Last night, my wife and I were invited to the18th birthday of one of my nieces. It was a great opportunity to get to see my relatives once again on my mother’s side as I am not able to see them often.
Time really flies. It used to be that my cousins and I were the young ones—the teenagers. Now, we have become the elderly folks. Such is life. It was therefore a great time to get in touch with my cousins again and also to get to know my nephews and nieces who up to this time, I really don’t know much yet about them. I hope to get to know each one of them more and more as we get to see each other more often.
I was glad to attend Cheslie’s debut who turned 18 last night. She’s the only daughter of one of my first cousins, Luisa. It was a special night for her and we all shared in the joy and the fun during that night. Many of her classmates in Music and even one of her professors from St. Paul’s in Manila attended last night. It was great to hear them play music—piano, flute, violin and their wonderful voices. It’s different when music students and music lovers get together. They played all kinds of music like jazz including operatic voices. It became a great night of fun and great music!
Attending a debut party doesn’t always come my way and it was great to have attended one especially for one of my nieces.
Nope, I don’t have a “love life” problem. My wife and I have a happy marriage for some 35 years now. Despite the ups and downs we go through in life, we are living quite a happy married life. I’m talking about my heart—literally. Yes, I have “a problem of the heart.”
About two weeks ago, I visited my cardiologist and I was advised to take several tests namely: a blood test, an ECG, a 2D Echo and a stress test on a treadmill. I was able to undergo through all those tests—thanks to my health care provider—but after that I was not able to see my doctor back again as I had to fly to Mindanao for a wedding.
Two days ago, I was finally able to see my cardiologist back again and she interpreted what all those test results meant. I couldn’t understand the graphs nor could I understand the handwriting on those papers. Anyway, according to her, under normal conditions, I had normal blood pressure, although my blood test showed my triglycerides are a bit higher than normal. My ECG and 2D Echo results seem to show an acceptable result according to the doctor. But when it came to the tread mill test, it showed that I had a problem. As usual the doctor prescribed some medicines for me to take.
Considering that my dad and my brother had heart problems too—family history—she then advised me to have an angiogram which is according to her needed to find out if there is a narrowing of the arteries and veins and to find out if blood flow is normal or if there is something blocking the normal blood flow. She then told me it might be expensive and the health care provider might not cover it. Whew! Angioplasty is next if the results will show some problems. She explained that angioplasty is the procedure to be done to address the problem.
As it is right now, all I can do is to take care good care of my body in terms of exercise, proper diet, enough rest, avoid getting stressed and avoid doing strenuous activities. In times like these, you come to realize that life will have to end sometime soon and all we can do is to trust the Lord and leave everything into his hands.
In the meantime, for as long as God allows us to live another day, let’s enjoy life and love to the fullest, enjoying every moment, living each day as if it is your last.
30-year-old 50mm Nikon lens mounted on a GF1 camera
Photoshoot By Chance
My wife and I were invited to become sponsors in a wedding in Cagayan de Oro for a couple whom we have known since they were little kids. Both parents of this couple on both sides are my friends. We lived in Don Carlos, Bukidnon for one year and then in Cagayan de Oro during the late 80s and early 90s for about five years so I got to know both families and their children and we became close friends. And as usual, wherever I go, I usually bring my camera for an opportunity to photoshoot.
Just before the wedding, I had the chance to have a photoshoot with a really pretty girl. I also happen to have known this pretty girl since she was a baby and even before she was born in her mother’s womb. She happens to be the daughter of a couple who also became my close friends through the years as we lived in Mindanao.
30-year-old 50mm Nikon lens mounted on a GF1 camera
Photoshoot Using a Mirrorless Camera
So, just a few minutes before the wedding started, I asked her if she would be willing for me to take some quick shots of her and she gladly obliged. As usual, I used my micro 4/3 GF1 Lumix camera with a 14-45mm kit lens. I also used my more than 30-year old 50mm Nikon lens attached to my GF1 camera which somehow still fascinates me that it still gives really sharp photos. That is, if you get it right as you focus manually. It has no modern electronic parts. All for the love of photography as an art expression haha!
GF1 camera with 14-45mm micro 4/3 kit lens.
