Thank You For Your Birthday Greetings

My dearest friends and love ones, I couldn't thank you enough for remembering my birthday. 

Two days before my birthday as you must have seen on Facebook, my oldest brother started the greetings by posting a very nice table setting in my favorite vibrant colors, with a "happy  birthday, dear sister" caption; and that's what started the greetings pouring in.

 I can't help but thank him; though in the back of my mind, there is this myth that birthday celebrations or greetings must not be advanced since it would seem like rushing one's life.  There are many life's myths that we know and we often say: 

"You don't lose anything be abiding by it".  

My sister in the US was a bit uneasy about it, for I'm sure she knows this too; but I told her, that it is ok; it's a very nice post anyway and I'm flattered and grateful for it together with all the other advance greetings I got; they were done on the most generous of intentions. 

My birthday couldn't have been happier because of all your greetings, it made my day special, I feel so blessed. Let me take this opportunity to thank you all. I know I replied to most of you but if I missed someone, I say that every greeting and every well-wish is equally precious to me. So, thank you once again..

I did not have a party since my husband was feeling under the weather;  we did not dine out with my daughter and her family as we usually do since it was a school/office day; so this weekend would be more convenient to get-together with them.   The absence of the usual celebration didn't in the least dampen my mood; it didn't discount my joy because of the out-pouring of love and well wishes from you all. 

This year my life will surely be as exciting as ever because I intend to make the most of my time.  I look forward to pursuing activities that I truly enjoy. 

My 69th Birthday Resolution

"If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it."~~John Irving-

I was at the bookstore looking for something I don't even know what when my eye caught this book:

 

"the 100 Year Lifestyle" by Dr. Eric Plasker, an internationally acclaimed wellness expert and a chiropractic doctor.  I'm glad I bought his book, for right away it got me excited, won't you too, if you stumbled upon this treasure, this road map; a GPS for your quest for a longer life?  Besides, isn't it a coincidence that I found it right after my self-commitment to try going by the rules to live longer?

At this writing, I haven't read the entire book but his insights inspire me.  A lot.  In so many words, I read that even if I don't reach a hundred, still I can take a chance on having "a long life, well-lived", if I choose "to stay in the game and not let the challenges get me down"; that is making good choices along the way.   Dr. Plasker wrote:

 "you don't get to choose how and when you are going to die, but you can choose how you're going to live".

How I wish I got this book earlier in life (because as mentioned in the Introduction of this book);  like the world famous centenarian, George Burns, I feel the same and he couldn't have said it better:

"Had I known that I was going to live to be 100, I would have taken better care of myself"; 

I'm sure you all agree that our life is defined by the choices we make;  what we do, what we eat, whom we associate with; every action "titrates" towards a goal we set because of our choices and actions made consciously or even unconsciously. 

He likened our actions and activities to a chemistry experiment called "titration", when you put drops of a chemical to a beaker of a clear solution slowly drop by drop, there's a point when the solution turns turbid. That's what is going to happen to our health; either way, good or bad depending on our choices.

"It's not the last scoop of ice cream that takes us in, but the succession of scoops we took". 

So beware!

From the choices Dr. Plasker put forward, I made out a "road map" for my game plan in the hope that from hereon every conscious effort will redound towards my goal; I'm about to embark on the greatest adventure of a lifetime! However, don't expect anything great or sensational here because my journey will be ordinary; 

1-HEALTH is number 1 and it includes:

~a properly aligned spinal column, (to enable the nervous system to work properly). fortunately, I had mine adjusted just recently.

~a sensible diet, I have to refrain from sugar and sweets and oh yes! fatty foods. No problem eating veggies, I really can't do without and I love them leafy as well; cooked or raw.   Breakfast is always oatmeal with bananas and dried fruit bits. A basic lunch would be steamed okra (or any veggie for that matter) in shrimp paste/balsamic vinegar sauce with brown rice.

One thing though that I have to master is not only eating the right foods but also the right amount, I have to learn from the Japanese ladies who don't get fat; I read that they stop eating when they are 80 percent full; 

"how to know I've had my 80 percent?" 

