My biggest mistake

So how am I [and Wendy] doing being alone for the weekend? Well, with a MAJOR glitch, I’m doing fine.

Today, I was up at 7:00 am, way before my usual rousing time during the weekends. I have to make it up to Wendy because, last night, after hearing the 7-8 pm mass, when we went home, I realized that I forgot to cook rice for my I-can’t-live-without rice daughter! Goodness! Major, major mistake! So I had to hurry while Wendy was slumping on the floor as if she had cerebral palsy! “Mama! I’m soooooooooooooo hungry!” So I went from being the world’s best mom to the worst! He! He!

Well, I fixed a nice breakfast for her today [which means sinangag, eggs, and tocino], so I hope she’ll forget my boo-boo and I go back to being the world’s great mother!

Good morning everyone! Have a great Sunday!

Love thy neighbor

Do you know how important it is to have great neighbors and to have good relationships with them? Well, you should.

Today, being alone in the house, when Wendy and I had to go out, I was fearful for the safety of our house. Well, everything was locked, of course. But still, you get that uneasy feeling as long as you’re out. It didn’t feel good to leave it unmanned.

Well, my always-as-nice neighbor, knowing no one else was going to be left behind, offered to watch our house! Wow! It was like getting that affordable auto insurance for teens! I mean, insurance it was because I was assured that our house was in safe hands [and eyes]. So Wendy and I went on with our business, with me not feeling uneasy anymore.

I remember one time before, when our whole family was out for a vacation, our neighbor, suspecting that our helper then was having a mini-party in our house, pretended that their phone was not working, went to our house, and asked the helper if he could use our phone. It was then he saw the 6 or so people inside our house [I still cringe when I remember this]. So he caught the helper in the act and told us afterward! That’s how our neighbors love us [as much as we truly love them]!

Ours is a big neighborhood, and I’m really glad and thankful for our great and kind neighbors. Having great relationships with them is one of the best investments we have made.

Alone again, naturally

When you live in a house full of of people and bursting with activities, a few hours of solitude is all you will have. Not that I’m complaining; I love a house full of human beings. But sometimes, you still need that “alone time.” And alone time is what I will be getting this weekend, when my family goes to their own respective destinations; even our helpers will take the weekend off! So I [and Wendy] have the house all to myself. My sister, concerned for me, told me to just sleep at our kuya’s house. But I’m not going to pass up an opportunity like this, although I feel it may be time to bring out the burglar alarm just so Wendy and I are safe.

They say human beings are social beings. We constantly need the companionship of other people. We thrive on relationships, and we survive on the affirmation of other people. We take comfort in surrounding ourselves with family and friends. However, we need to have some time for ourselves, some time alone, to nurture ourselves, for our relationships with other people to grow.

What I mean here, though, is that sometimes, we need to be alone. There is a big difference between being alone and feeling alone. Sometimes, “you can be in a room full of people and yet feel so alone,” whereas “you can be alone in your room and yet do not feel that you are alone.” When you feel alone, the loneliness and detatchment come in, even if you are surrounded by people or even friends [haven’t we sometimes felt this way?].

On the other hand,being alone means feeling the comfort, having that inner peace, and being at ease at being with just yourself. And these are we we need at times for us to grow as persons, for us to grow as social beings.

So I guess that will be what this weekend will be like for me…I will be alone but I am confident that I will not feel alone.

Happy weekend everyone!

Can the number 1 player become the number 1 dad?

Yes, Roger Federer and his girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec, are expecting a baby. Shocking at first, of course, but I have to say I have been expecting this news since before.

With Roger Federer’s gentle and calm nature, I can really imagine him being a family man, and a great dad, with him and his family living in a cottage with Persimmon trees and a swing for his kids, something like a great home. And besides, he and Mirka have been together for so long and are of the right age.

I just hope and pray that this becomes a motivation for him to be number 1 in tennis again.

Where does time go?

I found this old picture in my stuff while cleaning:

Ean and Wendy, then 4 and 2 years old, respectively

Five years after (in November 2008):

 Plus one na sila, with Eao (3 years old)

They grow up soooo fast that it’s like watching a fast-paced reality show with your own high-tech home theater furniture. I can’t keep up with them! Time flies so fast, and I know that I should face the fact that I must cherish every moment with my daughter and nephews because before I know it, dalaga at binata na sila!!

I remember Wendy asking me before, “Mama, where does time go?” and I wasn’t able to answer.

Now, I’d probably say, “In your heart Wendy, because no matter what we do, time that has gone by will only be a memory, and memories can be kept in the heart.”