  Hindi naman sila yumayaman kahit mag-overtime sila araw-araw. Oras na kasama ang mga mahal nila sa buhay ang nawawala sa kanila para magampanan ang trabaho.  Lalo sa panahong ito na may pandemic, hindi biro ang pagsuong sa panganib para lang maitawid ang mga dapat maiparating sa sambayanang Pilipino na kanilang pinaglilingkuran.

Sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, hindi ako naniniwala na katapusan na ng malayang pamamahayag ang pangyayaring ito. "Napulitika lang"--- ito ang tingin ko.  Nananatili pa ang Rappler, at isama na natin ang Phil. Daily Inquirer, na kilala bilang matatapang sa pagpapahayag ng anumang puna laban sa kasalukuyang administrasyon. Pero nandyan lang sila. Maging ang ABS CBN, naniniwala ako na hindi ito matagal na "mawawala." Wala tayong martial law ngayon. Huwag nating ulit-uliting "i-suggest" ang mga bagay na hindi naman nangyayari sa kasalukuyan. Mahirap kung bigla nga itong ibigay sa atin.

Tingin ko, somewhere along the road, may nagawa ang network na naglagay sa kanila kung nasaan sila ngayon. Pagsubok? Marahil. Parusa? Siguro. Bakit? Ang ABS CBN lang ang nakakaalam. Ako kase, lahat ng bagay ipinagpapasa-Diyos ko na lang lalo na kung may nagawang mali sa akin ang kapuwa ko.

Sana maayos ang gusot na ito, para sa maliliit na tao na ang nais lang ay makapagpatuloy sa isang marangal na trabaho at may madalang biyaya sa hapag-kainan ng kani-kanilang mahal sa buhay. Sila kase talaga ang tunay na biktima rito, wala nang iba.

Happy Birthday, My Favorite Sibling!

It's my Ate B's birthday today... hooorayyy!!! Almost April 25 here in Manila but to my ate's place, it is still an hour to noon time, April 24th! So there!

I decided to make my first ever chicken macaroni salad recipe. Why? Because I was craving for it for the past few days already. :( I only have a few knowledge of how to do it so I needed to consult my friend, Google, and look for an easy recipe to follow. Found one!  So I headed to the supermarket earlier to get some ingredients and after finishing my day job (from home), my little "assistant" assisted me in making this masterpiece after dinner! Look!

Chick-mac salad made with love <3 nbsp="" td="">

Those raisins give the extra taste! The pineapple bits didn't really contributed to the overall look but it gave the taste and extra point! I really love pineapples (even on my pizza!)  Kulang daw ng carrots sabi ni wifey :(  Next time, meron pa namang susunod na pagkakataon. We'll make sure it's perfect by then! ;)

Will eat some tomorrow, best when chilled. Can't wait!

Give Back As Long As You Have

I got the chance to go out again today to get us some grocery items and drinking water refill from the nearby subdivision.  My family and I are just thankful for our LGU who tirelessly fulfill their duties doing house to house to give food packs.  Even the help from church hasn't ceased. Households are being rationed with food packs weekly and for that we are very grateful.

So, time to give back.  For as long as you have something to give, why not? There are people who need them, while some will appreciate the little things you do for them in return of the things they do for you and the community where they are in.  Front liners. There are many of them. Most common are the medical practitioners who battle the dreaded disease in the hospitals. While many also are the "back end" people who support these hard working people. Some are manning the streets to ensure orderliness while the ECQ is in effect. In your own little way, it feels big time to help some of these people. Where it is feasible, when the chance is there. Go ahead, give back as long as you have something to share.

Take care everyone and we all hope we #flattenthecurve soonest so please, STAY AT HOME and save lives! :)

9 Truths, 1 Lie

In an attempt to keep this blog active once again, I am posting (and leading readers) to this blog my answer to the Facebook post, 10 Jobs.  Here's my version of  the post, and following is my detailed response to each choices:

List 10 jobs. 9 should be jobs you've already done, and one should be a lie.
Which one has not been my legit bread and butter?

1. Hosting - `did hosting for wedding, church programs, but not considered as a job and definitely didn't earn anything from it. So this is the odd one out among the 10 jobs listed.
2. Newspaper delivery - done this to earn an income when I was in Mississauga. One of the most tiring jobs I experienced, we needed to sort everything first and do flier inserts before dispatching them to the houses assigned to us--- even on heavy snowfall!

"katotohanan... magpapalaya sa bayan!"

