The Hallotober Tag

I recently went on a four-week trip to the Philippines, with an exciting three-day stopover in Los Angeles. During this trip, I celebrated my 30th birthday, got married, bought my mom her dream car, and explored a new city. It was a whirlwind of joy and unforgettable experiences. My wedding planning started last May after I got engaged. We needed a year to save money, plan the theme, and organize everything to ensure our loved ones could come. It was a big task that took up a lot of my time, but I loved every moment of it. Planning a wedding in another country had its challenges. The time difference made it hard to communicate with vendors, and the cultural differences in wedding traditions were…

Hey everyone! How was your week? Mine has been pretty hectic, a lot of changes in my workplace and I had to take on a big responsibility all of a sudden. I spend my 7 hours at work fully and productively. After work I roam around West Bay and George Town to practice my driving skills, and do some errands every now and then. Sometimes I feel like all I ever do is work, eat, and sleep! Anyway, back to what I was saying, my mentor resigned effective immidiately before I was fully trained so I had to take on the responsibility earlier than expected, with support only from the offshore team. So much drama and tea! Well I could feel that she wasn’t really…

Today was one of those slow-paced Sundays where we didn’t really have a plan—we just drove around Mandeville with no particular destination in mind. Most of the shops were closed (as expected in the countryside on a Sunday), but that didn’t stop us from exploring and soaking up the scenery. One of the most interesting places we passed by was what my husband calls the “Red Lake.” He told me that when he was a little boy, people believed the lake turned red because nearby factories used to dump chemical waste into it. 😳 These days, it’s no longer a lake—just a wide expanse of reddish dirt. According to one of the locals we spoke with, my husband’s story checks out. They said the dumping…

Did you know that turtle meat is one of the national delicacies in Cayman? Where I’m from that would be bizarre to hear but interestingly enough it is not in this side of the world. The Cayman Turtle Centre is a conservation facility for turtles and also tourist spot here in West Bay. I’ve only been there once when I was 13 and never dared to go back until a couple of days ago. I got the urge to go visit due to a number of calls I receive from their Aviary department regarding problems with refrigeration. If you didn’t know yet, I work under a contractor for refrigeration so everytime the farm has some problems with their coolers, ACs, or fridge, I arrange for…

November 25 is my husband’s birthday, and this year we decided to take the whole day off just to be together. Nothing fancy or over the top. Just us, spending time and catching up on the things that actually matter. Most of the day was already set aside for his checkups anyway. He was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and since I’m pregnant, we figured it’s the best time for both of us to start eating healthier and paying closer attention to our health. He was in the ICU at the end of October because of DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). We were not aware of his condition. One day I just noticed his sudden weight-loss. He was lethargic so weak, I rushed him to the…

Have you ever had one of those moments where you would just suddenly stare in to space and all those past memories starts flashing back? Well I’ve had many of those moments the past few days, all triggered by simply glancing into my old canon camera, pill case by the night stand, dusty books, and many more. I know I had to go through so much to get where I am now, but really and truly, what matters the most is my personal growth for the past year. My mental health. I have been on SSRIs for about 8 months and I am happy to say that I’m now down to my last week! You have no idea how relieving it is to finally be…