When the Dust Settles...

Picture this. A bright, sunny day and you are standing in the middle of the road when you see a speeding car. It's too late and you got hit. You're thrown in the air, you hit the sidewalk & still shocked by what happened, you try to get up. You can't believe that the driver almost killed you and didn't even bother to stop.

Shuddering right? Well, that is how it is when a crisis hits you. Difficulties come at a time when you least expect it. But when the dust settles, you gather yourself and try to pick up the remaining pieces of what's left. They say that every crisis is a call to greatness. And every callous deed done to you by a person is a call for you to rise above it all. I say, it is a call of faith. The difficult moments of our life will shape us to be a better person. We have been given an ability to cope to whatever life offers us. However, it would all depend on how one would react to a tough situation.

How often do we find ourselves hindered by negative thoughts that almost surely it affects our work? How often do we find ourselves overshadowed by the wrong decisions that we make. Often, we justify our actions and thoughts by saying that these are the things that we have no control over. We support the premise that we are victims of our destiny simply because it relieves us of the guilt and it is the most convenient thing to say. But that is otherwise. The greatest gift we have been given is the power to choose. We can choose how to cope with life's uncertainties and situations. We can choose how to respond when someone's callous behaviour hurts us. We can choose to succumb to weakness or to stand up & be strong, or choose to walk the right but hard path rather than choose to do the easy but erroneous way. The decisions that we make in life is the legacy that we will leave behind.

Empowerment is the key word here. We are empowered as human beings to choose as to how to react to what life throws upon us. Any person can be laid off from work, have huge amounts of debt, have a terminally sick family member or be dumped by a spouse. The disparity here is how we will react to this experience. The old saying, "When life throws you lemons, make a lemonade" is true.

But if I may add, make it a pitcher of lemonade...so you can share it with others. Life is still beautiful!

Solo Flight

With 4 kids and with no helper for 6 straight months, I am trying to keep my sanity. I do everything. I wake up at 4:30 am, cook breakfast and prepare them for school, bring and fetch them to school as well. Aside from this I do our mountain of laundry, do the shopping for groceries, clean the house, teach the young kids, pay the bills & attend PTAs. My free time is only between 7am to 10am which I use for praying, checking my emails & preparing my orders for eBay. After 10am, I'm busy as a rat always running from one chore to another.

Our house would be quiet at 9pm & it would be my time for some solitude. I savour this because this is my opportunity to do whatever I want at my own pace. I can surf the internet, watch TV, read a book or newspaper, and even apply treatments on my hair. But sadly, I don't do much except read the newspaper or 2 pages at the most of my book. Don't have the energy anymore, ha ha! Later than 10pm, and I'm already groggy with sleepiness. It is really physically demanding. At times, I miss the days when I am a "lady of leisure" and regret that I do not have much time for myself. Hey, I miss going to the salon or taking a nap in the afternoon or basically doing.... nothing.

But still, at the end of the day, I thank the Lord for the blessings that I have & for making me physically fit to take care of my kids and not be the one to be taken cared of. I also get to enhance my time management skills as a Domestic Engineer aka Stay-at-Home mom!

Recently, I've been having conflicts with my 14 year old son. They say that God gave us 13 years to love our kids because we would need all that love when they reach their adolescent years. All, all I can say is it is TRUE! Raising a teenage son could be quite a feat to handle. It's like having a love-hate relationship. Often, I would like to squeeze his neck to bring sense to him but at the same time embrace him.

Parenting is no easy task. Doing it on a solo flight makes it even harder. There is no vacation or days-off even when there are days that you feel like not getting up or have a simple headache. There's just nobody to rely on. The team that I thought I had vanished into thin air & I found myself all alone.

Nevertheless, I still believe that there is nothing that one couldn't handle. Each of us will have our moment of difficulty. It is my time now. It is the season of rain for my life. I welcome it believing that only after the rain will the rainbow come.

