December 2016 RECAP #MonthlyRecap

It’s the new year! Time to start over. And while my new year’s resolutions list hasn’t been made yet, one of those resolutions would be to blog more (which is not necessarily synonymous to writing more, although that’s a resolution, too).

I did find ways to blog last month, but my blogging was somewhat erratic, mainly because I “chilled”. I still plan to chill, but be more productive, anyway. Plus, I’ve got other plans to take care of.

So here’s a recap of my December 2016:

Blog-wise:

(1) Hash potatoes!!!

#MondayMemoirs – (see My Decade-Old Grown-up Christmas List)

#MondayReviews (none)

#TuesdayTunes (see Awesomely Techno-weird Musical Instruments Part 1) – I was supposed to post the second part last December 28, but I didn’t get to finish it. Will post soon.)

#AskWednesday (none)

#WhatsupWednesday (see Going Disney)

#ThursdayTips (see How to Properly Use Sitelink Extensions)

#FeatureFriday (none)

#FreakyFriday (none) – It was supposed to be only for the whole month of November, anyway. I did promise true horror/ghost stories. I have not forgotten.

Saturdays and Sundays, or any day, could be about anything. I will post anything when I feel like it, like So… (a quick Christmas greeting), The Legend of the Fifth Turtle (a repost), Hippie’s Guide to the Multiverse (reblog of an interesting post of a young blogger I know…I like featuring young writers/bloggers to encourage them more).

My three-in-one poetry post Tula ng Puso: Pananampalataya, Pag-ibig, Pag-asa (Poems of the Heart: Faith, Love, Hope) last November made the cut. My poems (well, the link to them) are now featured in the Saranggola Blog Awards site. I just found out the winners a few minutes ago. Didn’t win, sadly, but it’s still okay. There will be a next time. I’ll try not to procrastinate again.

(3) My Trending Stories. Nothing to share for now.

(4) A to Z Challenge. I want to join again this year so I am already thinking of a theme. *crosses fingers*

Social Media Reach-out:

Again, I am very thankful to new followers. They keep on coming, even if they aren’t a lot. I certainly hope they’ll stay. Anyway, as I am now making it my tradition, let me share more: people who follow me and/or whom I follow, and/or whom I actually know. Do visit them–you might have to jump over to other blogging platforms like Blogger, though.

If I haven’t mentioned you yet, nothing personal, okay? Will get to you. I am adding really new ones, too. It’s to hit two birds with one stone as I won’t have to go looking for links to their blogs/sites again. Definitely, I will first try to see if they are legit and active blogs. My call, guys.

Here are my awesome online friends and would-be friends, in alphabetical order:

 Ally,         Anne-Marie,         Debbie,         Damyanti,         Eyoalha,        

Jacob,      Justine,                  Lori,               Roo,                    Sanch   

More bloggers to link to in the coming months, for sure. “Old” ones, new ones.

Fiction/Story- and Poetry-writing:

We’ll see what happens.

Literature:

I shared a poll last time, unfortunately, I think only one person voted. Kindly take the poll, pretty pleaaaasee…..? Not sure which to pick. Wanna cast your vote for me?

Personal:

Christmas was good! The family celebrated it with the husband’s clan. Well, their clan, the husband’s and the kids’. A few dramas, but it was good. Several reasons why I chose to celebrate there, which I won’t delve into. I don’t see any reason for now not to do that again next year. Oh, and I won a TV from the Office party raffle! That was perfect since our old one has not been working for a long while. We were to have it fixed, then bam! Won the TV 😉

New Year’s Eve was good, too. Our little family was complete. The kids were happy, the husband was happy, I was happy. Best New Year’s I’ve had in years. There were only a few stuff on the table: spaghetti, chicken drumsticks, chocolate cake, and sliced bread. The spag and the drumsticks were a hit with some visitors, so it was totally great. Neighbors shared sopas (Filipino noodle soup), pansit (dried cooked noodles), “Graham” or “ref” cake (Google it, he he), and gelatin, which we all ate the following day (refrigerators are heaven-sent!).

We really wish to have a much better year this year.

The family hasn’t had a chance to eat out so we’ll probably do that one of these days. It’s gonna be a four-in-one celebration: Christmas, New Year, our second wedding anniversary (today, January 5), and my husband’s birthday (January 23). Hitting four birds with one stone, right? I’m just waiting for our family movie date to push through then we’ll do that on the same day.

Meanwhile,…Save for the new one, we’re done with all seasons of the  The Walking Dead. I admit to checking out IMDb every now and then. It does not really tell much, anyway, although I do find out a few things prior to watching episodes. I’m more interested in how the whole story is developed so a few spoilers do not really “spoil” me. I have read some reviews and reactions about Season 7, too, so at least, I am already warned especially about Episode 1. I told the kids Glenn dies in Episode 1–OOPS! SPOILER!!!

Well, I wanted to prepare them for what’s to come because apparently, fans were fuming over the violence and of Glenn dying (so what was Abraham, chopped liver?…OOPS! SPOILER AGAIN!!!). I understand about the latter, but the first complaint? It’s been there since the very first episodes. If you couldn’t handle it, you had the choice to turn your head away, change the channel, or turn the TV off entirely.

