Xīnnián kuàilè! Kung hei fat choi! Gong xi fa cai! Happy New Year to all my Chinese readers! In the photo is me and my kids at Binondo, the oldest existing Chinatown in the world. That was yesterday, when Mommy Ginger and I and our families took the Pasig River Ferry and got off at Escolta to go exploring old Manila.
It's the Year of the Wood Dragon and I'm a Dragon! Well, I'm a Fire Dragon so it's not EXACTLY my year but I feel a lot of good energy this year anyway. I'm not Chinese and so I don't really follow the horoscope but let's humor ourselves.
The predictions say that industries with wood in them will prosper this year. So I guess it's time to publish my second book (paper)! I hope I can get your support again. I still can't thank you enough for the success of my Not Invisible book. Let me know what you want me to write about next, although I already have book plans for 10 books! Ambisyosa! But I know I can count on you so thank you!
The predictions also say, however, that it's not going to be a good year for Dragons. Oh, what irony haha The advice is to keep a low profile and don't spend money (oops, there goes my book!). Also, health won't be good. I'm already taking steps to take care of that since last year, my body was going crazy and so this year I just want to prioritize my mental and physical health.
Last year, I didn't feel too well. I was down and unhealthy and didn't feel positive about anything at all. There was this massive cloud of doubt, anxiety, and despair all over me. I promise to blog about it and I'll do so this week. I'm just glad that that's over.
This year, actually, around December last year, I felt that terrible cloud dissipating and then finally disappear. So I feel really good about 2024. I'm excited and happy again. For me, the new year actually starts on February, or whenever Chinese NewYear starts. It's true! January always feels like an extension of the previous year - I'm still paying bills for stuff I spent during the holidays, I'm still cleaning up last year's mess, and this January, I had to do something I've not done in a decade - I had to do an evaluation of my performance as an employee. So January 2024 was still all about 2023.
So today, a new year has officially begun not just for the Chinese community but for me! And despite all those negative predictions, I'll just do what I usually do. Live one day at a time! I think this year is already better because I'm not depressed anymore. I don't need to make any career changes or succeed or get rich or whatever. As long as I'm not struggling with that awful cloud anymore and my health is okay, I'll be okay.
After all, there's horoscopes and astrologers and fortunetellers. But I have God to see me through. And that's more than enough for me! It will be a good year, a happy year. And you'll be with me so it's already off to a good start!
Happy New Year, everybody! Praying for blessings of health and love and purpose for all of us!
This weekend is the Manila International Book Fair! That means it's the anniversary of The End Of All Skies by Vincent C. Sales! Here are a few pics of us at his book signing today at SMX. Plus, I'm finally making a book review... after one year!
One year ago, the entire family trooped to SMX, and even while we were still clutched in the claws of a pandemic, we all decided that this book launch was such a monumental event, that we all had to be there. When a dream comes true, you have to bear witness! Here's a couple of photos from that day a year ago today:
The boys were still so small! In just one year, they're nearly as tall as me!
Vince getting interviewed by the NBDB
I wanted to share this joyful event with you, my dear Loyal Readers. This was such a happy day. It took Vince years to write his Filipino fantasy novel. It took years of shopping it around. It took years of prayer! And how wonderful that when the fullness of time came, his novel was published by the biggest publisher in the world, Penguin Random House!
Vince's publishing journey is not my story to tell, however. I can only tell some of it and only from a wife's point of view.
So I'll do a book review instead!
I read the book while waiting outside our youngest boy's chess club.
The End Of All Skies is a unique novel. The world building is gorgeous and it takes time to do this so be patient at the start. It's unlike any fantasy world but it's not wholly invented because if you remember all the alamat (myths) we studied way back in elementary school, it's our ancient Filipino stories, our mythical creatures, our old gods. This is why it felt spectacularly imaginative and yet familiar for me as a Filipina, but I think global readers will find it all very new.
