It ain’t new that the demands of the work from home setup plus the pressure have caused many of us to experience both physical and emotional exhaustion. Everyone definitely needs time to pause, breathe and take a step back to reflect. Certainly, taking a mental health break is needed for stress relief and burnout prevention.
In support of the De La Salle Lipa Inc. employee wellness, the institution scheduled a week of Mental Health Break. Definitely, this is a great opportunity for the students and Lasallian partners to pause, reset, and come back with greater levels of energy and a fresh, less-stressed perspective indeed.
And as for me and my colleagues, we spend a day of self-care and compassion by taking a trip to Tagaytay and Nasugbu — an opportunity for us to rest our minds from the day-to-day routine of work-related tasks.
Napa Valley feels at Tagaytay Crosswinds. 🍃
Ma’am Donna and Ma’am Nelia here with me for today’s blog. 😂
NAPA is a new ride destination with great food and great ambiance. Alfresco dining with a nature view. 🌲
The good thing about NAPA at Crosswinds is that they have open seats to accommodate groups of visitors unless it’s peak season. You can choose to sit and chill inside or vice-versa while having to enjoy the California-feels ambiance and sceneries outside. I must say that every corner is Instagrammable and picture-worthy to flood your connections feeds and showcase your OOTD.
It takes us to a different experience with an ambiance captured from a different side of the world. 🍄
Everyone wants to see this new hip spot, it gets crowded easily, but not in today’s case. 🌫
Bringing to life a beautiful place that will give me fond memories with my closest colleagues. 💗
This cabin-themed look is inspired by rustic houses in Napa Valley, California. It took an hour-drive from Tanauan City to Talisay Sungay Road also dubbed as “bitukang manok” by locals, the very steep road is full of hairpin turns, which can make driving challenging and dangerous to NAPA at Crosswinds Tagaytay.
A new protocol has been mandated to pay a parking fee which costs PHP 100.00 and a PHP 400.00 consumable to any café of your choice.Here’s a sample ticket to be bought inside and presented stub upon exit.
This strawberry frappé has been becoming my go-to quencher lately. This costs PHP 250.00 at NAPA.
It’s definitely worth the visit, you’ll lose count of the nice views outside because there are just too many to choose from.
This short trip to NAPA deserves a good groupie shot. 📸
Surely, spending time in green spaces or bringing nature can benefit both our mental and physical wellbeing. 🌾
The views and the ambiance here are spectacular, but to tell you honestly, the foods are overpriced and quite underwhelming, tho. But the experience of chillin’ and peace of mind setting it’s the best.
Here, we decided to take our lunch, it’s 26 mins drive from NAPA at Crosswinds.
Just facing Bulalo Point, we bought the best buko pie in Tagaytay. The buko pies are freshly made and always served warm and have the freshest and most tender coconut meat. This costs PHP 325.00. 🌴
It has been quite a good visit to Tagaytay since we’ve been given very good weather to stroll with. A 30-minute drive, we headed to Caleruega Church also known as the Transfiguration Chapel located at Bgry. Caylaway, Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas.
An entrance fee of PHP 30.00 and a PHP 40.00 parking fee are being collected at the entrance.
This church and grounds have a spiritual feel. It looks like an aged edifice from Spanish influence.
Signage to know what other spots inside are to be explored.
“Close to Nature, Close to God“ The fountain compass is the first thing you will see when you arrive at Calereuga.
Here are some plant souvenirs available.They also sell seedlings.🌼🌻
Hanging Bridge heading to the Tent Chapel.
After hundreds of steps, we reached the Tent Chapel.
Here’s a view from the top of the chapel.
Here you can attend mass, meditate, or engage in other religious activities.
Caleruega has lush surroundings, a perfect place for relaxation and time with friends, colleagues, family, or your special someone. This place provides greenery that will let you reflect on life and refresh your thoughts.
Ma’am Donna still can strut a pose after the long walk and hike. 😂
Jed looking tired and so is her mom. But it’s worth it after 2 years of lockdown with no long walks. 😂
This week of Mental Health Break is a special gift to oneself to have the time to do self-care, self-improvement, and be engaged in things that will make oneself happy and relaxed. And for us on this trip, it’s definitely worth it that once in a while we take breaks and travel to places we don’t visit often. God is good, all the time!
Even if you don’t have the option to step away from your job, you can still set boundaries that support your mental wellbeing.
Care to share some of your trips away from work or activities during mental health break? Let me know. If you love this blog, pin it!
