Everything Under The Tropical Sun

We have a long weekend coming up and my husband and I decided to fly to Manila to visit Ann and her family. It’s been a while since we last went there. November last year was the last time we were there.

This time there’s an occasion, it’s Amara’s birthday. Their youngest. For some odd reason, I ended up being the godmother for three of her kids (she has 4… a boy, a set of fraternal twins, and Amara). For a while they couldn’t remember to which twin I was the godmother to. So for years, we just considered that I was the god mother for all three. And when no. 4 (Amara) came out, they got my husband as Amara’s godfather. Just to say that they’re not playing favorites. Hahahaha!

As if there’s a difference.

Of all my boyfriends, my husband has been the only one that they both really, really liked. Though Ann has never been the type to really discourage me from going out with someone she thinks is harmful to me, it was obvious if she didn’t really approve of any of my EXs.

She’s been a great friend. Her and Neptune (who lives all the way in Florida now) are the closest women friends I have from way back. We’ve been friends since high school and have been through a lot since then. We’ve managed to stay in touch although there were times that there were HUGE gaps in terms of years when we communicated, but whenever we did manage to find each other, we’d end up talking like nothing changed.

We always told our BIG news to each other first. When they both found out they were pregnant, two of us always knew first. Neptune even told Ann and I she was pregnant before she told her husband. We’ve always considered ourselves best friends even through the distance between us.

Since it’s practically impossible for me to fly and see Neptune, being with Ann is the next best thing. She’s still an hour away by plane but at least it’s only an hour. I’ve missed her, Juno (her husband), and the kiddies so much! I can’t wait!!!

Me, Neptune, Ann (Over a decade ago.)

Kids are so amazing. One thing I love about them is their imagination. They can travel the whole world (and even galaxies) inside their heads. Their curiosity runs as wild as their imaginations. I think it’s because they formulate this whole story in their head when they see something before asking what it is. It’s funny how sometimes they’d look so disappointed when a “mysterious” object loses its mystery once it’s explained to them how it works.

Justin, my sister-in-law’s son, paid us a visit yesterday (with my sweet mother-in-law). He reminded me how beautiful it is to be a child with such a wild imagination… When everything is still so new. He came in with his usual boisterous voice and bellowed: “Tito (Uncle), is this your office?!” and without waiting for an answer he says: “What’s this?” (pointing to his Tito’s measuring tape).

Justin. He found a way to entertain himself.

I found myself thinking of ways to entertain him inside the office… but what could a six year old do in such a play-forsaken place? Just as I was about to barrage him with a question and answer contest (just to keep him from being bored), he went straight to the white board and started doodling (he found a way to entertain himself, as usual).

He started by writing his name in one corner then decided to draw a house in the other end. Which, came complete with windows, a door, and yes, a tree right beside it. All the while declaring the things that he’s been drawing.

“Tita (Aunt), this is my house, I’ll put my name on it… ”
“Look Tita, I drew a tree! I’m putting it outside so these people will have shade…”

When he said people, he meant those little stick figures he made by the tree. Two stick figures became eight then he drew this odd shaped thing beside the house which he claims is a monster which is to be fought by the people who arrived in a truck.

He carried on and on while drawing. I was so fascinated with his wild imagination. It seemed like he never ran out of scenarios playing in that cute head of his. The great thing is they all tied up together. It had no ending, though. By the time he started running out of things to say, he found something else to do.

He saw all these machines in the production area and one by one he started asking what each of them did. When he was satisfied, he’d ask some gory question like: “If I put my hand there, would it cut off my fingers?” Little boys can be so different from little girls. Fascinating nonetheless.

Life would be so boring without kids around. Having Justin in our office for a little while gave such life in our ordinarily drab office. I remember a time when my own imagination would run as wild as his… my own curiosity would lead me to search for answers (or formulating one myself) instead of assuming the way things worked. I used to daydream for hours on end.

As we all get older, we tend to lose our fascination with imagination. We tend to assume that we have seen it all and that we know it all. Thus, forgetting to see the mystery in the things around us. Justin’s visit reminded me to never lose that little kid in all of us because our imagination and wonder gives color to our otherwise drab day-to-day routine.

Nurture the child within!

Have you read any of Paulo Coelho’s books? He’s holding a virtual exhibition of 100 million copies sold.

Paulo Coelho's cover letter explaining his virtual exhibition

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/virtual-exhibiton/

After sending my email to paulocoelhocovers [at] gmail [dot] com, my photo was uploaded the next day!

That's me right there! Woohoo!

Go on! Show off your favorite Paulo Coelho book. If you still haven’t tried reading any of books, get one now.

During the chaotic move from one house to another, I hadn’t had the time to open my blog catalog account. I finally did today and to my astonishment, there, on my recent viewers list was a blogger named: Paulo Coelho.