Red Marked Dates

Last June 12 was our country's Independence Day or birthday as we may put it. However, the new generation, our children, will never really know when our country's birthday really is. Why? It's because of our President's fondness for a long weekend. Ever since Arroyo became the head of the state, you can never rely on your trusted calendar for the red marked holidays. There is nothing wrong with that, if you ask me, in trying to give our labor force a much deserved long break but please not all the time. These dates were made holidays for its meaning and are part of Philippine history like our Independence Day & Rizal Day to name a few. And it is in history that we learn from the mistakes of our ancestors and ascertain the courage of our heroes.

With us, adults, there is no problem with the replacement since the event is already imparted in our memory but how about the new generation? How will kids know that June 12 is really our Independence Day when June 8 was declared holiday to give way for a long weekend? You could say that they should just memorize the dates but there is more to it than just simply memorizing. It is the simple act of celebrating that day that makes it a part of your being a Filipino.

Visiting Sagada

Where can you find a place that is so serene and blessed by nature? Where the people are kind and accommodating? Where the way of life is so simple.... seemingly untouched by the rapid changes in our society not because they do not have access to it but because they want to protect their way of life?

Where else but in the beautiful Sagada, Mountain Province. It is a place that would entail twelve to thirteen hours travel from Manila.

For a family of six, bringing our own vehicle was the most logical thing to do. We took the Baguio route going there and the Banaue route going home. There was around 3 hours of bumpy and butt aching ride as the only road leading to Sagada is not all cemented.








What makes the bumpy ride worthwhile is that you are treated by a spectacular view of nature.

Sagada is known for its scenery & caves. So we wasted no time in visiting its famous Sumaging cave. One must register at the municipal hall upon arrival before you can tour the town. They have an organized Guides Association who will accompany you when you do your chosen adventure. The rates are all standardized so there is no worry of being overcharged. Getting a guide is a must especially when you visit the caves and go hiking as it is easy to get lost and once inside the limestone caves, it is very slippery. We availed 2 guides since we are a group of 6, mostly kids who would need assistance. I must say that the guides were worth it. Since I have 2 little boys ages 5 & 6, they easily carried them on their shoulders when treading the slippery rocks inside the caves. They are skilled mountaineers and they really know their way around.

The experience of going inside the cave was quite difficult for me at first but later on got the hang of it. The guides took our hands on the parts where one would be required to go up or down on steep stones. Inside, you will be amazed at the magnificent stalactite formation and as you go deeper in the cave, fresh cold water will be a welcome refresher. Treading carefully is a must as the lime stones can be very slippery. There are portions wherein they asked us to go barefoot, coached us where to pass or how to climb the rope. My kids never complained and were excited by what they are seeing. They even took a dip in the cold water. To say that it was a thrilling experience is an understatement. The exhilaration of exploring the huge cave and making it out was truly unforgettable. One thing though that I really found hard was the part of going up to the mouth of the cave. It was a long climb up that I was really panting. Whew!

The next day, we went hiking for the Kiltepan view. Reaching the top, one would be awed by the magnificent scenery it offers. The mountain terrains and the Sagada terraces are so awesome. Some visitors go there to have a picnic and admire their surroundings. Definitely a photographer's haven.

There were so many places that we went to see like the Bokkeng waterfalls where the kids enjoyed a swim. The Hanging coffins, Burial caves, Echo Valley & St. Mary church are also among the places that we visited. Going to the burial sites require silence & respect as the natives or Ifugaos treat these places as holy.

Finally, after a day of adventure & sightseeing, what better way to cap the day but with a big cup of freshly brewed coffee from Bana cafe. Their coffee is superb at a super low price of Php 20.00! Coffee beans are grown locally there so you could just imagine its freshness that comes with the aroma. Complement your coffee with a Lemon Pie Meringue from Lemon Pie house for only Php18.00. Then sit back and relax your weary muscles from all the hiking you made.