Flying Chronicles: The Situation; Day 1

Written on Dec. 21, was not able to post it though. Saved it in a draft.

So…

I am currently in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, staying at a hotel somewhere… I really don’t know where this is, but it’s really cute. Not really a luxurious hotel, but the rooms are comfortable enough and upon arrival super early this morning, I slept like a log. One problem that I have with the place is that there is no work desk so I have to work on the bed, a position I am not really comfortable with. But I will manage.

Anyway, the trip was not exactly as comfortable as well. See, I have colds and cough so I suffered from the difficulty of having ear popping-whatever-you-call-it sensations. I think I was THIS close to fainting from the pain, and all I wanted was to curl at the bed at home and be cared for by D because that is my idea of comfort.

I survived. Though my ears still hurt so bad.

~ Day 1 ~

So, since we arrived after midnight yesterday and we were able to be refreshed for a new “day” a few hours later.

Yesterday, we were able to visit the War Remnants Museum and spent a good hour or two checking out the display.

There were several things that somewhat served as reminders of how that war was. I don’t know how I can explain the feeling that I had during my visit, except that I think there was just too much life lost on both sides… Though I must admit that throughout my life, I always thought that the US troops were the ones who lost a lot, but now I understand so much more. And though years have passed since that gruesome time, I saw that what happened is still very much reflected on the following generations.

It’s just sad.

…

After the hours we spent at the War Remnants Museum, we went to the Zoo. I don’t remember the name.. I think there is just one Zoo in Ho Chi Minh City, but not sure.

We went there on my request so that I could see the animals and take pictures. For my kids, you know?

We really didn’t do that much there… just tried to see as many animals as we could.

My favorite, of course, was the LION!

We dined at the diner of sorts at the Zoo itself. This was my first meal in Vietnam! We had breakfast earlier at the hotel, but my mom brought Filipino food so we dined on the usual fare.

One of the dishes was Crab Soup. There was actually some other dishes, but I was not able to take pictures because the camera died.

…

And that, was Day 1.

Conversations with Life: Strategy for Life

Here’s a tough one.

The Post a Day question of the day is something that has baffled me and I presume most of the world as well. It goes:

Explain your strategy for life: Explain your strategy for life. Why are you here? What do you hope to achieve? What matters most to you, at work, at play, or at home? How did you come to develop your approach to living? Which parents, friends, aliens or spirits influenced your choices about how to live?

The questions here remind me of the book “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder, which happens to be one of my favorites. The book has this main question “Who are you?” which Sophie tries to answer.

Who are you?

Why are you here?

What do you hope to achieve?

Explain your strategy for life.

???

Doesn’t that make your head hurt? More questions!! If I was interviewed and I had to answer these questions and more, I believe the conversation would go like this:

Who are you?

Well, I am a mother by day, superhero by night, lover by midnight, bookworm, movie addict, crackberry addict, technophile, watchamacallit-phile.

Are you sure?

Uhhh… yes?

Is that an answer or a question?

Uhhh… no?

So you’re not sure?

Uhhh… can we skip this question?

Okay, why are you here?

I… I… I was not supposed to be here, but my mother and father got carried away, and *poof!* I was conceived!

No, why are YOU here?

Uhhh… I am here to be a mother to my kids?

Is that another question?

Uhhh… no?

Are you still unsure?

I am here because I was created by God and I have a purpose in life!

Really? So, what do you hope to achieve?

World domination!

Are you sure?

Dude, that was just a joke. I just want to create a virus that would wipe out the whole World Wide Web. And help kitties and kids.

Really?

Why so many questions?

What do you hope to achieve?

Right now, I simply want to provide for my family, have a little nest egg or something, and eventually go to the mountains, be a hermit, raise goats, pigs, and chupacabras.

Are you sure?

Uhhh… not again! Next question please!

Explain your strategy for life.

Live.

What?

My strategy in life is to live.

Explain.

Uhhh… if I had a concrete strategy in life, I believe I would be focusing so much on the strategy and not in the act of living. So my strategy in life is simply living. Ride the tide, dude, make the most of my life as it is short. I wish to do all I can for my children and my family. Love my friends till their eyes pop. Laugh until I snort or until I faint from lack of oxygen. Love like I have never loved before. Read books. Watch movies. EAT. Travel when possible. Give back to the community. Make more friends. Touch lives. Help those in need. Be messy but organized. Write everything down. Accept mistakes past decisions and choices without regret.

