Blog Your Bleesings: Panagbenga celebration

If you haven't experienced the "Panagbenga Festival" of Baguio, you are missing a lot. Panagbenga is a kankanaey term which means "a season of blooming." It is also known as the Baguio Flower Festival, some kind of a tribute to the beautiful flowers the city is famous for.

But for me, Panagbenga celebration brings a different memory. For two years, during the street dancing and float parade "days" of the celebration, we would wake up as early as 3 am in order to be at the store as early as 4 am. This is torture for us since the third week of February is considered the coldest in Baguio. We have to open early and be able to cook enough food before the bulk of customers, usually tourists, would come in. I, together with the assistant managers and the crew would be on our feet from early morning till late in the afternoon. I witnessed how the crew persevered and how the managers supported the team members. It was a picture of team work and hard work.

Just like the flowers of Panagbenga, my team blooms during this period. They are blooming in the spirit of team work and hardwork.

I miss my team. I miss being "in action". But I have chosen to be just an observer now. A proud observer of how the flowers and the people bloom.

The reality of death

If you are given three months to live, how would you spend it? Would you spend it regretting the things you weren't able to do? Or would you spend the last three months of your life sharing love and happiness to the people who mean the most to you?

If I have to chose one among all the asian drama series I have watched over the years, Silence would definitely top my list. It is not just a love story, it is a life story. Watching it made my heart ache, but it opened my eyes to the numerous possibilities in this life. One of which is death.

Death is a reality. Each one of us will have to face this truth, even if we do not want to, in God's perfect time, we will.

Two days after watching this, I experienced the worst chest pain I ever had. I feared that I might have a heart attack any moment, so I sent my husband a message telling him how much he means to me, how I want us to grow old together, how I feared dying this young. That night, the reality of death hit me real hard. I could die any moment. I could die from asthma attack, from heart attack, or I could die from an accident. I maybe well and laughing in the morning, but I will never know when my destiny ends.

After that night, I willed myself to live healthier so I decided to go for a pulmonary check up. I underwent a test called spirometry where I was made to blow air into a measuring device. The normal result is at 80-100% according to the doctor, but I only measured at 53%, way below normal. The good thing though is that my asthma is curable. My chest pain according to the doctor is brought by my asthma too.

I willed myself to live a healthier life, because I don't want to die young. My husband and I will be sacrificing 31 months away from one another. I don't want to put this sacrifice into waste.

To end this melodrama, I would like to borrow the line from the movie John Q " I am not gonna bury my son(daughter), my son(daughter) will gonna bury me"

Life changing move

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, and too
strong for fear, and too happy to permit the
presence of trouble.

I have been experiencing recurrent chest pain the last two days - squeezing, burning sensation on my chest that extends to my arms, neck and back, and also brings dizziness and weakness. It's like a definition straight from a medical dictionary, but it is what I feel. So tomorrow, I will be seeing a doctor, to erase any doubts on my health.

That plus a more positive outlook in life. Because lately I have been dwelling with stressful situations, and again, my health is the one suffering.

I hope to have a more positive post tomorrow after my visit to the doctor

Blog Your Bleesings: Voice

I suffered a terrible asthma attack last week and I am just regaining my strength now. To my luck, I have wonderful people, my mom and my aunt, who took really good care of me. I feasted on milk and egg (according to their doctor, eating at least 2 eggs per day is good for the health. I'll write more about this next time) and my favorite Asian drama series ( my all time favorite stress buster =>).

The latest series that I watched is Silence, a Taiwanese drama series shown in the year 2006. The story is about a young girl and a young boy who met in a hospital and found happiness during the week they were together, although in silence. The girl was involved in an accident that traumatized her and makes her unable to speak. In one episode the girl asked, using hand language (with english subtitle of course => ) this question.

" Why do people who have a voice always hide the most beautiful words in their heart?"

Why do we indeed?

At least at one point in our life we meant to say good things to someone, wanted to say words we know deep in our heart would bring smile to someone, but opted not to.

What if an unexpected thing happens and robs us of our voice? How will we be able to express out loud with emotions the words we kept in our heart?

Blog Your Blessings Sunday: Happy Birthday Mama!

It almost slipped my mind, but I am extra blessed this sunday because my mom is celebrating her 69th birthday today.



Happy birthday mama. Thank you for your unconditional love. We love you!

Blog Your Blessings Sunday: Burnay

"Burnay" or Jar


Burnay Making


Andrea witnessed the process of Burnay making


Burnay making in Vigan was introduced by Chinese immigrants. Burnay maybe used for storing drinking water, salt, basi wine, tagapulot (brown sugar), and Ilocano's favorite bagoong.

The educational tour of Andrea's school at the Heritage City of Vigan gave us the opportunity to have a deeper appreciation of these jars. They are no longer just jars, instead, it signifies skills and hard work.

An Angel in Disguise?

The number of customers coming in was fewer than the previous days. I was feeling down and thinking that maybe I made a mistake. I was losing confidence again. Then, out of nowhere, an old man passed by our canteen. He appeared to have suffered from a stroke and has difficulty in walking. Then the old man approached me and told me not to mind the people from the other canteen infront of us. They appear to be taunting us for having few customers. But the old man told me not to mind them. And to not say "wala" or nothing/none in english. Saying "wala" is like being dead, because you are giving up already he added. Just persevere and God will help you he said. Then he went on tellng me his life story. Of how he was blinded by power and money,but when he suffered a stroke, he instead thank God for giving him the opportunity to rest his body. He says he does not have much, but he does have strong faith which keeps him alive and able to live day by day.

Isn't this a great coincidence? When I was feeling doubtful, God made sure that I receive encouragement. Not from the people around me, but from someone i don't know.

Which led me into thinking, is he an angel in disguise?

Blog Your Blessings Sunday: Surprises!

I feel so blessed today!

Early this mornig, while serving breakfast in our canteen, one customer approached me and asked where I studied in high school. Incidentally, we went to the same high school but he was already a senior when I was just a freshman. When he was about to go, I asked his family name because I couldn't remember his face, it was then when i realized I was talking to my ultimate crush in high school. He belonged to our school's basketball team and I have been following their games eversince I saw him shoot from the three points area. Well, I was an ugly duckling in high school, and I never thought that he would notice me. But I guess, he did. Uhm, I am not sure if it's because I still look like the ugly duckling then. Nevertheless, he remembered me, and I, did not recognized him.

After attending mass this afternoon, I dropped by the drugstore and I was so thrilled to see one of my bestfriends in highschool! After more than ten years of not seeing each other, I was able to hug her again.

Thank you so much for today. After dreaming for a year (during my high school days) that this ultimate crush would look my way, I was able to confirm that, at least he took notice of me then ( who cares what he thought about me then, at least he took notice of me). And I know in my heart that despite him being my ultimate crush, God gave me someone better, someone who completes me.

Thank you so much for today. After I resigned from my work, I felt sad because I won't be able to see my friends as often as i want to. But I guess, it paved the way back into the arms of my old friends.

This is truly a blessed day. For sure, I will be wearing a smile on my face tonight as I rest my tired my body.

Happy Blog Your Blessings Sunday!