This time I really have to use my "gut feel" literally.  Whether this is true or not, I learned that it takes the brain about 20 minutes to get the idea that we have reached our capacity, so the partially full stomach is logical.

 Read this link:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/480254-how-long-does-it-take-your-brain-to-register-that-the-stomach-is-full/

More about my health resolve.....

~maintain an exercise routine that is both enjoyable and sustainable. Even though I'm just walking, I can shake it up in many different ways to make it more effective and more interesting.

~avoid stress if I can, worry is a big stress enhancer.  Instead of worrying I must have faith.   If I can't help it, the book suggests to do The Serenity Prayer of St Francis: 

By the way, Dr. Plasker warns that we must not wait for a crisis to change our ways, "do it now because you want too, not because your life depends on it". In other words, I should eat sensibly right now, exercise now and refrain from worry right now; I should not wait for a heart attack or develop diabetes 2.  I must have "heath reserves" to avoid health crisis. 

 "For what is a long life if I'm not fit and healthy to enjoy it."

2-GREAT RELATIONSHIPS is another essential element. 

Increase interaction with other people; maintain a close circle of friends and cultivate better appreciation of relationships.  I must develop a multi-generation of people around me as well since younger people are so refreshing for the old. Dr Plasker guides: 

"learn to approach relationships from a place of acceptance, love and kindness and only pursue relationships with people who share the same values".

I always make the most of the time I can spend with family and I intend to keep it that way, if not better.   When my children who live abroad are in town, I drop everything to be with them; my older daughter visits, even if she lives in town,  or when my granddaughter comes over, I stay home and I hang out with them; when friends want to get-together,  I make time to meet up; when friends and relatives invite us to parties, we attend if logistically possible. 

3-PURSUE MY PASSIONS

Young children often asks:

 "mom, what will I be when I grow up?"

"Can I be a pilot, mom?"

And mom's answer is not always "que sera, sera" as the song goes, but:

"You can be anything you like as long as you work hard for it"

Likewise with me, even at this stage,  I believe that pursuing anything now Is never too late.  I read that a 92-year-old lady started writing her book and with the help of family members it got published. 

I must embrace new things. Technology is inevitably changing our lives, and we can't do anything about it but be open to learn in order to keep up with the times. Some people are self conscious to learn; "I'm too old "; "I just can't understand"; "I can't do it".

Resisting change is tiring, learning new things is a better option, a challenge I just can't resist;  besides, I am blessed that I have the full support of my entire family on this. 

~I like to write and express myself; my younger daughter opened an account for my blog and showed me the ropes; while my two other children encouraged me to go on, with great praises, and  my husband cheered me on. 

~I like to join Facebook, my older daughter helped me join and continues to teach me how to use my gadgets.

~I like to read novels; my husband bought me an iPad and my older daughter sends me ebooks, she introduced wattpad and Kobo as well.  My son lent me his USB to download 300 novels. 

~I need to walk for exercise, my husband got me the latest nike earlier; and now my younger daughter got me the new flyknit Nike because she knows I'm still very much into walking. 

Just today my granddaughter introduced  me to "The Saturdays", the British singing group of women; letting me listen to her favorite, "not giving up", one of their songs on video. Hey! That can even be my theme song for this adventure.  I like knowing about them for they are  like The Steps that had disbanded sometime ago and I enjoyed listening to some of their other songs. This is a third generation update;  I'm thrilled and even wonder, how many grandmothers even heard of The Saturdays? 

For now, trying to live longer is my "Next Big Thing". I am committed to it and to keep me going, I shall live by the principle of  Dr Plasker: 

"Change happen one choice at a time. Think progress, not perfection",

 meaning that I must not rush and get frustrated, baby steps is the way to go.

Obviously, my resolve is not limited to trying to living longer; since it doesn't only mean not dying early, but the important thing is the quality of life I will have.  And that's all up to me!   Wish me not luck, but motivation and determination to this commitment; and oh yes, the wisdom to make good choices. 

Let me end this with another quote  reminding me that I must really "live in the moment", be focused, and take advantage of every minute. I should be very conscious of what's taking place in my life, and this will guide me to make good choices.

