Ika-III Dekada at Tatlo: Double digits, double the fun

 Three decades, three years, and umpteenth of lifetimes of God's faithfulness.

Three days ago, I celebrated my thirty-third birthday. And the truth is, I have been celebrating my birthday thirty days prior. I just felt that reaching your 33rd is as special as reaching your 30th. In fact, being on your 33rd is much more special. And here's why. 

It's a common conception that when you reach your 30s, just as when you reach your 20s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and so on, you really ought to celebrate it. It's entering into a new decade, it's a milestone. While your birthdays are always special regardless of the number, celebrating these specific numbers are more sentimental. But as for me, when I celebrated my 30s, I wasn't feeling sentimental. I baked my own cake (in the last few hours before my birthday ended! So my cake also ended a disaster! Haha!). We had a celebratory dinner buffet party in Baguio City with the Balbalin's. And I received a text message from Papa asking "ano ang handa?" An old friend even had to tell me, "you should do something crazy and dirty at thirty" but I had to shrug it off because I didn't feel like doing something monumental on my 30th. It's just recently I realized that I was still in a denial by that time. My heart and mind were not ready that I had to say a final adieu to my 20s. And that I was perhaps scared, too, Because being in your 30s brings so much pressure-- being stable, being these and those.

Three years after, here I am! THIRTY-THREE! And I thought I should make it up to myself. It took me three years to truly reflect on my age and to appreciate every God-given gift of lifetime years. Hence, thirty-three days before my birthday, I started the 33 Days Project Happiness. Using Gmail's feature of being able to send an email to someone (including yourself) in a certain date (meaning, you can schedule when will the person receive those letters). I took advantage of that feature, so that every day, thirty-three days until my birthday, I will receive a letter from my past self. The letter includes my daily whereabouts, of how I was feeling on that day, my persistent thoughts, and anything that I wish to tell myself about. At the end of the letter, I shall pose myself a challenge-- anything that relates to happiness, either for myself, for God, or for others. And I thoroughly enjoyed it! Sooner, I will post those letters here on this blog. Yes, thirty-three letters for myself.

This sums up how fabulous I felt that night. My classic LV luggage cake represents

so much of my life in recent years. I had to indulge myself as this is the second grand birthday cake I ever had, as far as I could remember. 😅

This was how I welcomed my 33rd birthday party. A warm coffee with my most favorite

person in the world out in the woods of nowhere. This was after spending the night sleeping

in a car. What an exciting way to welcome my day!

These photos below were 

taken during my birthday last year. You see, I know how to have less 

and I also know how to have more. That's how life is-- times you get fantastic parties

and incredible cakes. While you also have those quiet and simple celebrations with the

people who truly matters. Either ways, I enjoyed it. Be it be a grand party or a quiet and simple dinner. 

We had a simple (yet grand! haha! 10,000 yen worth of dinner!)

at the Ichiban Yakiniku. Raymond treated me for an unlimited premium wagyu beef

and grilling of other sorts of Nihon Meat.

And as always, it can't be missed! That yearly birthday trip to places we've never been to.

I wrote a blog about this memorable and heart-stopping trip we had at the Takihaga Suspension bridge. Link here: https://wanderingweng.wordpress.com/

I was feeling a huge guilt and hesitation in throwing a grand party for myself. First, my country has recently been bombarded by four consecutive typhoons, leaving thousands of homeless people while some lost their lives. Second, too many are suffering because of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands losing their jobs and loved ones. And lastly, we ought to save every dime we earn because our move to Canada requires huge finances until we get a job there. Yet, there I was, spending every cent that lands in my hands. 

Was it valid? Was it okay?

My mind said no but my heart said yes. Because the thing is, I rarely throw myself a party. In fact, the last time I did, I was on my 25th. I was single, a public school teacher-- and my mom used to always tell us that when you reach 25 and you are still single, you have to celebrate your self. Because in her days, it is very rare for a woman to reach that age single and successful. And I could attest to that. Her sisters got married and had children as young as 18. It was only my mom who was able to finish college, land a public school teaching job, and still single when she reached 25. And by the grace of the Lord, I was able to follow her legacy. I got married at 28, I was a financially stable public school teacher and married to a 29-year-old Engineer at the City Engineering Office in Baguio.