The End Of All Skies is about how dreams big and small dreamt by people big and small can achieve something great and terrible. It's told from many points of view and the ancient Filipino names are hard to remember and there are many. It's best to read it in one sitting so you can follow all the stories. And there are many!
The destruction of the city Sun Girna Ginar is coming and we see it unfolding from all these characters affected by this great and terrible sultanate and the cruel tyrant who rules it. Whose story is real? Whose story matters? All these stories, vignettes of many lives, all fuse in the middle of the book and then, with the settings and characters established, the plot now moves very quickly. In the end, I realized each story is important because each one, no matter how short or fleeting, contributed to the downfall of Sun Girna Ginar.
The story resonated with me deeply as a Filipino. I think people who were colonized, who struggled with dictators and corrupt governments, who dealt with an alipin (slave) mentality, and who have forgotten their greatness will have a more profound connection with the story.
I was moved to tears a few times, when I read about heroes who believed the people are worth dying for, about the downtrodden who finally realized they too have power inside them then rose up and overthrew a powerful tyrant, about ordinary people who cleverly faced mythical creatures like tikbalang and gigante to achieve their goals.
It's a fascinating read! A few reviews said they found it challenging to get into, especially when they're used to just one point of view. I also think people who've never been in a position where imperialists and traitors stole everything from your country will find it fantastical. Sadly in the Philippines, this is still a frighteningly true and relevant story.
The End Of All Skies is worth reading if you're up for something new and different. And powerful and true.
The language is so beautiful, too. I am a lover of words and the words are so gorgeous, almost poetic. Sometimes I would pause and reread the sentences because they're just so pretty.
I highly recommend! Proud of this #FilipinoNovel. Proud of the Filipino story. May we #NeverForget who we are!
If you're going to the book fair this weekend, all Penguin books are at 20% off at the giant Fully Booked booth! Buy 5 Penguin books and you get a cool Penguin umbrella!
Over the last few years, some dear Loyal Readers dropped messages in my inbox asking if I was ever going to talk about Papa because I said I would. I promised it in "When peace is a complicated thing," and maybe you should read that first because it will help you understand this post.
Papa died in April 2019, and while I had peppered my blog with stories of how Papa and I had drifted apart in the last two decades of his life, I still thought I would feel his loss. People told me that I would regret our distance. That I would regret not trying harder.
But I'd already tried. Talked, gave (how much I gave!), forgave, tried again. I was always trying because I felt that I owed that to him because he was my father, and that I owed it to Mama, who also always tried till the day she died. I found out later from my aunt that Mama regretted trying to make it work all the damn time. So that informed my decision to walk away later on when the straw finally broke the camel's back.
That was the day when I visited him yet again with my little baby boys, and he just kept watching TV. Nakwento ko na ba ito? Anyway, there was a basketball game. He loved basketball. But I was there, and with his grandsons, too! Surely he loved us more? So I said, "Papa, look at your apos. Play with them. Or play the guitar. They love music! Get to know them. We're only here once a month, and they grow so fast." And Papa, without looking away from the TV, said, "I don't have to. I know all I need to know from your Facebook posts."
I was shocked, but not surprised. I guess the shock was him saying that in front of my kids. I tried again. "But you know Facebook is just the highlight reel. Don't you want to know how we really are?"
And still not taking his eyes off his stupid basketball game, he said, "I'm okay with Facebook."
So I let him be okay with Facebook. He shared my sons' photos with gushing updates and his 5,000+ friends liked and commented, "You're such a great lolo! So blessed!" They never knew he never asked to see my sons, never even asked about them. Kahit text man lang na "Kumusta na ang mga bata?" wala. He went out of his way to see friends and relatives na mas malayo pa sa bahay ko, but my sons? No. Ni ha, ni ho, wala.
I can forgive anything done to me. But it's a different story when it comes to my kids. If you're not making an effort to get to know my kids, then they don't need to know you. It took me a long time to learn that I shouldn't force myself on friends, guys, jobs, situations. Kung ayaw, eh di huwag, diba?