                                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” 

― Henry David Thoreau -

Note: phrases and sentences enclosed in quotations unless otherwise specified were all lifted from the 100-year lifestyle book by Dr Eric Plasker. 

Another Birthday?

I

July is here again! I'm having another birthday soon. This reminds me that I have to renew my driver's license.  Am I looking forward to this birthday? How do you think I feel to have another candle on my birthday cake?  Honestly?  I don't know. 

Come to think of it, maybe it won't matter much if I gain in age as long as I'm fit and healthy; then I can say that "I'm as old as I feel".  Besides it is also a good thing that nowadays people put only one candle on birthday cakes.  But who is counting anyway? Well, certainly not me!  Why fret over something that's inevitable? Instead, I'd rather give credence to this life I've been given by enjoying it to the fullest. 

Many people are so conscious about getting older; some people I know even lie about their age, especially the ladies. I can never forget a colleague at work who stopped adding a year to her age after she turned thirty. I laughed when I over-heard her best friend say:  

"see, you're already thirty three, remember you were born that year when ......  ",     

well, she forgot her actual age because in her mind she wants to believe that she's still thirty. 

I've never lied about my age, no reason to, since everyone will take a look at me and they'll know anyway.  So whenever I'm asked, I honestly tell the truth;  I'm even proud about it especially when people flatter me that "I don't look my age".  However please don't ask about my weight, since that's a different story, "that's very personal". Hahaha!  

Now that I still have a year before my "diamond" year, yes!  I'm turning 70 next year;  I still have my priorities lined up;  even if there are  "so many things to do, with so little time";  that won't stop me from maximizing my potential, continue exploring my God-given gifts and enjoy my most important relationships.  

A grandson was just born two months ago, I want to be part of his life, at least his growing up years and if possible, his adult life as well.  And why not? I'll try, until I fall.  Was it at his recent christening that my comadre, (mother of my daughter-law) wondered whether we will still see him graduate from college? That made me think for awhile and my impulse reply, (which I kept to myself) was:  "que sera, sera"; but immediately afterwards, I pledged in mind to take better care of myself from here on, so I will have a fighting chance to be there by then. 

I accept that no one is invincible and that we all have to go sometime.  When people reach my age, I believe that they are aware that they are just "living on borrowed time".  What to do then?  We must take advantage of this bonus. Who was he who when asked: 

"what's good about old age?" And happily answers: 

"living"!

 It's true and I totally agree.  

 Ask any physician or your aged grandmother

 "what's the secret of long life?", 

and most likely the answers would be:  

"adapt a sensible lifestyle", 

"get enough exercise", 

"stick to a  heathy diet". 

Though, these are very important, personally, I need more than that, if I were to live long, I must have great relationships; it should be full of learning activities that stimulate my mind and enjoyable as well, all in all, it must be full of fun! 

Now, don't get me wrong because I'm not just talking of "great relationships" as in "romance" here, but if one has that too; then so much the better.  I'm talking about loving my family more; what is not to be happy about when I have loving and thoughtful children who lead sensible lives and adorable grandchildren?  What is not to like about good friends and concerned nelatives?

I believe that the key here is to surround oneself with people who matter most in one's life; interact with friends; reconnect with long-time ones; meet new people; talk to strangers, get interested in the people around us and they will get interested as well. 

Aside from good health and great relationships, finding inspiration from a hobby is important to me.  I need to have something to look forward to;  to be lost in a pre-occupation that makes me forget time; a reason to get up every morning and be enthusiastic to face the new day.  Did you ever experience waking up and going straight to your garden to check on the seedling you transplanted yesterday? Or to see whether the long awaited rosebud opened?  Or did something sprung from the seeds you sowed last week? 

I recall when I was a little girl, my Mama grew cactus:  

"they're low maintenance; needs little water", she said. 

She planted them in colorful, decorative, small pots and used them as center pieces on tabletops. I can still imagine her pleasure whenever she arranged each plant around our home.  I'm sure that brought her so much joy.

 

Then one plant had a bud. I didn't know until  she told me:  

"it will open soon, just once and only at midnight".   