I’ve got more to talk about, but I realize this is becoming more of a feature on TWD, so I’ll save those for some other time.

Now that we’re temporarily done with TWD, can you recommend any good series? I’m continuing with CSI: Las Vegas, but my husband isn’t into it and it’s got too many sexy scenes (many unexpected) to skip over for the sake of the kids. So I’m going solo with this, as always. (Gosh, imagine once I start with Game of Thrones!)

 

….Alright, now that we’re up to speed, time to go writing more! Toodles!!! 😉

November 2016 RECAP #MonthlyRecap

I followed my own advice and chilled. Of course, whenever I couldn’t post, the blogger-guilt gnawed on me.

I always tell myself I am not in a good position to actually prioritize blogging. It is not my bread-and-butter, for one, then there are other important stuff to do, then my resources are scarce (I don’t feel the need to explain that one), and I prioritize family still. The big  takeaway in my so-called chilling means more family time, so I am not that sorry 🙂

So here’s a recap of my November 2016:

Blog-wise:

(1) I hope I gave you gravy with my hash potatoes 😉

#MondayMemoirs – No time to do this pre-Monday and during Monday. Will try again next time.

#MondayReviews (see An American Crime) – See? At least I had this one.

#TuesdayTunes (see Listening with Your Soul)

#AskWednesday (none this month, sorry)

#WhatsupWednesday (see Yo, Man! Imma Show Ya Rap Battles!) – I just introduced this to you last week. I enjoyed this post 🙂

#ThursdayTips (none) – Will make up for it soon.

#FeatureFriday – Because it’s November, I decided to make it a whole month of #FreakyFriday posts.

#FreakyFriday (see Life Lessons from “Train to Busan”, And RINGU was its name-o!) – Did miss one or two Fridays. I did promise true horror/ghost stories. Failed that one, but I am on it still.

Saturdays and Sundays, or any day, could be about anything. I will post anything when I feel like it, like Finding Grace in a Grilled Ham & Cheese that is a reblog of another writer’s wonderful and heartfelt post. Very relatable.

I also shared three poems written in Filipino in one post: Tula ng Puso: Pananampalataya, Pag-ibig, Pag-asa (Poems of the Heart: Faith, Love, Hope). It was as part of the requirements for a local contest that I decided to join and I was just fortunate to beat the already-extended deadline. I am not sure, though, as of this moment, if my entry made the cut, so to speak. If it didn’t, well, that hurts my ego, but then I can’t mope around. Instead, get better, right? There will always be winners and non-winners. There are many talented writers out there, and many more untapped ones.

(3) My Trending Stories. I failed my November here. I have actually emailed them something and they have promised to make it a better experience for MTS bloggers.

Social Media Reach-out:

Again, I am very thankful to new followers. And of course, I am also very thankful to those who have followed me over the months, especially the years. I shared some of them to you last time. Let me share more–people who follow me and/or whom I follow–and you’re welcome to visit their blogs. Also adding people I actually personally know. You might have to jump over to other blogging platforms like Blogger, though. If I haven’t mentioned you yet, nothing personal, okay? Will get to you.

Here they are in alphabetical order (I am re-mentioning one because I gave the wrong link last time, I just found out now, and I’ve edited appropriately):

Andy,         Cole,         Diana,         Fran,                    

Jason,       Meikah,    Tobe,          Victo      

More bloggers to link to in the coming months, for sure. “Old” ones, new ones.

Fiction/Story- and Poetry-writing:

Well, I mentioned already the contest I joined. Meanwhile, this made me think of honing my craft more. I have cooked up a few personal plans for a few but very important personal reasons.

Literature:

I was in an unintentional hiatus from reading, but have just started again. I am just having trouble prioritizing since I am interested in both The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. Not sure which to pick. Wanna cast your vote for me?

Personal:

We’re done with season 1 and half of season 2 of  The Walking Dead. Some episodes unexpectedly made me tear up.

***SPOILER ALERTS IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THEM YET AND KNOW NOTHING OF IMDb***

I was distraught with what happened to Dale because I liked him, and I never really had a grandpa. Good that he and Andrea kind of made up already; bad that the others let him down just before he died — in fact, that’s why he was roaming away from safer grounds. Good he wasn’t bitten; bad that he still died a horrible death. Why couldn’t they just let him die from accident while fighting off the zombie??? Or let him die with a heart attack or something while the others killed the walker?

Later, Shane died, too, and I didn’t see that coming. He was  increasingly being impossible and that’s what made the character more interesting (disappointing if he were a real person). I think he should have stayed longer–he was impossible but he was still an ally. And it would make for a more interesting storyline.

Lastly, Lori died as well. She wasn’t Mrs. Perfect, but I don’t understand what I’ve read about viewers hating her. Her reactions were understandable, even her fears. Didn’t make her right, but didn’t make her evil either….So I got distraught again when she died due to childbirth. I’m even surprised she got that far without suffering a miscarriage with all the stress and running around.