Why then should I force my children on people who don't care about them? My sons don't deserve that indignity. I say this with no anger at all. I'm over it frankly. Papa and I had forgiven each other before he died. Tapos na yun. But people ask what happened and here is the story. Now you know. It's sad. Some people say, "Para yun lang." It's not "yun lang" for me. Reject my kids, I reject you. Any good parent will do the same to protect their children. Even then, believe it or not, I have no anger or hate at all. Not even disappointment. I expected it after all.
People still ask sometimes, "Do you miss him? Do you regret not having a relationship with your Papa?" And I know they want me to say I do. And you know what? I also wish I could say I do.
Listen to this song. Remove the romance aspect of the lyrics and that's how I feel about Papa.
I want it to hurt. I want to hurt so badly because that would mean I lost something so vital, it hurts to breathe.
When Mama died, it truly felt like someone punched a hole through my chest. Until now, I whisper sometimes into the void, "I wish you could see me now, Mama. You'd be so proud of me." And I'd tell her about Vince, our perfect boys, my imperfect ways of mothering. I'd ask her did she feel as lost or as amazing as I do. I'd tell her my heart breaks when I realize she didn't have money many times, and I only understand the despair and fear now as a mother, too. And I come from a place of having enough when she raised us with barely enough to get by. I still talk to her, and for 15 years she hasn't talked back. I think I'll do this until we finally catch up in heaven.
But with Papa... I remember only one time when I cried. I was in a taxi. This was a few months after Papa died, still before the pandemic, and I was stuck in traffic. I saw another taxi idling by the curb on the other side of the street, the driver helping an old man load suitcases into the trunk. A young woman hurried to him with another bag. They both hugged like they'd never see each other again, and I knew she was flying off to work in another country. The taxi drove off (it wasn't traffic on that side of the road) and the old man stared after it for a long time. And that sad, longing, proud-parent smile broke me.
I never had that with Papa. When I left home, when I got married, when Mama died, when he left to live in Leyte, when my kids were born. Nothing. He was like, "Hey, this is it. So good luck." No joke, guys. Talagang wala lang talaga. I got more emotion and support for my life events from you, my blog readers, than from my own father.
I don't hate him. I'm not even angry at him. After our talk at the hospital as he hovered near death, I realized he didn't know what to do with me or act around me. He felt inadequate as a man, a husband, and as a father. He was ashamed. And he was afraid. That's why he never even tried. I came away from our talk reeling because Papa was one of the funniest, smartest, incredibly charming, and unbelievably talented men that walked this earth. And he had a beautiful wife! And beautiful, talented children and grandchildren! How could he not possess the confidence and grace of one so gifted?
I still feel this immense sadness for him, for Mama, and for my siblings. All the pain we went through! Sana nagalit na lang ako kasi I know how to deal with my anger. Kahit na ano pang laki ng liyab ng galit, nauubos din ito. But sadness is like the sea. And my sadness for this poor old man who lived his life in fear of disappointing everyone and so ended up disappointing everyone, who was so afraid to give so he took and took... My God, how my heart aches with sorrow for Papa!
But does my heart ache for him?
You know, I wish I missed him. I do. He doesn't occupy my thoughts unless people ask, and that so rarely. I miss the idea of a father. I see Vince being so involved in our sons' lives. I see Vince's dad swooping in when we need help. I see my friends doting on their daddies and their daddies still doting on them - note that my friends are middle-aged women like me! I read about God's provision, protection, and care for His children. And I miss that kind of fathering. And yet how can you miss something you never really had?
So sometimes - not all the time, and only when I stare long enough at fathers being daddies - I like to imagine that things were different.
