I'm back :))

Yes. I am back into blogging. Had a break in a while cause i forgot my password here in blogger. Will try posting blog posts everyday. Have fun :))

Love is in the heart, not in the mind :)

When my Tita was married to her American husband here in the Philippines, she and her hubby was accompanied by her hubby's parents, Marlys and Howard. The elder couple was very sweet to each other despite their age. My tita told me that for the past year that they have been together, they have loved each other more and more. And to add up, this couple has a very rough start to begin with.

Jean Marlys Burgeson was raised and born in North Dakota. She lives with a quite well-off family. At the age of 20 she met a farmer's son in the name of John Howard Langemo. Howard is of a Norwegian descent that migrated in North Dakota. Days passed and the two started dating and at the age of 22, they got married. Their love produced 3 loving sons and my tita's hubby is the youngest. Marrying at quite a young age they are now free from their parents consent but is also thriving to support the family. Sooner, Marlys got pregnant so this means Howard needs to find a stable job. Then, Howard found a job being a Insurance Agent to an Insurance Company. However, he needs to find another job to support her wife's pregnancy, to pay their house and to provide their daily needs. Howard then found a job as a caretaker of a property from someplace (I didn't get where the place is). Years passed and they have all three grown up sons that is going to college. And at that point in time, Marlys is an English teacher and Howard is still an Insurance Agent but they are planning to have a business.

Howard (Left), Marlys (Right) and my cousin Andrew (Center)

After their eldest son graduated, they have put up a small pharmacy at a commercial place near their house. And after some quite time, their sons decided that the couple is now stable to live by themselves and the three of them should live in their own as well.

Going back to Howard and Marlys, years passed and they have both supported each other to support their needs. But at year 2005 or 2004, Marlys was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. It is a degenerative disease that affects the memory. When Howard found out about the disease that struck the one he loves, he felt awful about his wife but he has to be strong for her and still love her with all of his heart.

Marlys attitude began to change because of the disease. During the first year with the said disease, Marlys is sometimes depriving herself from eating and sleeping. She sometimes throw tantrums when she cannot find her glasses when in fact it is in her pocket. But with this tantrums, Howard always know how to calm her sweetie. Shopping. Marlys really loves to shop and she is a fairly fashionable aged lady. She always seems to it that she is properly dressed for an occasion and even inside the house.

 

Marlys and Howard (right to left)

The second year was a bit harsher. The lady is forgetting thing that she usually do, except shopping of course. She barely practiced her activities of daily living. Her abilities was lessened because the disease is affecting her motion. But despite all of this hardship, Howard is just there for Marlys. Giving her food, reminding her of the timeslot of her favorite TV Show, changing her socks and even removing her underwear when is about to pee and especially Howard is there when Marlys is on for a midnight shopping. 

Howard loves Marlys so much that he volunteered to take care of Marlys instead of giving her to the home for the aged. He didn't even get a nurse to take care of his wife just to have quality time taking care of her.

In the peak of Marlys disease, she almost forgot everything, even shopping. She barely remember names, how to eat, almost everything. She sometimes can't recognize her sons but there is one thing she cannot forget, her husbands name. Howard is the only name Marlys can say without even thinking alot. He knows Howard even he is meters aways from here. She maybe the woman that almost forgot everything but her husband.

Love can truly be a magical thing. Despite a disease that struck the brain, there is a heart that will remind you of things that is beyond your thinking but deep inside your feelings.

Year 2007, just few months after our Christmas visit in Minnesota where my tita resides, Marlys died. I am not sure if it is because of the disease or because of the complications. At that moment, I can tell that Howard is at his saddest. She lost the girl she loved the most.

Marlys' Funeral Invitation for her wake.

I blogged about this story because it's Christmas time again and we just received our yearly letter from Howard saying his Hello's and Hi's to us here in the Philippines.

Hope you enjoyed it   :))

My schedule for second semester. Haaaay.

Ang inyong nakikita ay ang aking schedula para sa second sem. Kung inyong mapapansin sa taas ay halos mapuno ng kulay yung sched at konti nalang ang natirang puti.

OKAY. Medyo tight ang schedule namin ngayun kaysa noong first sem. Andaming BV kesa sa GV. May laboratory pa kami. San ka pa di ba? Kaya sa magshishift papunta sa course namin. Ayus lang, HAHA.

Mga BV: Lab ng 6 hours at twice a week pa yan, 4 hours na math, may pasok kami ng 7:00 am at higit sa lahat ay may chemistry kami at rizal.

Mga GV: Pasok ng 10:00 am, may PE ulit, may break ng 3 hours straight. Yun lang.

CONCLUSION: Kailangan kong magsikap ngayun second sem at pagbutihin pa ang aking performance sa klase. Pataasin pa ang aking mga grades para hindi sayang tuition. Wala muna masyadong gala, pero syempre dapat meron pa din. Bawas bawasan ang mga nakakaaksaya ng oras na mga bagay kagaya nitong ginawa ko ngayun. AT LAGING MAGDASAL AT HUMINGI NG TULONG AT LAKAS SA DIYOS.

