On Mama and the Photo Share Challenge

Namayapa na rin ang Nanay ko nung January 8. Iniisip ko kung gagawa pa ako ng bagong blog or isama na lang dito ang mga tribute blog post ko para kay Mama, tutal magkasama na naman sila ni Papa sa mabuting lugar di ba? Pero guys and gals mahirap talaga magmaintain ng isa pang blog. Yun na nga lang main blog ko eh August 2021 pa ang last update, kaya consolidate muna tayo ng mga bagay bagay at saka na lang plantsahin ang mga gusot.

Magulo pa ang isip ko ngayon pero gusto ko lang talaga magsulat dito tungkol kay Mama. Naisipan ko na mag photo share challenge for Mama, the plan:

• For the next 30 days mag post ako sa FB ng picture about Mama 
• Pwede solo pic, pwede group pic, pwede rin picture ng bagay/lugar/pangyayari/etc na nagpapaalala sa akin/atin kay Mama. 
• Basta ang main theme nag photoshare: si Mama, remembering Mama. Good vibes lang. Happy thoughts. 
• Sharing of pics limit to family in FB. 
• Lalagyan ko rin ng hashtag. 
• Kapag sinipag ako baka me kasama pang blog post dito or sa FB yung ibang pics. 
• Sakto kase sa mga darating na araw ay 40days/remembance nya, (me pamisa sa probinsya, at meron din public viewing ng urn/tribute from her religious/LGU groups) sa mga kasunod na araw 
• Tapos sakto rin sa end ng 30 day photo share challenge ay birthday ni Mama! Kaya good plan ito!

Wish me luck fam sa aking #30DayPhotoShareChallengeForMama

At kapag gusto nyo rin sumali sa Photo share challenge for Mama, Go lang, sali lang! Kayo na magset ng photo/sharing policy nyo sa FB (kung like nyo family lang rin like me or all friends like nyo your call). Basta tandaan ang main theme nag photoshare: si Mama, remembering Mama, good vibes, happy thoughts. Kung hindi kaya ng 30days na araw araw ok lang rin, basta share pag me like kayo ishare.

And remember just like, heart, comment the pic sa FB :)  I will use the hashtag #30DayPhotoShareChallengeForMama. Feel free to use it too.

Again, just like and comment sa pics/post. At wag kalimutan mag subscribe sa aking youtube channel!!! (hehe j/k lang yung youtube channel :)

Until next post!

On Games

Ngayon ang 7th year anniversary ng pagpanaw ni Papa. Gusto kong mag-share ng happy memories dito sa WeLoveVicos blog kaya magkwento ako ng mga computer games na kinagigiliwan namin :)

Mahuhulaaan nyo ba ang pinakapabirito nyang game sa Nintendo Family Computer? 

<image credits: oldgameshelf.com> 

Yup! Battle City! 

<image credits: funnygames.org> 

Sya ang Player 1 (at ikaw ang player 2) at naku! patagalan ng laro ito. Kaya ninyong laruin yung 50(?) stages ng battle city at aabot pa kayo sa mga pang 51+ stage (na yung mapa ay parang pang yung last Stage 1-50 maps pero nagshift right or left yung buong mapa!) 

Expert sya sa Battle City at magaling sa opensa at depensa! 

Para maalala nyo yung Battle City eto ang video nito:  

At alam nyo pa ba kung ano pa ang isa pang paborito nyang game sa famicom?

<image credits: retrogames.cz>

 

Twiiiin Beeee! 

Matagal ko ng hindi nakikita itong game na ito, kaya heto ang nahagilap ko na video sa youtube: 

Very iconic ang sound at gameplay ng Twin bee! Nakakamiss talaga ito. 

Naalala ko pa ang paborito nyang power-up sa game na ito ay yung bell na blinking pula/puti, eto yung magkaka-anino ang player mo na may kasamang extra fire power!!! 

Happy thoughts talaga ang Battle City at Twin Bee para sa akin :) 

Join me in saying a little prayer for my Papa Vic today:

Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord, 

And let Your perpetual light shine upon him! 

