I've had so much of life the past week - what with work overload at the office, natural calamities here and there, utmost happiness with my family, fun & laughter with friends, unconditional love from God, inspiration from my community brothers & sisters, pure contentment with PB. Life oh life. Can't get enough of it.
***
I arrived early morning Thursday from Manila. Spent a good, good three days there with family. Flew in Monday (a day before my parents did) and was met at the airport by my sister Iana (who's starting life anew as a fashion design student) and Sam, one of my closest cousins who's presently a Manila resident, what with reviewing and taking exams for her medical career in the US. Life's great! Spent the afternoon and evening with them, shopping on the side, food bingeing on the other (I must say, Manila offers the best in this arena). Those, and catching up on each other's lives. It's funny how life turns out - Sam used to be my roomie when we were in college, now she's housemates with my younger sister. The fun-ner part even was when the following morning, we chatted and video chatted at that with our other cousin, now married and North Carolina-based, Karen, who's about to give birth any time now - it was like the old days - me, Karen, Sam. Sad part is that all three of us are living our own lives, separated by distance, joined by blood and sisterhood. I miss those girls, we practically shared lives together in college, and even through most of our childhood, what with our moms being sisters and then some. Oh well. Life's simply like that - takes us to where we're meant to, having to let go of happy pasts and looking more to the brighter future out there, even if it means growing up and living lives separately - thousands of miles separately.
***
My entire family was granted US visas on Wednesday - of course, less Tingtong who couldn't make it to the scheduled interview because he had an exam. Oh yes, dear Brod is in Med school now and I can't be any prouder!
The whole process was nerve-wracking, what with dear Me up at 3:30 am (for our scheduled 8:00 am interview) because I had to check and re-check our papers - that I didn't miss something out. My greatest worry wasn't even a denied visa - it was more of that I missed out on something and that we wouldn't be interviewed AT ALL. My family - especially my mom who flew in for that (read this: she LOATHES flying) - would kill me! So there, THANK GOD, everything just went smoothly. Visas granted and all, it was such an experience! I'm presuming I don't need to line up that long line and waiting to be questioned and questioned at that during the interview for another ten years??? Crossing my fingers, the visas haven't arrived yet.
***
A couple of things noted:
> I just checked and realized I haven't been blogging for more than two weeks now. It's just been long, I don't even wanna recall as much.
> I've been caught up and recently just finished watching the entire first and apparently ONLY season of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - it's a good watch! I can't imagine why it only lasted a season. Hmmm, now it got me to thinking it must be the Amanda Peet factor. She starred in this series and then another a long time ago - Jack and Jill, which also just lasted a season or two. Hmmm. But I loved both!
> I just had a sumptuous lunch and dessert at Tito Lito's what with it being a Fiesta tradition - it's also my cousin Marvin's birthday, so it's always a sumptuous one every single year. I had my favorite choco-chip pound cake after lunch, and man, needless to say, I am filled to the brim.
My cousins/aunts Joy and Virna (when I was younger, they refused to be called aunts/titas because they're practically just a few years older, or so they claimed), together with their better halves, and I chatted - well, it was mostly them interrogating me again about the present status of my love life. They kept telling me how I should get married soon because I'm not getting younger - what in the world are they talking about, I'm only 26! There it goes again. I should actually get used to this by now - after all, before Choobs and I got together officially, talks about us being in a relationship flew like anything around town; then when we were finally together-together, talks about us getting married soon spread. Darn this whole reality of Ormoc mentality - people presuming ahead, coming up with the juiciest advance news more than anything. PB and I actually just laugh it off, after all, it's good news (it's TOO good a good news) - people around just more excited than we are. Don't get me wrong, both PB and I are super excited, we're looking forward to OUR happy togetherness for always, but we want it according to our own pace. If that wasn't enough interrogating, my younger cousin Alyssa, who's in high school, comes up to me and tells me another juicy advance news - her classmate Carlos, a cousin of PB, asked her when PB and I were getting married because he heard from his Lola that we are getting married already. Whoa. Advance party, get ready! These are all exciting news really. I can't help but be excited, blush and all. Then again, it's just too good a news for now. PB and I wait in eager anticipation, like we always say. God still is the one who knows best. And we leave it all to Him.
> Mamita's back! Finally, after more than a month (almost two???) of her being "stuck" (she used this term herself) in Cebu because of herpes zoster and many other body aches & pains, she's finally home. As soon as she arrived yesterday, I quickly sent a quick text to the entire family about her arriving, then arranged dinner plans - what a BIG dinner it was indeed, considering it was just with short notice. The sumptuous dinner (it's about sumptuous this whole weekend) included CRABS (a family favorite!!!), lechon manok (a safety blanket, for the kids really), spicy beef (YUMMY), and pancit. The crabs did it for us. The highlight of the evening.
Mamita seemed better and more active than the last time I visited her about a month ago. She was up on her feet but still feeling the ache, she walks slower now, and needs assistance as she does so. My only fear is that since she's back home, she'll go back to her hectic every day schedule - attending to her bakeries and farms. She keeps forgetting she's no longer 40, that she's 75 already! I admire her diligence and workaholic attitude, but I think at that age, she ought to be thinking about which country to visit next, instead of worrying about her businesses which are in good hands really. Dang, at that age, I'd have travelled all over the world already, or so I hope I'd be able to. God willing!
Mamita oh Mamita.
She is an admirable woman. She was a widow at a very young age, what with ten kids to raise on her own, the youngest of the brood, Tito Pao, was actually only about 8 when Lolo died. My father, the eldest among the sons, was then a second year Medical student. But of course needless to say, Mamita made it through. Excellently at that. Now, all her kids and grandkids too, take turns in caring for her. I just hope one day she realizes this truly and allows us to. She still fights her way through everything. Hopefully, she lets us return to her the countless favors. She is something. And I truly know that I don't think I'll ever grow old to be even half the amazing, great person that she is.
Life. It is what it is.
Happy fiesta, Ormocanons.
No comments:
Post a Comment