So, one night my Mama and I waited until midnight to witness the bud  open.  I was so sleepy but my motivation to witness this flower open kept me awake. It was such a wonder to see each white petal with pink streaks wake up; exude fragrance and immediately after the entire flower fully opened, it began to close,  turning into a bud again and wilted;  just like Cinderella's carriage turning to a pumpkin at midnight. 

Now I wanted to make sure that this incident I recall from my childhood isn't  just a dream or my imagination at work and found out that it's true, there are flowers that only open at midnight. You can check this link:

http://www.ehow.com/list_6535971_flowers-bloom-midnight.html

Talking about pre-occupation, my husband once told me about someone who wants to tee off ahead of the others because he wants to be the first to walk on the grass fresh with dew early in the morning.  Some say it's the smell of the grass that makes them want to play golf; others just like the sight of green everywhere and the wide open spaces or the fact that they will hangout with buddies at the clubhouse afterwards that motivates them. 

Whatever it is, look for that activity that can provide inspiration and  joy; find one that really interests you,  something  you truly enjoy and surely that will keep you going. 

So now you ask me, am I looking forward to my birthday? And why not?  I'll surely get gifts; we will eat out and many friends will remember to greet me. And oh yes, maybe I'll get a Fitbit or a Misfit band as a birthday gift to myself. Who knows, that may encourage me to exercise more. Now, isn't that something to look forward to?  

To my contemporaries, what do you say? I'd appreciate hearing your take on this and about life at this "certain age".  Watch out for my birthday resolution in my next blog; it's already in a draft. 

My Happy Hour

Out of nowhere after I retired, I asked myself:

"When will I ever stop watching my diet? "  

I never knew where it came from when I told myself that 

"I'm old, I deserve to eat what I want."

Maybe I got tired watching my diet, so I ate full meals, snacked on chips, cookies, cake, ice cream, dried fruits and nuts; everything that I've craved to eat but restrained myself.  I ate just anything and everything. The worse thing was that I ate a lot late at night, sometimes way past midnight while I read novels. 

How wrong I was! 

After sometime, I was diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" because my blood sugar was high and I developed a fatty liver.  From then on I avoided sweets as well as fatty foods. And because I needed to exercise, my doctor advised me to just walk, not run nor jog. 

It took time for me though to gather enough courage to start walking. Eventually, I forced myself to walk; and I found out that I kinda liked it; I even enjoyed it especially when I felt better, and I became more energetic and more enthusiastic to do things. Then I also realized that as I walk, ideas hit me; interesting things that I could do or write for my blog come to mind.  

 Soon walking became a routine, a lifestyle even; and that started my "happy hour".  Eventually, my exercise became more interesting because my husband joined me.  Everyday without fail, we walk for an hour. 

Recently, I read an article from HOLA! Magazine, lifestyle section writer Step Juan wrote that:  

"it is good to exercise with someone, after all exercise is considered as a social activity, pretty much like eating out.  Being with someone will prevent boredom and when enthusiasm wanes, your companion will keep you going".

Step Juan continues: 

"if you exercise together with your partner, you get  "double rewards". the reasons being that:

It means you have more time together, you don't have to choose between exercise and time with your partner; you can have both.

It gives you motivation, your chances of sticking to the regimen increase when you have someone to cheer you on..

It develops a stronger bond between the two of you as you work towards a common goal."

Someone asked me:  

"How many steps do you make, would you know?"

Since I don't have a Fitbit, Misfit,  Lark Life,  jawbone Up, Nike+FuelBand, or any kind of pedometer,  I counted the steps I made in five minutes and I arrived at 350; multiply that to a dozen and I'm doing  4200 an hour; and if my husband parks a little further from the entrance, then I'm sure that will round it off to about 4250 to 4300 steps for that hour alone. 

Our "happy hour" extends  to Starbucks where I enjoy my "reward" of green tea cream frap (no whip, sugar free vanilla, nonfat, more milk, less ice), while I read the newspaper or browse through a magazine. I really look forward to this activity everyday and I never want to miss it except on days that our granddaughter visits. 

My Grandson's Christening

The baptismal ceremony

It was a happy occasion; the christening of my grandson. My husband and I had to fly thousands of miles to attend this important milestone in our family. Though we only stayed overnight and flew back home the next day, we didn't regret it a bit; we're so happy to have been there, missing this occasion is unthinkable. 