May he rest in peace. 

Amen. 

Hanggang sa susunod na blog post :)

On Superstitions

Triskaidekaphobia  is fear or avoidance of the number 13. Triskaidekaphobia was derived from from Greek tris meaning "three", kai meaning "and", deka meaning "10" and phobos/phobia meaning "fear" or "morbid fear".

Actually I don't have Triskaidekaphobia but since last post was the 13th post for welovevicos blog, I have this  blogging superstition/belief/etc that the number of posts should not be stuck in 13, else that blog will be stagnant, stale, discontinued. It's like a tradition/best practice already for me and my blogs so I'm keeping it for this blog.

Hanggang sa susunod na post :)

On Poems and Articles Part 2

Dahil nga nabanggit ko sa last blog post ko na magshare ako ng magandang poem, eto na yun in celebration of Father's Day :)

Here is Shifting the Sun by Diana Der-Hovanessian...

Shifting the Sun

When your father dies, say the Irish
you lose your umbrella against bad weather.
May his sun be your light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Welsh
you sink a foot deeper into the earth.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians

When your father dies, say the Canadians
you run out of excuses.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Indians
he comes back as the thunder.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Russians,
he takes your childhood with him.
May you inherit his light say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the British,
you join his club you vowed you wouldn’t.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Armenians,
your sun shifts forever
and you walk in his light.

Love link to http://www.dianaderhovanessian.com/id12.html and http://www.dianaderhovanessian.com

We love you Pa! Happy Father's there in heaven!
And Happy Father's Day to all my sibling-brothers, my cousins, relatives and friends!!!

On Poems and Articles

Long time no post :) But I'm sharing this very touching article dito sa blog na to.

Background: Nagsusulat ako ng tribute post ko sa CTO ng kumpanya namin, at naalala ko yung isang article na nabasa ko na nakatulong sa "grieving process" ko kay Papa. So I am sharing the article here entitled "When your father dies, these words come to mind" by Mary Schmich posted in Chicago Tribune.

When your father dies.

Let the phrase settle for a moment. What words do you hear next?

For anyone whose father has died, finishing the sentence is apt to be easier than reciting the alphabet.

"When your father dies" is the opening phrase of one of my favorite poems, "Shifting the Sun," and it came to mind recently after a colleague's father died, just before Father's Day. It begins:

When your father dies, say the Irish
You lose your umbrella against bad weather.

In the next few verses, the poem, by Diana Der-Hovanessian, recounts how different cultures frame what's lost when your father's gone for good.

When your father dies, say the Russians
He takes your childhood with him.

That refrain — when your father dies — has been running through my head since I reread "Shifting the Sun" the other day, and I've found myself finishing the sentence in different, though less poetic, ways.

Like this:

When your father dies, it doesn't matter that other people's fathers have died, that fathers have been dying since human time was born. What matters in the moment of his death is that he was your father. Your one and only. Your loss is unique, profound, yours alone.

When your father dies, people say many things to you, much of it the same thing. Sorry for your loss. Condolences. May he rest in peace. You will not remember words. You will remember kindness.

When your father dies, if you weren't there with him, you will carry that knowledge forever like a permanent hole in your pocket. You will get used to it, but you'll always know it's there.

When your father dies, even if you were with him, you will think of all the things you meant to say, to ask, things you may have said and asked a million times but you'll want to say them just once more.

Thank you.

Sorry.

Why? What? When? Who exactly are you?

Fathers of our fathers leave a lasting influence 

When your father dies, you will remember that time, maybe more than one, that he made you so mad.

When your father dies, you will worry about your mother, who, you are likely to learn, is more resilient than you gave her credit for. This assumes she's the one left behind, as mothers so often are.

And when your father's gone, you'll see your mother from a different angle. You'll see more clearly how your father helped her, hurt her, made her less and more than she would have been without him. You will see more clearly her power over him.

When your father dies, the small particulars of his life, the kind you barely noticed when he was alive, grow into revelations.

