The Journey. It’s Mine. [Raine’s Mom, Problogger, Techie-wannabe, Wheelchair-Traveler]

We did not watch. He he. For the love of some peace and quiet in the house. We got it, for awhile until the group came home after midnight on Saturday.

The twins’ band? They won 2nd place! Imagine? Ha ha ha!

Even my other bro can’t believe it.

They won 7000 PHP, enough to pay for a new base guitar (all along I thought they owned one!) and pay the rent for the drum set they’ve been using for practice.

They sound good I told them. The band’s name by the way is ‘Stone of Heaven‘ — just a bunch of lanky boys (old friends in high school) who wanted to have fun playing music instead of bumming or drinking around.

Lakad lang sila, mga walang pera, walang sasakyan. Ang papayat pa! Puedeng sipain ng ibang hardcore band players.  They said the audience was just in-synch to their music. But then I guess when an amateur group like theirs just wanted to play good and have fun doing it– they often win over those who are so fixated on the price and the fame. I hope they don’t loose the attitude. Otherwise, I’d pull their feet back! Sulit daw ang galit ng mga kapitbahay na naingayan sa practice nila.

I would have posted photos and videos, but my PC at home is still “out-of-order”.

Oh…don’t ask me the titles of the songs they played — because I just don’t know!  Maybe Raine knows?

Last night, I indulged my young brothers (the twins) and I went to the city where their band played. Raine and I ended up in a long table with youngsters (aged not more than 20). Raine had a blast of course, he really felt he was the same age as my brothers’ friends.

From 7- 12 midnight, he had 4 hotdogs on stick, some chips and 2 bottles of iced tea. I had 2 12-oz.-bottles of Coke, just so I won’t fall asleep. He he.

The place was like a beer plaza , reminded me of UPLB’s Feb Fair — except that the booths are of local stores and not of student groups. Everyone on all the tables surrounding us was groups drinking beer, cheering and jeering to the performances on stage. Raine had his own share of cheering in the performances he liked. I suffered listening to 15 local singers! Nobody told me before hand that there’s going to be a singing contest…before I can witness the band play.

Anyway…I was a good sport of course. It wasn’t my kind of music, but I enjoyed the band’s performance. Maybe lackng in some showmanship, but they sounded pretty good. One of the twins is on base guitar, while the other is the band ‘manager’! Ha ha ha.

It’s not with any of them to brag, but it turned they made it as finalist to the battle of the bands on Saturday. I told my mother she should go then. She passed on last night’s gig because she said she didn’t want to leave the house empty. For all I know she wanted some peace and quiet because the band has been practicing here for days without end. He he.

Next time? I will push her to go. I want some peace and quiet too! Ha ha ha.

Well…I’m just happy that they are expressing themselves into something artistic and fun. I don’t want anymore girl woes. They don’t drink, don’t smoke and are not into illegal substances. So I guess they’re doing fine. Just lazy at times but better their friends hang out here than them hanging out somewhere else and we can’t see what they’re doing. At least that’s what my father always said.

And I am sounding a LOT like him!

This has been long overdue. I should have mentioned this a long time ago. Sorry Ging, ha? I’ve been busy! He he.

Anyways, I would like to inform the readers of this blog that if ever you find yourself near the area of Los Baños, Laguna (Philippines) and would like to order home made specialty foods for just about any occasion, maybe she can help you.

I can veto guarantee on the quality of food she makes, her husband and I were the first guinea pigs of her kitchen “experiments”. We were housemates, but really whatever she whips up turn out great. Whether it be a new recipe or an invitation card or whatever trinkets -big and small - for bridal showers and birthday parties.

Okay, now I am sounding really biased! Ha ha ha. Well I just want to mention now, just in case I haven’t told her before: I haven’t never met anyone as passionate as her in all these little things she does — from song and dance to choreography, from one fashion statement to another, from cheese sticks to fajitas.

Mind you she’s an animal scientist/nutritionist by profession.

Ging, I’m really happy you took this first step of many, knowing you…this little thing you started is going to get big. Time will come, you will be the party planner to beat. All the best!