Yeap. Boredom strikes twice as much.

My cousins and I have gone, for the second time, to the grassland near our place. We took some pictures because the sunset view there is just that great and that place is very windy. A perfect spot to escape the noise and pollution of the city (wow naman, HAHA). We took some vanity photos, pictures of the sunset, some jump shots. We roll over the grass (which is very unsanitary) and spank each other for each corny jokes we deliver.

The sunset there. Just amazing.

Jumpshot by me and me cousin. Quite a failure :)

After such things and I got bored, I decided to go near a Cow and take a picture of it with me. But then, I realized that it could be fatal and the cow has really big horns and I have never had an experience of bull fighting. So, I just took some trick pictures with the cow. It was quite a failure, thanks to my cousin who can't have a good shot, thank you very much.

My cow trick shot :)

Bored again, I have showcased some of my flexibility skills. The truth is, when I got nothing to do, I will just stretch my way out of boredom. I will stretch my leg, stretch my hamstring, do jumps, sky splits and the like. I love doing so and in fact it is good for your health. As for our PE class in school, flexibility improves your blood circulation, it increases range of muscle movements, range in motion and decreases the rate of having an injury in major sports event.

 My flexibility shots :)))

Enough said. I'm bored :)

Shots by: Yours Truly and me cousin Lira

Subject: Yours Truly, the sunset, the cow and me cousin Lira

Setting: Grassland in San Miguel Dos

Kit: My sister's digital camera with freaking 5 megapixels.

When boredom strikes, this happens.

Yesterday is such a boring day for me. I'm home alone again with my grandma because my family had sleptover in great grandmother's grave. I have to join my grandma home because she has no other companion than me and she is not that young to guard the house alone.

That day as well, I've got nothing to do. I have watched all the movies that I have downloaded (piracy, HAHA). I'm too tired to post something in my blog and my brain is not functioning well because of boredom. Then, I saw the "Adobe Photoshop" icon in my Desktop so I opened it. Then, as a result of boredom and I, missing my college friends so much, I have made a tees design for us.

We are the first batch of Occupational Therapist to be produced by De La Salle's line of universities here in the Philippines (not sure if worldwide as well). So in that case, we want to wear high and bright (with shield of green and white) that we are the pioneer batch of Occupational Therapist of DLS Phils.

Just so you know, Occupational Therapy is different from Physical Therapy. Though both are really awesome jobs, they have differences in their job descriptions. Physical Therapists work on large muscle groups which is responsible for Gross Motor Skills such as jumping, walking, running and the like. While Occupational Therapists deal with smaller muscle groups responsible for fine motor skills suck as finger/hand dexterity, pincer grasp and the like.

In other terms, Physical Therapists make the muscles move and Occupational Therapists make the muscles work. In a more concrete example, a stroke patient is not able to move his hands after his recovery. In that case, a Physical Therapist will implement exercises and other activities that will make the patient's hand move again. When the hand is indeed moving again, that is when an Occupational Therapist takes place. The OT will give the moving of the hand a function now, just like how a normal person will do, in example like opening doorknobs, opening jars, writing using a pencil or a pen and the like.

I have said much when in fact this blog post is intended for the shirt design I have made. I really am bored.

In time, we should really give back.

I have saw this photo earlier this morning. A friend from facebook posted this one and this picture really touched my heart. What's in it for the picture is that we should not be forgetful on what our parents did for us. The love, care, affection, attention and time that they have given us is the least that we can give back. They have devoted themselves in caring for us and our siblings.

Let us not bear in mind that they are doing such things for the sake of them being a parent for us but let us keep in our very thoughts that they are off to caring us because of love and no other thing but love. They may nag, scold or can't give us what we want but there are reasons behind that. And those reason are reasonable enough for us to understand. But sometimes, because of stubbornness we have evicted the real meaning of their deeds.

After seeing the picture, I felt very nostalgic about my younger years. Those years where I am not that able enough to do things on my own. I needed the assists of my parents once in my life and I am thankful that their hands are just there to help me.

Bottom line: Let us give our parents love, proportionally or much greater than the love that they have given us. Let us be thankful of our parents and thank God for He have given our parents to us. You need not to have extravagant gifts to show your love or appreciation them, a simple I LOVE YOU may do. So for those who can read this, I LOVE YOU is a just a three letter word. Shorter than your english essays, simplier than your math problems, easy to memorize than words in your history class, and the strength it can give is better than what your PE classes can.

Enough said. Bye :)

A joke that made my day :)

Girl: Kuya, holdaper ka ba?

Boy: Bakit dahil ba ibibigay mo ang lahat wag lang kitang saktan?

Girl: Hindi. Namumukhaan kasi kita ee.

HAHAHAHA :))))

Lesson: Don't be assuming. A double meaning might occur. HAHA