Keystroke Journal

Today's news of Dolly Parton's passing caught my attention not only because of her fame but also from learning that she was the primary caregiver of her husband who passed away last year in March. One of the things Dolly mentioned after her losing her husband was she neglected her own health which has taken a toll on her life aside from a broken heart syndrome that eventually caused her demise. This has resonated immensely on me because I was once my husband's caregiver. For 7 years, with his last 8 months spent in hospice at home, my own health issues slowly creeped in, too. Did I regret it? No. I would even do it again in a heart beat! However, I might had been more intentional when it comes to my own health. Just like Dolly, I prioritized my husband's health over my own and I was always in survival mode. Nearly the end of his last two months, while still caring for him, I was diagnosed with the capital C and had to undergo surgery immediately to remove the enlarging ...

 "All This I Did Without You" (an excerpt of Gerard Durrell's letter to Lee McGeorge written on July 31, 1978) All this I did without you; This was my loss. All this I want to do with you; This will be my gain. All this I would gladly have forgone; For the sake of one minute of your company. For your laugh, your voice, your eyes, hair, lips, body, And above all, for your sweet, ever-surprising mind Which is an enchanting quarry; In which it is my privilege --- to delve. Backstory: Gerard had travelled the world and have had been in different places, seen a thousand animals and nature in amazement, but admits that all these experiences are futile because he had no one to share with his passion; through his letter, he expressed that being with Lee is far better than any of his first-hand travel escapades. This last part of the letter spoke millions to me. I've had my own share of traveling but only one of them was I able to share it with my hubby. Just the same, that on...

What is it with today? First, I scheduled a lab work near our place. For some reason, there was moderate traffic en route so I ended up using another route. My appointment was at 7:45 am and it was already 7:35 am. I arrived at 7:42am and while still at the parking lot, I already checked-in to ensure that I’ll still be on time. Once inside the lab, I waited for a few minutes and when it was my turn, I found out that the doc office hadn't done any orders into the system yet. So, I had to cancel it. I called the doc office, of course, they’re still closed because they open at 9am. I just left a message. Next, I went to Walgreens because there are pending medications I need to pick up. Google says it opens at 8:00 am. I arrived at 8:01 am and there’s a man standing outside waiting for the door to open so I parked nearby and  I waited inside my car. By 8:11 am, the store door automatically opened. I got off my vehicle and I got in the store, headed toward the pharmacy only to be told t...

Recently,  hubby and I were both on the way to the post office to another building on campus when this fall incident happened. It was so sudden that I could not even catch up to block his way. We did not realize that he skipped a step until it was too late and there was no handrail that he could at least reach out to keep him from falling quickly so he lost his balance --- four steps going down. He hit his face (left side) hard on the concrete ground. At first, he could not get up because of the impact and he got confused about what transpired but bystanders helped us. Security personnel came along and the first responders were immediately there to give him first aid.   He was assisted inside the nearest building where they let him sit in a corner, because he was too weak to carry himself, to assess his condition. He obtained abrasions on his left forehead, left cheek, the bridge of his nose, and his left nostril. He also had abrasions on bot...

It's the 22nd of the second month of the year 2022! This day is the only 02222022 day of all times! It turned out to be popular because of its one-of-a-kind numbers. Well, there is also a reason for me to remember this day because of what I have truly experienced today.  It started at almost 2 PM. As always, I was busy at work and had too many things in mind when out of the blue, I got a text from the dentist's office. I thought it was the usual survey thing that they send after each dental visits. However, there was something in me that prodded me to look at the details. It says, "Once at the parking lot, give us a call 15 minutes before your scheduled visit." It still didn't sink in to me. Why am I getting this message when I know nothing is scheduled for the day?,  I thought. As I scrolled back to see the previous message threads, I realized that it was for my husband's dental follow-up! I immediately called the dental office and apologized that my hubby ca...

 It's back to in-person work these days. And, yes, I still dread the commute but there's one more other thing that I don't look forward to --- meeting toxic people who try to control me at work. In my attempt to be helpful, I end up the most vulnerable yet least appreciated person to these toxic people. Well, we cannot really please everyone but for what I thought I was doing the right thing, I have been perceived as the antagonist. I wish this will end soon but I also know that there is always a reason why certain things happen. I have to admit that it's exhausting and exasperating on campus but I will not let these incidents affect my family life nor my spiritual life. This is just work and these are part of my job role. At the end of the day, I chose to go home and be with my loved ones without giving them any work-related burdens. Still, I lift up my eyes to the one and only Author of Life. For 'my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth' (Psalm ...