3. New Accounts Clerk - my 3rd job after college. One of the busiest jobs ever especially when BIR payment deadline comes. I take my lunch break at 5PM!
4. Factory Worker - I was on call for this job, located in Toronto... the job I felt I was very independent at that time. Needed to work from late afternoon to midnight, and catch the last trip of the bus on my way home. Experienced calling an 8PM meal - "lunch". Saw different status in life, mixed nationalities working together. For this particular work experience? No regrets.
5. Sales Coordinator - the job I had before going back to my field of study. Stayed for almost 6 years, carrying the thought that I was doing my job for a good cause: curb the country's population.
6. Warehouse picker/packer - who would have thought? But being with one of my best buddies, working inside the warehouse has been a very pleasant experience. I even learned how to drive a picker machine! Bonus on the job is our client, and a very generous "boss."
7. Real Estate Agent - also in Mississauga, I spent a couple of weeks manning an open house. Earned good cash for a 4-hour shift daily.
8. Radio Reporter - I am honored, until today, to have been trusted to cover the palace for our radio station. My first job after college, one of the many tasks I did to earn a living. Another one is number---
9. News Reader - I read news items for radio for over a year. I was even given a segment for the early news program, where I produced environment-related news and features to air daily.
10. News Producer - ...and writer. My job in GMA News for one full year. Some memorable news stories back then: Japan tsunami (all line-ups erased for this super breaking news), Ping Lacson going out in public (remember the suspense between 24 Oras and TV Patrol on who will be able to interview him first after their respective OBBs), Libya unrest, crocodile Lolong captivity, among others. It was a very good one year experience for me.

A Little Help Means A Lot

Went out today to get us water refill and look for something else to eat. Bought wifey a mixed sushi take home and one kani salad.  On my way home, I chanced upon Minute Burger open for business. I grabbed the chance to get 2 burger orders and get three bottled water--- ice-cold! Perfect for the three persons manning the checkpoint in our area.  "Sharing is caring."

Just a small thing but hoping that it will be a big help to them already, specially the ice-cold bottled water. Summer is here, let's flatten the curve! #COVID-19

Locked Down!

Hey 2020... are we on a roll on unpleasant things? Ending the 3rd month on HOME QUARANTINE. Others call it LOCK DOWN.  Midway through this month, the Philippine government implemented community quarantine for the whole of National Capital Region.  After a week, it was elevated to ENHANCED COMMUNITY QUARANTINE for the entire Luzon. The rest of the country followed. This measure was prompted by the speedy local transmission of the COVID-19 across the country. I just can not understand why people still keep on going into the streets. Government critics emphasize that this situation is brought about by the lack of concrete planning on the part of public officials on how they could deliver the needed assistance to those who have temporary lost their source of income.  Result? People go to the streets to find food for their table! This discussion has been going on in social media so looking at your Facebook news feed has become more stressful than supposedly a stress reliever. Fortunately for us, our barangay officials have been diligent in the fulfillment of their duties notwithstanding the hazard they encounter going house to house just to deliver the "goods" from the government.  We were given a reasonable amount of ration, 325mL alcohol refill, they handed our quarantine pass, and their truck did rounds for disinfection of areas. Thank you. Wifey & I decided to give our food assistance to a household who needed it more than us. I'm thankful because our hearts are in unity when it comes to this matter. God never leaves us with nothing anyway.

One thought that this corona virus has brought to my mind is this: as people all over the world are forced to stay home, there are lesser cars on the street and lesser smoke emissions from factories mean lesser air pollution.  Resorts and other leisure places closed means lesser to no litter at all: in land or in the seas.  Businesses shut means more time for your respective families. mother nature is healing. The skies have turned to a lively blue again, surroundings are astonishingly clean! So, aren't we, humans, the virus of the earth after all?

On a side note, since choir performances are temporarily suspended, I took the golden opportunity to have my hair cut so short again (read: semikal) after 18 years! Feels good, especially now that summer is approaching.

March 2020: while on Enhanced Community Quarantine

September 2002: trip to Alcatraz Island, SFO, CA

You are 17!

Hello, blog! Today marks your 17th year of existence in the worldwide web. What was once a simple fad has become a hobby, and later on became one of my most valued life anecdote. Numerous times I attempted to revive the frequency of my updates, specially now that I have more stories to tell, and memories to remember in the future. Perhaps this year may be a good start to keep that fire going... to write again, and get back to updating my "online diary." While most people now are into vlogging, I prefer the more silent "web logging" (blogging).  In this social media era, people tend to lose attention fast as they are now more used to fast-paced browsing. It is different during the early years of blogging. People tend to "listen" (literally read) more to what you say and when
they needed to give you a feedback, the comments section becomes a precious read for the author. With blogging I gained real-life friends, and they are like family to me. And even if we don't see each other more often, we still connect pretty good online as if nothing has changed.  Welcome back to blogging, aajao!

