on the Verge of

So I watched the last full show of Avengers: End Game from 10:20pm-1:20am. Even with this timeslot, the cinema was filled with so many people excited to watch the movie on its first day of screening. It is set to be the most successful film of the franchise, with millions of tickets sold worldwide prior to its release date. For me, Marvel has truly done another great job in delivering an apt ending to the most popular movie saga of our generation. The previous movie, Avenger: Infinity War has left everyone in a sad note when more than half of our heroes vanished with Thanos’ snap. WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD, if you haven't watched the movie, what universe are you from?? So let’s talk about what happened in the movie. Five years after the catastrophic event, Ant Man suddenly returns to the real world only to find out what happened. For him, he only got stuck in the quantum realm for hours. He then initiates this time travel idea where they concoct a plan to retriev...

I began to write this as I wait for our plane to take off from Cebu. Earlier today, I woke up for my flight to Cebu. It was 3:45am and my body was aching for more sleep. But I cannot delay since I still had a report to cram at the airport. So I got up and suddenly asked myself, half awake, "Para kanino ako bumabangon?". It was a famous line from that Nescafe commercial. Then as I took a shower, I spoke to God like I never had a conversation with Him for a long time. It was a mess of a prayer, saying random things to Him about the things I am grateful for, my concerns in life, and my worries. I spoke to Him about how scared I was of my Thyroid condition. I spoke to him about my career and many other things. Later today, I had good and long conversation with one of my senior managers. She shared to me about the medical conditions she also faced in life. All throughout she never lost faith and hope in God. She fought and prayed for her life because of her children, her fam...

I have been seeing doctors for the past few weeks because of some inflammation in my neck. And although it feels like it has already subsided, tests show that there is something wrong aunderneath. A few years back, my mom would always point out that my lower neck seems rather odd. Of course I've had it checked during my previous annual physical exams. But the doctors said that there's nothing to be worried about, that it looks prominent but not protruding. Now, after seeing two specialists, it seems clear now that I have a problem with my thyroid. Initially, the doctor told me it was thyroiditis or a 5% chance of cancer due to the hardness of the gland. Hearing the possibility of the latter diagnosis already scared me even if it were just a small percentage. I had a biopsy to had it checked. When we got the results, I felt devastated. There was a suspected papillary carcinoma. The doctor immediately recommended surgery the next day. I sought a second opinion first with an...

It was a long Sunday for me, Keen and my sister Jacq. We just finished some errands and a long overdue grocery so we were starving. We decided to check out one of the newest restaurants in Tulip drive: Cuencos. Cuencos Rice and Noodle Bar is just in front of Fuente de Villa-Abrille. The restaurant offers a variety of noodles and rice bowls at reasonable prices, an average of P180-200 per person. We ordered Arroz ala Cubana for my sister, Nasi Lemak for me, and Beef Pares for Keen. We also ordered Laksa as a soup for sharing. The servings were adequate and it tasted really good, especially the Laksa. I have tried many Laksa and I must say theirs is one of the impressive ones. Beef Pares Nasi Lemak Arroz ala Cubana Laksa While they they have friendly and attentive staff, I must note that their service time is quite slow. There were only three groups in the restaurant at the time. It took almost 40 mins to serve the food. I don't think it would be practical t...

4:32am I'm in the cab on my way home from a mid/night shift. I'm looking at the supermoon on a dark cloudless sky. And somehow I find myself whispering a prayer, one that I have repeatedly said to God when I am anxious about new beginnings. "Lord, to You I lift up all my worries and fears, my hopes and my dreams." Less than 2 weeks from now I will be transferring to a new job. Although I have weighed the pros and cons, a part of me prays that things will work out well for me. I am definitely excited but nervous at the same time. And in these times of uncertainty, I turn to God to whom all good things come from.

2018 has been an exhilarating ride. The year started out with an unexpected shift in my career path. There were many struggles along the way and the learning curve was steep. But I was able to cope up with the help of my mentors, colleagues, and team mates. I also married the love of my life last September. The preparations were tough and I thought I was going to faint before I walked down the aisle. But everything turned out more perfectly than I could have ever imagined it. Keen and I also had our dream honeymoon in Japan. It was probably the best international trip we've had so far. We explored many places and ate a lot of our favorite Japanese food. it was really a dream come true. Then there's the married life where Keen and I had to go through many changes and adjustments. But we were so blessed to have been supported by both our families as we started a new life in our new home. It's been more than two weeks and we can officially say that we have settl...

Keen and I have been married for a month now. It seems to us that so much has happened in between our wedding day and today. Sometimes it's still unbelievable, and even weird, to be married to each other. It is unbelievable because it used to be a dream to be married to each other. We used to imagine how things would be like, just like waking up in the morning together or going home to the same house or what to cook for breakfast. The list goes on. At the same time it is weird because we used to do a lot of things on our own or just with our family. Now we find ourselves constantly with each other. We wake up and there is another human being breathing beside us. When doing groceries I don't just consider my own needs but his as well. All these things are new and takes a lot of getting used to. The past few weeks have indeed been full of travels and adventures, of adjustments and compromises. We have had many firsts and we look forward to many more moments in the years to ...