Sheesh! It’s May, and it’s summer break for some, including us.
It’s definitely about chasing the sun, white sand, and water, right? So, we planned out our beach getaway. We don’t know yet, how we even choose wherewith so many beautiful summer destinations around.
In the first place, we are craving a comfortable paradise to relax with, and an off-the-beaten-path discovery, and we believe Puerto Galera fits our liking! It is a town on the Philippine island of Mindoro. It’s known for its dive sites and beaches.
Reached Batangas Port at 7:30 AM to catch our Roro going to Puerto Galera.
Tourists and residents are at their peak number since the national election will be in just two days.
From Batangas Port to Puerto Galera, the roundtrip fare for an adult costs Php 685.00 and Php 585.00 for a student.
To avoid getting tickets at the last minute and worst might cause delay, it is important to have advance bookings to avoid long lines and to proceed to the boarding gates in an instant. We were assisted by JACN Puerto Galera Tours to book our trip going to Puerto Galera.
Our Roro Reina Delas Flores waiting for us. 🚢⚓️
Actually, we’re 13 and here’s the first batch for 8AM float 😂 Aaron, Kyle, Paul, Russell, Me, Ric, Claire, AC, Jaryl 👩👩👦👦
Uhm, let me have this moment to stare how blue the sea is. It’s been 2 years, since the last time I went in a ship for a trip. 😅🌊 🌫
Normally, it will take a 2-hour ride on a roro (ship) and a fast craft takes an hour. Since it’s affordable to take the ship, so we did. It’s important to carry water and sweet treats with you when taking a ship because the motion of the wave can make you feel nauseous.
Landed at Port of Puerto Galera just in time, 10 AM. We were welcomed and accompanied by the personnel of the Travel and Tours we booked.
Rode on our service jeepney heading to our hotel. 🚙💨
Authorities require us to present our vaccination card, S-pass and pay the environmental fee amounting to Php 120.00 per head. S-pass was also processed by our travel agency to avoid hassle on documents.
Here’s the Villa Monica Hotel where we stayed for our comfort in Puerto Galera.
We were accommodated in this family room, which has a capacity of 10 persons. 🛌🏼
Our check-in time is 1PM and the hotel accommodation includes air conditioning plus the fan 😂, cable T.V., hot and cold shower, Wi-Fi connection, CCTV, kitchen on the rooftop, bathroom, and towel.
We arrived here, and it’s still not overcrowded since it’s 10:30 AM, besides it’s pretty early for the tourists to roam around on a Friday morning. ☀️
Fresh Buko Juice to refresh and quench the thirst I’ve been feeling since we arrived. This costs Php 100.00.
Puerto’s hair braiding is popular as it serves as a hair souvenir that you are on an island.Price varies depending on styling, Php 250-300.00.
Claire getting her hair done in pink yarns since she’s a proud kakampink??? 🌸🎗
Jaryl, one of his hair goals is to get it braided and PG made it happen. 🏆
There’s also Taho (Filipino Silken Tofu with Sago Pearls and Syrup) which costs Php 30.00 for the smallest size.
It’s almost sunset, and it’s the golden hour. 🌅
This Ice Scramble is quite different from what’s available in my town, it has pearl sinkers in it. It costs Php 30.00 for the smallest size. 🍨
I also get to enjoy playing beach volleyball with random guys in PG. No warm-ups, just dive on the sand. 🏐
Our first group photo by the beach. We’re complete here, catching sunset before diving into the sea. 💦
Our first dinner in “Foodtrip sa Galera”, each order costs Php 200-250.00, and it’s unli-rice with either chicken, Pork Kebab, Tilapia, Liempo, Squid, and the fruit shake costs Php 100.00. 🍗🍡🦑
That’s a wrap for our first day stay in Puerto Galera before we finally began to explore more of what the island offers for its tourists. We have had ample time to soak into the sea and talk about things that we don’t normally talk about on busy days. We have the time to enjoy the cold water in the sea, vibe with the music, eat dinner, and enjoy the nightlife during happy hours.
Hello Travelers! 👋🏻 “Enjoy the sea, not the bed” ~ Ma’am Beth 🤍
On Day 2 at Puerto, at 9:45AM we were picked up by our driver to start our activities for the day. Our package tour is an Island tour which costs Php 1,580.00 for 10pax above including the hotel accommodation. The Island tour activities include an underwater cave, giant clams, snorkeling in a coral garden, sandbar, Muelle heritage park, Spanish galleon replica, Canon replica, and Muelle bay (one of the most beautiful bays in the world).