 A year and a half has passed by and everyone can see and feel changes in the air as we return to work. Well, as we head back to work face-to-face, we have to comply to wearing facial masks, social distancing, hand washing, getting vaccinated, daily health assessments with weekly T3 shield testings. It has become a part of everyday routine along with the usual traffic caused either by constructions in the roads or the plain crowd during rush hours. Metro DC has never changed. It actually got worst in the roads that I usually commute. Reckless drivers are just waiting to outrun those who are careful in driving. The moment I leave the house, my stress level rises up due to the fact that I don't know what will happen on the road that day. The same thing goes true when I leave work to go home. As long as I am out there on the road in DC, I have to stay alert and keep my guard on especially when I have to change lanes. But no matter how much I drive carefully, accidents still happen. An...

 I can't believe I'm still writing about COVID-19!  It's been a year now since the pandemic started. And, in a year's time, a lot of things transpired; many lives have been transformed instantly. Although the inevitable change caused insurmountable losses in terms of property, jobs, travels, dreams and most of all the lives globally impacted by the pandemic, it has brought out good outcomes in my little corner. Working from home has its own challenges but, at the same time, I learned to do chores now with a grateful heart because if it wasn't for the year 2020, I wouldn't have realized how much I took these tasks for granted: cooking baking cleaning gardening Yes, it's a domesticated life in addition for the need to be tech savvy in this ever-changing digital work life. On the other hand, I was also able to hone my creative-side because of lesser time to be on the road and more time to focus. Connectivity has never been easier these days, too. Due to the pan...

COVID-19 came so sudden that no one was ever prepared to deal with this unknown novel sickness. It struck every one and every where. No one is spared of its daunting effects. Rich or poor, educated or uneducated, male or female, old or young, animals or humans, from the north to the south to the east and west. Only the strong and the fittest can survive. It's like watching a plot in a movie, only this time, we are all making our own reality TV shows.  It's been a month now that lives have transitioned from commute days to lockdown days. The year 2020 is indeed a year of vision. A time to realize what values most in life and rediscover life's passions. Nowadays, there are more days to  reflect, more days to clean up, more days to do what we can't usually do on an actual busy day; more days to juggle self-care, family/home care, online classes, and remote work, all in one roof. This, for now, is the new normal. Years from now, we will have our own lockdown stories to ...

Monday mornings are usually the dreaded part of the week and what a way to start the work week with a heavy traffic! The early morning news has already warned its DC commuters about an accident somewhere in the 11th street which blocked entry to the exit ramps on both directions. As expected, it caused a heavy traffic in all routes leading to and coming from DC downtown. I told myself to give a few minutes to let the traffic subside and hope for a better flow by leaving home at least 30 minutes later. Well, it turned out that I wasn't the only one who had that kind of thinking. While still preparing to leave home, I was mentally visualizing my route on how to avoid the traffic only to realize that I still took the same route I normally do in the mornings. At first, the I-295 lanes are fine with it's white-striped orange cones designating an under construction bridge and road widening just before the 11th street. There it is, a long queue and break lights all over the place....

The year 2019 has been a challenging year but by God ‘s grace He made me go through it all. I now have to learn how to deal with this life-changing event every day. I don’t know for how long will this be the new normal but I know that God gives me strength through Jesus Christ. It is only through Him that I can be at peace despite having felt like I have been tossed back and forth by a raging sea; however, I am like that rock in the middle of the ocean that shall not be moved nor will I let the raging water currents erode my foundation.    There will be ups and downs; days of struggles and moments of giving up but in Christ alone will I put my trust.

The recent crisis in Guatemala reminded me of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in the early 90s.  Prior to the eruption, there were already predictions of the catastrophe (after being slumber for 500 years) so the areas near it were evacuated before the start of the eruption occurred, exactly 27 years ago this month. Its impact, however, did not spare us as the days and years passed by. On the day it erupted, I witnessed it despite being hundred miles away. I was on-duty at a rural hospital. Our place was blanketed with dark clouds. What we thought was only a heavy downpour of rain turned out to be mixed with sulphur dioxide ashes spewed out. It was very dark even though it was supposed to be daytime. Confusion over the evening-like climate crept in. Someone even asked, "Is it doomsday?!". The following day, we found out of the massive extent of Mt. Pinatubo's eruption and that there were towns, villages (and people) buried. It was very sad. There were people, especially ...

C’est La Vie  (A Poem by GG) You won’t know your blessings,  until you begin counting;  You won’t know what you miss,  until you glimpse;  You won’t know you can,  until you hang on;  You won’t know love  until you persevere;  You won’t know the mess,  until you get advise;  You won’t know existing,  until you start sharing;  You won’t know growing-up,  until you stand up.  C’est la vie! 

