Some Major Throwback

Old style writing

Oh my… It has been a while. No, let me rephrase that — It has been a long while. It makes me wonder, What the *%$@ had happened to me?  How could I leave my blog (again) like an orphan just like that?! 

Actually, it was pretty easy, really. I got myself busy doing other things — sometimes relevant and exciting, most times mundane.  And then I tell myself I don’t have the inspiration to write… and then I look at my computer and feel insecure and I start asking myself, Can I still produce something worth reading? 

And then because I’m unsure of myself, I end up not writing. No attempt even. What a coward. Yes, I’m psycho like that… 

Then this morning I received an email from a book group I am part of, asking me if they can feature me and my book (yes, that lovely book I wrote a couple of years ago) on their site.  They are featuring Filipino authors and they asked if I would be willing to answer some questions.

I was over the moon, so, Of course, yes!!!  My first thought was, I will gladly answer a hundred questions if need be! 

Thank you, God, for nudging me and waking me up from my stupor.

Thank you for reminding me that I am a writer and writers are supposed to, uhm, write. 

❤

This year has breezed by quite fast somehow. It’s now September and we are beginning to hear Christmas carols being played in malls (Really?! So soon?! But yes, really!). 

What could be a better way of making the most of your days than by spending them with the people you love?  And I was fortunate enough to travel several times this year with loved ones…

So for my Hello-I’m-back-blog, I thought of sharing pictures of our family trip to Singapore last April.  

Yeah, yeah, it’s such a late post, but good memories never fade…  (like I can get any mushier than this!!) 😉

Hello Singapore… we meet again.

You have to pardon the eye bags. My dad, mom and I took the flight departing at such an ungodly hour!

My customary plane selfie

After depositing our bags at the hotel, our first stop was Marina Bay Sands for an afternoon of (window) shopping…

 

 

My mom, ever the fashionista. 🙂

My dad having his own photo shoot while my mom was shopping somewhere…

Oh, hello there!

And then we were joined by the star of Singapore… (with his equally dashing brother father)!!!

My two Miguels ❤

 

First dinner in Singapore.

Family is love, indeed.

❤

Day 2 was all about serious shopping in the morning…

Walked ’til my sandals broke…

… and then some serious partying at night!

Same pose, different attire.

At the Roar of Singapore 4 boxing event, in full support for Filipino boxers and boxing commentator and analyst…

 

… as well as foreign talents — who might get rich and famous in the future, one will never know! 😉

❤

Day 3 was about waking up early and hearing the voice of your dear friend Victoria calling your name...

Coolness! 

And still more walking…

… and hiding from the sun.

When afternoon came, it was time for — 

Yale-NUS visit!!

So, who do you think is the boss?! 🙂

Tired but never weary…

Papa enjoying the stage at the Performance Hall 

The neighboring NUS buildings at the back

Yale NUS College tours are always, always an awesome experience. 

❤

On Sunday morning, we went on a Chinatown adventure…

 No caption needed 😉

Then we finally got ourselves some yummy Hainanese Chicken meal that Singapore is known for…

Lunch.

Miguel was not feeling too well that day so we just decided to meet up with him in the evening.

 

Dinner and after dinner…

Goodbyes are always difficult… But we are thankful for the memories. 

And it’s always nice to look forward to the next hello.

❤

Brunch before flying back home

The trip was short but we made a lot of memories along the way.

I am glad I was able to spend time with my parents. I am grateful that they both are still strong enough to travel and we still get to experience and enjoy things together.

At the same time, I am joyful that I got to visit my son. My son was able to show his grandparents his school, his home away from home.  I know my parents couldn’t be any more proud that Miguel is where he is right now.

Truly, we do have a lot to be thankful for. 

As we waited for our flight back home, I couldn’t help but ponder… 

Yes, time flies… So very fast. Our kids grow up fast. Our parents grow old. We get old(er). And so we make good use of our time. We spend our hours with the people important to us… we make time for the people we love. 

We make memories… happy ones that will forever warm our hearts. 

… and we take selfies. A gazillion, if that would make you happy. 

❤

 

*********

Photo credits: Girl writing cartoon via google images; Singapore trip photos courtesy of author’s ever reliable iPhone 😉 

 

 

A Whole New World

If you are wondering why I have been awfully quiet these past few weeks (and you don’t follow my Instagram and Facebook accounts) — well, the time has come. No, my Game of Thrones friends, I didn’t mean winter…

I was referring to my son’s College Move In Weekend… Though now that I think about it, the experience felt very much like a GoT episode — exciting, yet dreadful at the same time. Minus the gore, of course.

I digress. Anyway, so two weeks ago we brought the unico hijo to Singapore for College. After all the planning and the preparation and the psyching of one’s self (I am talking about myself here), when the actual day comes that you have to let go of your child’s hand and leave him to fend for himself… well, you are never really sure if you are ready or if your heart will not cave in when you see your child walking away from you.    

