Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape!

My very idea of Escape is bringing the entire family to a place where water is cool, the place is serene and there's nothing but Nature to surround us. Visiting this place amazed me so much that I would really like to go back to this place again and again. Bluish green water to describe the thought of Aquamarine, this water is very clean in favor of the enchanting fishes that visit the river every midday. They come to be fed and escape thereafter.

If there's one place I'd like to escape to, it's the Hinatuan Enchanted River. Oh and yes, it's a river.  

I Keep Watch

Of time, that is.

If there is one little thing that I cannot let go, and is very significant to me, it is time. That is the reason why I get to keep a number of watches for me to change with every mood I bring to the office or to wherever I go.

My grandmother has taught me to respect time, and other people's time as well. But of course, there are also some reasons why we cannot control the time that we have. Sometimes, I get to the office late, but that is to my disadvantage because I will be deducted the wage I am supposed to earn for that day. If I get to a date or a meeting late, I see to it that I apologize, and it would be for some reasons not of my desire.

A watch may be a little thing to carry, but it gives me a sense of direction, a sense of reason with every move I make. It makes me yearn for eagerness to act within the limited time that we have on earth.

I procrastinate, yes, but I see to it that I take things one step at a time. Oh well, my bad that still I procrastinate, but don't we all, at times?

I just make sure that in the end, when the sun sets, I have achieved something with the time given me. 

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

I always go to bed early. The very late that I come to bed would be 11 or before midnight.  I make sure that I get to bed early because as a mother, I have to wake up early to fix breakfast for the children. Second, my work which makes me travel an hour's ride from where I am coming from is priority that I reach the office on time. I want to be a good office worker, not someone who just arrives to the office tardy, and does overtime because she hasn't finished what she's supposed to be wrap up during the course of the day. 

Being a mom is something important for me. In moments that I fail to go home for them, my heart aches. That is the reason why in my heart, I'd love to give them my time even in the preparation of their food. 

I have missed being a teacher-mother. Reviews and study sessions have become less frequent now that I am working away. It makes sense that I finish work early so I can get to home early. And because of this, my sleeping time ranges around 9-10PM. 

What about you? 

 

UP!

UP in the sky I walked.

After the exhausting and mind-boggling 3 days of training for the Skills Registry System, I and two new friends roamed around the city of Cebu just to familiarize ourselves with its beauty. I have been to Cebu for a number of times already, I think this is my fifth, and since I have already explored a few places, I brought my new found friends to where my feet have brought me before. 

But after the museums and parks have been covered, there is one place we'd like to try our eyes on, it's the Skywalk Adventure at the Crown Regency Hotel where you have to walk around the edges of the building, on the 39th floor. It was an exhilarating adventure for the three of us. We were at first shaking at the thought, but it soon dawned on us that while we were UP there could only be the chance we'd see the lights down below, the magnificent city lights and activities of Metro Cebu and its nearby areas. 

It's amazing to be UP there, really! My kids are planning to try it out the next we visit Cebu. 

Why Do I Blog?

That's a question I have been answering on my interviews and conversations with some who ask me the very reason why my blog exists. It's not as if I am needing more money because a blog-holder seems to have that, no, I am not even up to monetizing my blog until I lately realized my blog has potential for earning. 

I blog because I want somebody to listen to me. Some people who would allow me to rave and rant, and even if they do not know me well enough, they'd be willing to give their 2 cents through their comments on my blog. At first, I only needed recognition and friendship, because I think that I can write and some people would be loving me if I share my opinions about certain things. Now, it's a duty, more than a habit to be sharing what I know and what's new, or what just seems to be happening in my life. 

Recognition, maybe. But the very reason is that, I want more friends and with blogging, I have found the best kind of friends that I have now. And that's one huge impact and reason why I blog. 

Why do you blog?  

Gifts for Everyone

You've inherited $5 million, with instructions that you must give it all away -- but you can choose any organizations you like to be the beneficiaries. Where does the money go?

That's too huge a sum of money  to be given away. I am not sure I would ever have to touch such huge amount but then again, for the sake of this argument, I will have to give 1/5 of the money to the church. The remaining amount goes to different charitable institutions like the Philippine National Red Cross so they can give added length of lives to those who need blood. I will be extending help to Greenpeace so they can use the money for making the world a better place. The money will also be shared to a charitable institutions for Persons with Disability. They can use the money for providing livelihood to the skilled workers even if they are PWDs. 

No, I will not share the money with DSWD because I know that the money will only be distributed to some people waiting for the calendar day to receive their 4Ps expected money. I will appoint a person to share the money everytime a calamity comes, I may have to allot $1M for this so the beneficiaries could be a large group of people. 

I will not be saving any for myself, but for the relatives, yes. This will make their lives a little better even if what I'm going to share them will be a measly budget for some livelihood assistance. 

I will donate a million for schools that I choose, they can make use of the money for buying better  facilities in their school, use it for some good books, or to make a good library for the children to go to. 

And the last million will be bought for gifts to be given the poor. A million dollars will be good enough to bring about a smile to their faces even if it's not Christmas.

  

What about you? If you want to answer the question, go ahead! And do share your answer!

     

Cholesterol Overload, Not Anymore!

I had a difficult bout with hypertension on March 6-8. Some of my Facebook friends knew about this that on that disgraceful day of March 6, just when my reason for going to the doctor was to have our Annual Physical Examination, the physician who examined me won't let me off the hospital because of a high blood pressure at that time playing around 240/130. Too high for me to be walking under the heat of the sun and working in the office they say. So, I had to rush to my work office, skip all that I've been doing and even if I don't feel like having myself admitted to the hospital, I did because of friends telling me I could get a heart attack or a stroke with that high a BP. 

After telling my Mom about this situation, she helped me pack my things and we went to get me confined. And the culprit is too much blood cholesterol. The normal of which a human can have is -2, while mine's at 4.2. Funny thing is, I don't feel any symptom at all. And my doctor friends say that it's actually the worst kind of hypertension because I feel no sign, and that I might just collapse as a walking bombshell because of that. 

I felt scared that time, I don't wanna die yet, I still have so much to do. I still want to watch my kids grow. And so, the series of blood tests, ultrasounds, the hourly check of BP for two nights in the hospital. 

I felt bad that time, and I know that what really started it all was the lack of discipline on eating. Every time I get to a mall, I have this urge to check this out, check that out and not realizing that what I am doing is a habit I have to break because of the unhealthy food I am taking.

And so, after that feat with hypertension, I did yoga, brisk walking, and exercise. But a month after, like NOW, I feel too tired because of work that I fail to do my physical exercises again. I am not much into eating anything anymore, and I have this irresistible desire to follow Emeals because of what I have experienced. 

I can't say I'm good now, because I am into hypertension maintenance medicines, and I have yet to check my blood cholesterol again. But I have learned, and for sure, I won't be taking in too much of those yummy crabs, shrimps and whatnots. Never again. Instead, I am more into fruits now, and juices, and even if I do not like pineapples and oat meals, I have to eat them. Now, I am having less of the chocolates (I do have a cheat day, though) and coffee, but more of water and tea.