My family and I spend our Christmas together in the little abode - The Internet shop. We didn't go anywhere. My husband decided to close the shop on Christmas day. So, we will have time for each other and do the things as a family.

Guess, I miss being in a real house where there are no computers around. I just imagine and feel contented going around cleaning and washing clothes as a wife does for the family. While my husband was cleaning the parts of the personal computer in each cubicle. My son was busy on the computer watching animated series for kids.

The only thing I can't do is cooking for Christmas. We do not have a kitchen. But, there's a hospital kitchen nearby which is two doors away from the shop. If you are wondering, the Internet Shop is part of the hospital building. We are hesitant to use it. So, we decided to buy cooked foods from a restaurant. We bought food that's enough for us to eat.

Our food for the eve of Christmas was simple. It consists of a:

• medium-sized platter of Filipino-style (sweet) Spaghetti
• one whole Lechon Manok, it's a whole size of chicken cleaned, spiced and grilled on top of a charcoal ember. 
• A small platter of Pancit Bihon,   
• 2 Loaves of Bread
• 1 liter of Coca-cola

When my parents were both alive, they went into a real struggle within their married life. My father found someone else while working in an appliance store. It was sad and painful for her. I'm affected by it.

My brother was starting in college. He took Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation in a private school. With all the stress surrounding her, my mom couldn't think straight for a moment. She was thinking of my brother's tuition fee and other expenses. And God is good. God gave her the wisdom to think or solved her financial situation. This is what she did!

Selling Blankets Made from Flour Bags
My mom went from one bakery store to another to buy unused flour bag. One bag costs is only $0.22 or one peso. To clean it, she shake off the remaining flour, soak it in the water for a while before washing. To remove the prints from the flour bag is risky. She uses gas, a liquid form bought from gasoline station. It is usually used for lighting a lamp. When the flour sack is clean, she starts to sew two flour sacks. Two flour sacks is equal to one blanket. A blanket made of flour bag is $2 or P100.

Help from Relatives
In my eyes, I am so astounded from the relatives on my mother and father's side. They help her in my brother's tuition fee and fare in going to school. My heart was full. I am overwhelmed to see them do it. Thanks to them. For my part, I did send her money for little brother's school.

Playing Bingo
Bingo is a fun activity for low-income Filipinos. You pay for a few cents, if you win, you'll get $20 or one thousand pesos depending on the amount you played. My mom tried her luck with playing bingo games. Since, I live far from her, a niece told me how lucky she is. She won not only a thousand but thousands. She used the money as a fund for my little brother's tuition fees and other expenses. She sent a tithe to a church for thanksgiving mass. I am thankful that my mom knows how to play and used it.

This is how my mom sent my little brother to school. It's nothing to be ashamed of because it's an approach to do good for the family.

I know it's late for the Halloween. But, I'd like to share these short stories that happened in my life almost 40 years ago. These happened in different stages of my life. This is my real, my Halloween tell-tale short stories. It's up to you if you believe it or not.

October is my birthday month. I am a certified Libra! 

Hair and Body Pampering

I always love pampering especially a body massage to pinch a little of that aching muscles. After all, it makes me feel light and breezy. You'll have a good night's sleep then. With the gift certificate on hand, I drop by at Dermcare Philippines for the service. My first choice was a body massage with a steam. Unfortunately, they don't have it in SM San Jose branch. So, the staff suggests a whole body massage and a hot oil treatment for my hair. My hair is dry, curly and frizzy. 

It's my birthday! I did not plan to buy anything like food and such. My introvert attitude says, I'll pray with my heart and just be thankful for this day. But, my brother was persistent. He promised to come and bring a cake if I cook or buy pansit for him. But, what makes my birthday totally awesome:

Brother's arrival
As what he promised, he arrived with the cake complete with my age. But, I have to keep it as a secret. Please excuse my hair

Yesterday, I saw this on my Facebook newsfeeds. Oh yeah! That is what I feel. I am currently suffering from NDTDA or No desire to do anything syndrome. A bad reality for me because my mind and body was exhausted. Here is the reason why: 

My body is itching that I have to scratch from my head to toe. You can imagine how it feels when itchiness and scratching starts. There are little red spots spreading in my entire body and even in my face that I have to scratch it all the time. I don't know where this came from. It just pops on my arm and the itching begins. I bet it was an allergy. I did not ask for a doctor because he will only tell me to buy Citirizene. Citirizene is a medicine in a form of a small tablet for an  allergy. Even my cousin told me about it. I don't want to use it because I'll end up sleeping all day. If I took one tab, believe me, the earth in which I stand spins and made me go to sleep. I can not control the sleepiness.

