The Journey. It’s Mine. [My personal take on love, life, parenting and blogging.]

Been home alone since Thursday night, hoping I could do some decent amount of work without Raine in the house. (I sent him packing to Lola’s house after class on Thursday afternoon. Regular class for him resumes on Wednesday.).

Since he left though, the rain never stopped. It’s been the 3rd night and I have weathered heavy downpours and thunderstorms. I’m really surprised there is still electricity as that’s always the first to go even at just the sign of heavy rains. Fortunately, I just experienced flickering of electric power.

As far as the internet connection is concerned, the connection always slows down whenever it is raining. Is that really true for Smart Bro? I just don’t get it.  It shouldn’t be right? Anyways, I just used those down-times to get some much-needed sleep.

The internet connection is holding on for now. I’ve been ‘locked up’ here for days (I just went out once last night to stack the food supply) and it would be a disaster if I get disconnected to the rest of the world. I’m giving myself some 24 more hours here, then I’m off to the barrio to be with the family in time for the November 1 activity (All Saints’/Souls’ Day a.k.a. Day of the dead).

In the past, my computer used to be bugged down by viruses. My brothers were then in school and have been using usb drives for their school stuff. Mine was the only computer in the house and they used to insert their usb drives in the said computer to transfer files and do stuff. Of course they use those sticks in school and internet cafes where computers are host to viruses.

So my computer was often infected and my brothers knew nothing to repair it then but re-install the OS. That was also the time when I was just using a free version of an anti-virus.

Anyways, that all ended when we’ve discovered Google Documents. Oh, the joys of cloud computing!

Election paraphernalias didn’t reach my barrio in time for Monday’s Barangay Elections. So like most Barangays here in my province, we all had to vote yesterday. Public schools have no classes yesterday (elementary and high school levels) as announced by DepEd. Most schools are on their semestral break this week anyway.

But Raine’s school doesn’t have a sem break and they held regular classes yesterday as previously scheduled. So I had to dash to the barrio after Raine’s lunch break to cast my vote.

Times like yesterday, I wish we can just vote online using a notebook computer. So we can vote anywhere we are, without leaving home or office.

Good thing there was no queue at the voting center when I arrived so I was able to vote without getting stressed out and harassed. Ours was a pretty quiet voting center yesterday. In fact, I spent more time waiting for the city-bound jeepney than voting.

On Facebook, I love what my Bro wrote:

Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it’s one day further from the last time you saw each other, it’s one day closer to the next time you will.

I doubt though if he came up with it himself. He he. Ang samang Ate!

Watching Imortal on ABS-CBN was purely out curiosity. At first I thought it was a remake of the old Vilma Santos-Christopher De Leon movie entitled Imortal. Gosh. Then only to find out the teleserye is about feuding wolves and vampires. You don’t have to be Twilight fan to realize how Twilight-y the plot is not even halfway into the first episode.

And like any other Pinoy plot, the story line is just so darn predictable! The first episode isn’t over yet but you already know how it’s going to end. Why is it always like that? Can’t the writers think of new twists and be creative for once? (I’m already in my late 30s and they’ve been at it since I was in grade school.) Or is it that unpredictable twists don’t sell to the masses? Most probably!

Either way, don’t blame me for being ‘unpatriotic’ because I get more satisfaction watching reruns of good old foreign films.

Since Raine goes to a Catholic school run by nuns, celebration of the upcoming holiday is more focused on the All Saints/Souls’ Day aspeact rather than on Halloween. Besides, the school doesn’t really hold some sort of All Saint’s Day program, they just send of students to observe it at home with their families.

Therefore Raine hasn’t really experienced anything about costumes and spooky gifts for Halloween, much less go trick-or-treating. Besides, we are residing in a provincial city and nobody does that here. In the barrio, it is a different kind of spooky filled with ghost stories intended to scare the kids.

Since November 1 falls on a Monday this year, for me it is just an ‘excuse’ of school kids and teachers alike to enjoy another long weekend. Oh, there’s two long weekends coming up as October 25 is slotted for the Barangay Elections. 