I just hope I can order soon.

When my father was still around, he was our fix-all handy man: carpenter, electrician, mechanic, plumber, garbage man, etc. There’s just nothing he can fix. Among his three sons, only one is like him. The twins? They’ll fix stuff only if they want to! Not that they can’t be handy mans, most of the time they are just indifferent I guess. Or maybe lazy, or both? I really don’t know. My brother Gary…when he’s here, his day isn’t complete if he isn’t fixing stuff. On the roof, or anywhere else. I mean, give him a piece of wood and some nails and by the end of the day we have a new stool or table, or something.

During the weekend, our toilet was clogged. My mother (God bless her for being so tough now that my father is gone), kept bugging my two younger brothers to help her fix the thing, to no avail. One has has a “date” with the gf while the other one has guitar practice. Me? I’m just a lot queasy with fixing clogged toilets, sorry. Thank you very much! Ha ha ha.

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Today would have been my father’s 62nd birthday. He died before he reached the age of 60. In our family, we never gave each other gifts on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmases and the likes. Not even a card.

We just never got used to the act of gift giving I guess, but that doesn’t mean we do not express our love. My parents just raised us believing that there are too many ways of showing your love and appreciation to one another, aside from gifts and words, aside from hugs and kisses. Duh? I sometimes wonder what other ways. But yeah, there are.

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In October, it will be 3 years since my father passed away. Unlike my brothers (esp. my mother) I have never had any form of communication with him, like in a dream or something, since then.

Except from the vivid memories I have of him that I have kept dear in my heart, there’s just nothing after that.

Until this afternoon that I felt him strongly. Maybe I was dreaming. He didn’t say a word though, he was just there, watching me in my little corner here in the house, peeking over my shoulder while I was in front of my PC and watching TV at the foot of my bed — as if saying…hey there anak! you are sooo busy you don’t think of me anymore.

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Today should have been a holiday too. You know…the day after Easter! But I guess in some parts of the world, Easter Monday is an official holiday. Makes sense, doesn’t it?!

Besides, we all need a day of rest after all the “festivities” of easter — time to digest all those goodies that the easter bunny brought on your doorstep! He he.

Or time enough to rest from the 3-day weekend getaway. What to do? Sleep the whole day perhaps? Or pig out on your favorite merienda? Ping Golf or something?

Anything just to unwind and be ready to face the work week. Yeah right.

Happy Easter anyways!

It’s Thursday night and the week is winding down. Heck, even the month, the year is winding down. If I were in LB and there wasn’t Raine, I’ll probably be drunk already at this time. Ha ha ha!

After Easter Sunday, it will be Christmas soon. Do you get that feeling too? That the year is already over before you even notice? I feel that all the time!

Also, I’m counting down to too many special things this year. Like my 35th birthday. Raine’s 6th birthday. And my mother’s 60th birthday!!

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We are a family that enjoys home movies for entertainment. The influence, we got heavily from our father and something that my mother didn’t and still does not contest.

Before the satelite tv device that we now have, we used to have too many CDs of most of the movies we like, both old and new, and most especially our father’s favorites.

Each time one of us comes home, we bring at least 1 movie CD. My father loved it of course and we too enjoyed the exercise very much. Vacations we spent home, consists of 75% movie marathons on top of being just lazy. After all we are on vacation and even our friends will appreciate it.

However, whatever amount we spent before on our home entertainment showcase, we didn’t arrive ever at finding a discount home theater seating . The couch, the floor and the bed are - to our cheap taste - enough substitute for anything luxurious!

This is a good year, I think. For me and my family. We’ve reached a point where we have sorta accepted the fact that my father has really left us. But that doesn’t mean he is forgotten. We all will carry him in our hearts wherever/whatever each of us end up.

There were just too many turmoils since that sad day in October 2005 when ‘Pa left. Our lives (together and separately) are never the same again. Drastic adjustments needed to be made. Immediately. I do not regret that I ended up right here (and everywhere else on the net!).

