Hello there! I'm not sure if there are still people reading my posts. In case you landed here, thank you and I hope you are doing great today. 

Time flies, we are already halfway 2022. Our covid-19 cases have plateaued, although another contagious variant has been detected. The election season is done and I can only hope that there will be better days for my country. Quarantine restrictions have loosen and establishments in Manila are already allowed to operate at 100% capacity. At the workplace, we will be resuming face to face classes at all levels for the incoming school year. I haven't heard any health professional confirming the end of covid. But with the way things are going, we're almost there..... hopefully.


The past month was stressful in many ways. The health issues of my bed ridden brother brought me fears, worries and crying episodes with my Father. I also had financial struggles but somewhere along the way, I was blessed with freelance works. It was an unexpected blessing and in a way, it felt like my mom's way of telling me to keep praying. 

Other than family concerns, work life issues also made its presence felt. A recurring problem, a project that has been testing my patience and composure and what seems to be an endless pit of responsibilities. I felt helpless and all these contributed to another crying episode. At this stage, some of the tasks were already resolved. Looking forward, I can already foresee the additional workload. I just pray that I can surpass everything. 

I will never forget the past month because I was forced to choose between work or family on several instances. I chose my family, my Dad and brother. But beneath the choice is the additional responsibility of extending work hours to ensure that everything gets done. Reading this, I feel like I aged 10 years in a span of one month. 

On a positive note, some of the things I've been thankful from the past weeks

1. Me and Dad got our 2nd booster from the City Government of Marikina 

2. After almost two years, we had the annual offsite spiritual retreat with my colleagues 

3. I found an excellent Physical Therapy services for my brother

4. The unexpected freelance work

5. First onsite graduation ceremonies I experienced with my colleagues

6. After the graduation ceremonies, me and my colleagues were treated to unlimited buffet dinner. It turned to be a beer and wine session with two colleagues, whom I consider as elder brothers. While other tables were filled with used plates, us were empty glasses of pilsen and sangria. :p More than the free drinks, I enjoyed the company of my friends. I also realized, that was the last time I drank and laughed so hard. 

7. My maternal and paternal cousins joined our family for mom's first birthday celebration in heaven. I have to leave them for a while because of an unexpected crying episode. 

8. Teaching and its related chores are done. I have a two-month break which will help me focus on my administrative work. 

2022 is still a long road for me. I have to prepare for the first death anniversary of my mother. It has been months and I admit, I'm still in the phase of painful grieving. I haven't closed the bank account of my mother because of some surprise errors from my birth certificate. There are still paper works to accomplish following my mom's death. There will be changes in the workplace next year and I can only pray that I will still be entrusted with the responsibility to serve our small department.