This week.... it was filled with mistakes, stupidity, self-pity moments, and a little accomplishment along the way. 

The week started with a bad case of colds, fever that ended with a painful cough. I'm feeling way better now but not my special brother whom I believe, I have infected. The weather is not helpful for recovery. I will wake up with the usual summer heat and end the day with unexpected rain showers. The rainy season is starting to enter again. Time to dust off the raincoat, plastic shoes, reliable foldable umbrella and additional Vitamin C intake. I had scheduled presentations over the past week. It wouldn't surely help when one is infected with colds, cough and a husky voice. :P If I was 7 years old, I would probably look and sound cute. But at this age, never mind. Hahahaha 

In the middle of the week, I was caught again with some fears, worries and realizations. The problem with these kind of grown up struggles, there's no one to rely on but myself. It's only me, me and myself, who can address everything. How to be a grown up? As always, the answers are up to me. Sometimes, I can't understand if it helps that I'm surrounded by older people everyday. In the workplace for instance, I have colleagues who are about to retire. They only have 3 to 5 years left to work. Amidst all my current grown up concerns, I often imagine myself decades from now. My greatest fear is to end up as a sad and pathetic retiree. When my work life is over, I don't want to feel regrets, bitterness, that later build up to depression. After drowning myself with all these worries and fears, I will wake up to reality, discovering the pile of ongoing concerns. Starting with an empty wallet and checking the calendar how many days on the next payday?  I'm dead. Hahahaha

Meanwhile, here are the few beautiful things that made the past week.

Beautiful Postcard from Terra - I love the painting featured in the card. Thanks Terra! I would love to see more works from this artist.

Thank you Marieken for the floral postcard! I love the colors and the pineapple on the envelope ;P

Who can still remember the characters featured in the plates? 

I grew up in the era when ABS CBN imported cartoons produced by Japan's Nippon Animation. This Japanese company has been very successful in turning famous European novels to cartoon animations. Among the few I love include The Secret Garden (Si Mary at ang Lihim na Hardin), A Little Princess (Sarah and Munting Prinsesa), Sans Famille (Remi) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (Cedie ang Munting Prinsipe). 

I hope someone of my age can remember A Dog of Flanders. The famous Nello and his dog, Patrasche. Both the cartoons and the novel shared a very sad story. I think this Japanese produced animation started my fascination with drama series, where the lead character is oppressed and later finds his / her moment of redemption. In the case of A Dog of Flanders, it unfortunately led to a very sad ending. A very sad one that made me sad for days. That's how I was easily affected as a kid... and I guess, even today. Hahahaha

On the last photo is my recent addiction..... Mother E, you are partly to blame for this. I'm collecting commemorative plates of Peter Rabbit. If you know other sellers offering similar limited edition plates, please send me some tips. :)

The last three photos showcases the Aduana Building in Intramuros. It was established around the 1820s and has survived wars and earthquakes. It used to be the home of several government offices and even the Sto. Domingo Church. Sadly, the building remains as a historical artifact. No clear efforts from the government to restore or revive this rare architectural masterpiece. 

May is about to end. Goodbye Summer! At this time last year, I'm already given my teaching assignment. With the implementation of the K-12 program, I'm not sure if there's still an opportunity for me to teach. The additional year in high school caused the absence of freshmen students in college. This has cause some problems in most colleges and universities, especially for those who don't offer Senior High School. This is another struggle I have to deal with. 

Typing this, I also realized that it's halfway 2016 already. I don't want to over-analyze things. I have this tendency to commit paralysis by overnanalysis. As always, I'll leave things as they should be. And somewhere along the way, I hope to have the opportunity to plan something great and hopefully, make it happen one day.