Sounds like a tall order.

Well… I think that is just the half of it. I think.

So you haven’t written your strategy down?

Do I really need to write one word down? L.I.V.E.

All right! Thank you for your time. Please send in the next person to be tortured. Perhaps a Miss Feyoh, Jae or a Pebbles might be sitting outside. Thank you!

…

And that is all.

Now I go back to work. Cheers!!

At a cafe, and I am okay

I should be bored, bored, bored. Well, I am bored to a certain extent… but I don’t feel that much alone anymore.

This blog post came after another one that was peppered with loneliness during my previous trip to Cagayan de Oro. I am still here, however, but I am no longer as sad, bored, or lonely. I am tired. That’s just about it.

My brother graduated yesterday. Oh, what joy! That makes it two children down, and two more to go for my mother. Next year, hopefully, my sister is next.

I am pretty much just counting the days before I leave my current place of employment. Pardon me if I say this with glee, but I am soooo “FUDGING HAPPY!” It feels so liberating, and I haven’t even left the company yet. Despite not knowing what comes afterwards, I think I have just had enough. Enough is enough. And that is all there is to it. The people at work seem to think that I will not push through with it. But believe me, its just two more weeks and I am free!!! This is just a courtesy stay. I am not waiting for anything anymore. So tired.

This sucks because even when I am literally on another island, my thought still drift to work… meh.

In other news, I just had to purchase a book because I was bored. You see, my siblings’ apartment does not have a TV or a computer, and it is kind of far from any Internet cafe especially at night. So I just had to find something to help me ease my pain.

The book is entitled, “The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through a Maze of Computer Espionage” by Clifford Stoll. Actually, I had borrowed a copy of this book around 3 years ago, but I had to return it to the owner without being able to read it because I was a bit too busy. The book was published in 1989, and what I find interesting is that the hacking and the languages that were mentioned are quite old. It’s really nice. I look forward to finishing it before I go back to work.

 

Anyway, this is just a quick update from my end of the world. I think I shall write another post. Because lately I have been feeling the writing bug, and I want to write write write write write write. Weird huh?

Cheers!

Alone.

You can be practically anywhere in the world and be connected via the Internet as long as your gadgets – whatever they are – are capable of going online.

You can talk, chat, and be socially active online, watch your loved ones from afar, and be as virtually connected as you can possibly be. Sometimes even sexually – - –

But for some reason, no matter where you are in the world, even when you are surrounded by people, sometimes you do feel alone. And although I have no plans of publicly breaking into Heart’s “Alone,” that is exactly what I feel right at this very moment.

I could go about the place, sure. But I could just stay here in front of the computer where I feel safe talking to my husband and mother. Yet there is a whole city out there with people I do not recognize, streets I do not know, and well… funds that are running low. But then again, I could be adventurous. I could be. But I would still be alone.

Where I am at is not a place that is so hard to adapt. That is for sure, and by tomorrow, I embark on another journey. Home. That is what gives me strength at least, because the prospect of actually holding my loved ones is something that money cannot buy. Still, we do have to sacrifice distance in order for us to survive, or at the very least keep our heads afloat. Not just mine, but others as well.

Cryptic. I know.

Anyway, this is just me winding down after the long day of running about. Good news is that my siblings are safe, and by tomorrow, I can actually start preparing for home.

And yes, I still feel alone.

Long day, Wednesday

Today is one of the longest days I have experienced in 2011, and it is still Wednesday.

Broke and broken, I wonder how this can end, but I refuse to give in to exhaustion.

Today I spent a good part of my day at the hospital, trying to figure out what is wrong with my little boy. He has been sick a couple of times this month alone, and I am one step closer to pawning my soul to the devil so I can just purchase his medicine. Those lab tests were costly but they are for a good cause. So I guess that evens things out.

My son is still sick, by the way. The doctor told us to buy a couple of meds to help him recover. But like I said, nobody is interested in purchasing my soul. Haha maybe tonight or later.

Now it is 5 p.m. and I still have to figure out what I can do to cough up food for dinner. LOL

Like what my friend, Pebbles, tells me, I have to be prepared for all these emergencies and what not. I have to be like the Girl Scouts, ever prepared. I look back on her wise words and reflect…. of course, I just have to say to myself, “why didn’t you listen to Pebbles?” It’s okay. More lessons learned. Must. NOT. Repeat. Must. Learn.