Life will never be just a bliss, I was just raring to go home then, while now I have complaints. But that doesn’t mean I am not happy the way things turned out to be. I dealt with what I needed to do. I had to make huge changes. I had to do it, otherwise somebody’s gonna be crazy, in any medical sense possible. So I did. Decided to come home, I mean.

You know that old line that says some good things never last? That just once side of the coin. If you flip the other side towards you, you’ll realize that yeah, it could be true and also might mean just because most things do last.

some good things never last (not original, line from a song)

because most things do last (is this still part of the song I was referring to? if not, then that must be mine!)

They do really, if you just take care of the good things happening for them to last. You must know how to handle those too. Otherwise, some good stuff may poison you too.

All least, this much is true: when the good things start coming, they will continue coming. And more. Really all the good stuff you can handle!

Well except those who really can afford it, whom among the college students (now and then) are not crawling in their finances?

How I can I forget all those “loans”? Loans from friends. Loans from relatives. Of course, most especially the real student loans. You’d be lucky you get the ones that you have a lifetime to pay for (i.e. loans from good friends and relatives!). Ha ha ha.

[Hey, you know who you all are…I’m really, really grateful, always!]

Unfortunately, I also got some of those that you have just a semester to pay for the loans…otherwise, you cannot be cleared to enroll in the next semester.

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I’ve already lived in three places my whole life. The first ten years of my life was spent continuously in one place. Though I have vivid memories of the place, there is just no heart connections there. I even don’t recall anymore the faces and names of people that I may have considered friends.

After that we moved here where my parents were originally from. (un)Fortunately, I only got to stay 6 long years. I didn’t really have much choice then because I needed to leave for college.

The university town that I feel in love with the first time I sat foot on it’s soils — is a place really close to my heart. I’ll think of that place always with love, wherever I will end up on the globe. 18 years in that place I came too close many times to buying a real state property. There was a point in between when I said to myself, this is where I’m going to raise my kids. So I couldn’t leave for a very long time. The place provided a comfort zone that I couldn’t resist!

Besides, it doesn’t take me too long to be contented in a place. Like an obnoxious weed, I will grow anywhere, in practically any ecosystem. Even in stressful ones. Heh. That’s the ex-rice scientist talking again.

At this point, I am just sort of relieved I didn’t go through with buying a subdivision house & lot anywhere. Now I know that it doesn’t really matter where. It could be a high-rise condo or a studio type apartment or maybe a Branson real estate. Could even be a (cheap) small house in the projects!

It doesn’t really matter what and where. After all, home is where the heart is!

Hey, we are back home. Wanted to thank everyone who accommodated us for the whole week: from Bohol to Los Baños. What would I do without such friends that are like family.
Dead tired. I can’t even oversleep this morning. Too many people thinking about me I guess.

The weekend was a revelation. Of so many things. The old. Maybe the new as well.

Words are not enough.  I was just overwhelmed by it all.

Ahhh. I’m tired. But have to get back to my usual routine, blogging and other important stuff.

I have started uploading photos from the last week. But my internet connection is once again giving me a hard time. Not to mention that it’s cloudy here and is raining still.

Speaking of photos…i didn’t know how I look when I just got up from a deep slumber (after a week of vacation), until Raine took a photo this morning.

Tomorrow we fly to Bicol. Even the best of vacations do not last forever.

Back to work, back my real world. There are some things I dread going back to. But that’s life. You can sometimes run, but you can never hide.

This time in LB was an eye opener in so many things. Even stuff I thought wouldn’t happen in a million years, sort of happened. Old saying maybe, but God indeed works in mysterious ways.

Bittersweet. Joyful. Restful. Bittersweet.

Above all, life goes on for me.

We left Bohol early morning yesterday. Too early in fact. I got up at 4:30 am and soon after I woke Raine up. 5:15 am, we left BBC.

We arrived at the Tagbilaran airport at barely 6 am. Raine was in his pajamas. He he.

We were already here (LB friend’s house) by lunch time yesterday. This morning I am still wasted. I even didn’t wake up when the alarm went of. My legs are still painful. The muscles I mean and not my knees as I was expecting.

This afternoon is just the first of the many visits I planned to do.