blogger pals Kuri, Edsel, Glenn & Alex

Taking A Leap On A Leap Year

God has been good to our newfound business. Slowly, we are gaining good customers through the patience of wifey in promoting our "goods." You may check what's new through this Facebook page, The Bonenica Shop.  But trials decided to stay a bit around us this month, as we lost my father-in-law, Papa Johnny (afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 23rd). Wifey was the only witness when he breathed his last in his room, and all I can do at that moment was to recall how good he was to me since day 1 that I knew him. Sad days for the family but yeah, we needed to be strong and move on altogether.  Day before that, an unfortunate event had to happen. Our car was bumped and the back compartment hood was heavily damaged.  The driver said he lost brakes but we suspect otherwise: that he either fell asleep or that he was texting while driving.  We were on a constant 30 to 40kph speed and nearing to turn right when a sudden bump moved our car further forward.  We insisted to have it on police record so we will be sure that the damage will be repaired at no cost at all on our part, but yeah, the hassle. 

misfortune

Star struck moment this month: Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto was seen dining in a restaurant with his family where we also went. So, as popular as he is even among his non-constituents, we immediately excused ourselves to his family and have a photo taken with him. 

photo with the head of ONE Cainta, Mayor Kit Nieto

Papa Johnny's grandchildren during his burial

Shout out to my cousin, Angelica T. Dela Cruz, and to all leap year babies who are celebrating their real birthday today, February 29th.  Let us all take a big leap these coming days for our dreams to be fulfilled!

A Month-full of Sorrows And Hope

Last day of January for the new decade, or is this supposed to be the end of a decade? Too many deaths this month, two of them, people close to my heart. First, my uncle Red, who I was first introduced to when we lived our early years in Cainta more than two decades ago.  I think it was the first and the last time I ever saw him alive, and this month witness him laying in his "final bed," with colleagues validating how good a person he was during his eulogy.  I was able to find time to talk to my 2nd cousin, uncle's eldest, and re-introduce myself. I felt like a stranger when I arrived in the room (while the eulogy was on-going) and having my dad there gave me that relief of no-obligation to tell me who I am. At that moment, I felt how lucky I am to be in our clan. People seem to look up so much on members of our family and I never felt so proud about it. Another person who passed away this month is a good friend and fellow church choir member, Liam.  I've know Liam for over a decade now but it was only in December 2015 that we became close due to our church performances. I usually fetch him during Thursday morning performances and give him a ride home after late night choir practices.  He succumbed to pneumonia complications after being sick for quite some time in 2019. He got well for a few months so all the while I thought we will have more time to perform our duties again together as he became assistant choir director and was assigned to our area. Too bad, everything has to be short-lived.

family dinner out with mamsi

Mom left for Canada after almost two months of stay here with us. This has been her longest vacation in Manila since she migrated to CA.  And we felt she enjoyed more her stay this time compared to last year, so she was telling us she'd stay longer next time.  Things have not been the same again after she left, as she helped us a lot in the household chores.  I also will have no more "church buddy" during Thursday mornings and nobody will complain anymore about how bumpy our ride is using our e-bike. Oh well, see you again soon, mamsi!

In another happy thought, we celebrated DJ's 3rd birthday in our hometown in Minalin, with our relatives from dad's side.  Although the cousins are incomplete, the visit to our hometown was worth it. Mom and dad were able to talk about some things, our fresh 3-year old enjoyed every moment with his 2nd cousins, and I was able to see some cousins again, including our balikbayan aunt (and ninang), tita Rina.

This month also marked a milestone in my spiritual life as my bible student guest passed her probationary period and was finally baptized! Of course I bring back all glory to God our Almighty Father! Special thanks to bro. Fernie who enlisted her under my care and I believe I've become a part of the instruments of her calling.  This is one thing that I will be forever thankful for and it is a good thing that it happened at the start of this year.

Finally... CONGRATS!

Ending my January anecdote, I would like to extend (again) my congratulations and best wishes to my best cousin-buddy, Bernie, who FINALLY tied the knot with Isang.  Good to see old faces in their wedding day, and a reunion with relatives from the mother side.  Too bad not all cousins were present but everything was good. It also was nice to set foot again in my first locale, Cubao, where lots of memories during my younger years can be recalled.

January seems to have overstayed, and it's start was... not so good:  US-Iran conflict, wildfire spread in Australia, Taal volcano eruption, among the headlines that made it this passing month.  Also, there is a new virus that poses threat globally, which originated in... guess where? China. One thing to look forward to in the next few months is a blessing which I haven't thought of happening in reality--- we've invested in the garments business! shout out to my courageous and determined wifey for making this happen, and I would like to extend my gratitude to all the people who believed in us and helped us get this going.  Imploring the aid of our loving God to make this venture a success. 💕

So, here's to hoping that we will have more pleasant days come 2nd month of 2020. Hurrah, for surviving January!