Anyway, upon taking a good look at our refrigerator, I think I can manage dinner. There are some scraps here and there. Haha Just kidding! No scraps, thankfully, something that can be put together into something decent.

Image from CartoonStock.

Another thing that I have learned from Pebbles is an interest in cooking. She always whips up these delicious things that she posts on her food blog, and I would just like to learn more recipes or just learn to cook more.

So right now, I have sayote, some meat, a carrot, onion, and garlic.

I love Google. That is why I just typed in the ingredients and found a recipe for Ginisang Sayote. LOL That is with the exception of the carrot, but who would really mind if I throw that in there, huh? Cooking is akin to experimenting!

Therefore, somebody will experiment. Provided that it is still edible in the end!

Wish me luck in my experiment. I hope this goes into my compiled list of recipes. Haha

Also, I hope your day was a good one as well.

Cool mornings and high fever

Right now, everything is quiet. Save for the hum of the netbook, the tapping of keys on the keyboard, sound of the broom sweeping in at neighbor’s, and the occasional passing of vehicles by the road… it is quiet and chilly. I like it.

Though I feel at peace, I fear it is something akin to a “calm before a storm” scenario. What could be brewing ahead?

Last night I surrendered to sleep after fighting off chills and high fever. I could not stop shaking and although the husband piled blankets and some hot water bottles, I felt cold but apparently hot to touch. This is the nth time this month that I have been down with sickness, and I blame the weather.

One cannot fault me because I have done my duty to down as much Vitamin C for protection, other vitamins for other things, and eat right. I left the supposed diet because I am not sure if my body can handle dieting as of the moment. I even drank tons of water enough to make a pool in a week. But apparently that is not enough.

Now what do I do?

The husband swears he is going to rush me off to the hospital if I do not recover. Yet he forgets that apparently we are broke as two plates smashed together. Dry as a forgotten well of dreams, and then some. Though I am thankful for life, I am not sure where to go or what to do next.

There are sounds of footsteps passing by and then some running. I guess it is time to move and face this day, storm or no storm.

The tiredness I feel seeps to the marrow of my bones and makes me want to just curl up in bed and well… I don’t know, just sleep. But I cannot because I have tons of things to do, and this financial challenge is making me restless.

How does one concentrate on things to do when there are problems to face? HOW?!

Still, the chill of the morning and the peace I feel makes me believe I can conquer the world. Perhaps I will be able to conquer the world today. Perhaps.

Now I must continue my tasks. Much time has been spent catering to my ailing body… I should plow some more in order to reap.

I hope your day is starting as peacefully and calmly as mine, and if storms come your way, I hope you stay strong.

Cheers!

Of long days and typewriters

It has been a long day for me today. It started with a frenetic pace when I woke up just 45 minutes before the PTA conference of sorts started. Since the school gym was located at the other side of town, I knew I had to beat time and traffic. Unfortunately, somebody else was already hogging the bathroom.

Since I am not one who is comfortable prancing about before taking a bath, I waited for a good 10 minutes before the person finally exited the bathroom. All went into a blur, and as far as I am concerned, I remember being dressed eventually, and with 10 minutes to go, I started the motorcycle and pretty much flew across town.

Thank God I did not run into any vehicular accidents. Otherwise, that would have made my day a little bit more interesting.

The meeting went well. Same words or so as last year. But at least I showed up. I already did some injustice to my daughter when she was excluded from the dance the kids performed because apparently her school shoes are not the right ones. Meh.

Good thing about today was that I accomplished much. After the meeting, I stopped by Steds, a local convenience store, to buy bread and some milk for the kids. I got some food for myself, too. When I got home, I gave the kids a bath, cooked lunch, then sat down to work. I finished work in 3 hours, which felt quite good, if I may say so.

After working, the four of us rode around town just for fun. This is a really good substitute for going soemwhere especially if you have less than 500 pesos in your pocket. We stopped by The Boulevard and just let the kids run around… it was a good two hours.

Everything went blurry again after that… all I know is that I managed to cook dinner, eat dinner, and now here I am rambling away because I need to unload.

Honestly? My back hurts, my fingers hurt so much… but I type nonetheless. Because in typing – like I did when I used my grandfather’s trusty typewriter – I learned that I can lose myself through writing. I may not be the best at it, but I know that it is what I want to do.