I like to imagine that Papa cried at my wedding and gave an embarrassing speech that made everyone laugh and cry. I like to imagine he was there all the times I was pregnant, getting emotional that his daughter was now a mommy. I like to imagine loud Sunday lunches and my boys around their Lolo and his guitar on his knee and him singing to them in his wonderful voice. I like to imagine him giving me advice when I found marriage, motherhood, and life overwhelming and he'd say stuff like, "I wish your Mama could see you now. She'd be so proud of you."
I like to imagine he was proud of me.
The mind is a malleable thing and maybe my imaginings will turn into memories, which, though false, will be something I can hold on to. And maybe then I can finally grieve.
"I still love the people I've loved, even if I cross the street to avoid them."
As per the last time I blogged about these people, their names are not mentioned so this won't appear on Google search. The photos should tell you who they are but I won't write their names, okay. Why? Because fans of the older brother and his wife leave abusive messages and threats. I'm not even the younger brother and his wife and I experienced a tiny bit of the vitriol they get every day. I can't imagine being them.
Have you watched this docuseries on Netflix? You should! The first chapter (3 episodes) is so romantic and nakakakilig. Watch!
But I'm a storyteller. I know what they're doing. They're softening us up because this week's chapter is going to be hard-hitting, explosive, shocking... all the adjectives you see on tabloids! Exciting!
But let's get serious. Let me tell you something that's been bothering me ever since the start of this whole circus. But no one has actually commented on it.
But first, I want to establish I'm firmly on Team MM. Not even Team H&M. Just Team MM.
Everyone's mad at MM, assigning her the Angry Black Woman trope. But it's PH who has an axe to grind. PH is the one angry, the one hurting, the one whose mother was killed, the one who had no special protection deal with the press, the one with the explosive secrets, the one publicly struggling with mental health issues, the one who has been hounded by tabloids for almost 40 years, the one whose wife was bullied relentlessly by the press and countless men and women all over the world. He has every right to be angry.
MM? Why would she be angry? She said herself she had a happy childhood, that even though her parents were divorced, her mom and dad doted on her, that she was a daddy's girl. She studied in an exclusive girls school, had a good acting career, was busy with her humanitarian causes, has tons of friends who adore her, had a lifestyle website that made good money, and was never in any scandal. Her haters say they never heard of her. That's easily explained - only the scandalous ones are talked about. The good girls in Hollywood are boring. And MM is a good girl. So good that even when the tabloids offered money to her castmates to say they slept with her, they said no.
MM's life was PERFECT. Then PH came along and she lost her sweet career, her beloved website, her relationship with her dad, her squeaky-clean reputation, and her peace of mind!!!
The third date was camping with no bathroom, shower, or toilet anywhere. MM, you should've run away! 😂
She's so unused to bad things happening that she had suicidal thoughts when things got tough. She didn't know what to do. Her life was the most negatively affected by this romance, not PH's. Because PH's life has always been hell. His parents had their affairs all over the tabloids, his former family treated his brother better, his parents had an ugly divorce, his mother was killed, he had to comfort a grieving country when he was just 12, then his father married the woman who tormented his mother, his normal teenage adventures of parties/girls/alcohol were gossip fodder of an entire nation (possibly the world), and his girlfriends were hounded by the paparazzi and eventually chased away.
PH has always hated his life. He repeatedly said in interviews when he was young: "I don't have photos of my family here in the army unlike the other soldiers; I don't want to live in the UK, I want to live in Africa; I'm angry at the tabloids, etc."
PH is angry and he's not going to shut up until his anger is spent.
And yet we all blame the woman! It's always the woman's fault even though she hardly has said anything. It's PH who's always dropping the bombshells about his original family. But, of course, who do we blame? The woman. The way we blame rape victims, sexual harassment victims, or when a man cheats, kasalanan ng babae kasi nagkulang siya.
Bakit laging babae may kasalanan? Wala bang sariling pag-iisip yung lalaki? Hindi ba siya marunong mag-sariling desisyon? Why do we treat PH like he's this innocent young boy? He was frikkin' 32 years old when he met MM!
