the variation from the usual monotony @thevariationfromlifesmonoto-blog - Tumblr Blog

Grateful to have a remote job that allows me to bring my child to the dentist while accomplishing work. Sometimes, I forget how lucky I am to be given this flexibility. I should be more thankful.

Today, I am thankful for…

the time spent with my husband during breakfast;

the extra time I had to fix work and to learn a new skill;

the opportunity to cook pasta and not ruin it for my nephews;

being able to pay all of my bills without having to inconvenience anyone; and

being a witness to God’s provision, knowing that even if I am left with nothing today, He provides. ❤️

It’s 2025 and I am still here.

Do you miss old-form blogging?

Yup!

No!

Voting ended onSep 20, 2025

I just miss the early 2000s when long-form, intentional blogs existed. I hope to, one day, bring that back using this Tumblr account of mine.

I am excited about being able to write more. About time to unearth my skills that have been kept in the dark for long.

I am just recovering from an exhausting mental marathon, just give me a week and this blur will become clarity.

The power went out today for four times already. . . and episodes of this sort have been the thing lately on this side of the earth. It is not amusing; it is, in fact, unwelcome. But what can we do? With the monstrosity brought about by #Haiyan, a lot of provinces in the Philippines have limited power supply. Yeah, it is such a bummer especially that I run a diner. Whenever a blackout occurs, we have no choice but to light up some candles and make our customers' experience intimate! What's worse is that one of our refrigerators is starting to malfunction because of the unannounced blackouts. If this continues for months, I know that my business will suffer and I'd go nuts! Still, I should say that I'm part of the lucky ones; other places do not have electricity until now. The power lines destroyed by #Haiyan haven't been fixed yet. So this is enough reason for me to stop ranting. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy the solitude that this blackout has introduced. Good night, world.

I woke up feeling restless again today. With my head throbbing with pain, with my muscles moving with soreness, I tried to get up and start my day. Lazily, I took a shower hoping for the cool water to cleanse me and to put my exhaustion down the drain. I fixed myself some pasta and cheese to introduce some happy hormones in my system.

Well, momentarily, everything felt okay until I went to my cafe. Oh God, I feel so damn tired. There are just so many things to accomplish within the week. And I need to do these all by myself. On normal days when I feel well, I would not have any problem with this routine. However, with all the activities I have done over the past weeks, it already seems impossible to move and finish something.

I wish I can take a break; I need to sleep this through. I need to regain my strength. Oh God, I am so tired. I really am.

#exhaustion #pain #businessmatters

Wow. It's actually been almost a year since I last posted something in this blog(?). And scanning through my entries made me realize how much have changed in me. Weight. Disposition. Priorities. Lifestyle. And all.

If you go back to some of the oldest posts here, you'll see a very skinny, confused, cheesy 20-something girl. It's funny really how much I've become so much different from the three-years-ago me.

If bobs and short hair were a thing for me back then, big, curly, rugged locks is now my best friend. The old me had a 20- to 22- inch waistline that came along with the perfect 36-inch hips. Now I'm a 26" and a 38". The boobs did not change significantly though. I can still sing along to Sharika's "Lucky that my breasts are small and humble so you don't confuse them with mountains."

Anyway, I missed this site so much; I'm thinking of maintaining this again. Wish me luck. I hope I can post something on a regular basis.

And oh, by the way, that's not my boyfriend with me in the photo. He's one of my closest friends. I just thought this was a nice picture to let you see that my hair has changed and that I've gained some weight.

My sister and I went to Makati and we stayed here. Our room was so beautiful but I never got the chance to exploit it since most of the time, I was out shopping and dining. It was my first time in Manila. #firsttime #asianmansion #lumia800

This Too Shall Pass

I am not writing because I want to gain your sympathy. No, you are all too wise to be fooled. I am not writing because I want to be seen as a know-it-all person. There are a lot of individuals who know the ways of the world more than I do. I am not writing because I want to have allies. I believe that thing is only for those who crave for world domination.

I am writing because I cannot sleep. I am writing because I have lost my productivity for the past three working days. I am writing because I am bothered. I am writing because I am a deeply hurt daughter of a misconstrued mother. I am writing because I want to break the silence and to express my thoughts on a not-so-pleasant matter.

It all started a few days ago when my mother became the subject of a very controversial message posted on a popular social network. I didn't know it was actually against my mother but the next day, we were able to confirm that the post was really for her. At first, I decided to rub the issue off; it was a waste of time to let it linger in my mind. But then some hours and a few days later, my mother was still at her bothered state and a lot of people were already sharing stories about what happened. Talk about grapevine!

As a daughter who has seen the pain and anxiety carried by her mother, I couldn't help but feel the difficulty that Nanay is going through especially that she has remained silent ever since that ugly post came to life. I got sad and a bit angry. I guess this reaction is normal; after all, people tend to get defensive when their parents are attacked. To be fair, I studied the incident well before doing anything, before blogging about it. But things happened and I reached the boiling point. It was already too much. The impact of the post has gone extremely destructive that my family's welfare has become jeopardised.

Intelligent people surely understand that MY MOTHER IS JUST DOING HER JOB. Professional individuals know that my mother is not judging stuff with prejudice, that she is not deciding on things just because she feels like it. The educated peers know that Nanay follows a set of determinants when assessing something . . .

My mother clearly knows that she cannot please everyone; that some people will protest against some of her decisions. And she is fine with that. What she cannot take is being prematurely humiliated in public. What I cannot take is my mother being judged without her airing her side and with the whole world watching. It is unfair.

So there. I have expressed my thoughts. And from now on, I will stop talking about it and move on because life is still beautiful and there are a lot of reasons to smile.

Day 11 preparation. We have a looong way to go. #cheerdance

#cheerdance

Lunch on a boat. #lobocriver #bohol (Taken with Instagram)

#bohol #lobocriver

Vintage Summer (by Rhoda D) Outdoor photoshoot for a friend. :) Posed just for fun.

1.21-Dollar Wonder (by Rhoda D) For only 50 Philippine pesos ($1.21), I was able to find a dress that completed my elegant yet rockstar-inspired outfit for a major company event.