Before we go to water activities, we were reminded of several instructions to mind before diving into the water. There are also aqua shoes being offered, it is a type of footwear that is typically used for activities where the feet are likely to become wet, such as kayaking to prevent abrasions when walking in wet, rocky environments. It costs Php 100.00.
With my co-two-faced Gemini buddy, Ric. ♊
With the always feeling, Jaryl. 😋
With the rumored top-student and fave, Claire. 🙄
We went boating as we head to the giant clam and snorkeling. ⛵️
We were amazed by the creatures that we were able to see underwater. It’s my first time, and it’s really admirable. 💦
In the underwater cave, it’s just the annoying life-vest that makes it very complicated to float. 🤣
At the stop-by mini-shore near the underwater cave. I’m holding here the super pricey-worthy Calamares 🦑 (breaded fried squid dish) that costs Php 60.00.
The scorching heat of the sun really burned my skin, in spite of having layers of sunscreen. It was pretty late lunch that we finished all the water activities like around 2:30 PM we went back to our hotel to freshen up and change. We were tired and rested, and got asleep till 4PM. We had the chance to explore the place and look for souvenirs and items to bring home to our loved ones.
And oh there’s a café here on the island where we could stay that’s cozy if there’s an urgent call for work.
Also, available are souvenir items, the usual clothes, keychains, ref magnets, mugs, tote bags, slippers, and a lot more.
There are far more stores, bars, and food stalls to explore in the place and yet to be experienced once. We enjoyed our second night by watching comedic stunts by the bay, we ate dinner, had happy hours, and rested.
Morning breakfast by the beach. Each meal costs PHP 119.00 with unli-fried rice, and free coffee/iced tea.
Here’s our view while we’re on breakfast.
A legit strawberry milkshake. Super tasty at PHP 170.00 💯
It’s our last day, we need to check out at 11:30AM and catch the 12:45NN ship back to Batangas port. We only have a few hours left to enjoy the island and take pictures of and with the place.
Here’s a sandcastle photo booth that costs PHP 20.00, not free either, but you can take a shot as many as you like, you just got to beat the heat of the sun. 🔅📸
Time to go home now. Thank you, Puerto Galera!
We were casually waiting to be called, and we were just in time to catch our float. 😆 We paid Php 10.00 per head for the terminal fee.
How I wish we could stay a little longer, or a day, perhaps. But we need to get back to our home now to face the responsibilities and get back to our same lives in order for us to get back to places such as this. This trip gave me so many realizations, it’s okay to spoil yourself sometimes, it’s okay to ignore pressure for once, and it’s okay to feel free and happy because we all deserve it. Practically, we are all not blessed to have the financial capability to treat ourselves to a vacation we all are craving but, we have the physical capability and the discipline to work hard for something that we really want.
I’m constantly learning the idea of travel, new friends, and food. I always feel the excitement and fear at the same time, but never the boredom, and I think it’s the most rewarding thing above all. Thank God for guiding us all throughout, and we all went back home safely with fragments of memories we once experienced on this trip. Thank you, Puerto Galera.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.”
It’s Lenten season, and it’s as special as any of the regular holiday seasons, especially for devout Catholics. Including ours, many families prefer going to the beach on Easter Sunday after a week of solemn contemplation on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, this year, we’ve anticipated a getaway, mainly for my Lola and her sisters.
Let me share with you our beach experience through this blog.
I haven’t been to a beach for a while, so as my relatives. After a long while of searching through Facebook travel groups, I chose to book our trip to Matabungkay Beach Resort, located at Brgy. Matabungkay, Lian, Batangas, Philippines.
Because of its proximity to Manila, Matabungkay is still one of the top beach destinations in Batangas among Batanguenos and tourists.
I’m checking Waze from time to time to check how long are we still going to wait before touch down.
At 3AM we headed to our trip and I can’t drive this early, so we rented a Van and a Jeepney where we could also store our goods and bags. We are 30 pax, each vehicle costs 4,500 Php.
I feel well-rested tho, I slept almost 6 hours prior to our onboarding since I’m excited, and I’m in need of much energy, so I won’t be feeling tired soon as we’re there. Most of our passengers in this van are asleep to gain energy for the activities they look forward to at the latter.
Or maybe, I’ll take a nap, a short one also.
