Receta Yearend Thoughts + Why I Was Absent from the Blogosphere
Hello, my dear readers! I’m still alive! My apologies if I have neglected my humble site. Believe me, I have reasons! It’s as if the entire universe conspired to prevent me from coming up with a decent blog post. But just as the saying goes, “Better late than never!” So as my last blog post for 2014, allow me to explain my absence, and let me fill you in with how I spent the first half of my holiday break!
I slept, and slept, and slept!
I crammed with my Christmas shopping. I only got to wrap the gifts at night after work or after I'm done with my household chores. I came to work until the 23rd of December, and that night, I had dinner with my Navitaire friends.
The following day, we packed our things (and gifts) because we always spend the Christmas eve in Tondo, where Boyet’s side of the family lives. The next day, we woke up really early and rushed home because we need to attend the Chrsitmas day mass with my side naman. After that, waley na. Lowbatt na ang lola niyo! It’s as if my body wanted to recuperate so badly. I remember sleeping for hours. There was even a day when I’d go to sleep three times a day. I’d wake up really late, then I’d have an afternoon nap. And without me realizing it, I would fall asleep before dinner. Lolang lola na talaga ang peg! My mind wanted to turn on the computer and blog, but my body kept on shouting, “Let me sleep, bitch!”
I have a new camera!
I had been meaning to get a decent point-and-shoot camera. Don’t get me wrong. I love my very reliable Nikon D60! If I’m not mistaken, it’s 5 or 6 years old already. But it has started to act like a spoiled brat. There were times when it would not turn on. Plus, it’s really bulky. I usually get invited to events on weekdays. It’s a big hassle when I have to bring my DSLR along with my office laptop. A P&S camera has been a part of my wish list for a couple of years, but I always ended up dismissing the idea of getting one because there are other more important things that I needed to invest to. So imagine my excitement when my husband gave me a Nikon Coolpix camera for Christmas! Now, here’s a side story. I gave him a Lego Architecture toy for Christmas. I thought he was just kidding when he told me that he wasn’t able to buy me a present. It turns out he was telling the truth! Hahaha! So the following day, he went to the mall to buy the camera.
Because I have been using my DSLR for years, it took me a while to get used to taking pictures using a point-and-shoot camera. I felt like a big idiot as I get more frustrated each day because I was not getting the results that I was hoping for! My husband was feeling down because he thought that he bought a low quality camera. He said that he just Googled “affordable point and shoot camera for 2014”, and Nikon Coolpix S3600 came out on most of his searches. Because I don’t want him to feel bad, I read the user manual (IKR?!) and even checked the internet for reviews and tutorials. I spent hours practicing until I finally got my groove. But I don’t think it allows users to manually setup aperture and shutter speed, things I am used to after using DSLR for years. However, it’s actually quite good for macro shots. My food shots turned out nice. (Watch out for my future posts!) At least mas makakalapit na ko sa food. Lagi kasing namamantikaan ang lens ng DSLR ko! :p
My laptop died!
Can you imagine how pissed off I was when my almost five-year-old laptop suddenly gave up on me on the same day that I got the confirmation of a back-to-back sponsored post that I needed to complete? Aside from that, I got tons of backlogs! I can’t use my office laptop because, well, I’m a model employee. That and the fact, na baka ma-audit ako na puro pictures ng pagkain ang laman ng office laptop ko! Hahaha! :p
I asked the help of both my husband and my younger brother. I was planning to buy an Acer laptop, but the model I want was out of stock in most of the stores that we went to. So I ended up buying a Dell Inspiron. And now, I have a red laptop!!! Yes, red! =)) We were planning to purchase it using my credit card, but the store offers discounts for cash payments. I was so surprised when my husband told me that he would be paying for it! Birthday gift na daw niya sa’kin. (Kaya please lang, bigyan niyo ako ng gift sa birthday ko. Wala na akong aasahan sa asawa ko e! :p) But I honestly thought that he was joking. Buying a camera was not part of our plan. A working laptop is actually a necessity given that I need it for blogging. I guess my husband sees how passionate I am in making this blog successful that he decided to invest in it, too. Haha! Of course I can pay for the camera and the laptop, but my husband doing it for me is just plain sweet! Nakonsensya siguro siya sa Air Jordan na regalo ko nung birthday niya! :p
We cleaned and “boxed” away!
Our room is such a big mess! It was already a struggle for me to fit in all my clothes and things when I was still single. When Boyet invaded my room, it became more cramped than I have ever imagined. So to take advantage of the long break, we decided to clean our room and started boxing some of our things. I asked my husband to buy a storage box for my books. He was so surprised when he realized that it wasn’t enough. I suggested we reuse an old box in our house, but it still wasn’t enough. I thought of putting all my books in a medium-sized suitcase. My mom went crazy when she saw us doing it! Ang dami dami ko naman daw libro! Ayun, hindi pa rin kasya! We ended up putting my books in a large suitcase!!! We spent hours carefully wrapping each book with Manila paper. I even asked my husband to buy dessicants. Ganun ako ka-OC pagdating sa books ko. :p
The storage box that my husband bought was used to store all his toys! I can’t believe how many toys he has collected in just a span of three years. Maling-mali ako na niregaluhan ko siya ng Lego. Ang mahal tuloy ng hobby niya! :p
Now that my books and his toys have been packed, we’re almost ready to move in to our own house next year!