It's misogyny that we blame MM. Because why blame her when it's PH who rushed her to marry, who didn't prepare her for the role, who didn't protect her from his family and the courtiers, who revealed the (not so) shocking tidbit about a racist family member? MM never even heard that skin-color comment herself and PH should never have told her. She was already mentally fragile tapos gagatungan pa ni PH???
I've always blamed PH for all this shit. Buti na lang mahal siya ng asawa niya. Kung ako si MM, walk out ako agad. The hate is never worth it, kahit sinong Prince Charming pa siya.
Anyway, all that said, I'm glad PH is now making it up to MM. He took her and their kids out of that toxic environment. He looks like he's completely besotted with her. He's a happy daddy. He's working hard to be financially independent (unlike the RF that still depends on the taxpayer to pay for their palaces, designer gowns, helicopter rides, etc). And though it's distasteful, he's defending his decisions (yes, HIS decisions!) even if it puts his former family in a bad light.
Ya know, if my father also had a torrid affair, caused my mother torment, divorced her and stripped her of protection which eventually had a hand in causing her death, I'd hate him, too. If anyone goes after my husband, maybe I'll stand back muna kasi he's an adult but if foul na, I'd defend him tooth and nail, too.
But if anyone dares go after my children, I'd be out for blood. No one touches my kids. And the abuse the kids of H&M get from the tabloids and the rest of this evil world??? I don't care if anyone will call me inelegant, classless, walang modo sa reactions ko. Nanay ako. Come after my kids and I will do everything to destroy you.
I'm sure any good parent will understand. And that's why I'm Team MM. And maybe Team PH... Nope. I still haven't forgiven him for finding a perfectly happy-on-her-own woman and then changing her life for the worse.
Then again, there's this viral Tiktok that jokes that that's what men do. But of course, it's the woman's fault for letting him, right? 🙄😠
P.S. The most asked question sa akin about H&M is, "Bakit dami nilang kwento eh diba they wanted privacy?" They NEVER said that. Whenever people ask me that, I judge them severely: "Aha, you're one of those people who only read the tabloid headlines, don't click to read the full article, and don't confirm your sources."
Here's what they said in 2020, with my edits and notes in italics:
After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution [within daw, sa loob, hindi sa labas!].
We intend to step back [step back, not step away] as ‘senior’ members of the RF and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support HM The Q [as in they won't stop their public royal duties but W didn't allow this at the Sandringham Summit].
It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Q, the Commonwealth, and our patronages [again, their original plan was to still work as public royals].
This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity [space daw, not privacy].
We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with HM The Q, The PofW, The DoC and all relevant parties [collaborate daw, but this wasn't allowed].
Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.
Reading comprehension matters!
And because people keep screaming "Privacy!", their global press secretary, A.H., accused the British tabloids of inventing this lie and last week told The New York Times:
[H&M's] statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series. They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them.
So there's my answer to that "we want our privacy" lie.
P.P.S. Am I against W&K? Ya know, all I'll say again is I'm Team K. Why do I support K? Because MM said on their O interview, "K is a good person."
That means that K didn't treat her badly. As for W... That's a post for another day!
He's a senior journalist who had to delete this Tweet because someone from the Palace threatened him, which means the RF actually does have a say on what's published about them. It's not true they maintain a "dignified silence."
Well, doing the grocery is crazy these days. This is half a cabbage head for P95 and it's the size of my hand.
I have small hands. So that's not a lot of cabbage for that price.
Here are 4 small onions that fit in my hand. These cost almost P80. The secret of my delicious meals pa naman is lots of onion and garlic! They add that umami taste without the need for MSG. But now, kailangan i-ration ang bawang at sibuyas.
I understand that the world is going into a recession so life is going to get harder, if it isn't already. This year's been financially tough on us because of my medical situation a few months ago. But I'm not going to lose hope. I'm just going to keep looking for a better and more stable job. Wish me luck!
