Chapter 42 (A Birthday Blog)

 How do you celebrate a birthday when you know you almost didn’t get here?

Right now, there’s about half an hour left before my birthday ends. My head is crowded with thoughts, and I’m not sure which ones to share first. This birthday isn’t just another candle on the cake. It’s a reminder that I fought hard to be here.

And here’s the part I can’t sugarcoat, the stroke I had was my fault. My lifestyle, my choices, my “I’ll be fine” attitude. All of it played a part. Admitting that stings, but it’s also what keeps me moving now.

I woke up at 12:45 a.m., realizing I’m 42. I’ve made it. While lying, I heard the rain outside and thought, “Please let it stop.” I had a 7.5 km run scheduled, and I didn’t want the weather to cancel it. By morning, the skies cleared, and we went to my favorite running ground in Ayala. I ran the full 7.5 km and walked another 1.5 km to cool down. Since I’m signed up for a 9 km race at the end of the month, I wanted to feel that distance on my legs. The verdict: VERY DOABLE!

After the run, we had breakfast at Bentang’s, because Sundays without their pancit feel incomplete. Then it was straight to Mass. The Gospel hit me hard. It was about selfishness and what happens when you only think of yourself. The priest spoke from his own experiences instead of taking jabs at others, which I loved. Somewhere during that Mass, my husband and I decided Sunday Mass should be part of our tradition again. We used to go every week, then laziness crept in. 

7.5k run and 1.5k walk after...

I signed up for Runna. I love it! It has everything-yoga, pilates, strength, mobility, pre and post run stretching. AND, their customer service is so responsive!

Bentang's pancit is a favee!!

From church, we went to SM city for my birthday buffet at Vikings. It’s tradition (buy-one-get-one promo for birthdays) and we’ve been doing it since 2017. The food’s definitely improved since last November (new chef, apparently). I avoided the dumplings because they still felt like chewy stress balls, but everything else was so good. I loaded my plate with salad, drank only infused water (okay, and one tiny sip of Sprite), and skipped rice and fried food entirely. My husband, now my unofficial “food police”, was quietly inspecting everything I ate. This is the same man who used to bring me random greasy food from the office, buy me cakes for no reason, and supported my “eat now, think later” habit. Times have changed, and I’m grateful.

We had planned to watch a movie after lunch, but we were so sleepy from waking up early that we went for a massage instead. I don’t remember half of it because I slept through the whole thing. Then it was home, and more sleeping. Here's a quick vid:

My birthday weekend started yesterday. My husband and I went to Zane's 1st birthday and Zach's  christening, where I was a ninang. They're both Janjan and Binbin’s son. Janjan is my husband's childhood friend.  I hadn’t slept since my night shift, so the trip to the church left me weak. Heat and exhaustion tend to lower my voice, and I felt it again that day. We still stayed for a while, enjoyed catching up with my husband’s friends who truly feel like family, and laughed watching him dance during the party. Thanks, langlang, for saying yes to sharing this video because it’s too funny not to!

children's parties are soooo fun!

So... how do you celebrate when you know you almost didn’t get here?

You celebrate with purpose. You run four times a week, you do Pilates (even if the side planks on the left side still feel like an Olympic event), yoga twice a week (and yes, I can now do a side stand on the left side! Progress!), and strength training once a week. You pass on fried food not because you’re vain, but because you’re fighting for your life.

Because I want to grow old with my husband and make fun of his wrinkly face
Because I don’t want my mama to lose me so soon
Because I want to be there for my nieces and nephew and see them grow old
Because I want to grow old with my siblings (laughing at the same dumb jokes)
Because I want to teach, lead, and train more people
Because I want to travel until my passport can’t keep up

Because I don’t want to lose me so soon

I still have fears, especially about food and health, but those fears keep me careful. My faith in God is what anchors me. I know I’m still here because of Him, and I’m choosing to make that mean something. 'Til next blog! 💛

My Birthday!

 This year, I decided to take a little break for my birthday, and boy, did it turn into a celebration to remember! 

The day before my vacation, I was thinking I'd have a quiet day (admin tasks and BCP stuff while I'm away), but my amazing team had other plans. They surprised me on the 9th with a mini party! I was so touched that they went out of their way to make me feel special. Seriously, how lucky am I to have such an awesome crew? 

On the actual day, I kicked things off with a little “me time”, an early morning 5km walk around the neighborhood. I stopped under the trees to take a deep breath, soak in the fresh air, and truly live in the moment. Recently, I've been hearing about people I know, my age, who have passed away, and it's been hard to process. It’s a stark reminder of how short life really is. I shared this with my husband, and his advice was to stop thinking about being in my 40s and instead embrace the mindset that I'm still in my 30s. You know what? That actually makes sense! 😀

And then…lunch time! My husband and I hit up our usual birthday buffet spot because birthday promos are the absolute best! Of course, they gave me this free birthday cake. 

Anddd.. this is everything I ate. Normally, I'm not the type to snap food pics, but hey, it's my birthday, so I made an exception!

After lunch, we hit the mall and bought a gift for myself. We capped off the day with a cozy cup of Nescafe stick with Bearbrand Swak at Shell Robinsons Galleria. Who needs fancy lattes when you’ve got good old instant coffee and your sweetheart? 🤣

The next day was all about family. I hopped on Messenger to chat with my mum and siblings, and we laughed so hard my non-existent abs almost made a comeback!

And, that was it! Now, I’m ready to tackle the year ahead, armed with solid plan to make cardio as exciting as birthday promos (NOT!). Wish me luck!

And of course, I’ve got to give a huge shoutout to my dear husband. He made my birthday extra special and, let’s be real, for just putting up with my shenanigans. Tweetweet, thank you for always making me feel like the luckiest person alive. You’re the best part of every day, whether there’s cake involved or not! LABYU KAAYO!!!

'Til next time! 💛