The smell of his aftershave. The style of his boxer shorts. How neatly he arranged his loose change on his bureau before he said his prayers at night.

When your father dies, even if he was grand, you realize how small he was, how human.

When your father dies, you will become more intrigued by the life he built from the childhood he was given.

When your father dies, you have to adjust your place in the world, in your family, your sense of who you are performing for. You wonder if you can. You can.

When your father dies, you discover how others — say, your brothers and sisters — saw him differently.

When your father dies, you start to know him better. "Oh," you think, a long time later, "now I get it."

When your father dies, you take to noticing how much you're like him. It's not all good, but it's how you keep him with you.

When your father dies, you wonder what he would be like if he'd lived longer, what he would think if he could see you now. You hope he would be proud.

When your father dies, you will grieve and then, one day you'll notice your grief has dried up. You may spend weeks with no conscious thought of the man who was once at the center of your universe. You will be relieved and your relief may feel like betrayal.

But every now and then, when the sky is a particular shade of blue, or you spot a man with a familiar build on the street, or you hear the chatter of a ballgame on the radio, you will feel a knot in your chest, and to no one in particular, you'll say, "Dad."

Very touching!!!

Love link sa orig na article at sa Chicago Tribune

Ilagay ko na lang sa part 2 yung ibang maiisip ko pag nde na ako masyadong senti :)

Until next post...

On Oktoberfest and Travels

Long time no post!  Actually iniisip ko na magpost in time for 3rd anniv ng pagpanaw ni Papa. Pero anong topic ang ok, yun yung dilemma. Kase nga everytime maiisipan ko magpost dito, nagsesenti-mode ako so sabi ko sa halip na pwersahin ko magpost, why not wait for the right moment na me happy thoughts ako.

Tapos today, ISO process audit ko sa office at yung auditor ay isang Aleman at syempre over lunch me mga kwentuhan sessions kme. Napunta ang usapan namin from Manila traffic woes to Berlin traffic na napunta sa usapang pagbisita ko sa Munich nung 2011. Customer event yun sponsored ng offfice at nagpresent ako sa mga customers namin about sa produkto at services ng HQ namin dito sa Pinas, then good timing kse Oktoberfest. Good reminiscing moment rin for today kase Oktoberfest 2016 ended yesterday so great timing so binisita ko mga old pics ko at eto ang nakita kong pic...

German Gingerbread Heart yan. Lebkuchenherzen yata german local name. Isa yan sa pasalubong ko ke Papa nung travel ko na yun. Ang cool di ba? Tapos syempre inexplain ko na namesake nya yung hotel na tinuluyan ko (Victor Residenz Hotel). Pinakita ko rin sa kanya ang mga pictures na kinuha ko sa Oktoberfest, sa Airport at iba't ibang lugar na napuntahan ko.

Everytime magtatravel ako out of the country, magkukuwentuhan kami ni Papa pagbalik ko sa Pinas. Interesado yan sa mga lugar na napuntahan ko, kung ano ang currency dun (haha nagkokolekta nga pala ng paper notes ng ibat ibang bansa), ano ang weather, ano ang mga lahi dun, are they hospitable, kamusta pagkain, at me mga weird tanong at request din (anong kulay ng bato or pebbles na nakita ko dun, at sana daw nagdala ako pabalik sa pinas). Ipaparallel nya yun sa mga travel nya sa Indian Ocean/Diego Garcia at Morocco. Good times!!!

Naikwento ko rin yata na binisita ko yung simbahan na malapit sa Oktoberfest venue (Theresienwiese) tapos naalala ko nde ko pa natutuloy yung post ko tungkol sa mga simbahan na nabisita ko na. So posting the picture here too...

Nakalimutan ko na name ng simbahan (St. Paul yata). Ireresearch ko yan at mag post ng update ng mga old pics ng Munchen Travel ko, nde ko lang alam kung dito or sa chartotem or sa menardconnect.com ko ipost. Promise this month yan :)

Isa sa mga magandang natutuhan ko kay Papa ay magkaroon ng personal relationship with God. Thank you Papa! Lalo itong pinagtibay nung Mahirap i-explain at saka baka mag emo-mode na naman ako so happy memories na lang muna.

