Amid My Silent Reverie

Everyone is excited at the thought of long weekends. It is a great way to catch up with our loved ones, TV series, readings or even sleep! Speaking from a personal experience, all four are my favorite for every occurrence of holidays. I wish there'd be more for this year though! At the end of the day, we all need to pause and recharge after all the stresses we acquired from work. If I have a lot of money to burn in my pocket, I could've wanted a 3D/2N out of town vacation. But because we need to prioritize our expenses, the boyfriend and I chose to go on a long drive instead. No doubt that it is waaaay cheaper but you still get to spend quality time together. Hello?! Marami pang susunod na holidays and occasions para sa ganung tipo ng bakasyon.  For this particular day, we went to the Japanese Garden at Cavinti, Laguna. Intially, we were supposed to go to Makiling Botanical Garden. I can't seem to remember in detail what happened the last time I visited and it was the boyf...

What are the indicators you look for in your partners to prove that they love you? Do you count the gifts or the times they say "I love you?" Or the instances they have posted sweet messages on Facebook? There are more than a thousand ways to show our love for a person but the most common, I think, of which we tend to disregard are the SACRIFICES . It may be unnoticed or less appreciated, but in reality, it is a culture embedded in each and everyone of us. It just varies depending on the level of willingness to sacrifice. It is an everyday thing; just like when we stay up late every night talking to our partners instead of sleeping; when we could've eaten every food that has our favorite shrimp but we wouldn't because we know they are allergic; when the guys could've been driving home but they have to bring their partners to their homes first even if that is farther away than their places; when we could've bought that nice pair of shoes but we couldn't ...

UPDATED: Sharing this article again in celebration of Father's Day (June 18, 2017). The poem I will share to you is from Francis Kong's One Day at a Time Book 2. If you are looking for motivational and inspirational books, scout for his works. This poem seemed to hit a soft spot in my heart because I never really grew up with my Dad around in most of my growing years because he is an OFW. Here it is. This is a letter of a father to his son who is a soldier during World War II. Dear Son, I wish I had the power to write The thoughts wedged in my heart tonight As I sit watching that small star And wondering where and how you are. You know, Son, it's a funny thing How close a war can really bring A father, who for years with pride. Has kept emotions deep inside. I'm sorry, Son, when you were small I let reserve build up that wall; I told you real men never cried, And it was Mom who always dried Your tears and smoothed your hurts away...

I admit that I am an obsessive compulsive when it comes to trips. And it's a bit hardcore I guess because I hate it when we don't have an itinerary or if we can't complete it as planned. I get disappointed big time to the point that it stresses me a lot. Let me share with you my minimum requirements when going out: 1) reading travel/food blogs so we can shortlist and prioritize the places we want to visit and the food we want to eat, 2) checking the weather so I could plan on what clothes I need to bring, and 3) making an excel sheet of expenses (this is especially true for out of town/ out of country trips) and other minor reasons. I would like to believe I am like this because first, the money I used in splurging is limited and hard earned; second, we don't always get to go to a particular place so it would be better if we make most out the trip meaning we follow the proposed itinerary; and lastly, I don't always have the luxury of time to go on vacation. But I a...

In the quiet place of Grand Heights at Antipolo lies a unique and beautiful museum namely,  Pinto Art Museum . It houses numerous paintings, may it be on acrylic or wood, by Filipino painters such as Neil Manalo, Elmer Borlongan, and Alfredo Esquillo Jr. among others. There are also other installations collaborated through the use of other media that I never thought would look perfectly good altogether. It was a refreshing site to see. The level of appreciation I have for paintings or any other art pieces are not as technical as others may have but I must commend that the exhibit inside are very beautiful indeed. Here are snapshots of some of the paintings: Mga Bata sa Pantasya ng Karahasan by Neil Manalo Karnabal by Salingpusa (several artists). This is also one of the two largest canvases in the museum.

Admittedly, if I have a choice, I am not fond of going to Festival Supermall at Alabang. I'd rather go to Alabang Town Center because it has a much beautiful ambiance, for me, rather than the former. But since the boyfriend and I are very fortunate to get free Deal Grocer  vouchers from my tita, our choice of restaurant is Mati's Meat and Bread which is   located at River Park - a relatively new and one of the four expansion project of Festival Supermall to adhere to present-day mall operations. Mati's Meat and Bread is a two-storey building restaurant. The first floor is high ceiling which I think helped in the good ventilation of the place. I did not smell of steak or pasta upon going out. I just noticed though that they have few servers. During our stay I only saw two, one of which I think is the branch manager or shift supervisor. Only when we were about to go out did I saw another female waitress. Oh well, we went in around 6PM so I guess, it is not yet a busy ti...

I have been a community relations assistant for 4 1/2 years now and I have been accustomed as to how an issue or concern should be managed. If one resident has a problem, I collect all the details and if it is beyond my authority to decide, I relay it to my immediate supervisor or project manager and they advise me on the way forward. It is also what I revert to the person. I remember how the community people would nag me whenever I don't give them a feedback right away and at first, I admit, I don't understand why they have to be stubborn. But later on did I began to appreciate when your queries are addressed properly and promptly just like a customer and service provider relationship. Last Thursday, I had the worst experience in customer relations.