The christening took place at The Catholic Church of St Ignatius. It was a solemn and orderly affair, very well conducted by the parish priest with two volunteer assistants who queued the participants every step of the way. I learned that they only administer baptisms every first Sunday of the month, I believe it was a lucky day as it fell on the 8th day of the month.  Moreover, there were also 8 infants that were baptized that day.

Dad, Mom and son wore white at the church. As I mentioned in my previous writing, my grandson wore the white baptismal garment that I brought with me which belonged to my younger daughter who used it at her baptism 33 years ago. The other infants' attire were varied; one boy wore a white shirt with a black bow-tie; a girl was wearing a headband but she still had very fine hair. The families attending were in their Sunday's best. But the best dressed were my grandson and his family, if I would say so myself. 

Though it was a mass baptism, the major parts like the anointing; blessing and invocation of God over baptismal water, prayers over ears and mouth were all done individually.  This gave the photographers a chance to take pictures every step of the way. My grandson, whose Mom brilliantly timed his feeding slept through the entire ceremony while some of the infants were impatient. After the rituals were over and done with; the priest announced that he would pose with each infant and his family. The entire ceremony took about an hour. 

The Reception

A reception of about fifty guests was held at The 2nd Floor of The American Club.  Again, my grandson behaved in spite the ohhh's and ahhh's of the guests who came to take a closer look at him, a dear lady even prayed over him.  The closest and dearest from the offices of both my son and daughter-in-law were invited together with friends and relatives who live in town. 

There was a sumptuous spread of roast duck and beef,  pork shar chu; about 7 other assortment of fish and meat dishes; salad greens, fruits and an array of mini-cakes.  But what I enjoyed the most, the one I had to go back to the buffet table for, was the salmon with tomato-capers salsa as well as the sweet prawns in wasabe sauce.  I'm not so fond of prawns but I enjoyed this so much. These two dishes were what I practically ate with fresh fruit. 

After dinner, my son expressed his thanks for the overwhelming support and prayers offered for the health of the newborn; as well as the gifts, the cards and balloons; and the numerous well wishes.  Finally, he passed around cigars and the guests bade their good-byes.  Of course, the family stayed on and had another round of food while we rehash the celebration. Everyone had a good time. 

Now I'm wondering why I enjoyed it so much, compared to the christening of my three children. My memory is still vivid on these three occasions when they were baptized.  Maybe my husband and I were pre-occupied with the conduct of their  christening then that we did not have enough time to really enjoy them. 

Again, I say that the best part of grand-parenting is enjoy the grand children with no responsibilities whatsoever. Grandparenting is the best! 

First Meeting

I'm very excited to go to my grandson's christening!  I haven't seen him yet but I've got lots of pictures to see how cute he is.  

We had to start early since our flight leaves a few minutes before six in the morning. Since we will only be there overnight, we wont check-in anything, we just have our overnight bags.

I am bringing our antique baptismal top in case my son will want my grandson to wear it for the christening ceremony.  It is made of very light and soft cotton material with delicate embroidery of little flowers. This was given to my younger daughter by her godmother when she was baptized 33 years ago.  My  granddaughter used it too, on her christening day nine years ago. 

We are also bringing with us 35 pieces of Don Juan Orquijo cigars, if you're familiar with that, you'll know that it's not cheap either. I was surprised when my husband told me how much it costs; even though my son doesn't smoke, he has excellent taste in cigars. He would have preferred the Corona packaging, five pieces in a wooden box; but there wasn't enough available, so one was a bigger box of the same brand. 

 

We were met at Changi airport terminal by my son himself. He brought us straight to his home where we met our grandson for the first time. Of course, I had to change my blouse and washed my hands and entire arms with a special kind of liquid soap called dettol, 99% kills germs.  Finally done, I entered his room, oh my; he's so cute. Like all babies, he exudes that sweet and delicious scent you would want to smell forever. 

The parents of my daughter-in-law were there earlier on to assist her for the first few days. Immediately they urged me to carry my grandson, my compadre even told my son: "take their picture". And here we are.

