Category Archives: Personal

Dreaming of Singles’ Holidays

One of the things that you have to give up when you become a mother is your social life. The late night out with your friends is replaced with all-nighters keeping watch of your newborn, the lazy lunch dates with the girls are traded for visits to the pediatrician and the last full show movie date with your beloved is swapped for Disney movies or Barney video marathons. Some would even just salvage their seriously-suffering social life with the aid of social networking online sites such as Facebook, where you can catch up with your peers at a touch of your fingertips.

Of course, you love being a mother, and having said all that, you nearly would not trade your adorable little angel to all the carefree ways of being single. Except probably when you have totally spread yourself thin and are desperately in need of a break. Yes, even mothers need to take occasional breaks too! Otherwise you will be a cranky mother much like your child when he lacked sleep or when throwing a tantrum when not given his demands immediately.

Taking a break every so often will do you a world of good, and these breaks need not be ultra expensive that it will burn a hole in your pocket. A quick trip to the spa for a much-needed pampering or a once-a-month dinner by candlelight with your man might just do the trick. It might not be as grand as the singles holidays you used to have but it’s the next best thing. Your little one might even thank you if you did.

Great Wall of China: One of my dream destinations.

La Union Memoir

Bacnotan, La Union, Summer of 1990.

For the first time in my college life, I was allowed to spend a week-vacation in the company of my female best friend E. She invited me to visit her parents and siblings whom she had not seen in years. It was a happy reunion between E and her family. The family members are innately quite people, but very accommodating so I easily get along with them.

My friend and I spend our free time hiking and swimming with her cousins. They taught me some basic climbing technique, but I guess I wasn’t able to apply them properly because of exhaustion. We went swimming in one of the rocky beaches in Bacnotan. It was probably one of the “undiscovered” beaches during those times. The water was pristine, but the rocks were deadly. One missed step and you’ll surely sustain cuts on your feet. Good thing i have thick calluses on my heels. 😀

I really missed Bacnotan and I’ll probably visit the place when my best friend would invite me over again…Sadly, I haven’t seen E in two decades now.

Mindanao memories

There are cities in Mindanao, besides my husband’s hometown (General Santos City) that I wish to visit again someday. These are the cities of Davao and Cotabato. I have been in these two places in 1995 only for a few days. I was part of the entourage of former Health Secretary Hilarion Ramiro who visited Regions XI and XII for regional field inspections.

The travel was limited to visiting regional health offices and or regional and provincial hospitals, and courtesy visits to the office of government officials, so there’s no chance for us to see the beauty of the place. We only had a few minutes to shop for “pasalubong” on our way to the airport back to Manila.

The list of souvenirs usually includes Tubao or handkerchief made of indigenous materials, Malong, and Beads necklaces and bracelets. Some of which I’m keeping until now for sentimental reasons.

I also had the chance to visit Cagayan de Oro and North Cotabato with the same group of reporters and health officials.

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With health reporter friends in Cagayan de Oro