June 4, 2020

Goodbye 20's - Timeless Thursdays 6

This Timeless Thursday I am sharing you this very special photo I found at the treasure chest in our house a.k.a. photo albums. Below is a photo of me from 26 years ago.


I can still remember that day this was taken despite my very young age. I think it was Christmas Day and it was a day I got really pissed. When I was a kid, I hate noises and screaming people, and we get lots of that during Christmas. There is a tradition in our family where my Grandpa and Grandma would climb midway on our stairs and would throw lots of coins and paper bills to the living room and all my cousins, aunts, and uncles would all drop to the ground and pick up as much money they can get. With all the laughter and happiness comes massive amounts of screaming which annoys and scares me so much (I don't know why, are some of your kids like that too?).

So to stop me from crying my lungs out, I can still remember how tired I got from crying, my Mom and Dad knew where to bring me. They drove 10 miles from our house to this Economic Zone called "Gateway" where a lot of flags are hoisted. It was an instant pacifier for me. I love flags. That tiny little boy on the picture knew every country, every flag, and every capital in the world at that age. It was my Uncle, he taught me that and my love for Geography and culture had never left until this very day. I can even remember how I would watch Pilot Guides as a kid and I would cry (see I'm pretty sentimental even from before) praying to God that someday I can see France and Thailand and New Zealand and Australia and Romania and Argentina and all the states in the USA and all the countries of the world - countries that kids my age never even knew of existing. So visiting them now one by one is a very big deal to me, they literally are dreams coming true and prayers being answered.

So Yes, seeing all those flags were a treat for me. So yes, they took me there and promised to take a photo of me with the flags and we went home with relief, especially my parents for sure.


***

It has been a crazy journey for me in the past 29 years of my life. A lot of tears, a lot of laughs, a lot of adventures, a lot of sadness, but all of it are filled with so much gratefulness. I thank the Lord for a lot of blessings that have come into my life, most of them wrapped in fancy colorful paper in the form of joyful and beautiful memories with my family and friends, but of course some of those blessings are in the form of lessons learned which made me the person who I am today. 

As I view myself today and to describe the product of the past 3 decades of my life, I can shared them through a series of words. Sentimental, Anxious, Jolly, Energetic, Driven, Ambitious, Warm, Grateful, Appreciative, and most of all I think I am Strong. 

I used to be someone who cries at school every time classmates would bully me or tease me based on their own liking, had a fair share of teachers who did not believe in me, and those who really did. Trust me I cried a lot when I was younger, even until high school. But that changed through time and even the hardest of pains just made me stronger, even losing loved ones were challenging but they don't make me cry so fast. But there's one thing about me when I grew up in the past few years. I became very sentimental. Not really with things but with people. Even the slightest gestures make me very happy. I guess it's really in my personality. That people who are just like me who are fond of making other people happy, finds so much joy when it's my turn to be shown kindness and thought. That is something I am very thankful of having, I think that is a great virtue life has instilled in me.

Today, at this very day, I celebrate my 30th birthday and I am very grateful to be celebrating it with you all my blogging friends from around the world. I may live a busy life at work and at grad school, but the love and friendship I have found with all of you is just so warming. With every visit, every comment you have left on this blog and at Cavite Daily Photo, it makes up my day and brings me so much joy, smiles, and a good feeling that I am not alone, never alone. I battled with anxiety in this past few months which brought me very low, but you guys have done a very big part in lifting me up. I just can't thank you all enough for the kind words, the long encouraging emails, for turning yourselves from strangers into good friends who I never even get to see yet. I pray that if I can be fortunate enough, that I may get to see some, if not all of you, in this lifetime. With all my heart, thank you all so much!

***
I would love to welcome and invite everyone to join this new Linky that I thought of starting - Timeless Thursdays(Bear with me for any short-comings, this is my first link ever)


Timeless Thursdays is open for anyone who wishes to share old photos or old thoughts that you would like to share as beautiful memories with everyone. This can be from yesterday, a year ago, or something from your grandma's treasure chest.
This runs every Thursday at 12 am (Manila/Perth Time) until Monday the same time (12 am)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

45 comments:

  1. ...and I hope that you have more days to come.

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    1. And I wish the same for you Tom! You brighten up a lot of days and makes us happy :)

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  2. Dear Stevenson!

