November

 

Just in time before November ends, our internet and router were fixed. Geesh...FINALLY!

Oh well, it's nice to be back online again. 

When does mourning stop?

It never stops.

It never does.

November 17, 2012. The day my father passed away.

According to experts there are five stages of grief, though some says, there's seven. No matter how many stages one needs to go through, somehow in my own experience, grieving seemed endless. 

Today is my father's second year death anniversary. I have to admit, as a person I've changed a lot. The kind of change that I am more comfortable. I found peace being alone, became more calmer. There are times I refuse getting angry, or maybe I just avoid getting angry. 

Grief is timeless. One cannot exactly point when the mourning's going to be over. One cannot compare grief to the other person's grieving process. Right now, I am still not okay but I am trying to be.

So, when does exactly mourning stops?

I guess mourning doesn't need to stop. 

No Frills, No Fuss...

My home in Cebu City, Philippines a few weeks ago for 6days/5nights.

Islands Stay Hotels Uptown Branch. This one is just a few steps and right across Ayala Malls. Convenient. Easy on my pocket. Clean. Modern. No Frills. No Fuss.

When Mabe decided to join the camp in Cebu for five days, I went to look for my accommodation in Cebu right away. Goggled the camp's location, checked the nearest area, and tried to find the quickest route. The momzilla in me definitely worked.

I first saw this hotel way way back ago featured in Urban Zone. I liked the design, modern and no fuss (just like Hotel 81 where I stayed in Singapore), and of course, it's affordable. The concept just fits my taste, so I looked for it online and booked a room.

All I needed during my stay in Cebu are the basic: Bed, A/C, Shower, WiFi, and Cable TV and COFFEE. Islands Stay has it all. 

When the camp was over, I picked up Mabe and she really enjoyed the rainshower in the bathroom, (in the camp, taking a bath was kinda' rare) she then settled in bed and went online right away. (Kids these days are sooo wired, I'm thankful Mabe is still into camping and other outdoor activities)

My stay in Cebu was very relaxing, although I didn't get to be really tourist-y because if ever I wanted to explore the city, I'd rather do it with Mabe around and of course JITB. 

Thank you Islands Stay Hotels.

I will definitely go back. No Frills. No Fuss.

Preparing for the Camp...

I learned a lot of lessons from Mabe's last year camping even if it was just within the city for 4days/3nights. So a week ago, when she went to camp again (this time in Cebu for 5days/4nights), we were quite prepared in packing her stuff.

Again we used her Zuca bag, very sturdy and doubles as a chair while waiting for their ride...

All her required clothing, costumes for the presentations, shoes (3 kinds btw), slippers, hygiene kits, etc. fits inside the trolley. Perfect.

  

I still followed this method of packing from last year, using zip locks and the usual labeling stuff. This time I remember to pack several clothes hanger because most of the time they need to wear some uniforms twice or thrice so hangers are essentials. Also, three to four pairs of socks especially if the weather is rainy. 

As for the tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, a small pillow, sit-upon (small foldablechair), eating utensils, etc., I found a cheap sack-like rectangle shaped bag, everything fits right into it. 

Preparing and packing for a camp is very tricky. First time camper moms find it hard and exhausting. True, especially to moms who never had any outdoor camping experience.

I guess my character and attentiveness made our packing and preparation a little more easy and systematic. Organizing up to the tiniest details requires a lot of skills. I hope you learned from this experience I had. 

(but of course, my camper has so much request for next year's camping like small emergencylight w/ fan, additional Type B uniform, sit-upon with back rest, power bank for the phone, etc., etc.) 

Happy camping everyone!