Good that she didn’t die because she got bitten; bad that after Carl made sure she wouldn’t turn (what Carl did was heartbreaking for both of them if it were real), a walker would eat all of her, anyway. That made me mad. What, the writers couldn’t let Carl and Maggie make sure the door wouldn’t be opened? Shane did that for Rick.  Maybe they should have let her turn first then have Carl shoot her, so at least, she wasn’t served meal to any walker that happened on her.

Winners! Me and Ian

Aaaaand…I just spent much space discussing about The Walking Dead, ha ha haaaa!!!!

Meanwhile, can you guess what this pic’s about? Clues: office, hunting, game, most candies, longest, Halloween, winners…

Till next time!!! 🙂

Tula ng Puso: Pananampalataya, Pag-ibig, Pag-asa

ANG MANLALAKBAY

 

Sa pagsibol ng bukang-liwayway,

naging masigasig Ang Manlalakbay

tumahak, gumuhit ng kanyang landas

sa mundong pilit na tinutuklas.

Daang bundok ang siyang inakyat

tinawid, malalawak at malalim na dagat

unos, sakuna, sakit ay bumadya

upang ilihis sa kanyang tadhana.

 

Maraming beses mang ibinuwal

ang kanyang katawa’t isipang pagal,

nagpatuloy sa landasing binabagtas

ang pusong magiting na di kumupas.

Ang Manlalakbay, pilit sumulong

bigat ng mundo’y kanyang sinuong

di nagpagapi sa bawa’t panganib

iwinaksi ang anumang bumalakid.

 

Sadyang may puso’t tapang na taglay

ang di-matinag na manlalakbay

sa bawa’t pagkatalo, ito ay bumangon

inalay ang buhay sa bawa’t hamon.

Kaya’t sa pagsapit ng dapit-hapon,

lugod na humarap sa Panginoon

sa diyos na Siya ring lubos umalalay

umakay, humawak sa kanyang kamay.

 

“Ninais ko ang buhay na masaya

at sa Iyo, ako‘y sumampalataya

nguni’t mga daan ay naging matinik

baku-bako at sala-salabit.

Gayunpaman, aking napagtanto,

lahat ng pagsubok ay ginto

na biyaya sa dulo ng daan

pagka’t Ikaw ay aking matatagpuan.

 

Ano ba ang tunay na kaligayahan?

ang mabuhay nang may kabuluhan

ang humarap nang walang takot

sa mundong puno ng galit at sigalot.

Ang umibig sa kapwa nang tunay

umakay sa kanilang mga napilay

ng iba at sarili nilang pagdaranas

tungo sa kaligayahang wagas.

 

Ngayong ako’y naririto na,

nawa’y patnubayan Mo po sila

mithiin ng puso, akin nang nakamit

humimlay, sa wakas, sa Iyong dibdib.”

Lumuhod, lumuha nang may galak

Ang Manlalakbay sa Kanyang hapag:

“O, Diyos na makapangyarihan sa lahat,

ako’y lubos na nagpapasalamat!”

MANHID

 

Di-mawari ng puso ang kanyang kawalan

ng damdaming sa hinuha’y hiningi ng pagkakataon,

hinihingi ng panahon.

 

Ano ang pagkakamali? ang nararapat? ang ninanais?

 

Pinilit kong dinggin ang sigaw ng kunsensya

at ako’y nagulat sa aking nakita.

 

Hindi pala.

 

Ang manhid ay may damdamin din pala,

nakatago sa ulap ng mga alinlangan

at ulan ng suliranin.

 

At nalaman kong sa kawalan ng damdamin,

tumitibok pa rin ang kanyang puso.

 

PAGPAPATAWAD

 

Hindi ko alam.

 

Paano nga ba?

paano magpatawad?

paano magpatawad sa sarili

sa pagkabigo bilang isang ina?

 

Paano mawawaglit ang sakit na narito

kung sa bawa’t araw, ang bawa’t araw

ay naglalaman ng iyong alaala, mahal ko?

kung ang bawa’t tibok ng puso ko

ay nagsasabing sa iyo’y tuluyang naglaho?

 

Paano?

kung sa bawa’t “Kumusta?” ay “Mabuti” ang tugon ko

gayong ang bawa’t tugon ay may halong kirot?

Sinungaling…

 

Paano?

 

…Siguro, may mga bagay na sadyang di natin masasagot.

 

Hindi ko alam.

Hindi lamang sa ngayon.

 

Darating din ang araw na masasagot ko kung paano.

 

Umaasa pa rin ako.

Isang araw ay babalik ka sa piling ko.

Hindi man ngayon. Maghihintay ako.

 

Hanggang mayakap kita, mahalikan kita, at masabing

“Pinapatawad ko na ako.”

 

**********************************************

Sanay ay nagustuhan ninyo.  Ang lahat ay nanggaling sa puso ko.

Ang mga tulang ito ay nagsisilbing lahok sa Saranggola Blog Awards 8. Sasali rin sana ako sa Maikling Kuwento pero kulang na ang oras ko.

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