    LOL!! I wanted to start like this (well, I do, too!):

    30. Wow!
    A very Happy Birthday to you, to a great new year.
    Are you married? I was not at that age and got this:

    My dear colleague S wanted to make a chain of boxes, cause in German a box is a "Schachtel" and 100 years ago when you were not married by age 30 you were an "old box".
    He did not dare, though ;-)
    My Brother wanted to rent a donkey and make me ride it backwards. 30 and not married, do that!

    If you are married or not take my FIL´s words:
    Get old or die.
    Simple as that, means: Enjoy every day and feel as old as you like!
    Dear friend, you´ll travel a lot, I suppose, you´ll have a great job, life and fun!! Great food, oh, if I could send over a Schnitzel, I´d do so! A Currywurst on top! With fries.
    How about an Apfelstrudel, yummy, too, with vanilla ice-cream.

    To the next 30 years and beyond! xx
    Little Corinna still waits to get started. But she says, too: Happy Birthday!

    You got really pissed??? LOL!
    Yes, noise drives me nuts. Always did!
    What a cutie pie-pic of you! And Strong is good!

    I might share how I was treated at school and teachers ignored my helplessness... but we came out strong!
    Just today I had a chat with a complete stranger, a real person. To a great new year, Stevenson, lillle Corinna saw you have code orange and she might be on the way to you soon :-)

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    1. Iris!!! First of all, thank you, for this beautiful and great read comment and also, thank you for being a great new friend that 2020 has given me! 2020 has been the worst year for the world but there are little golden stars to make us happy and for me, you are one of the golden stars!

      Married- Not. Hahaha that old box is so mean! And Funny! But hey, you passed by 30 without yet getting married but now you are with an amazing husband named Ingo so to live and wait is always a special thing with a great prize at the end :)

      Oh that is so beautiful! You made me so hungry with the foods you told especially currywurst which you share don your blog which I am very sure I would love! Would love to taste all of that someday right there in Germany! I hope and pray that someday i can visit Europe again and will definitely have a stop in Brunswick! It's top priority for me when I get back to Europe someday!

      Oh yes! I pray pray so hard for more years to fill my life's diary and do more things not just for me and my family but also for my country and the world!

      Hahaha we share that same thing! But now I start the noise hahaha but not in public though, we both hate screaming kids at parks HAHAHA Strong is very good! I remember when you told me you were being thrown by kids to the other because of your height and the fact that teachers ignore it ughhhh that's worse! But hey you are strong, and not just strong, you are filled with so much positivity that is so influential to us your friends even if we don;t see you in person, we get a lot from your positive and fun energy!

      Oh My!!! Now you make me so so happy again as always! Thank you so so much dear Iris and I really hope we can also go out soon so I can send you some goodies as well :)

      Hugs my dearest friend Iris! thank you for being such a great friend to me, to us all in this blogging world who have the honor to have a friend like you :)

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  3. Stevenson, oh :-)
    Yes we are one great community, aren´t we!
    Just let me know when you arrive - I´ll pick you up at the train station, according to my Mum it´s the windiest in Germany, don´t get blown away!!
    We rock the world, we try!
    Just today I nearly lost it recycling those darn water bottles, but, hey, it´s for the world´s best!
    Do you know Rumpelstilzchen / Rumpelstiltskin, I wasn´t far from jumping like he did!
    Sooo slow these machines!
    Lille Corinna really is just a little goodie! And she thinks of you every day, you´ll see, dear friend :-) Hugs!

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    1. Waaaa will sure do dear Iris! Now I know why I skipped Germany on my last trip when I flew across your whole country on my flight from Belgium to Czech last Winter! It's because I still haven't known you that time haha Oh I looove the wind!!! Than kyou so so much and Yes! I know about Rumplestiltskin! He is so scary! But love the story!
      yeyyyy no matter whatever is in it it will be very special to me coming from my dear friend Iris!

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  4. P.S. My Mum always said I´m a pessimist and I cannot cook. Weee. I´d proove her wrong, huh?
    Getting older is a great thing, just saying.

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    1. Waaaaa we all have the pessimist side son us but I tell you you are a big chunk of positivity and sunshine! Thanks for the word about getting older, I'm on deck with that :)

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  5. How wonderful and considerate of your folks to bring you to that place when they saw you were having difficulty. Your attitude of sharing your love with others is inspiring. Beat wishes on your birthday!

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    1. That is very true Kenneth. It was quite a drive, even if 10 miles is not very far, they were already tired because of the party we had at our house.

