Last Look at My Childhood Home

I honestly couldn't find a clear photo of my childhood home's frontage because there was so much foliage in front. Mom planted a lot of trees in front and it obscured most of the house. Here's my last photo when the house was still standing. 

And a photo from the corner of the street on January 2025 -

I probably have to look through all the old albums to find an original photo of the house when it was new. It was very different from how it looked when I was a child. I always wondered why my Mom had all the beautiful walls painted white.

I wasn't born yet when the house was built.

This used to be an open area but became my Dad's office

I loved the original look of my childhood home. Tito Bert really designed it really well and it withstood many earthquakes and flooding. Adjustments were made based on Mom and Dad's needs and plans and I didn't really plan my future. I thought when Miggy and I moved out that was the end of my decades-long stay in my childhood home. 

I have so many memories in my childhood home and my friends told me they also have a lot of happy memories in our home. We had a lot of gatherings there, birthday parties, Halloween, Christmas family reunions etc. We always had a lot of neighbors come and visit. I think everyone loved my Mom's beautiful garden.

Last year, my childhood home reached its 56th year as our OG family's home. It was time to move on and build new memories. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Mom's Treasures

Took a break last weekend since I wasn't feeling well. Resumed sorting Mom's things yesterday and spent a good amount of time today sorting a box of cards and letters.

Mom wasn't into expensive things. What was more important for her were her loved ones. She kept all the cards, invitations and letters that were sent to her through the years. I found all the cards I gave her since I was a child. She also kept cards from relatives, friends and her priest friends like Fr. Harry, Fr. Edward, Fr. Emil, and Fr. Bernard. Of course, I found an envelope of stamps too.

Here's a card from my niece, Patricia -

And a card from Fr. Harry bearing tickets for the big fund raising activity for our church -

And a rare random recipe of Mom's chicken galantina -

To be honest, I stalled on going through Mom's things for over a year. I had it boxed a few months after she passed away, but I couldn't work on it. It took me awhile to come to terms with her passing. It's been more than 18 months now and it's time to finish the task. 

It's been easy to know what to let go and what to keep. Mom prepared me for it since I was a child. She'd always tell me, "I won't be around forever." She'd also point out which were valuable and which were not. It's just been taking a lot of time to finish since it's a lot of stuff. We already have about 41 boxes ready for donation. 

Just keep on going.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Thinking of Colourful Sunsets and Blue Water

I spent the entire day in the kitchen today. It was a rare time that I woke up with Sweetie did. I let him sleep some more, slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen to cook kamote cue for the first time. I took my sweet time and also started to prepare the ingredients for today's bread project.

My kitchen is small and pretty cramped so whenever I'm there I think about large open spaces. Today I was thinking about going to the beach. I love going to the beach and good think we had a chance to visit Bohol after Christmas. I miss swimming though and I haven't swam since March.

For me the most beautiful sunsets are in the Philippines. Anywhere you go there you are sure to see a gorgeous one. I super love the ones you see from a beach front. Here's some from around the world -

Bohol

Tokyo

Taipei

I like being in water and when I was small they used to call me kutong tubig. It was always hard to get me out of the water. I wish they would lift the closure of pools here so I can fulfill my homework to swim several times a week (it's a doctor's requirement).

I love going to the beach and I should do it more often. That was part of my original plan for this year. The pool will make do for now. Maybe if I get too antsy I could just use the bathtub for now haha.

Bali

Boracay

Davao

I love walking on sand. I miss how it tickles the soles of my feet. I enjoy making sandcastles and just sitting by the shore. I like waiting for the tide to change and this was the reason why I always took so long to get out of the water when I was a child. I miss seeing schools of tiny fishes dart so fast through the water.

A few years ago I went to the beach with my high school friends and Anne. The water was just half a meter and we spent many hours just sitting out there. I wish I could do that again with my girl friends someday.

What about you? Do you like going to the beach? Do you love sunsets?

#CB54  #StuckAtHomeDay85 #StayHome #BeKind #SentiSabado

Pakistan Sunset

Just got back from an amazing adventure in Pakistan. Thought I'd share some sunset photos I took. One thing I realized while I was there... they are no different from any of us because we share the same sun.