After 2 hours of travel, we already did make it to the entrance of the resort, it’s just a bit of traffic we had experienced as we enter because we have to pay the environmental fee which costs 25 Php per head. Oh! The parking fee costs 100 Php per vehicle.
I miss this sight, the horizon that separates the sky and the sea. The calmness that the scenery is channeling caught me. I need to send this to my friends and bae. 🌊😋
The shore was filled with floating cottages (balsa) which makes it overcrowded at first sight. We were able to sail a few distances away from the other rafts, so we have ample space to swim near our cottage. We got this type for 25 pax at 6,500 Php this season. Since we’re 30 pax we were allowed to situate here for the whole day since we’re lightweight.
We’ve already settled and I already dived in. 💦
Here’s Garcia Brothers with Dad. Insert mom. 🧏♀️
Garcia cult. We weren’t able to have a whole group picture as others were busy doing water activities. 🏊🏻♀️
WTF! I mean, Where’s The Food? I forgot to snap a shot of our food, maybe because I’m too hungry to take a photo first. We served and ate pancit, spaghetti, puto, sandwich for breakfast, fried chicken, caldereta, fried bangus, and salted egg for lunch, mango, watermelon, singkamas, macaroni and vegetable salad, and chips for snack.
We went boating and snorkeling as a new experience for my dad, ninang, lola and bestie. They seem happy — evident on their faces.
It’s really a struggle for me to find a sunblock. I manage to apply Belo’s tinted sunscreen, retrieved from my old box back in 2020. I think I saved my face so. 😎
The sea is really inviting, but not this one that’s too deep for me. Although I have a life vest, I’m scared of the creatures down there. 🤪
Aside from boating and snorkeling which costs 150 Php per head for an hour, there are other activities available like jet skiing, riding on a wagon, banana and dragon boat, and island hopping, the price varies.
Look who’s burnt. Sorry for my happy feet. Since I’m wearing sandals, I’ve had tan lines on my feet.
I’m so worried about the burnt skin that I’ve got, but I realized that it will get back to its color thru time, but the time spent will forever be cherished and the memories of the experience that my family and I had here despite our schedules and whereabouts will be kept. I thank God for the time given and the strength of everyone to be able to be with us here. Also, for the financial capacity. It’s really not a bad idea to treat yourself and the people around you when you are saving. I don’t want to deprive myself of vacation just because I have bills to pay ahead of me. This hard-earned money spent for this getaway is a much deserve one, I must say. I’m just happy that I am able to take my whole family on a trip once in a while, and seeing the smile on their faces is a big win.
We stayed from 6AM-4PM there and at exactly 6PM we were home safe and rested because Monday is already waving. I’m looking forward to our next family getaway. On my 25th Birthday maybe? We’ll see.
Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.
Lovelle Drachman
Care to share your Lenten season stories and escapade? Let me know. ღ
The story of 2020 has been tough or even the worst one for most people. Days of mental anguish, financial strain, ailed relationships and existential career crisis. True as it could be, it wasn’t easy. But as always, after every experience paves us way to different life realizations and learnings.
This year, I did nothing but to motivate myself not to stay asleep with my dreams and rather wake up and chase them amidst of all the happenings in the world. I’ve gotten the ideal career where I excel the most, expanded my circle, kept the financial resource flowing and taught to look after myself.
It may be the year that is way far from what we’ve all expected it should be, but it taught us all lessons that we can definitely say, it made us better and stronger in a way.
After all, we always got to choose our own story and everything which makes our life inspiring. It may always not as great as we expected to be, but there are parts that can be captured by the heart which makes everything worthwhile.
In just a snap it’ll be the fourth quarter of the year already. I accepted the fact that we still keep on trying these times as we’re still on quarantine. During this time of the year, we should be decorating several piles of stuff in the house, looking forward to Christmas break vacation getaway, have some plans with friends and many more. And yet, we’re still stuck, and we still have to keep ourselves sane and safe.
So how’s my September have gone? Let’s get started, shall we?
So many things happened from September 1st up to this day, and I am thrilled to be spilling it all in my blog. Grab whatever you please and get pretty comfortable as you read.
3 Years in the Academe
Like most things, life in the academe can be both happy and stressful at the same time. Though I have considered this as where I’m most likely to endure greater job-related stress, it does not take away the fact that I still gain happiness and sort of fulfillment from teaching, which makes me choose to dedicate my time in educating people whilst being educated.