My only niece (only — at the moment) turned 1 last Saturday.

She’s just the cutest! My mother kept saying I looked a lot like her when I was a baby. Furthermore, her personality is so much like me. Oh no! Ha ha ha.

Ayesha Gale (a.k.a. Potie-Potie), I know you don’t remember much of it…you sure had lots of fun on your 1st birthday. And I have the video and photos to prove it to you when you are older. Mwah!

It’s a special holiday today in my city because of the Kasanggayahan Festival. (Excuse the ugly website, can’t they make a better one??)

Anyways, I’m just happy that Raine has Monday off to rest especially that his second periodical test just concluded last Saturday. As for me, I really don’t get day offs with the kind of work that I do. Sometimes I wish it’s just inserting click heres in ready made articles. He he.

It’s already mid-month and I haven’t reached 50% of my normal productivity level. So I can’t really afford any day off at all.

Are you into diet pills? And have you found the diet pills that work? My friend Mildred is reselling Japanese slimming pills. As what is common in most diet pills, she has not experienced palpitations and diarrhea. In the process she has lost 11 lbs in 18 days.

What will happen is you will lose your bulk of your appetite and will be needing to drink lots and lots of water. Well I haven’t tried it as I am on a lot of medication these days. After all, my current target is to gain more weight.

Wanna try?

If you are interested, check out my my friends on Facebook and look for Mildred Aguilar.

Sometimes I wish I have my own car. So we don’t have to stay the night in the city and just go home to the barrio every afternoon after Raine’s class — where the air is fresh and the temperature is a lot cooler. One year of living in this tree-less city and I haven’t gotten used to how hot temperatures here can get.

However, the way things are going with our finances right now and me spending most on meds and docs, driving my own car is farthest at the back of my head. As they say, maintaining a car is just like having another baby — what with expenses on its general maintenance, the rising cost of gasoline and car insurance.

But if I’d allow myself to think way ahead, I’ll get my own house in the city first before getting a car. With the many jeepneys and tricycles around here (kahit walang taxi!) we can still survive without a car. Di ba??

In a span of a year, I went from this (warning: you might cringe) to this:

 Taken October 6, 2010 on my friend Mildred’s birthday dinner.

Noticeably the mala-led flashlights eyes are gone and I gained enough weight to look better again. Yes, my good old singkit eyes are behind those eyeglasses. (I wish I took a closer shot…anyways…)

Of course tons of meds, doctors, hospitalizations and medical tests and procedures are to be credited along the way. Tons of support and love from family and friends cannot be forgotten as well. I realized that I’ve been getting sick practically since 2006 after typhoon Milenyo hit us. Finally I was diagnosed correctly late last year (and medicated correctly since February this year!).

Before I know it, 2010 will be over and I so look forward to a really healthy 2011.  Thank God for truly supportive family and friends. Mwah!

According to PAG-ASA’s forecast, the months of October to December will be heavy rain season in the Philippines. Out here in Bicolandia, true enough since October came the heavy rains came with it. Farmers of course are happy at first as they have water to prepare their rice fields for tilling. I for one is particularly happy as the daily downpour of rain has certainly dropped the temperature in this scorching city to cooler and comfortable levels.

There is a downside to too much rain of course. There is floods and landslides for starters. Not to mention the fear that typhoons can develop at just anytime around here. Then, unless you have a dryer or a fully automatic washing machine, I don’t like the smell of laundry on occasions like these. I’ve always loved the freshness of sun-dried clothes.  While indoor tanning lotion might be a hit in some other places, I just hate the wet dog smell that rainy days bring indoors.

Of course, if you have young kids who has to go to school despite the rainy, floody season…any parent feels the hassle. Wet stuff, more wet stuff, flu, fever and all sorts of nasty germs that your kids are going to get. Personally, I just love the rainy season as long as I can find reasons not to get out of the house AT ALL.