state of mindfulness, cut short

i had a high chance of going out this afternoon after a busy morning, but i didn't. sometimes, i think of staying out of the house in saturday afternoon as sacrosanct. i have to break it today, though. i grabbed the just-baked banana loaf in the kitchen and my favorite english breakfast tea (despite the high temperature outside) and settled myself on the dining table.

i've got many things lined up to do but at least for now, i want to respect the moment by giving myself a rest. it's a treat to be in communion with your spirit, free from any demands. away from the crowd. just me alone and my thoughts. this state of mindfulness doesn't pass by very often. i need to inhale it, savour it and let it penetrate my being. that by itself is sufficient to recharge, to have enough energy for the rest of the day.

the air from the fan is enough to break the heat. the noise in the background are the symphony of car horns, the caws of the crows and the laundry machine. the afternoon beckons for a nap. yet, i'm too selfish (or selfless) to give in to it. i want to stay awake and let the hours slowly pass by.

..... until the little one popped out of the room... and headed towards my direction. it's time to go back to a more true-to-life mindfulness with lots of screams and negotiations ;-)

up and happy

beaching at maroubra

my stubbornness brought us to maroubra beach.

i packed all the stuff we needed before kitt and kaela woke up. i boxed the leftover food so we didn't have to buy lunch outside. it was all planned well. except that kitt didn't know the plan.

as expected, kitt was so unwilling to go out of the house. i was itching and dying to leave. by all means. i coaxed him to go to maroubra. i've never been there. we've never been there.

still unmoved by my lovingly coerceful way, it's time to shift to plan b.

i said if he didn't want to go, kaela and i would just commute. things started happening. i tried to hide the glint in my eyes.

 you see, plan b was not to commute. it was to get tatay to drive us to the beach.

we reached the beach in one hour after missing a few turns in the city.

the smell of the salty water was incomparable to our daily routine. totally a relief to my sinusitis. i squinted at the beach when i removed my sunglasses. it's amazing to watch how the sea impregnates the waters and the bulge that releases its stress to the shore. it's a magical place.

 but nanay, i don't want to go to the water!

kaela was not fond of the water. she's still scared of the regular splashes. i brought her pail and shovel to keep her calm. they didn't. in the midst of being busy with the sand, i leaned on a blue bottle jellyfish at the shore. talk about karma for being insubmissive!

we didn't stay for so long but just enough to get a good dose of sun, sea, sand and the waves.

a happy wife is a happy life. true that.

when we came back home, kaela and i took a nap. it's so refreshing for a sunday afternoon!

mr. max brenner and us

it was scorchingly hot outside.

kaela and i had to run an errand before the household prayer meeting. despite the heat, we made a side trip to church street, hoping to stroll around eat street and enjoy some free acoustic music. we were disappointed. i realized it was past 3 o'clock in the afternoon  and the event was over.

i was quick to decide to go to the library instead. another hope turned sour. it's already closed.

opposite the library is the parramatta station where max brenner coffee shop is located. i'm not a fan of branded coffee shops but one dissappointment that led to another plus the hot weather prompted me to reckon, "why not"?

i ordered flat white and brownie with ice cream. kaela had her usual comfort drink - milk.

the coffee was nice but the fudgy brownie with chocolate syrup was just too sweet for me. at least, the vanilla ice cream compensated for the sugary dessert.

 beating the heat with these

 

we hang out for a few minutes. taking selfies. watching the bus and cars passed by the busy parramatta street. it's our priceless moment.

lounging at max brenner

did we beat the last wave of summer heat? oh, it couldn't be better!

what to wake up to?

friday-off is the best. i had time to bake banana bread before kitt and kaela woke up. the sweet aroma permeated every nook and cranny of our tiny apartment. this was the first time i baked it and i was surprised how easy it is to make.

too irresistible. i broke my promise to pass up coffee for this!

finally, the duo (my mag-ama) were on their feet.

we hung out in the dining room and did our own things. i was scanning the magazine i lent from the library. kaela was pretending to read her book. kitt was playing his guitar.

a morning filled with strums

i wish friday is always this light and carefree.

homeschool classes

we started homeschooling kaela in late january after she turned one and a half years old. it is early given that she's barely two. i would say that the setup is both favorable for kaela and us. as she is learning new things, we are also learning how capable (and patient) we can be to teach.

amidst francis' hesitation to send her to day care, i put together little subjects to teach her. we structure it to have one hour session in the morning (with francis) and one hour in the evening (with me).

