Father B

For a few years we had one of the kindest and friendliest parish priest in our neighborhood. We nicknamed him Fr. B whenever we mention him in conversations, but call him Fr. Bernard in person. I found this photo of him with me and my parents when he came for a visit. I think this is already after he had left for another assignment. 

c. March 2008 with Fr. Bernard McEachern, C.P.

I had grown up knowing many priests. First one was Fr. Quaranta who baptized me. He's from the SDB order. When our parish was fully established we had Passionist priests. The first ones I met were Fr. Edward Diviny, CP and Fr. Harry Reusch, CP. They first visited our home when I was still a toddler and I thought they were giants. I remember that moment probably because they were so tall and they had cologne on. Beats me why I remember it, but it's a core memory. I always saw them because my parents were part of the team that helped build the church. 

Years after my troubled teenage years. I was a product manager already by this time.
Thank you Fr. Bernard for saving me :)

Fast forward to the time Fr. B became our parish priest. I'd always remember him because he was there for me during my troubled teenage years. He helped make sure I went on the right path and he baptized Miggy. I was so sad when he left and since felt orphaned for a spiritual advisor. Luckily, I met Br. Gene Tianco, FSC, when I was in college. He helped continue what Fr. B did for me. After Br. Gene passed away I prayed to have another spiritual advisor and Sr. Lirio Guillermo came along. 

I still miss Fr. B. He was really involved in the families of his parishioners. I keep in touch with him every so often and mentioned Mom's passing in my last email. I hope and pray he's doing well. I just remembered him since I also found cards and letters sent by my parents' priest-friends. Of course, I had met a lot of priests along the way and they're all dear to my heart. I was thinking, maybe I should re-publish the articles I wrote about them? 

I hope to have our home blessed again in time for my Mom's first year death anniversary. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Goodbye Greenbelt One

My earliest memory of Greenbelt was going to National Bookstore to buy school supplies. My busmate's dad used to be the store manager and that's why we frequented Greenbelt. Also watched movies there and do some shopping.

I more frequently visited Greenbelt when I was already working. My first job's office was nearby and we'd usually have lunch at the food court. I remember witnessing a bag being stolen once. I mentioned it to her when I noticed she had no idea her bag was taken. She ran after the thief and managed to get the bag back. It was a bag of a lawyer with her clients' passports. 

Eventually I moved jobs, but still frequented GB to watch movies and to eat at the restaurants that replaced the food court (and the restos in the newer buildings). Also celebrated birthdays, had reunions and as my roles changed I did events and attended events as well. 

My most significant purchase at Greenbelt 1 was my dream two door Whirlpool refrigerator in 2012. I remember the year because that was when we moved in to our first fully owned home. (The fridge is still working!).

I haven't been able to go back to Greenbelt since January 2020 when we had a mini family reunion. That was also the last time I walked from Greenbelt to Landmark to SM which I frequently did from work (probably why I used to be so thin!). I didn't know that would be the last time I would visit Greenbelt with my Mom.

Greenbelt 1 holds many happy memories for me. It was a place that saw me grow up, fall in love and have a family. I have so many experiences and fond memories I would attribute to it. I've been through this before when they rebuilt Glorietta, removed Quad and connected everything. Rizal Theatre became Makati Shangri-La and many more changes. Change is inevitable and it would be great to see a new Greenbelt soon!

#BeKind #StaySafe

10 Minutes!

Achieved 10 minutes on the stationary bike today! I clocked in 9 minutes during my last pulmo rehab and could barely speak while spinning. Today, I managed 10 minutes while chatting with my therapist. 

I was worried I would have a hard time since I had been busy packing all week. I was too tired to practice spinning. Lo and behold! Being on my feet for several hours a day helped! And even though I was feeling a bit unwell today my body managed the session very well. Whew!

I'm so happy I made some progress. How I wish it could also translate to increased heat tolerance! Unfortunately, I had to spend a few minutes downstairs to check something. I had to run back upstairs since it was too hot. I promptly fell asleep, haha.

Oh well, just need to make sure I stay hydrated!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Kaley and Her Kittens Moved Out

Woke up to the sad news that Kaley and her kittens moved out. Sweetie was surprised to see the nest empty early this morning. Gary, one of the workers, said he saw her with the last kitten leaving.

The house was strangely quiet save for the hammering of the tiles. No cute kittens meowing. There was also a lot of leftover food since Kaley didn't eat her share.

 

We know it's normal for Mama cats to move her kittens if she doesn't feel safe. We had a lot of people coming the past few days for house works, so maybe she felt it was time to move. She's a feral cat and they really like hiding.

We miss the kittens already. They gave us two weeks of additional joy. We still have six cats, Brimsley, Mando, Grogu, Eevee, Pikachu and Meredith. I'm sure we'll eventually see Kaley and her kittens again. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Ran Out of Energy

I was a busy bee during Holy Week. I had to pack up my craft room. I made a schedule so I don't get overwhelmed. I followed it religiously, but still ended up working 4 to 5 hours a day.

Monday was crunch time, kso we had to work double time to clear the basement. Promptly got sick since I probably got dehydrated. I also spent time watering the plants and doing some gardening. 

I just rested yesterday. I managed to get up by early evening to water the plants and visit the kittens. I still took it slow today and made sure to be fully hydrated. Feeling better now, I will still take it easy tomorrow so I could do pulmo rehab on Friday.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Sewing Room is Back to Zero

It took me a week to empty my sewing room. We had to clear our basement for some renovations. We delayed it for a year. Looking back, we should have done that work before the cabinets were installed. It would have saved us from packing up our stuff. I had mentioned it to the contractor, but my request was ignored and they went ahead with the cabinet installation.

Well, on the brighter side, this gives me the chance to redo my sewing room. I actually call it my maker room since I don't just sew in it. I also work on my other hobbies in it, so it's more appropriately called the maker room. 

My plan is to re-arrange my materials. I started to wrap my fabric in comic book boards. I like it since it looks more organized. I have to sort some boxes where I stored some notions. I need to put it all together and store it properly so they are easier to find. 

I'm trying to figure out how best to use my Mama Lola's sewing machine. It's an electric old Singer sewing machine which probably doesn't work anymore. It came with the traditional Singer black iron bottom. I've been looking for a company that can help turn it into a proper table to make it useful. I still want to keep it since it's been passed on to me (plus my grandma's sewing kit). 

We will hopefully finish all the work in a few weeks. My sewing stuff is all over the place, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to work on any projects in the meantime. We'll see :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Moving Back to Singapore

Packed our stuff and ready to go!

Happy April Fools day. Hrhrhr.

We seriously packed our stuff during Holy Week for some repairs.

#BeKind #StaySafe