Yeah, being an entrepreneur in these times is not working out for me anymore, unlike in 2012-2017, when the economy was so strong and the country had huge money reserves under the Aquino administration that buoyed us up even when we had a change of government. But now we're drowning in debt again and will continue to be dragged down into the depths if the Maharlika Wealth Fund (MWF) gets approved.
The MWF is not a new concept. Many countries have also set up a sovereign wealth fund (SWF). It's a great way to preserve the transfer of a nation's wealth from one generation to the next and to stabilize macroeconomics. But the MWF bill is frighteningly not the same. According to Businessworld, here's just one reason of many:
Grabe, hindi pa nga resolved ang PhilHealth P15-billion corruption scandal under the Duterte administration, may nahanap na namang pagkakataon ang bagong gobyerno na nakawan tayo, this time using the pension funds, among others. Sana kilatisin talaga ng Senado ang bill na yan. But with pressure from the president himself, the bill speedily approved by Congress may be a law by next week.
Scary. Even the president's sister said it's a bad idea.
But I'm going to trust our Senate will do a good job! Pray for them please.
Anyway, today I'll share how I cook our meals with tipid tips I learned growing up in a 10-member household that had a P100 daily budget. Syempre, this was decades ago! And yes, that was my job - feed 10 people for just P100 a day. Here are a few tips:
1. Cut your veggies finely. Not naman minced, mga tiny cubes lang. Same with meat. More mileage yan hehe
2. Cut off the fat from your pork and fry that first. And that's now your cooking oil! May instant homemade chicharon ka pa after!
3. Make masabaw na ulam. Tinola, nilaga, sinigang, ganyan. Soups go a looooong way.
4. Buy canned and frozen vegetables! Mas mura. Don't be afraid of canned and frozen produce. They are processed immediately after harvest so their goodness is preserved. And you don't have to worry about your fresh veggies rotting in case you were too busy to cook.
5. In case you do have veggies that are wilting in the ref, gawin mong vegetable soup. I like roasting them and then blitzing in the blender with chicken stock. Or just roast them and meron ka nang delicious side dish! Pwede mo rin gawing atsara.
And here's my tomato soup recipe. But replace the canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes roasted in the oven for 15 minutes.
Sigh.
I'm tired of having grit and being resilient. Yes, it's an amazing quality to have. I want my kids to have these. But they also mean that life is so hard and we've had to bear it and do what we can to survive. But, honestly, in our country, life doesn't have to be hard all the time. Look at how Pasig and Iloilo are doing so well - proof that when a city is free of corruption and is transparent and accountable (no to confidential and intel funds!), the people benefit so much.
Let's not be resilient anymore. Let's demand accountability, transparency, honesty. Let's demand that all of our taxes work for us and us alone. Let's demand that the government we elected be true public SERVANTS, serving us instead of themselves. Grabe, Pilipinas, ilang dekada na tayong ganito. Mangarap naman tayo at gumawa ng totoong pagbabago. Kakasawa na. Kakasuka na.
Good luck to us all. Don't worry about me, by the way! We're still fine. I'm just trying to be more frugal these days. Buti na lang we have family and wise investments that helped us. Still, I'm in the middle of a job search because we would like very much to be able to breathe a little. Pray for me!
Hello, my dear Loyal Readers! I disappeared! My last post here was early October and lookie here - it's almost December! What did we miss???
Well, I missed you, that's for sure. I've always enjoyed sharing my stories here on the blog because you share your stories, too! And then I don't feel so alone. Thank you! But since I've been quiet, we haven't been talking. And I miss you all!
So let me tell you what's been up with me. I'm sharing some posts from my Instagram because I do a few life updates there. So follow me @francesampersales! But I'll do a summary here as well.
