i am taking this opportunity to blog right now because i still have the energy to blog. i have been very busy and tired because of work recently and i have only been working for five days. (-_-) no complains about work though. in a way, i'm enjoying the experience. (^_^) tiring but i am happy with the fact that i can still smile despite the intricate process and paperwork. (^_^)
i will start my blog with my trip to abra.
the departure
this was my last pic with my sister before i left for abra.
my father and i took the bus. my father and i took the seats directly behind the bus driver, suddenly a lady looked at me and said, "oh hi! how are you? long time no see." i looked at her and then i realized she was my theology teacher when i was in my last year in grade school. her name is Ms. Agunat. after eight years, we were "reunited" (^_^)
the trip was a long and tiring eight hour bus ride but for the first time, i did not sleep for the whole trip. in the past, i would sleep for the whole trip and wake up at the bus stops for food or a toilet break. it was raining the whole time. my father and i liked travelling like this. the weather was cool and the environment along the way was very green, very calming to see. (^_^) during such trips, there are vendors who board the bus and sell delicacies. among my favorite delicacies is Piaya. (~_~)
we arrived in abra around 7:30pm. we visited my grandfather who was rushed to the hospital that morning. we had a simple dinner, but while eating, gamo-gamo started to fly on the light and land on our dinner. it's a good thing we were about to finish eating. when i looked at the gamo-gamo, i realized, they were sooo big compared to their counterparts in the city. they were so big you can make them pets! (^_^) kidding!
anyways, i was so tired i immediately took a shower after dinner. as usual, i slept at the couch.
day 2
we woke up around 6am, a bit early if i as in the city, but in the province it was considered the right time to wake up (actually most people here wake up around 5am so 6am is still a bit late.) anyways, when i woke up, there was a small snail in the living room. i just stared at it before i ate breakfast. (~_~)
i spent half the day at the hospital with my grandfather. after lunch, i had a short nap. come afternoon, we got ready for our novena to Saint Anthony of Padua. The novena has been a family tradition/obligation. it started with my great great great grandmother. in a way, Saint Anthony of Padua had become a family patron saint.
truth is, it was the first time that i really took part in the novena. since the feast of Saint Anthony is June, we were always at school and were not directly involved in the novena. now that i have graduated, i finally had time to be involved, i could say that i was "initiated" that day. come evening, i went stargazing. this is one thing that i love in the province, you can see lots and lots of stars, unlike in the city. under the starry starry sky, on a starry starry night. :3
day 3
fresh from the pond and river. fresh from the garden and fields. all the food we ate were fresh and it tasted really good! the bitter gourd has also had a "sweet" taste and the shrimps/fishes were still jumping from the cooking pan!
today was the third day of the novena, there were more people who went to the novena but most of them are already old. seeing them all made me realized that my generation in next in line! about time i learn the tradition yes?
my grandfather had his ultrasound today and it was decided they had to operate on him the next day. :( come evening, my father and i had midnight snack at the garden. we were listening to his songs while he drank beer and i drank water. we were randomly talking about anything that pops in our mind.
day 4
the irony of it all. the operating room is divided into two rooms,the sterile room and the delivery room. the place where life is born is just a thin wood wall away from the place where a life may be taken away. i felt intrigued sitting there hearing one doctor saying "i am sorry. we did our best but his body could not take it anymore." then after a few minutes, another doctor saying "it's a baby boy!" who would have thought waiting can make me go nuts? XD anyways, this very same day, i went out with my batchmates from Holy Spirit Academy, my school when i was in grade 1 and grade 2.
i don't remember most of them anymore but i am thankful that they still remember me. (^_^) we had a drink (vodka) while on a raft floating/parked by the river.
i stopped drinking when i realized i have reached my limit. i felt so dehydrated to i started to drink water instead. after our short reunion, i went back to the hospital for the operation of my grandfather.
day 5
one thing that really amazed me was a doctor (my grandfather's doctor) telling me something about Medicine. i realized it was the same thing i wrote for a career map for our Guidance Office and an essay i wrote for our Current Issues in Psychology Class. could it really be a sign? coincidence? Dr. Cariño?
day 6
there was no electricity for half the day. anyways, we bought the ingredients for my "lunch with my batchmates" for the next day. today, i also tasted the best warm choco ever! i could get drunk in this! -me (^w^)
there was a great downpour around 5:30pm.
the heat of the day disappeared and the cool night came. i like the cool night (^_^) add to that, i kinda had the whole house/gallery to myself. my father went back to manila for a wake of his friend's wife. i was with Nana Petra, our helper, but she was in the other house (about half a kilometer away from where i was staying.) while my grandfather and his helper were at the hospital. anyways, i just enjoyed the cool silence all by myself (~_~)
day 7
i had breakfast alone.
i was busy preparing the utensils and for my scheduled lunch. thankfully, i finished on time. (^_^) we had a simple lunch in the old ancestral house (the one which is half a kilometer
away from the house i was staying) then we had a few chats. come afternoon, we drank vodka in our house (where i was staying). this time, i lessened my alcohol intake considering i was the host. (^_^) come evening, i saw a frog in our living room (^_^)
day 8
my family arrived from manila. (^_^) i had my reunion with rei!
i had my reunion with my bear Mizuki!
we then went to the hospital to check up on my grandfather. while there, we saw a frog (^_^)
and also took my blood sugar count, it's normal (^_^)
we also started to get ready for the final day of the novena of Saint Anthony of Padua which was the next day.
day 9 (the final day)
for the whole day, we prepared for the final day of the novena. we went to mass early then we started preparing food and cleaning. very busy day! but this did not stop me from strealing some of the food for the guests! XD i took cookies just because they were my childhood favotires and i got some suman (another delicacy).
anyways, after all the preparation. rei and i walked around the garden. we passed by this huge jackfruit! too bad it was not that ripe yet. :(
there is this mango in our garden that had a very low branch and a thick one too. most of the people duck when they pass under the branch, but for me, there is no need to bend, because i am so small i can walk under without hitting my head. XD
i slept the 8 whole hour long trip.
june 14
we arrived from the province. i believe i had a post that day (~_~)
work
i started working last wednesday, june 16th.
there is this small garden near my office place where i rest from my long walk from the train station before i go to work. (^_^)
oh! the train can be very cramped during rush hour so i go to work very early. during one of my trips, i took this picture from the train (^_^)
the office is so cold. were allowed to drink coffee. luckily, we had brewed coffee. (~_~) this is my coffee with my temporary computer. (^_^)
this is my lunch box for work (^_^)
a view from my office. (^_^)
i pass by this every morning. (^_^) reminds me of the video CAUTION by PureBoys (^_^)
Jack the turtle
the pet turtle of my brother died last sunday. (T_T) i also loved that turtle. my brother cried so much (TwT)
haircut
i had my hair cut yesterday. (^w^)
rings and takoyaki
rei bought rings for us and we also ate takoyaki. (^_^)
next blog will most likely be days from now minna-san (^_^) V
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