Thursday, September 22, 2016

Time Flies Fast and Behold, I've Got Two Kids

They're sleeping, soundly.

And I couldn't sleep. Woke up amidst a faint sobbing and the milk didn't work. I had to change diapers.

Nope, I didn't even have to think about it. My hands did all the analyzing. It's been doing it for quite sometime now it has gotten used to the fuzzy logic that makes fathering semi-subconsciously, in a trance, work.

And no, just because you wanted to go back to sleep it doesn't mean that you'd be snoring again. It doesn't work like that anymore. Like it did three years ago - just like when I last wrote a post on this blog.

Wait! Three years?!?!

Yep, three years this page went unvisited by its master. I almost forgot it existed. But it came back to me. Sitting at the porch, at midnight, it was deja vu.

Back when I was still in Afghanistan, alone, snow falling, and breathing out warm fog amidst subzero temperature.

Only this time, there was no fog. But there are mosquitoes. Well I am back in my homeland folks.

I'd skip the part of how I got back here. Today, we slept relatively earlier than the previous nights. I didn't have to cook dinner; I already grabbed a couple of McDonalds happy meals on the way home. So all I had to do was to feed them,  help my wife fix them up for bed, or let them watch their favorite cartoon till they fall asleep.

(BTW, McDonalds happens once a month at most so save your health or nutrition advises)

It's a routine that I have already mastered.

And I have decided to write about it. Actually, I didn't want to write about it - much more on a blog where my once readers found some of my documented travels an inspiration for them to go somewhere. I also don't expect private messages coming in with questions like how I did this or how I did that. I know this would bore them. Literally.

So after three years, why would I write again, especially about monotony that seemingly borders on infinity?  Not sure. Perhaps I just missed writing and maybe I should start doing it again.

Or maybe, I wanted to keep this moment written on the internet so that I will not forget. That at 2am, I was awake and thinking how a father and a husband's life changes after getting married and having children. That it was not an easy process, but I guess most dads go though the same phase.

Luckily, I've got a wife that kept me sane amidst all these changes.

Though perhaps not all linger (talking about being a loyal family man, and everything that comes with it). A part of me can't blame them. We, dads, are doomed to be stripped of all the perkyness of being a man of our own - the adventures, the close calls, unplanned but mostly staged sex, all the fucking crazy stuff we do when we can only have our nagging parents or girlfriends to worry about.

We slip into our other selves - yes, the ones that don't give a shit about our baconized boxers.

We get cloaked inside a routine of I-got-work-tomorrow and screw-you-guys-I'm-going-home thinking about the wife and the kids in between.

And like how you consistently struggled to sneak past your classes to go that movie date with that girl whose face you can no longer remember, you try to outsmart your todd in making her lie still while changing nappies. You do all all sorts of drama with your face - like those times you told your boss that you're calling in sick (enter cough and that horribly annoying sounds like I-am-dying stupid voice)

Only this time, its not because you were in a middle of a bad hangover. You make all sorts of sounds and face distortions because you're changing diapers and your baby is about to shower pee on your bed. If your lucky, they will spread poo like jam too.

And it's the same scenario every day (or night).

But I'm not writing this because I wanted to complain. I am writing all about this so that I will recall that once, in the middle of the night, I had thought of how my life had turn 180 degrees from blunt spontaneity to a crazy monotony.

And I'm loving every single part of it (that's right) that I will never want to go back.

Well perhaps, I should go post bunch of boring stuff. Like how to give vitamins to your toddler without smudging it on his face.

That would be exciting, I think.

Well my wife and I got evicted as you can see below. But chucks, I need to go back to sleep.

Just need to figure out where....

Sunday, January 27, 2013

At 28, I'm Still Learning



In less than 24 hours from now, I will be 29 years old, and will celebrate this birthday as a late-twenties guy in Afghanistan (again). For some reason I am not too excited about it. Perhaps, it is because I knew that it would be just another day of work – with a long meeting at night (Tuesday nights suck – big time), or I’ve been through a lot of celebrations not too long ago that I feel this one’s just going to be "normal". 

Well, perhaps the latter is an easy guess, especially for those who personally know me. The past year have been a year of ups and downs, yet despite the roller coaster ride, I think I’ve received one of the most important blessings in my life (if not the most). I’ve been married to the most beautiful woman in the world, Mrs. Rodelyn Javier. We had a beautiful celebration which was followed by an unforgettable honeymoon (I’m posting pictures below). And as I’ve written in my past blog entries, she is my inspiration for everything that I do now. After getting married, I think no more words can describe how much I love her (at least not those that can be described by all the creativity that I have). I love her – and the rest goes unwritten. 

The year 2012 also saw me and my then fiancĂ©e travelling to places we’ve never been to. We went to Kuala Lumpur in May, then Coron, Palawan for the 2nd part of our prenuptial photo session, and then to Lucban, Quezon (I’ve been there a couple of times but it was the first time with her). However, most of the year was spent on wedding preparations that proved to be exhausting but rewarding.
In October, we’ve celebrated Dad’s first death anniversary. I do not know if celebration is a good word, but I know my Dad was happy when we sang his favorite songs during this karaoke party we held in our childhood house. 

Then, there’s this animosity I had in one of my present endeavors. Though for many years I have tried to hang on to it dearly, for almost nothing in return, I couldn’t bear the pain of my hands continuously getting scalded. The year 2012 have thought me so much, one of them is to know that people change - and that not all people can reciprocate what you have done for them -  and that sometimes you think you know them, but – oh well, you don’t. Well it was a bittersweet moment to know that I’m letting go just to have that freedom and peace of mind, and yet realizing how much time and hard-earned money I have wasted dreaming, with unfortunately, people who didn’t dream the same dream I did. I got tired of the drama. It was going nowhere. I had to let go. 

Yet, looking on the bright side – and practically the best lesson I have learned – is that some friends would come and go, while others would pretend that they are, but  my wife and my family would never ever leave me behind – no matter what. And sadly, now, I feel that they are the only persons that I can fully trust, persons who would never deceive me, and persons who would love me – unconditionally. I thank them for understanding me during the times I had been misled and blinded. 

 Plus I've got married with the most beautiful woman in the world, it was an a+++mazing feeling! Now, I have forgotten about everything else, ha ha!

This year, my request to be transferred to Dubai was approved. So apparently, I’m going to live with my wife now. And of course, live normally. Gone are the Skype calls, kisses on computer monitors, and exposure to UV rays while sleeping (as we would always leave our computers open till we sleep). I will get to be with my wife which I consider a great blessing. I have been blessed countless times these past years, and I do hope that I get to share these blessings with the people I love, and the people who are truly in need. 

Now, I'm ready to be 29. Thank you Lord.

My beautiful wife.

Oh yeah, that's me...

The Ceremony in Fernwood Gardens Chapel

By the Cliff in Bali

For a moment, i thought she was the star of Eat, Pray, and Love

We were like these love birds (or parrots - love parrots.. )

 

Yes, this is a snapshot of a romantic film in Bali