This was on my 25th birthday. Oh, my cake was Janelyn's courtesy. 🥰

My mom might have left this world too soon to witness how I followed her steps but I hope I made her proud of me. For sure, Papa was. And so, here I am, validating my joy for throwing myself a grand party despite the world telling me otherwise. And I feel a little bad about the world. Why? Because when I was bleeding to death for losing my parents-- the world seemed to care less. Everyone seemed to be having the best time of their lives, moving on to their good life while I was stuck in the pitch black darkness of grief. And now, the world is bleeding, and everyone seems to be having a hard time, while I am here receiving all these blessings and breakthroughs. I feel guilty for being so happy while the world is sad. I feel bad for being in my heights when everyone around me is at their lowest. And I hate it. Because I couldn't be fully happy on my birthday because there are so many people suffering around me. Was it being so selfish of me? Was it my fault that God answered all my prayers and blessed me abundantly in the midst of a crisis?

And yet, I am reminded by a post on Facebook about Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. 

While Pooh's situation is the opposite of mine but it echoes the same message. I should not invalidate my happiness because other people are sad. I have all the right to be happy just as everyone else. Remember what Jesus would always say when He was still here? That we do not belong to this world. We always swim along the currents of this life that we conform our standards to where the current flows. And once you decide to swim unto the opposite direction, people become indifferent and we get judged. But bless are those who dig their roots deeper than the tides, those who know where to draw their strength. Because when the tides die down and the river run still, they don't die down with it. They continue to swim.

These are the views that I have to live for. That I do not belong to this world; hence, I shall not be moved despite the surrounding turmoils. So long that I am at peace with God and He sees what's in my heart. So long that He knows I am doing His will and living my life for His purposes, I will be at peace with myself. I am blessed at the right time because God's timing is always right. The world is bleeding and I bleed with it. But it doesn't mean that my joy is invalid. When my world was silently crushing down, the world watched me fall.  And now that God is exulting me through His blessings, the world is again a witness of it. Didn't the Lord promise you that this day will come? The day when the Lord God will exult you before the eyes of your enemies.

You fought your battles with Him. God alone knows what pain and suffering you had to go through-- the silence you had to endure while waiting for your breakthrough. You don't owe the world an explanation. You don't owe anyone an explanation. Silently, courageously, and boldly carry on. It's not your job to change people's hearts and minds, it's not your job to change anyone's life. It's God's because He alone can soften a heart of stone, He alone can move mountains. And your job?

To carry on, glorifying Him in all ways possible. Doing the right thing-- silently obeying Christ. Silently following His will in your life. All glory and praises to you oh, God! My One, my Life, and my Light. Thank you so much dear, Lord, for I am not worthy of anything. And yet, you always, always fill my cup. I love you so much.

********

Okay. Done with pouring my heart out. Let me tell you now how I had a blast.

November 13th (Friday)

I went on a work holiday so I could spend more time with Raymond out of town (Saturday-Monday). I decided to throw the party on Friday evening. Raymond also went on a holiday so he could cook his specialty-- BBQ, Inihaw na Bangus, Pansit, and Dinuguan. Of course, I had to cook Uncle Titing's Puto recipe to pair it with the dinuguan. And that's the only thing I cooked because I didn't want to get stressed at cooking. I just bought the rest-- sushi set, grilled chicken, my birthday fondant cake, and custard cake. But days before, I have been preparing my home decorations for the party as well. Later at night, I invited over my neighbors turned to friends, Ate Myra and her partner, Kuya Caesar, Ate Ton, Grace and her daughter Sakura, and Sir Banny. It's a small company but mind you again, it's worth a battalion. As I said, I rarely throw myself a party and that for me was a grand party already.