Our customary “off to school” photo ❤

But then this is what parents do, right? We raise our children to be the best that they can be and we offer them the greatest opportunities possible. We allow them to experience things on their own, not always under our shadow, so they can grow. 

That Sunday afternoon as we were saying goodbye — he has already moved in to his residential college while his father and I were headed back to our hotel — my son’s last words to us were, “Will you be okay?” 

I knew he was merely referring to the commute from the College back to the hotel, us being ‘tourists’ and all.  My head asked my heart the same question, though… Will I be okay? 

I know I will miss his presence in the house. I know I will have to get used to an empty bedroom across mine. I will miss our nightly chats over dinner. The house will seem bigger, quieter…

But when I think of the whole new exciting world that he is entering… When I think of the vast opportunities and meaningful experiences ahead of him, all the learnings that will make his life richer and will make him a much better person still, I am assured that there is no reason not to be okay. Everything will be well.

No goodbyes, just see you later!

So yes, I will be okay. And so will he. 🙂 

❤ ❤ ❤

His home for four years ❤

 

*****

photos are all mine 🙂 

 

 

 

525,600 minutes

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear…

Exactly two weeks from today, my precious unico hijo will be graduating from high school. 

Over the past weekend, I started listing down the things we should prepare for, things that he would be needing for college. Though he won’t be leaving until end of July, I just thought of planning and preparing early enough so we won’t forget anything.

Last night I found myself watching YouTube videos that featured his future college. I watched the ones made by current students (mostly entitled A Day in the Life…), I also viewed the promotional videos posted by the school itself. 

I thought of how he will have a lot of exciting opportunities, meet new, interesting people, learn a lot from this college experience. I know it will be quite an adventure for him. I am probably even more excited than him. I probably already know more about the school than he does. 

I slept feeling at peace, excited about the college we chose, and what the future holds for my son. 

This morning, my sister sent me an article she read online entitled Give Me the Strength… A Parent’s Prayer at Graduation. 

That article/prayer brought me back to the present. It brought me back to here and now….

To the realization that in two weeks time, my son and his classmates are graduating, spending one last day at their beloved high school. They will be saying goodbye to each other, to their teachers, to their younger friends.  They will be spending their last morning in that school, all together, perhaps for the one last time. And then they will say goodbye and part ways.

All they will be left with are memories — good, bad, ugly… It doesn’t matter, I am sure they will embrace each memory just the same.

I was a weepy mess after reading the article… also because I realized that as my son leaves high school and goes off to college, I will have to say goodbye, too. 

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure – measure a year?

When my son first left to attend a College Weekend (you may read about it in the post Stages and Seasons), the house truly felt different. It was more quiet.

My son was never a noisy, rowdy individual. On ordinary days, he would just stay in his room to study, so I am pretty used to the house being quiet.  But it is a different kind of silence when you know that your child is just there in the other room. 

In Church that weekend, one of the Senior Pastors chatted with my husband and me. We got to talk about empty nesting and he gave us some words of advise, words of wisdom. He empathized with us, even shared their own experience as a family when their eldest son also graduated from high school and moved out of the house for college. 

Parents have to let go of their children at some point. And it hurts when we do so. What makes it more sad is the realization that as we end this season, we also have to accept that things will never be how they were before. We say good bye to our young child. 

We say good bye to the ordinary day to day life we spend with them. The ordinary and the mundane days spent with our young children that we normally take for granted. 

In daylights – in sunsets
In midnights – in cups of coffee
In inches – in miles
In laughter – in strife

In – five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life

But then, like what the Pastor reminded us, parenthood does not end when our children become adults. We just all enter a new season together. 

How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love…

I am proud of the things my son has accomplished and of the person that he has become. But I also know that there is so much more in store for him and as good parents, we will have to give him the freedom to grow. 

We will always be his parents. I will always be his mother. Whenever he needs me, all he has to do is to holler and he will have my attention. Sometimes he doesn’t even need to holler, sometimes I already know he needs me even if he hasn’t said a word. That won’t change.

And I will continue to pray for him — for his health, his well-being, his happiness and success — whether he is here or in another country. Just like I do so every single day. 

We will embrace the change of seasons… and we will make new, happy memories.

New season. Different season. But a parent’s love remains. 

Measure, measure your life in love… Seasons of love.

❤

Neither ordinary nor mundane 🙂 

❤ ❤ ❤

“Seasons of Love” lyrics from the musical Rent; “Give Me the Strength… A Parent’s Prayer at Graduation” from mylifetree.com; Photos are all mine.

Happy place

The other weekend, my unico was fortunate enough to have been  invited to another College Weekend experience. Whereas last time he went to a University in Abu Dhabi, this time, he flew to Singapore.

It was an activity-filled weekend for him in another country. By himself, without nagging parents. What an adventure.

