Curbside Stories

I didn't let the Yuletide Season to pass without teaching my child the value of love and sharing. I have a busy schedule and I know it's the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with him.  Last December 18, we went to the relocation area of Yolanda survivors in Isla Bonita, Rosario, Cavite to give gifts to children and to give them soup to warm their stomachs. We were with other employees and their kids.  There were singing, dancing and games. Everyone was happy. Seeing smiles on their faces are so precious. I could tell from the look in my son's eyes that he learned some valuable life lessons from that experience. 

If you happen to be in Tagaytay City, never miss the opportunity to visit Caleruega. It is a religous complex in Nasugbu, Batangas, just a few minutes off of Tagaytay City to the South. It is currently the famous wedding events of many A-lists and well-to-do families because of the beauty of the location and you can really feel serenity when you are inside the compound. My sister, nieces and my son went here on December 30. It was not a planned trip but it was definitely worth it.  There is an entrance fee of 30 pesos per head, you can bring foods and take lots of photos in their garden. The Koi Pond is the entrance to the picnic grounds and it also leads to another church on top of a hill with a magnificent view of Tagaytay and Batangas. Their motto "Close to nature, closer to God" is very obvious in the ambiance. It is so peaceful. You can just sit in one place and reflect or meditate. I should have bought a book when we went here.

The first book that I bought this year is "What To Do Until Love Finds You" by Michelle McKinney Hammond. I bought it because it is my cousin's wish to have for Christmas but unfortunately I wasn't able to buy one for her because the bookstore ran out of copy. Luckily, I found it in a school supply store and swapped it with "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin that I gave her as a replacement. She obliged and now, we're both happy.  This book is all about creating and finding your own happiness in the simplest of ways. There's actually a guide on how to do it. I am excited because aside from taking the Reading Challenge , I am hoping to make people happy also through this journey.

I found this Reading Challenge in 9gag  (kudos to the one who originally did this, I'm gonna find out soon) and I couldn't resist but take the challenge. One of my goals for this new year is to get back to reading. I believe this challenge will help me fulfill that goal even if I wouldn't be able to finish the challenge. But, who knows? I might. I am keeping my fingers crossed. The image is blurry but here's the content. If you would like to take the challenge, please feel free to do so and involve your friends or relatives so that you will have different things to talk about when you catch up with one another. You can do this in no particular order: A book with more than 500 pages A classic romance A book that became a movie A book published this year A book with a number in the title A book written by someone under 30 A book with nonhuman characters A funny book A book by a female author A mystery or thriller A book with a one-word title A bo