MY BIRTHDAY SPEECH (nyahahahahaha)

Overwhelmed by the FB greetings and text messages and calls received during my birthday, I just came to realize that I may be scant financially but I am so definitely wealthy with loving family and friends. A good enough reason among many other things to be grateful in my 35 years of existence. And so my birthday celebration had me reflected that celebration of life is indeed beautiful!

At around  4:00 o'clock in the morning the boarders made an effort to have their own mañanita version for me in which I almost did not hear because they only sang one song, the "Happy Birthday Song".  Actually I thought I was dreaming when I first heard them sing so I went back to sleep and it was probably after 15 minutes that I finally realized they were repeatedly singing the Happy Birthday  and that I was not dreaming and that they were all gathered outside our door.. it definitely made my morning (LOL).

Then at 9:00 o'clock I celebrated my birthday with a Eucharistic Celebration in Impalambong Chapel in celebration of Impalambong Fiesta and birthday of Mama Mary too :-) The very reason why I was named Maria in the first place.

At home,  Arnel and my two boys surprised me with a bouquet of roses. I just don't know but no matter how old fashioned receiving roses are,  I still find it sweet and delightful every time I received one from my husband and kids :-) 

A lunch treat from Mama  followed who ordered her favorite dish at Antons restaurant, the delicious sweet and sour fish and a birthday cake for me, aside from her cash gift of course hehehehehe. Though I said thank you already, again, Ma thank you for the treat! It made my day special indeed with you around the whole day!

Then it was followed by a birthday dinner treat of Arnel for me with much help from a very dearest couple friend Mabel and Jeri Montana. Mabel cooked all the food while our househelp Jean-Jean cooked the pancit for me. It was Arnel's idea that I won't be cooking this year and so it was a stress free birthday indeed! hehehehehe. Though it rained heavily the whole afternoon, some friends still managed to celebrate with me. Sad to note though that I found out the next day that some friends  were not able to receive my text invitation (sorry but Globe sucked that day!). Nevertheless, I got busy the whole day receiving calls from my in-laws and friends and replying to text and FB greetings and entertaining friends who came over to celebrate with me. Thanks to Bobby Tadlas too for sharing his cash winnings in the DOLE fun run held that morning and to Buggy Intong who paid most of the drinks that made almost all runners drunk and had them all singing until 10:00 o'clock  in the evening hehehehehehe...

Again, to my ever dearest and one and only husband hehehe... I do feel your love for me. I truly appreciate how you accepted me for what I am and for what I am not and for bringing out the best in me in our almost 10 years of married life.  I love you big time! Thank you too Miggy for being a good and loving kuya and for being patient with Baste who has finally reached his terrible 2 stage hehehehe... and to our dear sweet Baste who never fails to amaze me with his new learned words and tricks.

Edan, Lyn-Lyn and Jean-jean

And thank you to the two person who has made me and Arnel's life easier. To Jean-Jean who has been with us for almost 5 years already and has done all the dirty works in the house that I'm supposed to be doing together with his brother Edan who has been with us for a year already. From laundry to marketing to cooking to cleaning the house to taking care of the aquariums of Arnel to taking care of Miggy and Baste and even attend to our little carenderia and mini sari-sari store business :-) The very reason why we can still manage and find time to run on weekends. To Lyn-Lyn also who has stayed with Mama for I think almost 12 years and is now helping us with our little sari-sari store near Mama's house. We are so lucky indeed to have you as part of the family.

I have so many family and friends to thank for... I may not be able to mention your names but truly deeply inside my heart I thank you all for  crying with me in my down moments, for being happy with my personal achievements and success, and for not failing to be there all the time when help is needed. I would personally like to thank too Noreen, Meriden and Teray for giving their advance birthday gift... their cash donation to the Tri-30+  run last September 1, 2012 :-)


P.S (added at 6:03 in the morning, September 19, 2012 :-)
A friend just reminded me why I was not able to mention the name of a very dear and loyal friend for life in my blog and she definitely bugged my conscience this morning because she is so right. How could I ever fail to thank a friend who I am so indebted all through these years for she has been there for Arnel and me through thick and thin and that is you Venessa Adalin Garcia.  Thank you for being a true and loyal friend, for being so generous and thoughtful. You are indeed a sister I never had and thank you indeed for putting up with me all these years. So sorry girl that I completely fail as a friend and was not able to mention you earlier. I guess I was too hooked up concentrating what happened on the day of my birthday and you were so busy that day being the judged of the cheering competition in Capitol University.... Levelling up my dear friend! hehehehehehe. Thanks to Noreen who could not hold back and have to ask why. I guess your being observant Nors can be so helpful sometimes hehehehehe. And another PS... I also have to thank Tita Marietta Dela Cerna. Because of you I have my very own original Guess shades hahahahahahahahaha...