Since online classes have been the new normal setup for schools now, there’s a work-life balance. I got to enjoy the time being at home while being flexible to do other tasks, responsibilities and deadlines I needed to get into.
3 Months in the Corporate
So it’s the 3rd month of my work-from-home setup just yesterday! In my stay, I think I really had a good one, as I have discussed in my august run-through, you gotta nourish to flourish. And I believe, my growth in the company is perceivable. We have everything virtual, and I like it.
5 Months in Blogging
And to keep my inner thoughts flowing, few stuffs to share, and to continually inspire people in a way, somehow, I’m keeping things written. My circle often told me that I’m very brave in sharing some of my life experiences and feelings on a public platform. Well, it’s indeed a fact. Aside from the bravery, I chose to blog because as I keep everything written, I’m being reminded of stories whether happy or sad that I once or never expected that it could happen in my life. Yeah, it’s my 5th month, to more blogs to share!
And some random stuff…
MOVIES/SERIES: I finished Still 2gether (will miss the casts totally) and currently keeping myself updated on Blackpink’s 24/365 Episodes on YouTube, also watched Enola Holmes (which left me so many life lessons and questions) and Glow up2 (because of my fond of arts) series on Netflix. I’m wondering what to watch during my spare times. MUSIC: Disney Songs on-repeat when I work. It gives me the feeling of calmness, the magic, and it keeps me in a good spirit. HAHA. And of course, the release of Chromatica’s 911 music video, the twist at the end really caught me. It was genius! OTHERS: I finally bought the land near our town as my investment for now. I’d be happy to share about it on the upcoming blogs. I’m also reading Lang Leave’s Lullabies that I’ll be soon sharing some highlights of it on the next blogs as well.
Life is way too short for bad vibes, let’s all be happy. And as for me I’m grateful for all the good, bad and everything else in between that have happened leaving the lessons I will continually learn all throughout. Now, I keep on working and striving on this whole adulting journey and have to say, I’m a big fan so far from this episode.
How about you? What have you been up to? Any big events and experiences so far? I’d love to know it!
It’s 31st and I’m here again, sharing some recent happenings about work, personal life, along with a lot of additional randomness, or everything in-between.
As I welcomed August on the first week, the thought of school starting to weigh in my mind.
The full implementation of online education is real as the unprecedented COVID-19 happened. A thought or two came in my senses, what if this won’t work, as there is really a thick line between self-paced vs. face-to-face leaning.
Well, we all have to adjust. In my current institution we have this new normal setup. A BorderFree Education as they say. De La Salle Lipa BorderFree Education is the “School of the Future,” empowering students to take greater ownership of their learning process. It integrates Academics, Campus Life, and Campus Services supported online by faculty, staff, and other shared services personnel – offering Education-on-Demand. So what’s in store for the students and us, teachers to this type of education? Click on my blog post here, about that.
Here’ a look with the platform where I have all the deliverables in one of my subjects in this setup.
To gamify this canvas course, here’s the awarding of Badges after completing each module and its requirements.
I believe we could be able to fully adjust gradually and adapt the deliverables to have the milestone that awaits.
And for my full-time job, I learned to master the art of sleeping at 8 PM and waking up at 2 AM have my morning exercise and grind the job until 8 AM. Then sleep again for two hours and prepare to teach, if I still have spare time, I will then stream movies, read a book, or anything under the sun.
This has been my mantra for the whole month.
I purchased Lang Leav’s Memories book earlier this month, and will be posting a review about it after I finish this masterpiece.
A surprise collaboration between Blackpink and Selena Gomez also made my August tuned. It’s really new for me to hear the group to sing almost the whole song with English verses.
A series which I badly finished in just one corner for straight hours. Ahhh it’s amazing. It’s just so sad to know that it’s the last season. I wonder if there’ll still be a chance for more.
Basically, this is how my month of August went on and has been.
It’s BER months in a bit, though it’s going to be a way different season compared to before, I’m still oh-so grateful that we’re safe and for myself, I’ve been blessed having my full time, part-time and freelancing job all at once without feeling the extra weight as these careers have been my daily dose. Foremost to be thankful that I’m healthy in all aspects to do all the routine.
I just want to continue living life to the fullest, of course with the things, foods, happenings, places and people I love and will have eventually.
Soooo as for you, how’s everything with your August?
I admit that I’m a non-dog lover. Maybe because I’ve got bitten when I was young. I have lived to be scared of dogs, like every time I walk by in our narrow street, I will always bite my tongue, so I won’t get noticed by the pack of dogs as I pass by. I don’t know but, I believe in its magic.