And now, I want to put let my hands rest for a while.

Inday Goes To The Big City: Day 1

Yesterday was day one, but after that long day, I was knocked out last night, as early as 9 pm-ish!!

Anyway, it has been 6 years since I boarded a plane and flew out of my mountains. Enough for total ignorance to set in! Enough for a certain country girl to check out what the city looks like after all that time.

With a flight schedule from Dumaguete leaving at 8:45 am, somebody woke up at 4:30 am and was already dressed to go by 5:30 am! LOL since the airport is approximately 20 minutes away, I was definitely early. I blame it on the fact that I barely slept that night. Nerves.

When the plane taxied along the strip, my nerves hummed with anticipation that I wasn’t really able to take a lot of shots!

While I was seated at the very last row of the plane, I was sadly not seated by the window. Though I was able to see the white fluffy clouds once the plane was off the ground, I could not fully enjoy it because I was seated next to some dude who snored all the way through the trip.

After the plane landed in NAIA, I was not able to observe everything because my companions moved at the speed of light. I wished we were slower so I could take in the feel of the airport! LOL think: The Terminal. Besides, the van that was supposed to pick us up arrived almost an hour after we went out to Bay 9.

Off we went then to our hotel in Makati, and since I was with some big wigs, I was not able to shoot around cause I was just trying to appear cool. LOL

Ahhh the hotel. The biggest perk so far. Its not really THAT posh… Okay, maybe it is posh, and I have enjoyed one of the best night’s rest in this hotel yet. The view is okay… And I will make another review when I get back.

Yesterday was a loooong day. And I hope it gets better today! I also hope we can actually get out of the hotel and take a look around the city… Or wherever.

That’s all for now. Updates and pictures later!!!

Cheers!

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Today I don’t feel like doing anything

… I just wanna stay in my bed.

Okay, so maybe that was totally Bruno Mars’ words, but it could easily be anybody else, too. Who says you’re not allowed to state those words?

I have come to a realization that perhaps I keep too much conversations in my brain. And of course if ideas get stuck in my brain, I tend to talk to people about what I think and what happened, which I realize is a total waste of time, especially if it is not a story but a complaint.

I think stories are more interesting that complaints or rants, so why not turn those evil bad vibes and thinking into something positive like writing a story?

Going to sleep with an angry mind makes me wake up angry at the world as well. And I guess this is also the reason why I am brooding for the past few days.

Okay, so I had a relatively tiring week. It was so tiring that I couldn’t care less if I swiped my makeup off or left it there to make me age while I was asleep. To hell with wrinkles! I will snore!!! Well, at least my husband said I snored like drunk passed out on the lawn. Yay!! My first drunk analogy? comparison? what?

I kept replaying my awful, awful, awful week in my head, and then I realized that I was dwelling in the past! Oh, no, no, no!

I shall not dwell in the past. So if information bothers me, I should just convert it into a story, yes? Let’s try that exercise this week and see where I go.

GOOD MORNING by the way!!

Happy to have talked to you early this fine day.

Cheers!

Every day, I rush

Rushing through life seems to be one of my talents. I used to excel in the task but lately, I have been dragging my feet.

I cannot say that this is all just a figment of my exhausted mind, and perhaps that may be so. I think that this exhaustion is also a result of my constant need to think. Think, think, think. I think in the morning, I think in the afternoon, and I think at night.

I constantly worry about this and that and this and that, which leads me to forgetting the things that I need to remember the most. Also, I rush to and fro. It is not healthy, I am aware, but this is how my life is currently.

I think it was so much better when I used to blog a lot. That way, I did my best thinking or at least most of my non-productive thinking when I write about blah blah blah. Then came the minding.

When I start to mind about what people think, or what they would say about what I have written, then I have lost my nerve or the drive to write. This unfortunately escalates to my day-to-day activities because I think I have this tendency to be a crowd pleaser. It is exhausting, and as much as I would like to thump my “caring side” on the head, I cannot. This is because as what Popeye said, “I am what I am, and that’s all that I am…” So yeah.

I thought about writing in another blog, but that is just soooo damn exhausting too. So why not take a stand and just write? For my sanity and for the clearing of my mind.

I just need to type type type and let it all out so that I can forget about thinking this way, and THAT way, I would be able to write about other things.

Write to unwind. Write to be happy. And of course, write to tell stories.

So I guess this is where I say… I am back!