MY SECOND 30KM RUN :-)

Before the Tri-30+ Run for a Cause  last September 1,2012, Arnel, my husband has been bugging me for a week with a question, "Why would I want to go with an ordeal of running a 30km".  You see, ever since we tried our very first long distance run from Malaybalay to Valencia, he has and will never be fond of long distance running. 

All the answer he got from me was,  "kanya kanyang hilig lang yan, support ka na lang...", and so he did.

Nevertheless, my husband's question has piqued me the whole 5 hours I had been running from Kisolon to Malaybalay especially after running the first 15-km uphill route where I can already feel cramps and soreness on my legs. So what has really made me surge ahead and  run 30km again in which I consider before as like that of attempting suicide? (as the expression goes... "hikog na sad!")...

First of all, when Fr Robert Selecios posted the event in facebook, I only clicked "attending" because I want to be updated with the event. But Fr Robert called me up and asked my confirmation if I would be really running with added push that I should believing I can do it plus additional boost from fellow runners that I should run because they also believe I can (http://www.facebook.com/events/375673799166309/)... so who can't say no to that? So I said to myself, heck! if they believe I can then I must try it. Anyway, there's always a lot of option along the road if I could not...

pix by Gwendolyn Balahay

Second, the Tri-30 run is not about who gets to cross the finish line first, so there's no pressure of time and no pressure of competing each other, it's all about running for a good cause... the run intends to help in finishing the Special Education Building at Kalasungay who caters special children by.giving them the right education they deserve and intends to help parents who can't afford to put their special child to an expensive special child education. The cause of the run was indeed good enough reason for me to voluntary undergo a gruelling 30 km run and to sign up with no apprehensions at all and to top that I have friends who willingly volunteered as sponsors and believed on the cause of the run... it has inspired me all the more to run!

Third, I already accepted the fact that I am and may never be a fast runner (kumbaga hindi talaga pang elite category and running skills ko hehehehe) but the challenge of long distance running for an average runner like me indeed takes a lot of strong determination and a handful of strong will power, long distance running will always be a personal triumph for me. As mentioned earlier, I already felt cramps and soreness on my legs after 15kms of uphill running... the determination to move on and not give up knowing that I still need to run 15kms more took a lot of courage from me. I had to fight off what my mind and body has been telling me joint by a worrying husband who has been challenging and tempting me to ride his bike the whole time he gets to join me during the run. I guess that feeling of conquering all that mix-up adverse emotion inside me and the ability to endure all the pain felt by my body during the last 10km of the run was such a sweet personal victory..

At Kalasungay 3km more to go! 

So I guess the fact that a lot of fellow runners believed in me that I can do it, coupled with a good cause of the run and the challenge to conquer the psychological and physical pain a long distance runner felt are the factors that made me decide to run 30km distance again.

So again and again I would like to thank Fr. Robert for letting us experience TRI-30+ run for a cause whose first concept was supposed to be to gather 30 runners who will be running 30kms with 30 sponsors whose aim is to gather only Php30,000 to help finish the SPED building at Kalasungay, Bukidnon. But due to the unbelievable response of everyone the Tri-30+ run was participated by a total of 50+ volunteer runners, running 31kms and as of to date has reached a total of Php77,000 donations and still counting, its already more than half the amount of what was aimed. 

Stock Farm Water and Food Station

with Tito Sammy Adeva

Oh! I would like to take note too that a lot of Fr. Robert's parishioners believed in the cause of the run too considering the preparations they have to do to make the water and food stations worth remembering for us runners and to all the mobile marshalls especially the biker marshalls and the Red Cross. 

Thank you so much my dear husband Arnel for the support together with your bike buddies Jeri, Pipo, Carl and Joms and to the rest of the marshalls. Indeed, it was an amazing and meaningful 2nd 30km run for me!