After an hour of feeding and burping the baby, my son brought us to my younger daughter's condo where we were to stay for the night. My daughter was so busy with work so she had food delivered, lunch was so delicious that I was tempted to eat a lot even though I was worried that my dress will be tight. Didn't i  mentioned that my daughter has "gut taste", so her food is always yummy. After lunch, we prepared ourselves for the afternoon christening. 

I'm Cooking For Two Again

I thought I'd ask my sister but I never got around doing it; I thought that she may give light to the matter for she is also in the same predicament; she's also cooking for two. 

How do you cook for two? I seem to have forgotten it already. 

You would think that cooking for two is simple and maybe even exciting like it was before when there were just the two of you; reminiscing or even re-enacting candle-lit dinners in the past. 

 

It's not that easy, anymore.  You won't like all that fuss; besides, your palate is already so sensitive and discriminating;  you won't eat just anything. More often than not, you already have in mind what you want to eat for the next meal.   We become more picky as we age and sometimes eating is just a necessity. Besides I practically don't eat dinner anymore, unless we eat out or we have guests. 

When my husband and I were both working I only worry about dinner since breakfast is a hurried coffee-and-a-sandwich-to-go; lunch is at work and dinner is sometimes taken in a restaurant. Therefore, more often than not that's the only meal I had to plan and prepare. 

Moreover, I've been so used to cooking for my family of 5; three children with teenagers' appetites that necessitated me to cook in adequate proportions.  Years later, when they became hard-working adults with practically no time to eat properly at the office except fast food, I had to compensate for that on weekends when our lunch was always a feast. 

During those years when I went to the wet market a few blocks from our home, I bought practically a kilo of every veggie we like; a kilo or so of each fresh seafood of my choice that is available and adequate choice cuts of chicken, pork and beef.   I only decide the menu for lunch and dinner at home as I go over my purchases.

You see, I'm not a stickler to a weekly or bi-weekly menu. I buy fresh seafood that's available and veggies that are in season. I don't bring a shopping list to the wet market either,  that's only for the supermarket. 

My old ways is the reason I was at a loss when all my children  had left home; which incidentally coincided with my retirement. At first, I had a  lot of left-overs, I didn't know what to do with them.  I was also left with a lot of wilting veggies in my crisper, that was when I decided to do something about it. 

Cooking for two is a real challenge; at first it wasn't easy to adjust my marketing and cooking habits. How do you cook two bowls of chicken soup anyway?  You tell me, unless you make it from a package, just add water and boil.  But I seldom use commercially prepared soups, I cook from scratch all the time. I also don't use mixes, I make my own. 

Earlier on during this adjustment period, I prepared "asado", which consisted of marinating the beef overnight, brown in little oil, then simmer in its marinade for two hours until tender.  Whenever I prepare this,  I usually prepare a substantial amount every time to make it worth the effort.  Anyway, I told myself, "this recipe can keep and I don't mind reheating it".  Would you believe that it took us quite sometime to finish that usual portion?   Our meals became a replay many times over. I  even converted some as quesadilla filling, some I used for sandwich filling. 

Learning from that experience, I became more conscious of portioning. When I go to the market nowadays, I remind myself to buy only what's good for two. When I buy the whole beef tenderloin, two thick medallions is enough, I marinate the rest and freeze; two pieces of a medium-size fish to fry, bake or broil is enough for a meal with a salad. 

 And oh yes, even salad needed adjustment.  While one big head of romaine for Caesar salad earlier was hardly enough, now I just buy the baby ones; a small bunch is just right for us.  When I cook pasta or noodles, a kilo would ready be way too much;  I know now that even 1/4 kilo is more than adequate. I also learned to get smaller packages of other things, no need to go to S & R anymore ; I can't get chicken wings less than a kilo there anyway. 

This situation has it's pluses though.  Oftentimes my husband would pop in the kitchen and asks "what's for lunch?", and if he is not in the mood for that kind of food, he'll say: "let's eat out".  We don't worry leaving anyone behind to eat alone, we can go at the spur of the moment. And when we also happen to be in the mall during mealtime, then I'm yet again spared in preparing  another meal.