Until my brother had one, it took him a long time to have a dog, since I’m really not into it, we always argue. The barking, the shredding fur, the pooping and peeing, the smell, and stuffs — some minor issues I’m concerned with. I’m glad he considered my shallow plead. So, we adopted a native dog that has no breed, an Aspin. Having one require less maintenance than purebred dogs.
His name is Kobe, a great addition to our family just right before Coronavirus pandemic rebellion. He is 2 months old when we adopted him on 30th January. I can’t touch him, really scared of him, even though he’s that small.
There were consecutive mid nights and dawn he barked which put me into a really awful sleep. Agh, I don’t know why I’m the only one who complains about it in our family. I always come closer to his shed to talk to him that he’s really noisy. I always scold him because of his behavior. Funny how he stares at me and listen intently as if he can understand what I am preaching. I heard that he’s compulsive barking is normal since he’s into a whole new environment.
As the day passes, I’m getting used to his barks, and he as well got used to our place. There was a time that he really wanted to come out his shed, and he kept on barking. So, my dad let him out of his house, he hastily ran away beside a distant tree and peed, later he also pooped. I just learned something from that day. Those barks may be a sign of a comfort break, aside from attention seeking, or he wants to play, he’s hungry, and there’s a stranger.
On weekends, I used to feed him since my brother is out of town during those days. I got annoyed that sometimes he will make noise even though it’s only 10 AM, not his feeding time. He will stretch his body just to allow me see him because I always do my work in the kitchen near his shed. Poor boy, we have no food to feed him that early and wait for us to finish our meals first before he could finally eat. But I can’t take his appeal, I will then open canned goods for him to eat and stop the noise already. And I will start my preaching again as I feed him.
He became part of our daily routine. We let him out of his shed in the morning and sunset to play in the field, feed and wash him too. For the passing months I haven’t touched him yet. I just really can’t but, I love how I used to feed him and play without touching him. It has been 8 months since he’s home. I can’t believe the fact that we already incorporated Kobe in our everyday lives. He became quiet and adaptive as he age, he became comfortable to our place as well. The only time he will make noise is when he’s going to have a comfort break, when he wants to play, when he’s hungry, and he saw someone peculiar. Not to the point that we can’t get a comfortable sleep at night.
We really can’t avoid unfortunate events to happen in our lives. One morning, where the sky’s gloomy and the rain’s about to drop, my dad noticed that Kobe went missing in his shed. We all started to look for him all over the place. Asked the neighbors by any chance that they’ve seen Kobe. One of them said that he saw a dog walking outside our compound, he wasn’t sure if it’s Kobe. Until the rain came, we failed to find him, we really had no idea where he was. Whilst, my brother had no idea that his dog went missing because he’s out of town.
We ate lunch, I’m the one tasked to do the chores and stuff, I already had everything cleaned. I stopped and sat for a while, I’m suddenly reminded of how I prepare Kobe’s food after our lunch. As the rain came heavier, thoughts of where Kobe could have been situated hit my senses, tears in face came streaming. Maybe he’s shivering, wet and lonely and had no place to shed off. I just really can’t take to be reminded of those unfortunate instances and of course our bittersweet memory together.
Two days passed, we had no idea where he was. I missed the morning walks and plays, the sound of his noise. I used to look around our place if Kobe’s just hiding or nearby. I just can’t control my feelings and let my tears drip on my face, it hurt me so much. I can’t let go of thoughts that maybe he’s into another family, he got by the authorities, hit by raging car, and even worst, dead. But I’m still hoping that he’ll make his way home. And I won’t get tired of waiting for him.
Six o’clock in the morning, one of our neighbor came knocking on our door together with Kobe telling us that our dog was seen heading inside our compound. He looked so sad, starving, and chilling. We didn’t know where he had been, he just walked by inside the house, he knew the place, but he seemed to be aloof. Maybe he’s dealing with emotional trauma after being lost. We fed him, gave him water and pet him. We really missed him.
You’re really a grown up dog, our Kobe! You once got lost but you found your way home.
I felt relieved the moment I saw him eating the foods we gave him. It felt like he didn’t eat for ages. You are safe, you are home now.
I can’t deny that I really got inflicted by this happening. I still can’t consider myself as a dog lover, a frustrated dog parent in such different way, perhaps.