ANATOMY. i'm sure every parent had taught their child anatomy. kaela knows over ten parts of her body. i would ask her where the different parts are and she would eagerly point each one to me.

MATHS. kaela would line up all her shoes on the floor and we would count them together i.e. i would count them and she will point to each of the shoe.

DANCE & MUSIC. we play some music or video and she would either sing or dance to its tune. she once asked her tatay to dance with her i.e. hold his hands while they dance together. cute, isn't it?

READING. i borrow books from the library; i pick those that may keep her engaged. most of them are the things she have experience on e.g. brushing teeth, toilet training, about birds and dogs. in that way, she can relate more to what we are reading. she can't focus yet on one thing. i learned that giving her one book at a time is better than giving her a few options right away.

the best way to teach a child to be fond of reading is to see us also read

HOME ECONOMICS. if we make a mess in the room - playing or coloring, i ensure that kaela joins in the cleaning. be it throwing in the bin, rubbing off the colored marks on the table and keeping her toys in the storage box. on weekends, i let her participate in the kitchen when i bake. she helps me whisk, mix, and break the walnuts into pieces. at times, she forgets that we are preparing food, misses to spread the walnut on the mixture and puts them instead in her mouth. i can't blame her, i also like munching them.

CHARTS & COLORS. we posted charts on the wall and ask her to point to us where each item is. we  also have duplo-replicas for building blocks and studying colors.

FIELD TRIP. it's always like a field trip on weekends as we go to the mall and nearby park. we loiter at the square, bird watching. sometimes, i take her to the little rides.

nanay, i'm not really riding. i'm just sitting here. can u insert a coin please?

ARTS & CRAFTS. this is her favorite above everything else. she's very fond of her crayons. i lined the wall with butcher paper so she would have a bigger space to draw. nevertheless, the occasional marks on the table and chairs didn't escape her curiosity. i like this activity as well. it relaxes me to do something else and just color and draw. the other day, we made a collage of pictures from the catalog. but of course, she likes drawing best.

we are dead-tired in most evenings but to see her grow and learn new things, we just have to enjoy it with her and keep going.

liberation at its finest

the kitchen is in its exquisite state.  the bathroom, dainty and white. the toys,  all kept in the storage. i think i've done my work here.

kitt and kaela are taking their afternoon nap.  like a thief in the night,  i left the house to find solace in a coffee shop tucked in the heart of parramatta.

motherhood redefines the very meaning of liberation. it is when silence is too precious and seldom to ignore. it is finding a good book to read when you have an hour to spare. it is breaking away from scrubbing,  teaching and constant bickering to realize that your spirit needs nurturing and mending. it is like this - being deaf in a crowd of frenzy people enjoying their afternoon tête-à-tête because you know this is your moment.

and this is my moment.

i feel like i'm one of the luckiest women at this hour.

don't you think so?

enjoying my ricotta cheese cake

state of gratefulness

coming to office early on a friday brought me great elation. on my desk stood my two flat monitors, a coffee and buttered croissant. i couldn't ask for more.

i suddenly remembered a progression of stories about food provision at work.

i was twenty when i started working. the workplace was one-level, no pantry, not even a water station. people complained about the lack of structure. i was thankful that i got a job in three weeks after i started looking.

i changed my job immediately after a new post opened that is more relevant to my undergrad degree. in one corner of our office was a small pantry and a water-refilling area - equipped with hot and cold buttons. what else can you ask for if you have unlimited supply of drink?

i moved to singapore. there is tea, coffee and biscuit on each level. in another company, there was a server preparing kopi-c and kopi-o. and another one having a nesvita as an option. i was on cloud nine. still, there were colleagues expecting more. no coke, no orange juice, no milk! the complaints were endless.

kitt and i migrated to australia. i joined a good company generous enough to provide your choice of cereals (muesli, corn flakes, weet-bix etc.), milk (lite, full cream, soy, almond), juice and unlimited coffee (cappucino, mocha, latte, espresso etc), soda and sparkling water, chocolates in the chiller, wine, beer and pizza, chips and fruits or dinner if you ended up working late. i can't believe my luck!

people still rant. no chef-prepared lunch. the juice is concentrated, not fresh. the coffee was not as good as in another level.

as i ate my croissant and sipped "savouring-ly" my free caffeine drink, how could i not feel grateful to have my daily manna!

commissioned work from kitt