      That is so very nice of you Kenneth, thank you so much for those touching words :)

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  6. Happy Birthday Stevenson! I hope you have have a really happy day, and live to have many more birthdays :)
    I guess your potted rose was a present? I hope you enjoy many lovely gifts today. Hugz, Mxx

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    1. Margaret! Thank you very much for your beautiful wishes! I had a good share of surprises today and yes! That rose was a present for my birthday from my dear Aunt. Thank you so much dear Margaret and Happy Thursday morning there in NZ :)

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  7. Happy 30th Birthday Steve. God, I am way older than you, look how young you are and how far have you traveled. Your travel achievement have certainly surpassed many people at your age.

    I am amazed by how good you and your family keep the old pictures and still manage to maintain their qualities. Mine was mostly lost so I have few pictures of me when I was kid.

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    1. What!!! I thought I was older than you Cipu! You look younger than me on your photos! haha

      Cipu thank you very much for your very kind words! Those are so warming to me! And you are right, I thank my Mom for keeping them in albums and now as much as I could, I take photographs of them and save them also digitally :)

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  8. Stevenson ~ Wishing you a long and happy life starting with your 30th birthday ~ may you have a wonderful birthday and I am grateful for meeting you and sharing blogs ~ May you get to continue to travel the world over ~ Xox

    Be Safe, Be Well,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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    1. All my thanksgiving to you dear Carol! You are one of the first blogging friends I knew since I got back to blogging this year and I am so grateful for that! Wishing you also a longer life with best of health so we can share more experiences from our sides of the earth!

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  9. I think I am a little late but I wish you a joyous happy birthday and all good wishes for a happy NEW year because it is your first days of it and so much promise to come.

    I loved the photos here and especially your story about the flags and the coins. (I do like the idea of the coins and throwing things down but I can see where it would be a little overwhelming, especially for a small child.) How wise of your parents to know of this spot and to know that it would calm you.

    I'm grateful you have found friends (including me) in blog world, along with your real-life friends. You bring a lot to the table and I'm delighted that we discovered each other's blogs. Happy Birthday!

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    1. Thank you Jeanie that is so sweet of you! And you came right in perfect time, not late at all. Thank you so much for sharing your place on the world and how your everyday goes in your beautiful Michigan! I am very grateful with being friends with you dear Jeanie! Cheers to more years to our lives and our friendship!

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  10. Happy birthday Stevenson! Thirty is such an important milestone. I hope you have a wonderful day and a little celebration of some kind. Enjoy!

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    1. Thank you dearest Erika! I really did! I had my best friends come over and also my cousins surprised me :) It was so much fun seeing them after months!

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  11. Happy Birthday, Stevenson! You are a few years younger than our younger daughter. But not as young as I thought you were. I think that you still have the same group of friends all this years says a whole, whole lot about you!

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    1. Oh Rose, that is so nice of you to say! I am very grateful for all the friendships I made especially the circles I belong with during high school and college who are all so close until to date. They all love me so much and I am forever grateful for that :) Thank you so much dear Erika and also very glad to have you and other blogging friends with me as I start my 30th year!

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  12. Dearest Stevenson,
    WOW, your Mom will be smiling down from heaven with pride, for having a 'young' son who started his 3rd decennia and with a great wealth of knowledge and experience. Good genes that is for sure and even more remarkable for someone your age!
    Congratulations and have many more in good health!
    You were such a cute kit, guess your dear Mom did not feed you with as many desserts as you like to 'reward' yourself with since you're out of her care and reach. Please do take very good care of yourself and don't flock to comfort foods in the form of sweets. Haha, having lived in Indonesia, I know it is ALL around you, as it seems to be a cultural thing. But it easy can become a very nasty addiction. On my Pinterest I got an entire board titled: DIABETES, SUGAR ADDICTION & HEALTHY BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL:https://www.pinterest.com/mariettesbackto/diabetes-sugar-addiction-healthy-blood-sugar-level/ There is one on the right that reads: It's Official: Sugar is the New Crack... That says enough and yes, there is a LOT of money in this 'industry' starting to get people addicted from baby on...
    I've told the story just this week, my Maternal Grandma (also my Godmother) always said on Sunday's when we often went to Mass at the Nursing Home with her, and afterwards she got me my desired glass of buttermilk and she pushed her Sunday Pastry towards me saying: 'Here, eat it, I've never had any of it when I was young and sure don't want to eat it now.' She lived through WWI, Depression years, WWII and had 13 kids, and several miss carriages... but always remained positive and looking young. A true role model! I myself have never been so fond of sweets, but my Mom loved them too much...
    Oh, my Dad used to play games with us while we helped out picking tomatoes all together in the greenhouse. He called the countries and we had to name the capital cities. Each time when I visited one of those called out by him, I would think of those moments. Those were seeds planted early on, a hunger instilled for being eager to see and visit.
    Great writing and as I've been speaking to you like a Mom, know that your Angel Mom is only nodding and she is proud of you. Work at it for making that last.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    By the way, your English is perfect too!

