NEW YEAR’S Day is a mindful walk.
Walk through.
Of the things we don’t want to f*ck up.
In 2023.
***
I spent New Year’s Eve at a friend’s in the city.
We went to the Jaro Cathedral for the anticipated mass.
For the Feast of Theotokos.
(Mother of God, if you don’t know Greek.)
***
As a special treat, we witnessed the closing of the Jubilee Door.
(For the non-Catholics, 2022 was a special indulgence, a jubilee for the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines.)
***
I don’t know why some phones are never off, but in the middle of the mass, my friend told me that Pope Emeritus Benedict has died.
For those who do not know Latin, ‘emeritus’ means retired from office, but also retains the title.
***
I’m a Saint (Pope) John Paul II fan.
But I have great respects for Benedict.
When my youngest sister asked for a name for her oldest son, I suggested Benedict.
And so, it came to be.
***
We had a simple dinner at my friend’s.
Some pasta, some pizza, some iced tea.
But the production design was great.
The photos from our dinner were wonderful.
Down to the hanged painting, down to the table runners.
***
For our end-of-the-year movie, we watched “Enola Holmes 2.”
I was hoping we could go to the cinema and watch a Metro Manila Film Fest movie, but it wasn’t meant to be.
I never realized that the malls closed early on New Year’s Eve.
***
When the New Year’s noise barrage started, I woke up from my sleep.
I got up to jump. Once!
Just to affirm that I’m still alive.
A quick Happy New Year greeting to my friend and to her loved ones on the phone, and I was back to sleep.
***
In the morning, I woke up with the sun.
I made some tea, and started “Foundation.”
Yes, Asimov in the new year. Isaac Asimov.
I couldn’t get past Chapter 1.
But I promised myself I would get through “Foundation” before January is over.
***
My friend was up around 8:30 am.
We had coffee, finished the left overs, and planned the day.
Well, as much planning as buying fish for her three cats.
But once at the La Paz wet market, I saw some shells.
Scallops!
I bought scallops and seaweeds.
P75 worth of scallops, and P10 worth of seaweeds.
***
Scallops (with shells) is P160 per kilo.
I only wanted one half kilo, and I tried to strike a bargain for P75 for half a kilo.
Seaweeds is P20 for a pile.
I only wanted half of it.
The fish vendor said P10 seaweeds is nothing; we ended up eating my seaweeds salad for two meals.
***
The red onions were expensive.
I said, we’ll only need it for flavors so the guy sold us P10 worth, which is not a lot!
We bought three tomatoes, two hot chili labuyo (red and green, Unity team!), and garlic.
I paid P35 for everything.
***
My friend bought a dragon fruit.
One piece at P215!
I wouldn’t be caught buying it, but there it went.
My thoughtful friend also bought P20 worth of pandan leaves because we couldn’t find lemongrass.
She made a tea out of it.
For my high uric acid (and recent gout attack) treatment.
***
On our long walk way home, we mused at how simple and happy our lives are.
On the way to the market, I did two sets (of 25 reps) of my squat jumps.
Squat jump is my exercise of choice for 2023.
100 squat jumps a day.
Although, of course, I’m overdoing it also; doing 125 or 150 on certain days.
But 100 is the minimum according to my new year resolutions.
Anyway, on our way back home, I did another two sets.
Thus completing my 100 squat jumps before noon./PN