The moment he came back gave me deep realizations and affection towards him. He made me realized that in every fall, do not lose the hope for there might be a great come back. Thank you, God, we’re together again.
Here’s to more bittersweet memories with you, Kobe. 🐕🐶
Yeah, it’s our first day at kindergarten. I saw her with a pink ribbon on her hair. She’s sad and anxious, I took the seat beside her and gave the chocolate prize that my dad rewarded me because I woke up early that day. She loved the sweet treat and she smiled. Glad we became friends.
***
Why did she have to be so forgetful? She forgot the book our teacher asked us to bring? I lend her mine, so she won’t stand at the corner as a punishment — I did. Yes, it’s embarrassing but for her, it felt nothing on me.
***
We bid our goodbyes as the school year ended. Primary school was extra fun with her. My family have to move to the city, because of dad’s job. I won’t be able to be with her on middle school. I’ll pay her a visit when time permits.
***
I haven’t mentioned her that my dad was reassigned back to our town, and we have to move back. It’s sophomore year, I surprised her and took the seat beside her, “Surprise”. We’re together again. Shookt face was painted on her face.
***
I really enjoyed today’s bond with her, I liked the cookies her mom baked for us after a tiring day of teaching her to solve complex math problems. She’s a fast learner, her focused face makes her even more cute.
***
John asked her to be his date for JS Prom, I failed to ask her first. She already said yes. I felt like I don’t want to go to the prom.
***
Today is a normal day, no JS prom in mind. She messaged me that she was ditched by John, I asked where she is, I know she’s upset to what happened and brought some sweet treats.
***
It’s college. I wish we had the same University. I missed her.
***
We’re both free today, we talked. Seems she’s doing fine with one of her guy classmate. Someone who gives her sweet gestures. I smiled during our talk. And here I am, wishing that it should be me. I’m sappy (sad but happy for her).
***
It’s her special day. I stood behind his groom. As I hug her, I whispered congratulations. I’m glad I took part on her wedding day. Nothing’s changed. I know she’s fine so am I.
This is my diary of feelings I’ve had towards her. I wish I had the courage to tell her earlier, but I was scared of losing the value of our friendship, and her. So I kept our relationship that way. If and only if I dared to let my feelings and thoughts in mind out.
I have loved her since childhood.
We should learn how to trust our feelings and take chances, don’t hesitate anymore or else you’ll miss it.
This spoke to me.
“Some untold stories tend to become the pages of some chapters”
What’s up everybody? Hi, how are ya? (Jeffree Star, don’t hate me for using your spills).
It’s been a month again, July’s really fast. So, I’m still here alive and blogging. Also, trying to be consistent for my weekly blog with what itches my interest, mostly motivational write-ups since there’s still restrictions to explore the outside world. So, there’s nothing much to share about my go-to’s. Nothing but what’s on my mind, the thoughts I have been pondering, and what my soul wants to speak.
Work and Blogging
July was filled with so many adjustments and learnings in my new work which is really a big blessing which I really prayed for so many years, I’m glad I made it through. Also, I promised to myself that no matter how busy I am with the work from home setup of my corporate job and part-time teaching, I would at least have some writings once a week.
As the pandemic hampered everyone’s sanity, all are doing everything to cope up. Because I loved reading blogs myself, for me this writing and blogging became my avenue to have quite opportunities I didn’t expect in the first place. I got to be invited to several online communities to share some tips on the platform (even though I’m really new, swear!) it’s not a bad idea to give it a shot, so I did.
Sometimes I’m having thoughts, who wants to know about my life, what I write and why I do? Well, I can’t deny that I also have big dreams for my blog. So I’m keeping my senses tuned with this. In a way, I know that I needed to learn more to grow, someday, somehow.
Life and Leisure
From balancing my work and blogging, I’m also so much drawn to self-care and solitude. This quote spoke to me “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude”.
When the absence of my extrovert side reigns, I got to easily find my way to be with the company of my interests.
MOVIES/SERIES: Funny how I watched Train to Busan 2: Peninsula freely online. Also, still catching up with the missed episodes of Dark Series on Netflix. I’m planning to watch next, Anne with an E. MUSIC: Dropping the surprise album of Taylor Swift by the end of July got me really shookt as a Swiftie. It’s called folklore, it has 16 songs in it which were all beautifully written and well-thought of. There’s really a mystery and connections between the songs. It’s genius! OTHERS: I’m working on a project, I’m developing a management system for a private company, our agreed technology transfer date is on mid September, so I still have an ample time. Also, earlier this month, I had the chance to have Samgyeopsal with Friends which I got it written. We really missed each other’s company, so we spent the quick escape to talk about how our lives have been with good food.