But today I'm posting this as a good reminder for me to continue that plan to share yung mga pic ng simbahan na nabisita ko via a blog post.

Til next post...

On Flowers and Plants

Its been a long time since the last post. Happy thoughts lang so naisipan ko na magpost tungkol sa mga halaman at bulaklak :)

Background:
September 8, 2013
Me mga pinapakita akong picture ke papa sa cellphone ko sa ospital sa Lopez. Sa pagkakaalala ko mga picture ng apo nya via facebook. Nagrequest sya sa akin na picturan ko daw yung bulaklak nya sa 3rd floor kase matagal na daw nyang hindi nya nabibisita mga halaman nya sa 3rd floor. So pagkasimba ko pinicturan ko yung dilaw na bulaklak at iba pang halaman dun.

Full bloom nga!!!

Next pic is yung katabi, marami ng bulaklak na malapit na bumuka.

After 1 week, nung bumisita ulet kme ni Maui sa kanya sa ospital sa Lucena, pinakita ko yung picture na yan from my camera at sinabi nya "Ang ganda ano?" at natuwa sya sa picture nung mga bulaklak at mga halaman nya sa 3rd floor. Lalung-lalo na daw sa dilaw na bulaklak dahil maganda daw yung pagkakabulaklak nito ngayong taon.

Mahilig sa mga halaman si Papa. Isa sya sa mga taong me tinatawag na merong green thumb. Mapa-herbal, mapa-gulay, mapa-bulaklak, mapa-fruit bearing plant basta tinanim nya, tutubo yang halaman na yan. Naalala ko pa noong bata kame sa lote namin sa Catanauan, me isang area dun na lahat kaming magkakapatid ay pinagtatanim nya ng niyog, lahat talaga regardless of age, magtatanim. Actually nakaready na yung lupa, sa mga bata kelangan buhatin na lang yung niyog na me dahon na at i-shoot sa lupa at tatabunan na lang, tapos na tanim na yun. Tapos pag tumubo na yun pagkatapos ng ilang taon, ipagmamalaki nya na "Yan yung puno ng niyog na tinanim mo", syempre proud naman ako sa sarili ko dahil mas malaki na yung puno ng niyog sa akin by that time. Ganyan din ang siste sa Kalantipayan, pero this time kasama na ang mga apo ang ang buong angkan sa pagtatanim. At come get-together/reunion time, ipagmamalaki nya na sa lahat ng "Yan yung puno ng niyog ni <insert name of anak or apo here>".

Naalala ko ang isa mga paborito nyang itanim sa halamanan namin sa Lopez ay yung mga herbal (gaya ng asitava at serpentina ba yun?). Tapos yung serpentina pinapa-try nya ipakain sa akin, ilagay ko lang daw sa saging tanggal daw ang pait nun, good for the health daw. Pero hanggang oregano lang ang kaya powers ko noon (oo umiinom ako ng boiled oregano + calamansi juice pag me sipon at ubo ako) so magaling talaga akong umiwas sa mga herbal at pito-pito suggestions nya hehehe :-) )

I just wonder kung sino sa mga anak nya at mga apo nya ang nakamana sa pagigiging green thumb nya. Teka nga at makapag-interview sa facebook kung sino na green thumb sa amin (at baka i-uupdate ko itong blog post na ito). Gusto ko ring talagang maging interactive itong welovevicos blog so itatanong ko rin sa kanila kung ano yung natatandaan nilang itinanim nila ni Papa at magplan para sa next post.

Hanggang sa susunod na blog post....

P.S.
I took some pics sa 3rd floor nung paborito nyang dilaw na bulaklak nung 1 year d anniv ni Papa.

Not full bloom e :(
Not sure kung hindi pa talaga saktong flowering season nya or dahil kay bagyong GlendaPH (or baka miss na rin nila si Papa :-( .

We miss you Papa! We love you so much!!!