At first I thought that maybe it was a fan site or maybe one of his biggest fans decided to open a blog catalog account as a tribute to him and to my astonishment, it’s the REAL Paulo Coelho. It wasn’t such a surprise that he has a blog… but I was so amazed to know that he joined blog catalog. I didn’t think that an established writer would bother joining blogger social network sites.

I have no idea how he managed to find my blog catalog profile but I do know that he did clicked the link to this site. And I’m giddy as a school girl to know that one of my favorite authors came to visit. Paulo Coelho’s blog is filled with little quips and quotes from his books as well as an insight into how he thinks. Though I’ve bought a few of his books, one book has always stood out from the rest: The Alchemist (you can find free excerpts of this book on his blog).

The Alchemist - My all time favorite Paulo Coelho book.

My next favorite would be By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. In my opinion, none of his succeeding books (that I’ve read so far) has matched how I loved The Alchemist. I’ve been scouring the whole of Cebu for the hardbound copy of that book but I guess I’ll just have to satisfy myself with my worn out paperback.

My personal collection of Paulo Coelho's books.

The Alchemist has inspired me from WISHING that I could follow my dream to actually TRYING to follow it. Which, I feel is a HUGE step but a long overdue one. It’s been 5 years since I first read The Alchemist and I’ve read it several times in between. I’d like to think that its general message has seeped into my subconscious and is running on auto-pilot.

Paulo Coelho’s visit meant so much to me than I could ever imagine. He gave me the beautiful gift of his book as well as a wonderful reminder that life is too short to live miserably.

Thank you, Paulo Coelho.

My husband told me the other morning that I was laughing in my sleep the night before last. He said that there were several times in the past that he would catch me crying or mumbling while I was asleep (thank goodness my sleep walking ended long before we got together) but that was the first time he heard me laugh. He asked me if I remembered what my dream was about.

I wonder what it was that I was laughing at/about. It’s easy to make me laugh. An ultra corny joke usually does the trick. But an ordinary corny one doesn’t. Weird huh?

My husband’s wit makes me laugh all the time. His mind works within an odd process which usually makes me go: “I didn’t think if it THAT way!”. He says the right things during odd moments in a conversation. I’m such a sucker for a witty man. I think most women are. If you’d notice, comedians usually have hot wives/girlfriends that could match any rock star’s wife/girlfriend.

I could be laughing at one of his jokes or witty remarks in my sleep.

I realize now, that it doesn’t matter whether I recalled the dream or not. What’s important is the fact that I laughed. For someone who used to cry and mumble in her sleep, It’s comforting to know that I now laugh.

I’m happy to say that after a week with the vet, I’ve finally managed to get Courage and Ashley last Monday. I’m oh so happy to report that Courage managed to gain 3 kg. Unfortunately, something went wrong. By Wednesday, they were vomiting and experiencing diarrhea. So, now, they’re back with the vet.

Please continue praying for them. they’re not out of the woods yet.

Courage now has hookworms and Ashley well… my naughty little girl is too active that the vet is having a difficult time administering an I.V. The vet was worried that they might get dehydrated. I’m still so worried but knowing that they’re with a very capable vet keeps my worries at bay.

Courage, during the healthy days.

My only photo of Ashley sitting still.

It was my husband’s birthday last Sunday and unfortunately spent a part of it in the office. Let me just vent out a little:

Some clients can be so inconsiderate. We wouldn’t have minded if it was one of our nicer clients who requested for the rush job, but it happened to be one of our most demanding clients (and who, by the way, take the longest to settle their account with us). If only they weren’t recommended to us by one of our great and valued clients, we wouldn’t have given them the time of day. Especially if that day happens to be my hubby’s birthday.

Enough venting. We took the Saturday off anyway and spent most of Sunday doing things we enjoyed: sleeping in, eating out, and going to the movies (We saw The Dark Knight, and contrary to what others may think, I liked Batman Begins more). All in all, it was still a great day.

I feel so blessed to have spent his past 7 birthdays with him. I can’t believe how much he’s changed since we first celebrated his birthday together. It seems like all his great qualities were enhanced through the years and I’m amazed at how much some of my habits (the not so desirable ones at that) rubbed off on him (and some of his sensibilities unto me).

"Come on, give me a REAL smile."

I can’t count how many times he has managed to calm me down when I get really emotional. He has always managed to keep me on the level. Such a fair man. Though I’m his wife, he wouldn’t always take my side especially if he feels that I could have used a more amiable approach to things.

He’s not what I would consider a sweet man because we speak in different languages when it comes to expressing our love for each other. It took me years to learn how he tells me he loves me and I’m STILL learning. But so far, what I know is enough to ebb the insecurities away.

I’d find myself feeling grateful for him at least once a day. I’m ever so grateful to have him in my life. His birthday may be more important to me than he realizes. Happy birthday, Hubby. I love you with all that I am.