Personal {Trial and Error}

Much wisdom is learnt through tears, but none by forgetting our lessons.”
--María Amparo Ruiz de Burton

The Squatter and the Don

There are things that  we eat at us until we get them right. I am not a Type A personality, not at all--but there are some stuff that I can't just let go until I get them right. And that includes getting the right colors when it comes to taking pictures. I had felt so frustrated the first time that I tried to edit because everything was coming out so wrong, so I left it alone for a couple of days and allowed my head to percolate. I was riding the train with JP, staring absentmindedly into space, when the right way to color this set, after spending hours of trial and error, occurred to me just like that!

We have all experienced coming up with answers to pesky problems while in the shower or while riding the bus. I guess ideas come more easily when we let the problem go, or at least tether it using a really long leash. It reminded me how taking a breather and not insisting on solving problems or puzzles on our own timeline can be a better path to a solution rather than using all our willpower to get things done right here, right now. I fail at that from time to time, but it's something I am trying to work on, to let things percolate, to make the active decision to lift them up to the Ultimate Problem Solver, and just trust that a solution will come in its own time.

A few snapshots of Longtausi Park, one of our park discoveries during the Spring Festival break.

Personal {Pork Chops and Fei Fan}

Living in a foreign country, the husband and I are always grateful for the company of fellow Pinoys who make life a little bit less lonely and a bit more interesting and fun. So it was a delight to have lunch with T who was house-sitting for friends who were making their way through Southeast Asia for a bit of Spring Festival R&R. We got to enjoy a yummy spread of porkchops, vegetables, sinigang and chocolate-dipped strawberries, so yummy that I munched my way through the entire plate of pork chops and brought home the rest of the dessert, haha (Thanks, T!)

It was extra exciting for me, because I got to meet Fei Fan, a cute and adorable mutt who is now living the good life because she was found and rescued just in time! Not only does she get to have sweet treats handed to her, she also gets to enjoy walking around the complex in the afternoons, where she can sniff, pee and romp playfully to her heart's content. Seeing this bundle of fur do her tricks and play with her toys reminded me so much of our family pets back home. Although my family keeps sending photos and updates, nothing beats being able to hug a warm, drooling, and cuddly canine. I'm getting teary-eyed just remembering how Nemo, Pip, Kuya Bammy or Kuya Choi would stare at me while I was typing away at my computer, or mindlessly changing channels on the TV, but I'm sure all dog lovers can relate!

All in all, it was a nice change of pace, especially since I've been dog-deprived for so long, I think Fei Fan was starting to get seriously weirded out by all the poking and stroking that I was doing to her. Looking forward to seeing this  adorable little furball again, hopefully this time with Mommy and Daddy when they're back from vacation!

Travel {Roma}

“When the reality looks extraordinarily unreal, you must know that you are in an extraordinarily beautiful place!”
 ― Mehmet Murat ildan

JP and I spent the last day of the Chinese Lunar Year discovering Bailin Park, which has a cherry blossom street (can't wait for spring!!!) and a Rome-inspired area complete with a domed gazebo, an amphitheater surrounded by tall columns and those large planters that remind  me so much of the movies set in Tuscany that I love to watch during rainy days. This section of the park was called Roma and just by looking at  the planters you would know what the inspiration behind it is. This fascination with Italy is really something! I'm loving it, though, and I couldn't get enough pictures. it was also a sunny day , which seemed like a good omen for weather to come. Coming from the cold of winter, it was encouraging seeing the trees start to bloom. The cherry blossom trees were turning pink and the jasmine trees were smelling sweeter than ever. I was reminded of how there's still a lot of loveliness that one can discover in the world, and how a short bus ride can sometimes be all it takes to turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one.