I guess that’s all for now. Let’s see what’s going to happen tomorrow and the coming days, it’s August in a blink. I’m looking forward to positive happenings and for the betterment of the world. May this coming months bring us only goodness and goodies.
Hope you enjoyed these bits and pieces of how my July went. I’d also love to know how things have gone for you. Let me know in the comment box below.
June has come and gone. What I like about this month specifically is that we’re half-way of the year and of course it’s my birth month, who wouldn’t like theirs?
July is already waving, alongside with the excitement as it approaches, I’m surely gonna miss what went in June. So, here’s to my second entry of Life Lately series on this blog. If you haven’t read the 1st volume click here.
**I can still remember the time when I started to write simple blogs on FranzeG’s back then in 2015, having a niche of Philippine History but I stopped since a colossal amount of academic stressors and stuffs were present in college.**
Now that our lives have been altered by this COVID-19 crisis, we had our own different ways of how we’ll be able to cope up and stay sane on this situation. And for me, this blog became my outlet on how to pour out things on my mind, which really worked indeed. Without further ado, here’s a read on how my June went.
#Blogging
I’ve been writing lifestyle and story contents for about 2 months, and was able to publish 12 blog posts with approximately 10,000 page views accessed from different parts of the world (Philippines, USA, UK, India, Canada, Australia, etc.). Supposedly, I’m doing this just for a hobby until I decided to get it monetized. I have written several creative and fictional stories which I haven’t published yet. I guess when the time is right perhaps.
This blogging journey wouldn’t scream colors and flavors, insightful, and possible without the people I got to know virtually on this platform. Warm hugs to Travel with Karla, Yourtitaja, Christian Foremost, Sarrah’s Stories, and the people behind Bloggers PH. I got engaged in their creative minds which inspired me to keep going to expand my horizon.
#Work
Life in the academe wasn’t easy as the new normal phase approaches. Since De La Salle Lipa went through Border Free Education which will empower students to take greater ownership of their learning process. As I am a Lasallian partner I needed to integrate my materials online to get ready for the Education on-demand. I spent most of my days of June on the preparation of the Learning Management System — a border-free platform where Lasallians will be guided to become actively engaged in the design of this learning experience. I was able to receive recognition of membership in the Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator program. Here is the list of online certification and courses I took amid this busy schedule:
Getting Started with Office 365 and Windows
Transform Learning with Microsoft Teams
Teaching Sustainable Development Goals
Presentation Design 101: How to create visual slides with impact
Windows 10: Create a world of tomorrow in your classroom!
Getting Started with one Note
Microsoft Forms: Creating Authentic Assessments Udemy Courses
Python Bootcamp 2020 (Build 15 Working Applications and Games)
Complete SQL Bootcamp with MySQL, PHP, & Python
Google Drawings: Complete Guide to Google Drawing
#Life
This month also allowed me to do things which I usually do in a day, celebrated occasions being quarantined, and reflected about things in life most especially how am I now.
MOVIES/SERIES: I rewatched and finished Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am currently watching Dark series, RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars, and Game Boys.
MUSIC: This month Taylor Swift’s lullabies never failed to keep me alive, my playlist of her songs was put on repeat every night. I also waited for the release of Lady Gaga’s chromatica, including her collaborations with Ariana Grande (Rain on Me) and with Blackpink (Sour Candy). And my inner blink soul screamed for the major comeback of Blackpink where they dropped their newest single: ‘How you like that‘.
EVENTS: We celebrated Father’s Day, and I was able to celebrate my 23rd birthday with family and relatives, which I guess went splendid. I was invited to join the Rotaract Club of Downtown Ibaan — an international organization for young professionals and students that are committed to service and leadership in their communities. I also went to some of my friends, relatives, and colleagues homes to deliver pastries that we sell.
PLANS: I plan to finish the #IponChallenge earlier. Start to build our garden and include my plants to my blog niche. Pay all the insurances I’m paying to lessen the monthly dues’ haha. Other plans are to be announced soon.
I like to keep everything in-detail, but I like you more haha kidding. This post will be very lengthy so I keep it slightly short. If I missed something that would definitely be you, kidding again haha. I’m surely gonna remember it to the next volume, hey there July!
Bye for now! So how was your June?
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
FranzeSays 