Well, although the photoshoot was hurriedly done — the wedding was about to start — but I’m happy that I was able to get some pretty good shots of her. I would say, that I need to learn more how to take better shots but nonetheless, I’m enjoying my hobby and I’m having fun along the way. Thanks to Aya!
My wife and I had just attended a wedding ceremony for a couple whose parents—on both sides—have been our close friends for many decades now. It was a wonderful occasion and my wife and I were glad to have been invited as sponsors along with other friends.
Weddings are wonderful occasions where love between a bride and a groom is expressed publicly and their union as husband and wife are formally recognized and acknowledged by the community. Contrary to what some may say, marriage is a divine institution ordained of God and is not something that man just made up out of the blue. Marriage is God-ordained and not to be entered into lightly.
But where does love come from? Where did the bride’s love for her groom come from and vice versa? Why do we love our mates? Why do parents love their kids and kids love their parents? Did it just happen to be that way? Why does love make us happy? Are we humans just accidents in time and space?
Well, love comes from God. In fact, God is love (1 John 4:8). It did not originate from you and me. It comes from God and he shares it with us. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have decided from before the beginning of time to share their life and love with us and to include us into their inner community. The reason why we enjoy family time, group outings, community activities, weddings and parties is because God is interested in giving us joy within the community where love—God’s love—can be shared. God is a God who loves weddings and banquets! Through his Son, Jesus Christ, he is inviting us to participate and join the fun! You are loved, included and invited! Come and join the fun!
So close and yet so far away. My wife and I watched planes take off as we were stuck in traffic.
To make sure we won’t miss our 10:55 a.m. flight, we left home very early in the morning but though we tried, my wife and I didn’t make it. Just when we were already so close to the airport, we were stuck in traffic somewhere at C-5. This was my first time to miss a flight since my college days. I should have left home even earlier. At the check-in counter, we were told that we had already forfeited our tickets since we did not show up on time.
So we took our chances and booked ourselves for the next flight at 2:00 p.m. We were wait-listed and told to come back at 1:40 p.m. There were more than 20 chance passengers and my wife and I were the last ones. Thankfully we made it and went quickly straight to the boarding gate after paying for the new tickets.
When we reached the boarding gate though, we were told that boarding time was moved to 2:55 p.m. Whew! That was some “brisk walking exercise” from the check-in counter to the boarding gate. I had plenty of exercise the whole day inside the airport haha! My wife and I were glad to be that last two passengers who made it.
This passenger fell asleep as we waited for our plane to take off but only to be told we had to go back to the terminal building. The flight was cancelled. Poor fellow haha!
Then we finally boarded the plane and when the doors were shut, the captain said we had to wait for some 15 minutes as there was too much air traffic. So we waited again. I did have some experience before where our plane just circled around the Manila airport for about an hour because we could not land right away. So I understood what “air traffic” was all about and I did not mind the 15-minute wait.
Then finally the plane taxied and stopped then we waited again for quite a long while. More air traffic we were told. Finally when it was getting late in the afternoon we were told we had to go back to the terminal building as the plane could not land after sunset at the new Laguindingan airport. There was an uproar inside the plane and more complaints and hot tempers flared up at the passenger information booth.
Hmm… Looks like it’s a bad day to fly. We were told to check-in at 2:00 a.m. for the 5:30 a.m. flight the next day. Hopefully, tomorrow is a good day to fly.
Note:
April 28, 2014 — It was my first time to write a blog—this blog above—using my small smartphone and it was really hard to type the letters. I’m now back home. We were able to take the 5:30 a.m. flight and reached Cagayan de Oro just in time for me and my wife to be able to attend a wonderful afternoon wedding. It was an interesting flight.
It was our first time to land and take off at the new Laguindingan airport and I heard good and bad reports from the passengers and others about the airport. As it is right now, the airport doesn’t have lights yet and therefore planes could not land after sunset. Interestingly, the new airport tower is not functioning yet as well and the old tower at the Lumbia airport is still being used. I thought it was odd that an airport doesn’t have its own control tower haha! “Is that really an international airport?” Some are wondering. Some people say the airport opening was rushed for political reasons. Hmm… interesting comments from the local folks.
Anyway, it was some experience. We enjoyed our visit to this place where we once lived for some 5 years. It was good to see friends back again and to attend a very fun-filled wedding.