I was quite surprised at first when I saw how people reacted about the recent earthquake because I'm used to these tremors in my home country -- and then I learned that it was the first time for almost everyone here in the east coast so that explains their unexpected reactions. Now, that is really something because it tells me that east coast's building structures and the people aren't prepared for earthquakes which explains some reports of buildings with cracks and people's "shocked" reactions. I was on the street when it happened so I didn't feel it. What was strange though was when I saw the birds flying up high abruptly as if something disturbed them. And then I heard people shout as they come out of the office buildings. At first, I thought there was a fire only to realize that it was an earthquake when I saw the lamp posts swaying wildly, back and forth. Oh well, I learned the following morning that there was a 4-point something aftershock at aro...

It's been decades since I remember mixing a batter. At first I thought it was difficult but I eventually ended up baking two goodies for two-consecutive days. For the first time, I tried new recipes: corn muffins and croissant. There's really no baking secret. With the ready-to-mix flour and ready-to-fold dough, I now have my first two lessons in Baking 101. For a newbie, I guess the end-result wasn't that bad -- nothing beats a freshly-baked aroma with good tasting goodies! Just think of the smell and taste, don't count on the appearance yet -- I know I still have a long way to go especially on the croissant -- yay! The Corn Muffins The Croissants

The year 2010 has passed away with no writings posted on my blog. I sure miss writing down my thoughts, however, because of some abrupt (but blissful) changes in my life that took place, I never had a chance to sit down, think and jot down, until now. The strange thing though is that now that I have the time, I just couldn't think well -- sigh! I guess I will have to find time for inspiration from the majestic snow-filled scenery outside ... Slush, Sleet, Snow, Ice, Rain and Gridlock -- was a winter nightmare last night but today, it's a postcard picturesque sunny, fresh-air, white scenery. If only things will have to be just like in a postcard, the world would be peaceful and refreshing. If only ...

It was a one-of-a-kind trip cycle , if there’s such a phrase as that as my good-natured Filipina friend and I flew down to South Florida from the Northeast. We went around the place by land. Then we crossed the sea on board a cruise ship to Bahamas. We went back to Florida on cruise, toured the city by land again before heading back home by plane. It all happened in three different places for seven nights and eight days. One nature tripping day Our trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL last April 14-17 was mostly spent on nature tripping. My friend and I went to a fishing port somewhere in Palm Beach Shore; we had a chance to see different kinds and sizes of fishes in the open sea aquarium while looking at them from the boardwalk. The experience was like snorkeling without getting wet or seeing them in a glass bottom boat minus the boat ride. There were fishing boats for rent and a lot of yachts on deck. There was even a family of four who went out fishing and came back with different sizes of k...

This morning as I watched the news, one of the amazing story I heard was that of Susan Boyle's , a recent hopeful contestant of Britain Got Talent. At first she received cynicism from the judges and audience but later on she wowed them with her I dreamed of a dream song rendition. With her great performance, she proved that looks can be deceiving. I believe she also gave hope to people who are late-bloomers like her. Later in the afternoon, it rained hard down South for awhile but I got a treat for myself. For the first time in my 3-year stay here in the US, I had a chance to see a rainbow. The vibrant colors looked so beautiful like a blooming flower. And I remember taking shots at the celestial arch and reminding myself of God's promise to Noah. Rainbows also remind me of hope. Thus, whenever I encounter occasional bouts of discouragements over my situation, I tell myself to bloom wherever I am planted, believing that God placed me here for a purpose. Since the weather down...

When I was younger I have high hopes of becoming the person I want to be. However, as years go by, I realize that it’s not all true. Yes I have a choice to choose my path but along the way, there are things I couldn’t control. And as I grow older I come to realize that age isn’t the basis for maturity. Rather, maturity is based on my attitude toward life and my response to the circumstances surrounding it. For one thing, I am who I am now because of my life’s journey. As another milestone inches its way, I am thankful for the many wonderful blessings in my life. It’s not only what I have – bonded family ties and friendships - that I'm grateful for. I consider pain and frustrations as blessings, too, because without them I will never realize how blessed I am to be under God’s hands.

I tried to organize my things today only to find out what I value most in the past year. My stuff comprised of papers … papers … and more papers … arrgh! I opened a drawer - paper. I opened a box – paper. I opened a bag – paper. Everywhere there’s paper in varied forms. Magazines, flight bookings, tour guides, museum info, concert tickets, lessons, quizzes, bills, letters, notes, cards, envelopes, photos and books. All paper products. You name it I have it except for paper roses. I can’t believe I’ve accumulated a lot of them in such a short time! Err, okay months and months and months. Now is the time to get rid of them. Well, some. There are some papers I still want to keep for future reference while some are for review in the next few days. Others are for recycling. The rest are now in the trash. I’ve already used two overflowing regular-sized trash bins. I wonder if I do the same thing with my email accounts and My Documents in the computers – for both desktop and laptop. I am sure...