First, some of you emailed or DM'd to ask about my literally bloody predicament in my last life update (School, Sex, Blood & Books). Thanks for asking! I'm better now. Not bleeding anymore. Huge relief considering I was bleeding profusely from August to October. What hell! I had to have a D&C so that the gynecologist can rule out scary diseases.
Thankfully, I'm just perimenopausal. My reproductive system is okay, just acting up because I'm an old woman. What a relief! But it was a truly stressful week worrying about cancer. I switched birth control and after a few weeks adjusting to the shot, I'm sooo happy. No more blood!
Then right after I got out of the hospital, I was busy supporting my husband and the launch of his novel, The End of All Skies. It's gotten good reviews on Goodreads, Instagram #TheEndOfAllSkies, and blogs.
We're happy fellow Southeast Asians love the book. I'm hoping it also finds an audience globally. Our mythology is very different from the West, which is familiar with East Asian stories. But Filipino, Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Thai, and the rest of the region? No. Even Moana was strange for many people in the West. We need to talk about our own stories because ours is so rich and wild and spectacular!
Please buy a copy of Vince's novel! If you want a signed copy and a FREE copy of his first book, Children in Exile, order from me! It's P1,050 plus shipping.
Send me an email - frances@topazhorizon.com. Now na! Thanks!
Anyway, it's not all happy news. My sons' hamsters died. It's been sad and sweet, saying good-bye to the cute critters that made the last 2 years so bearable. We thought we'd have one more year with them (tame hamsters can live up to 3 years), but apparently, their sole purpose was to keep my quarantined kids happy while the COVID-19 virus raged outside our home. And now that we're all vaccinated and better equipped to face the world, our hamsters went over the Rainbow Bridge, their task done.
Let me tell you that our hearts were so heavy the weeks we waited for the hamsters to pass away. They were old and slow, spending the days just sleeping. The kids were stressed, wondering, "Is this the day?" Finally, the dreaded days did arrive. My boys were so sad. I was sad, too, because I was the main caretaker of those hamsters! We comforted each other. And it's been 5 weeks but my youngest boy just told me as I'm blogging, "Mama, I miss Chocnut."
Gosh, we love you and miss you, Choccy and Spoody. Thanks for the joy!
I didn't do anything special. I was recovering from my health scare, neck-deep in homeschooling, trying to write my werewolf romance novel, looking for a job (which means no budget for any big celebrations!), and being a mom and wife. I was exhausted!
But grateful. Always grateful. Thank you so much for the love! Maybe when I turn 47, I'll have pictures to share!
Oh, another thing that I appreciate is I found out my blog turned up in these lists by Feedspot:
Thanks, Feedspot! I didn't even know I had an RSS feed. I'm kinda bewildered by this all since I was never on these lists when I was one of the top mom bloggers in the country way back from 2008 to 2016. Now that I'm hardly blogging and my stats have understandably gone down, my blog gets recognized. And on 3 lists, too!
I'm thankful. That tells me that despite the sporadic posts, I'm still writing good posts.
That also tells me to blog again!
I know everyone's on Tiktok now. Apparently, people don't read anymore and just want to watch people dancing and pointing to floating words while smiling and shaking their heads. But that shouldn't stop me from blogging because I'm writing for the ones who do still read. And you are my favorite people. The best kind of all - readers!
I have sooo many stories. Plus, some of you suggested topics or sent questions about my life and marriage so there - more stuff to blog about! So I'll get to that.
Hey, thank you for sticking around. There are so many other blogs and vlogs and social media accounts to follow, yet here you are. Thanks for caring. It means the world to me. You mean the world to me! I love you all!
Hi, everyone! I'm Frances. I'm the author of Not Invisible. I'm also a lifestyle and parenting writer, a book editor, the co-founder of Lean In Manila, and I have a day job in corporate communications. When I find time away from my busy life as all mentioned and as a wife and mom, I blog here.
Welcome to my blog! It's a 16-year-old honest and safe space for working moms, mothers of boys, and feminists (I just described all of myself). Thanks for dropping by!
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