About

Passion for Writing

Back in school, I would get good grades in English and Filipino composition; but I had never thought that I could make a career out of it. So instead, I graduated with a degree in Bachelor in Accountancy. Afterwards, I studied Business Systems and COBOL programming. 

Growing older, I felt that I had a passion for writing. So I studied creative writing but I was not able to complete it. Nevertheless, here and there, I was able to use my skill writing articles for my blogs, composing user manuals for business application programs that I had developed, and user guides for maintaining websites. As a ghost writer, I wrote one academic book about web development.

This is a personal blog. Writing about anything under the sun. Pouring ideas to clear my head. Expressing opinions even if there's no one listening. The form of writing here is conversational and informal. It is the counterpart of my professional blog (Ed. discontinued during the pandemic) where articles are were written a bit formal and business-like. 

When my mother started to show signs of Alzheimers disease, her doctor said that one of us (with my siblings) may possibly experience it too. One way to prevent the dreadful disease from occuring is to keep the brain active in processing information. That made me think that the more that I should write. 

The brain hungers for information. When there's nothing much in your head, there's a chance that your brain would degenerate. Therefore, you must continue to feed your brain with useful and factual information. Read, then write. Read. Write. It's an exercise – a therapy to prevent an onset of Alzheimers disease.

Surviving A Senior Life This Pandemic

I celebrate my birthday the simplest possible such as going on a retreat. When I was turning 58, I was thinking of how else I could celebrate my birthday but I could not decide on how. As I looked at the calendar a few days before, I felt in my heart that something was not right. I didn't know what but I could strongly feel that something not pleasurable would happen on my birthday. 

11 March 2020. WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. Also, on that day, the first two COVID-19 deaths was reported in the Philippines. The couple lived just less than a kilometre from where I reside.

On 15 March 2020, the President placed Metro Manila on lockdown. 

In April, my 90-year old uncle complained difficulty of breathing. Two days after, he died. My sister, who had edema, died in May. In the same year, my niece's mother-in-law died even before she reached the emergency of the hospital. She was COVID positive. Her relative, who was driving the car, died a few days after.  When we had thought that we had adjusted to the new normal, in 2021, the demise my sister's husband was very sudden and unexpected. Same symptoms – breathing difficulty. A few days after, we rushed our nephew to the hospital due to the same symptoms. He was diagnosed with severe COVID. Five days after, my brother's blood pressure rose to 200; thus, he was confined. Days like these were like a ticking time bomb. What to expect was unknown. These were moments when, literally, I prayed down on my knees, begging God for miracles. Thank God! My nephew recovered and my brother was fine.

I asked God: why did we have to be affected severely by the pandemic?  Around me, I see nuisance people unweary about the risk of COVID. Why not them? It could be a way to bring them closer to God; or maybe, they would not care. If none in your family was affected by the pandemic, either quarantined or infected, you have a reason to thank God for.

Anytime from now, perhaps, I could be next. With a history of acute and chronic bronchitis and asthma; and severe acute respiratory syndrome, my health is at very risk. Thus, I just stay home. As much as possible, I do not leave the house. Nevertheless, there were multiple incidences when, just all of a sudden, my nose would itch or my throat would sore. In other cases, I felt like having a flu even if my body temperature was normal.

I do not fear dying; but I do not wish to die of COVID nor of anything during this pandemic for the reason that I do not want my loved ones to go through difficult times again. We've been through a lot. I hope and pray that it was enough. 

Who knows but the Almighty God when I would write my last article.