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    1. Dearest Mariette! I am only touched and thankful so so much with your comment! Thank you very much for such beautiful words! I felt teary eyed about your grandma and what she said when she was giving you her Sunday pastry. That is so kind of her and I can see her kindness with you. And thank you very much for reminding me about sweets because I really love sweets but I also have to refrain from having too much of it especially now that I am starting to age. I once was on a no sugar diet for months and that's when I really realize how addicting it hcan because when I totally took them out of my system, I was not looking for it at all! But yah, I started again so I kept eating them again but yes, this 30th I have to refrain from it as much as I can.

      Thank you very much dear Mariette! Oh and thank you so much for your compliment on my English :) I think it's because of how our Country was colonized for almost half a century by the Americans that our English was not just developed but instilled in our culture that is why you'll never get lost here in the Philippines because whether basic or advanced, everyone can understand and speak English :)

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    2. 💞The Philippines were ceded to the U.S. in 1898 and in 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. That period after the Spanish American war was way before cute little Stevenson got born... Guess there's more Spanish influence somehow from the 16th century till 1898.

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    3. That is right dear Mariette! Though the Spaniards colonized us for 333 years, we have been deprived of education. The Spaniards don't want any Filipino or as they call us 'indios' to gain knowledge in any sense in the fear of uprising, revolt, or fear of Filipinos learning something. Only those Filipinos that have Spanish blood are are male that were given a chance to have an education of some sort.

      So yes, culturally the Spainards have influenced us very greatly. With food, some words on our national language, our catholic faith. But for Education, I must say that we owe them to the early Americans, the 'Thomasites' to be specific, as they brought ships of American teachers to make our grandfathers literate and that includes the English Language. I believe that is also a reason why even if we are also been 'captured' by the Americans and they used our resources just like other Imperial nations, them giving us education gave them very nice impression to us, a big thing that the Spaniards have deprived us on all 300 years :)

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    4. Sadly Stevenson, even our forefathers got deprived of such education, they all were just in servitude and lived by putting food in their mouths and feeding their large families! Only the present generations, since 1960 I would say, knew about education, traveling and vacations...

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    5. That is very true dear Mariette. We can only be very grateful at the very least to live in such times, despite the negativity that are evolving especially these past few years, we are still very blessed :)

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  13. Congratulations, you have a lot of life ahead of you, many events and hopefully many, many good news, life is something wonderful that when you are more years old, you will appreciate the passage through it.
    A hug, friend.

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    1. My dear friend José Antonio, that is so nice of you to say! Thank you very much for your beautiful wishes and I really hope those would come true :) A big hug goes to you all the way to Spain from the Philippines!

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  14. Hope you had a great birthday. Don't worry you will have plenty more of life to live and so much more to learn and enjoy. Life is one crazy journey for sure isn't it! Great photos too :-D

    Just wait until you are 40! I turned 40 in April - kinda scary when I think about it ;-)

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    1. Thank you so much dear Ananka!!! I am very grateful for your kind words! Oh 40 is an amazing age to be in! It's just starting to get sweeter for you :)

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  15. Many more years of happy moments will come your way, be ready and dance with the music!

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    1. Thank you so so much dear friend Bill! I know I have to be ready, it's here faster than the wind :)

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  16. I like coming to your blog and reading your texts. I can see that you are a good person with a heart in your hand. Don't change :) Happy birthday, I wish you all the best - a lot of health, persistence and fulfillment of all dreams. I wish you another unforgettable travels around the world - also to our hospitable Poland :)

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    1. Rodzina that is very sweet and kind of you to say! Those words warmed my heart with so much joy! Thank you very much my dear friend! Praying for many more years to live and be healthy and explore! Would so love to see your beautiful Poland!!!

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    1. They are right and fitting to amazing friends like you who I knew through blogging :) Sending you hugs to Poland Rodzina :)

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  18. Hola mi amigo. Ah, sí, está en la parte superior derecha debajo de mi foto circular. Lamento que no sea muy visible pero lo pondré en la parte superior ahora :) Gran abrazo mi amigo!

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