My Grief Journey

It's been almost two years since we lost my Mom. I've never told anyone, but the grief of losing her started years before we did. It was in 2018 when I noticed the changes. She started becoming more forgetful and she became less and less interested in doing things. 

I brought her to doctors and they all said the same thing, "Let her enjoy, any surgery would just be very hard on her body". I thought it was unfair, but I understood the wisdom of the doctors. She did enjoy and was still doing some gardening under her last day. 

It was really hard for me. I had several cardiac episodes because of it. It took me a long time to get moving with the task of sorting through her things. The items I had boxed waited 18 months before I could work on it.

I didn't rush into it, but at some point I realized it was time to get moving. I have been very busy the past 3 months sorting her stuff. Good thing I got help from Ally Canita and her team to organize and box everything. 

Going through her things has been challenging. It's a LOT! It has helped me though because it helped me understand my Mom better. It's part of the healing process and I'm glad I have the privilege of being the one to sort her worldly belongings.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Memories of EDSA People Power Revolution

I write about my EDSA People Power Revolution almost every year, but I think it's more important to wrote about it again today. We just never forget the atrocities and abuses that led to it.

A lot of those who fought for it are long gone. My Dad, my Mom, my titos. My Kuya was the only one in the family who went to EDSA.

I remember it was still dark when Tito Ben called my parents to let them know something was going on. Tito Ben was in the AFP back then and warned my parents that something was about to happen. The mood at home was tense, but I was allowed to continue learning how to bike in our lawn (I was just 10 years old back then).

I noticed there was a lot of air activity happening that day. A lot of helicopters were flying around. Mom and Dad closely monitored the news on the radio and unwillingly allowed my then 23-year old Kuya to go to EDSA. 

Since I was a child I knew that the government was doing a lot of bad things. This was the reason why everyone had to be home before sunset. My parents would get really angry whenever my siblings would come home late. I wasn't even allowed to play out on the street. 

My teachers and the nuns of our school also made sure we knew what was happening. We even had an activity where we cut news clippings from that time (I'm hoping to find my folder while sorting my Mom's things). I wrote about why Scholasticans always fight for what is right here a few years ago (one of my most popular posts).

My generation was probably shielded by our parents from the abusive regime. Not many of us were directly impacted and got to enjoy the fruits of the fight our parents and elders pushed. It took them a long time to overthrow the dictator. Our role is to ensure that the period of abuse does not happen again. 

Never forget. Never again.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Eugenia Berries and Free Starbucks Coffee Grinds

While watering the plants I noticed that our Eugenia tree has a lot of berries growing. I was so surprised since the last time it produced berries was in 2022.

I have been feeding it with sundried coffee grinds, rice water, and fish water. I just use one of the three once a week. I was doing this to make the Eugenia plants produce red leaves. They look really nice when they're red. (Make sure to water down fish water if you're using it from an aquarium).

I also noticed yesterday that Starbucks used coffee grinds is available again. I saw two packs yesterday and got one. I have also laid it out under the sun to prepare it for use. 

If your nearby SB doesn't display used coffee grinds, you can always ask if they have any available. Sometimes they'll ask you to bring your own bag.

Happy gardening!

#BeKind #StaySafe

FamBam Sunday

Finally did our usual Sunday afternoon lakwatsa today. We were supposed to do groceries the other day, but we weren't able to go out for a number of reasons (#signsofoldage). 

We were happy when we saw a new resto open where we sometimes do our groceries. We decided to try it out since they had a good menu of mostly Filipino food. The food was good, but next time we'll just have our usual coffee at Starbucks.

We were able to get most of what was on our grocery list. I just need to buy some meds next time in my usual drugstore. It was a good day to step out. 

Happy Sunday everyone. Hope you had a restful weekend.

#BeKind #StaySafe

My 3 Grandmas

Found a rare photo of my 3 grandmother's together today while sorting some old photos. Here's my Mama Lola, Ma Edad and Lola Iyay.

I got to spend time with Mama Lola since she lived with us. She was the one who taught me how to use a manual sewing machine. I would see Lola Iyay whenever we went home to Pasacao. She cried easily, but had the most memorable laugh.

I rarely saw Ma Edad. I don't remember where she used to live and only remember that the three of them had a huge age gap between each other. My titas though said that Ma Edad was really strict. 

I didn't get to meet any of my grandfather's. They were long gone by the time I was born. I had my grandmothers who were all a character on their own :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Eevee and Pikachu Coming Out of Their Shell

Brimsley's second litter, Pikachu and Eevee, are finally coming out of their Shell. They are 19 months old now and are finally interacting better with us.

They both learned from their older brother, Grogu, who loves getting belly rubs and scratches. Pikachu started subtly by brushing against my leg. I would lightly rub her back to her tail whenever she did. She did this for a few weeks and now voluntarily approaches me for scratches especially when Grogu is around.

*Pikachu looks more like Mama Brimsley when she first came to us. Eevee looks like his Papa Grey 🩶 

Eevee, on the other hand, still needs a bit of work. At least he now comes to the garage area to mingle with the other cats. Lately, he's been coming near me and doesn't run away anymore. I think in a few more months he'll be like Pikachu. He accepts rubs when he's seated closely with his elder sibling, Mando Laura. They're both very introverted, but I'm happy they've been exploring the rest of the house lately.

We've learned a lot living and helping raise feral kittens. They can be quite shy, so any progress is something we celebrate at home.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched the Trauma Code

We finished watching "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" today. I got curious when Netflix added it. We immediately got hooked and finished it in 3 days.

It's our first time to watch a Korean made medical series. I must say it's very different from the other doctor shows I've watched. It's supposed to be a comedy, but it's more than that. It had drama and action. 

I loved the dynamics of the characters and how the story showed how they grew across 8 episodes. The surgery parts though got a bit gory, so I usually looked away when they were cutting up someone. 

I like the tight pace of the story. It didn't feel like they were trying to make the story longer. It was spot on with it's transitions. They did well with the pacing. Now I can't wait for season 2!

#BeKind #StaySafe