Maybe, there is a possibility where my allergy came from. The cause might be the water and body wash. A few days ago, the water tank's pipe was stock up. Water cannot go through the faucet. We have to use the water from the river (as the source) for taking a bath and washing clothes. The problem lasts for three days before it is fix. The second possibility is the body wash in which I am trying for a review. Since, the itchiness has started, I have to stop using it. I'll use it again if the itchiness is gone.

For the itchiness, I have a remedy of my own. 

• Taking a bath using the water from the tank because it is fix, now.
• Use a bath soap that is color white with no perfumes. It is my son's pediatrician doctors tell about allergies.
• Vicks vaporub. I spread Vicks in some parts of my body where there is a red spot. I do this after bath because it gives me relief and comfort from itching. No one advice me how to use it. All I know is that I feel relieved after I rub it.

So, how about you? What made you stop to do anything? Is it an NDTDA syndrome? Please leave your comments, below.

How time flies so fast! Two years ago, I gave birth to a boy when the world seems dark…


 

He become the cutest baby boy I’ve ever seen. He had captured everyone’s heart. He wanders around with his contagious laughter. A baby who does not forget to give his smile to everyone he met. The baby who calls me, “Mama”.

I have never heard of this before until I have a chat in one dating sites. I am not looking but only chatting. To be honest, I told this foreign guy that I am living with a partner who is younger than me. Suddenly, he laughed and told me that, “Oh, you’re a cougar!”. The word is foreign, so I asked what it was. He told me that it’s a word for older women who are looking for younger men. That guy had irritated me for he kept on laughing.

I instantly searched for the word, “cougar”. Mr. Wikipedia wrote that a cougar is a puma, a mountain cat or a panther. It’s a solitary cat that stalks and ambushes its wide variety of prey. A male cougar hunts while a female cougar stays with her kittens for two years. But then I saw another meaning with Mr. Wikipedia. This time, it’s not under the word cougar, it’s about “Age disparity in Sexual Relationships”. From it, I read that:

Photo Credits: Cougar_American_Pie

“cougar is a slang word for a woman, 40 years of age or older, who pursues younger men, typically more than eight years her junior. The term is also commonly applied to women that are thirty or older. The origin of the word is debated; however, it is thought to have first appeared in print on the Canadian dating website Cougardate.com and has been used in TV series, advertising and film. The 2007 film Cougar Club was dedicated to the subject and in Spring 2009 TV Land aired a reality show called The Cougar. The sitcom Cougar Town explores the difficulty and stigma of many so-called "Cougars".

 Now back to the guy, I’m chatting with: I told him, my understanding of a cougar is an older woman who frequents to bars and look for younger men. They are also financially stable and have its riches. How can I be related to a cougar? First of all: 

1. I am not a frequent bar visitor;
2. I am unemployed;
3. I am not financially stable, either;
4. I have only one and same younger man who has a job;
5. He was the one who bought the necessary things needed for both of us;

So, how can I be a cougar? So, I said, "I think you met a lot of older women who prefers younger men. You liked them but turned their back away from you because of  it." How can you meet a sane woman if you act that way? Your poor ego speaks.

Anyway, if there's a cougar or none, what does it make with our own life? Each one of us has it's own fault. As an adult, we have no right to pinpoint our finger on them. It's their life they lead. For the parents, of course, they do whatever they can to protect their children. 

While blog-hopping today, I came across a post entitled, “Wishful Thinking” by My so-called world. It says:

 “To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did”. 

My decisions are sometimes heartless and firm. To think, I have none in life. I have to do something; work on something that I never had. Decision-making is not that easy; when both choices are important and involves your life and future.

"When God takes something from your grasp, He’s not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better."

I know there is always a reason when something was taken from my grasp; But this made me cry for I remember my mother (deceased) who was lying in a hospital bed. Her hands keep on waving in the air looking for something to grasp. I always catch and grasp her hands to stop it from waving in the air.

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

A positive outlook. God has always protected me as I look deeper into my life. He was always there assisting me and taking me out from a deeper situation. God has showed his greatest love on me in different ways.