Unlike the first College Weekend that he had a month ago, this time I was not as anxious seeing him off. Perhaps it’s because Singapore is just four hours away, and he’ll be gone for just three days, anyway.

We dropped him off at the airport early Friday morning…

Saying goodbye…

Needless to say, I am already preparing myself mentally and emotionally for the time  when my son will leave for college for good.

It is inevitable. We have known this will happen… that he will study in another country. This has always been our plan for him, and his dream for himself. And given the opportunities that he has been blessed with, we know that this is also God’s great plan, as well.

But I guess no matter how much you prepare yourself, there will always be a feeling of loneliness that looms over, knowing that your child will be far away from you. As excited as I am with what the future holds for him, I still cannot help but be anxious, as well. Classic case of sepanx (separation anxiety).

The house was awfully quiet that weekend that he was away. Worse, I barely heard from him the whole time he was in Singapore!

At first I thought that maybe something was wrong with my phone’s signal, or with our internet connection at home. Eventually I realized — and got to accept– that he was busy. It was an eventful weekend… And he was having fun.

I also realized that it would have been more difficult for me if he kept texting and telling me that he was homesick, or that he was unhappy. I would rather that he was busy and enjoying… Even without us.

Letting go is not as hard when you know your child is excited, not unhappy, and is unafraid.

***

Alas, Sunday evening came.  We were back at the airport, this time to pick him up.

It was a rainy late Sunday evening, but the airport was still buzzing with activity. A lot of families were picking up their loved ones.

As our car was lined up in traffic along the Arrival area driveway, a thought came to me…

To people or families with loved ones abroad, THIS IS the happiest place on earth.

Because truly, nothing beats the joy and happiness one feels when you see your loved one coming out of that Arrival area.

Being reunited with someone you love = priceless. ❤️

Okay, so he probably doesn’t look so happy… Let’s blame the hour and a half flight delay. It’s one thirty in the morning, so I’m cutting him some slack. 😉

❤️❤️❤️

Photos are all mine 😊

Stages and Seasons

It used to be our daily practice when my son was much, much younger… I would bring him to school in the morning, and then pick him up after class.

Just another regular school day…

Our drive to and from school gave us the chance to bond more. Morning travels were spent preparing him for the day… while I spend the afternoon ride home listening to how his school day went.

Morning car ride to school, elementary days

When he was very young, I would walk with him to his classroom and would only leave once I see that he’s all settled in. In time, I would just drop him off at the door of the building and will just watch as he walked the hallway to his classroom — or up to how far my eyes could reach him. 

I think he was in Grade 5 when he told me that I didn’t need to accompany him anymore even up to the gate… Though he said he still wanted me to be in the car with him so we can still chat on the way to school. 

Eventually, it would just be the driver who would bring him and pick him up.

Classroom. Hallway. School gate. Car.

Stages. Seasons.

❤ ❤

Last Thursday, my husband and I brought our son to the airport. He was to fly to another country for a College Weekend. As part of his college applications, he was invited by a university to visit the campus and for several interviews.

Car ride to the airport

It was his first trip abroad alone. 

Being a mother, I was overjoyed and excited for him. I was happy that he is getting all these opportunities. 

I was melancholic, too.

My heart was overflowing with joy and pride, yet at the same time it was melting and breaking, too. My son is not a baby anymore.

Off to College Candidate Weekend!

It was a prelude to letting go.

Stages. Seasons.

❤ ❤

Immediately the morning after my son left, a good friend of mine, K, called up to check on me. She asked how I was, asked if I cried — or if I was still crying.

She knows I don’t cry easily… Yet she also knows that my heart breaks just the same. 

❤

That same afternoon, I was at the mall running errands. Just as I was about to go home, I thought of what snack to buy for my son. He always comes home from school hungry and I make it a point that he has something to eat when he gets home.

And then I remembered he was out of the country. All I could do was to let out a huge sigh.

❤ ❤

Our children are not ours. Yes, we give them life, we raise them, we teach them… but we all know that time will come when we will have to let go and let them live their lives. Eventually they will have to spread their wings and live according to their purpose. And we allow them.

It is scary for us parents. Somehow don’t we all wish we can hold on to them, keep them near all time? Yet we also know that in order for them to grow, we have to let them go.

We just have to trust that we have taught them enough so they are able to stand on their own when the time comes.

We have to have faith in them, too.

❤ ❤

So spend as much time with your kids while they are young… while they are there. 

Like what I told my other friend who claims to be a ‘clingy parent’: Yes, be clingy. Cling as much and as hard as you can.

Because time flies. Life is fleeting. Our children grow up so fast. One day you are bringing them to nursery school, singing ABC’s in the car… Next day you are on the way to the airport to send them away for college. 

Stages and Seasons. Try not to miss the many good moments in between.

A few of our mommy and son dates

First day of Nursery School… First day of HS Senior Year

❤ ❤ ❤

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”           Prov. 22:6 KJV

*******

photos are all mine 🙂