That's me feeling so gorgeous at 33 with that Ulike filter on. Haha!

And here's the queen of the party-- my classic fondant luggage cake courtesy of Raymond. A cake that speaks so much about my life in the recent years. Luggage. Packing up and down, moving from one place to another. I can't complain. Who gets to not only travel the world but to also have the chance to live at each place for a couple of years. 😘

November 14th (Saturday)

I had a bad birthday party hangover. I woke up at eight to drop Sir Banny at the station because he's got to be home at 9am for his online class. Raymond and I were still intoxicated because we went to bed last night at 3am. How is that!? After dropping him off, we went to bed again. Woke up at 12noon to prepare my special chicken rice porridge recipe, an all-time cure for hangover. We had a late lunch at one and then set off to Tochigi for our car camping itinerary. We arrived at the Yunishikawa Onsen at half past six but because sun sets at 5pm, it was already pitch dark when we arrived at the Road Side Station Car Camping Site. It was a site up in the mountains-- cold, dark, and middle of nowhere. So we just heated the rice porridge using our portable stove and had our fill inside the car in the light of our portable lamps. It was my third time to sleep in the car but this time it was different because it's late autumn. The last time was summer and we were always too drunk to appreciate the moment. But this time, I was sober and it was chilly outside. We had our jammies on with thick blankets to make everything cozy. It was a beautiful autumn night. Although the dark skies were covered with clouds, I could see some stars peering through the car window on my bedside. I felt like I was brought back again to my childhood years-- full of fun, excitement, and golden days. I slept with my heart so full knowing that the next day will be my birthday.

November 15th (Sunday)

Thirty-three years basking in God's love and unfailing faithfulness. 

I woke up at around three in the morning but went back again to sleep. I just had to put my hood on and Raymond's bonnet on his head because it was already freezing inside the car. But our thick furry blankets were doing a great job in keeping us warm.

I started my day with the word of God as it's Sunday. I filled my spiritual tank with the day's bible reading and spent a good couple of minutes praying-- just feeling in the silence of the day break. And it's my birthday! Afterwards, Raymond prepared our breakfast while I headed to the restrooms to change clothes and set myself up for the day. Raymond cooked some rice and heated the left-over chicken we had for my birthday and some boiled egg. We had a light breakfast inside the car. After taking a quick walk around the area, we decided to drive up to the northernmost part of the mountain to visit an ancient village.

Raymond boiled some water on our portable stove and we had our morning coffee. Just taking in the wonderful view with a cup of hot coffee in our hands.

This was the video of the Yunishikawa Onsen Michi No Eki area. That bridge is actually a train track.

The view from the roadside station. Mountains turning into glorious autumn colors.

My first experience in trying out the Japanese Ashiyu or public foot bath. Superb!

This was but the few hours in the morning of my birthday. Soon after we have freshened up and had our breakfast, we headed to an ancient village up in the mountains of Yunishigawa, Japan. For an entrance fee of 600 yen, we had the chance to experience the life of the Heiken people who came to hiding hundreds of years ago after their clan was defeated by the Genjis. It was worth the trip.

Heike-no-sato (Heike Village)

In the end of the Heian Period (794-1175), the Heike, who were defeated by the Genji scattered all over Japan and built villages where they could hide. They were nicknamed "Heike no Ochibito" and in efforts to maintain and teach their lifestyle to the later generations, they removed the old households and rebuilt the village as Heike-no-sato in Nikko. There are various living utensils, bowls for trees, and images of Tairano Kiyomori and Atsumori. (https://www.japanhoppers.com/en/kanto/nikko/kanko/1021/)

Late afternoon

After about an hour of a drive down (we had a few stopovers to check out on dams as per Raymond's request), we finally checked in to our hotel at the New Hotel Ohruri. It is a super old hotel but I can imagine how it enjoyed its fame and glamour during its prime years. The hotel offered such a fantastic view from the window.

