Reunions and Native Filipino Foods
It’s been years since we chatted and spent good times with each other, and although sometimes we get to communicate through gadgets and computers, there’s nothing more fun and exciting to just sit there together, get to know updates from each other’s lives and just while away the hours until sundown.
We decided to do the reunion in the touristy island of Bohol where we can also bask on white sand beaches and forget all about our respective work.
After hubby and I had half of the day fetching them from the sea and air ports, we finally had a wacky time altogether inside the car, exchanging what each one brought for one another. My! I did not even bother to get one for them – was probably too busy on all the planning and reservations for the trip.
One of them was looking for rice cakes, so the first stop: a snack bar in the heart of the city that serves native foods.
The sign reads ‘Painitang Bol-anon’ and my! they indeed have loads of native foods, i don’t even know what they are called!
I do not know what’s the name of the last one. I did not even taste it because it looks like cassava and i’m not fond of cassava. Most of these foods are made of glutinous rice and usually cooked with coconut milk and eaten with the native chocolate drink, Sikwate (below) which is made from Theobroma cacao.
One lesson you need to keep in mind if you want to savor the taste of these native Filipino cuisine: limit it to a slice or two as these can be a little greasy and sweet. Beyond that, it can totally shut down your appetite for any other food.
But I guess nobody’s feeling all those grease and fullness as we were all just excited to see and talk to each other again like we used to in the old days.
a dear friend from the past
Got a call last night and i was pleasantly surprised to hear my good old friend Marvin on the line, and i was glad to hear that he actually called from my parent’s house. Glad to know he still come by that old house where we use to have our study session with other friends.He
was one of my best friends in college and it’s been more than ten years since we last saw each other. He never made it to my wedding and I never got the time to come to his too, so we have never had any updates after that. Being the eldest among the friends, he used to be the giver of advice, rescuer from stalking suitors and a mastermind in hiding us from clingy boyfriends.Having that fun but matured attitude, the ladies in the group love to be with him always… and even if we all have our separate lives now, i am pretty sure we all want to see how he’d been… wait, he just told me he already had two cute kids. wow. that’s amazing.
Holidays for Two
Indeed, spending the holidays together, just the two of us, is not the usual way we do spend the holidays, but with the on-going construction of the house that we just can’t leave for the long vacation, we actually didn’t have much choice but to cancel all plans of going home for family reunions and gatherings.But we do have the usual noche buena -- minus the noisy siblings of course, and the family banters. No kids running around, no exchange gifts, no Christmas trees… but we did find joy in sharing Holiday presents to the construction workers at the site and their children and to a good neighbor who does our laundry every Monday.
Dealing With Breakups - 5 Things You Can Do If Your Lover Says 'I Need Space'
Some say, breaking up is much harder than falling in love. Indeed, it takes a lot of courage to get over with the rollercoaster of emotions that come along with a breakup. Especially if you have been with your partner for quite a long time, dealing with breakups can be difficult and tricky.
Here are 5 things that you can do to prepare yourself if your partner finally says 'I need space' and help you in dealing with breakups that may happen in your life.
1. Allow yourself to grieve.
Sadness, pain, anger, frustrations, confusions and the many other mix of emotions are normal after a breakup and you don't have to keep them inside. Talk to your friends or family if you need someone to talk to. Allow yourself to cry and let them all out. This will help you overcome them sooner and help heal your emotions fast. 
2. Give him what he wants.
This may sound easier said than done but you have to keep in mind that to give way when your partner says he needs space can be advantageous to you especially if you still love him and you intend to get back together with him. A little space in the relationship sometimes can do good to the relationship. As the old saying goes, 'absence makes the heart go fonder' and, indeed, it may work for you in the end.
3. Give yourself time to think and forget about the desperate moves.
Usually, when different emotions and thoughts are haunting us after the breakup, we tend to think fast and if we want something, the first thing that comes to our mind is to chase it. In dealing with breakups, chasing a person who needs space may be counterproductive. You may think about desperate moves to let him change his mind - threatening, blackmailing, stalking... and even pestering him with a phone call or message every minute, but all these will only drive him farther. Of course, nobody wants to pay attention to a desperate and needy ex lover.
4. Love yourself even more.
Spend time pampering yourself and finding new interests and hobbies in life. If you have been wanting to enroll in a baking class or get into mountain hiking or traveling but you haven't had the time before, then this time is an opportunity to do these things. Meet new friends and be with positive people. Find new ways to improve your career and start to look beautiful again if you have ignored that part of yourself.
5. Don't waste your time seeking revenge.
Dealing with breakups can be hard and painful and some may think getting revenge is a way to lessen the pain, but keep in mind that revenge can boomerang and does not allow you to move on. Remember that the best revenge you can give is to move on and live a happy and fulfilling life. In the end, you may even impress your ex and attract him back into your life if he will come to realize you were such a great loss to him.
Start with these tips to help you get over with a breakup. Keeping in mind some common mistakes in dealing with breakups will help you a lot in moving on with life easily and even increase your chances of getting back together with your ex.
For a more detailed guide on how to deal with breakups and increase your chances of getting back together with your ex, check out overcoming breakups, where you can also get a personalized advice on how to get back together with your ex.
Anger Management
I don't think I am the right person to tell you how to manage anger. I am poor on this one. If you have to rate me on this area, i'd surely flunk.
But somehow, i am not that violent-type, monstrous devil who would attack you in all direction... no, not I. I play it quiet. I play it cool. But beware, I don't easily forget.
Enough for those bluffs (I actually hide and cry when i get angry).
Anger Management Associates list these common triggers of anger:
1. Things not going the way we want them to be - 100% true for me! And this could be one reason i might surprise you.
2. Feeling we are not treated fairly - been to this a couple of times too. At times, i just just shrug it off. The world is never fair for all.
3. Someone doing something unkind or abusive to us - you're not probably human if you will never get angry with this.
4. Not feeling respected for who we are - i just hate disrespectful creatures.
5. Learning as a child that we can get what we want through anger - probably normal.
Indeed, it is normal to get angry, and what counts most is how we deal with it. We may lose our temper at times or get angry for 'no reason' (which i think is impossible), we just have to watch our actions and not forget to think about what harm it will do. After all, we are accountable for our actions, may it be done in our 'normal' state of mind or not.
...it is normal to get angry... but we should know how to deal with it.
Here are some things that may help stop or delay (am better at this) anger.
1. Go shopping... and buy yourself something you really like. Somehow this will make you forget about getting angry because you have something to be excited about.
2. Sweat it out. Engage into some activity that will drain your negative energy. Sports is one (but unleash that energy on the ball, not on your opponents).
3. Cry. Crying when angry is a better option than letting lose of your temper. Well, this would have worked very well for me if i don't hold any grudges.
4. Call a friend. This is not just for game shows. A friend is truly a savior.
XOXO