I spent a lot of time thinking!
I once told my husband that I feel like 2014 wasn’t good to us. We had a blast in 2012. 2013 was kind of slow. 2014 just passed by without me knowing it. A lot of our plans have not materialized. On this same day last year, my husband and I hoped that we’d be spending the next holiday season with our Little Kolokoy, and we’d invite both sides of our family in our own home. Both didn’t happen in 2014, so we are claiming that 2015 will be our year! I spent a lot of time sulking in despair because I didn’t get the things that I prayed for. But at the quietest moment on the last few days of 2014, I was able to look back with gratitude. This year has been amazing to me! I just chose to look at the things that I didn’t get instead of appreciating the blessings that I received.
My family is complete. Mama and Papa are healthy. My father-in-law recovered in no time after suffering a mild stroke. God chose to spare my family from deaths and other losses.
I finally got the chance to see Boracay for the first time! We had to push traveling to the back seat because of our other priorities, but I am glad that this one pushed through. Plus, I can’t remember how many staycations we had this year. Ang saya lang! =)
We finally finished paying for the downpayment of our house. I realized that the past two years were “difficult” for us primarily because we were financially exhausted. Paying for a house in Manila is not a joke. We were forced to let go of our old lifestyle. We had to live below our means. Uunahin mo ang bahay, kasi bawal matalbugan ng tseke! We thought that things will get better on the last downpayment. But we had to shell out a large amount for the miscelleaneous fees and bank loan processing fees! Now as I look back, I can’t help but give myself (and my husband) a pat in the back! We rocked 2014 on this aspect! Not only were we able to pay everything without the help of anybody, these financial difficulties failed to strain our marriage in any way! I know a lot of married couples undergo difficulties when it comes to money talks. But with God’s grace, my husband and I were able to surpass all the glitches in our marriage with flying colors!
Which leads me to the next thing that I am most thankful for this year. I knew that I married a wonderful man, and the past three years have been a testament to that. I don’t think this marriage will be as blissful as it is now if not for my husband’s patience, understanding, and yeah, sense of humor! During the days that I’m too sick to get out of bed because of the horrible side effects of the meds I’m taking, he would gladly do the laundry and let me rest. There are days when I would just stay in bed and cry in agony, but he never fails to say the right things at the right time. I know some people who failed to stay faithful in marriage. I know married couples who were not able to live up with the vows that they made and have chosen to break up. 2014 may have not turned out the way I expected it. But every bad thing and every trial just led to a stronger marriage. Marriage can be a walk in the park for some couples. But for Boyet and I, we chose to make our own park. And I’m happy with that!
I finally understood God’s delays. I didn't get pregnant this year because my husband took a big leap with his career. I also had to take more responsibilities at work. I think it will be unfair for our kid to have part-time parents. A lot of my girl friends got pregnant in 2014. It taught me not to despise them because they got kids while I didn't. It taught me to be extremely and genuinely happy for other people's blessings. And I gained three new godchildren! Plus now that I am surrounded with so many mothers, I know that it's God's way of telling me to learn the things that I can get from all these wonderful women to equip me when it's already my time. And lastly, our house isn't ready yet. Our room is such a giant battlefield. I have always felt that my husband, along with all his stuff, are trying to evict me from my own room. God probably saw that a crib won’t fit in it, and that our own house is the perfect setup for us to expand our family. I refuse to say “start our family” because that is the biggest misconception of a lot of people when they find out that my husband and I are still childless. “You are not getting any younger, you should start your own family.” Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I already have a family. Boyet and I, we’re already a family. We may be a childless family, but we are still a family. Mas pamilya pa nga kami kesa sa mga may anak pero bangayan naman ng bangayan. Agree?! :p
A few days ago, Boyet and I finally got a glimpse of our house. There are still a lot of things to be done, but I can’t wait to share with you my “home improvement” blog posts! Tignan natin kung may crafty side ako! :p I have a lot of things planned for this blog, and I am praying that God will continuously allow me to be a blessing to my readers. I am not sure when the Little Kolokoy will arrive, but I know that a lot of people fervently pray for us and patiently wait with us. My husband’s job is getting crazier, but each day only proves how responsible he is. On those times that he made me wait for hours until he finishes all his tasks, I ask God why he gave me a workaholic husband when I only prayed for a hardworking one. That alone shows how magnanimous He is. Sobra sobrang kasipagan ang binigay sa asawa ko! :p. Probably not as fulfilled as I feel when I write, but my work is keeping me fulfilled in many other ways. And oh, I finally took the first step in making one of my biggest dreams come true! I only told my husband and another friend about it. Secret muna. I am not sure how it will progress, but the more important thing is that I already made the first step! =)