This is the view of the hotel in the summertime. But we went there in autumn

so we had the chance to enjoy the view of this mountain as it turned into

magnificent gold.

I captured this photo outside of our hotel veranda. Isn't it breath-taking?!

This was the early morning of November 16th.

After checking in at the hotel, we decided to catch the Winter Illumination at the Tobu World Square. Since it was an hour early before the illumination schedule, we went to the Nikko City business area to grab our late lunch. The hotel gave us two coupons worth of 1,000 yen each which we can use at any business establishment in three different prefectures (Tochigi, Gunma, and Saitama. We decided to use the coupons at a local restaurant. Thanks to Japan's GoToTravel Campaign, we got our lunches for free!

I had a warm udon bowl while Raymond got himself a plate of sumptous karaage set.

Then, after filling up our tummies, we took some quick snaps near the train station and finally headed to Tobu World Square. It was a brief five-minute drive.

A miniature of the famous Tokyo Dome.

Some of our snaps at the Tobu World Square.

After taking a quick trip around the world, we immediately went back to the hotel to catch the dinner buffer. Which is definitely my dinner birthday party. We had some nabe and a collection of various cuisines, both Japanese and abroad.

And of course, we couldn't miss that traditional kampai for a bountiful year that has passed.

And for more bountiful years that are yet to come.

I think I had too much wine to drink, in fact, I drunk up the whole bottle. Haha! I had a video call with Charmaine and with my siblings. Afterwards, Raymond and I decided to take a dip at the private Onsen Bath located at the hotel's rooftop. We had all the view of the Nikko City at nighttime. But I was too drunk so I just indulged myself into that luxurious warm bath.

Early morning dip (for the second time) at the hotel's private onsen. There's a story behind this. Okay, so last night it was too cold that we decided to ask the concierge if they reschedule our reservation for the private onsen at that night (which was at 10:30pm) because it was way too cold to be out there in the open. But because we couldn't understand each other, the hotellier (an old nice man) doesn't speak English, he handed us out the reservation sheet for the next morning. We ended signing up for two reservations at the onsen. Which was cool because we had the chance to experience the private onsen at night and then have a rare photoshoot in the morning.

After our morning onsen dip, we had another bountiful buffet breakfast! Can it get any better!?

This was the hotel's city view. Just b-r-e-a-t-h-t-a-k-i-n-g!!!

And that was it. It was indeed a birthday to remember. My 33rd birthday was really special and I had to make that it was. Like any of my birthday, I only get to be 33 once in my life. I wasn't able to celebrate it really grand for my 30th but I praise the Lord for giving me this chance to make it up for myself.

The thing is, I am no one and who am I to treat myself this grandiously special? But the Lord, the King of Kings, reminds me always that I am His beloved daughter. He showers me with so much attention, dedication, and faithfulness that His love for me makes me value myself more. His unwavering love and unfathomable affection towards me makes me wonder "who am I" that the Lord of All loves me this much? Truly, besides God from above, I take it upon to no one to love me but myself. For so many times, I have taken myself for granted, abused my body, pushed my body to the limits, and even had to do things to despise myself-- all these, my soul and my spirit cry out because in the eyes of my Father in Heaven, I am special, I am His beloved.

Hence, I decide to always find ways to make my birthday special not only to celebrate myself but more importantly, to celebrate God, my creator, my parents (God's partners in creating me), and the people around me (God's partners in making sure that my life here on earth is worth living).

I may not know how many years do I have here on earth. But one thing I am for sure, I have a beautiful life. My parents had to make sure of it by working hard so that they can give us a comfortable life, but more than anything else, my life is beautiful because I live every second of it acknowledging that I am never alone. That in my darkest sorrows, God was with me. In my heartpounding fears, God reassures me. And in my brightest days, God is there to share my joy. God was with me, is with me, and will be with me in every season of my life. And that what makes my life beautiful.

P.S.

For this year and in the years that are yet to come, I would like to promise myself to take care of my body. And how? Less sweets and more exercise. Yes, please!