While riding the jeepney on my way home…

DRIVER: Miss, san kayo bababa?
ME: Diyan lang sa Rivermaya.
DRIVER: Saan?!
ME: Diyan nga sa Rivermaya eh! (Riverbanks kasi.)

Last night, I bought two pairs of shoes and a new book for just under P500! Gosh, I haven’t felt like this in a long, long time now:

Oh materialistic happiness, how I missed you.

Last weekend, my family traveled all the way to Ilocos Norte to attend my grandfather’s burial. The 12-hour drive was not only physically exhausting, but also emotionally tiring for all of us, especially for my father, as he would have to bid his final goodbyes to the man that raised him.

I’m not particularly close with my grandfather since I only see him once a year. However, his death still hit me hard because it reminded me the harsh reality of life, that one day I would have to say goodbye to my own father as well. *Knock on wood.*

During the burial mass, you could hear the wails of everyone inside the church, especially from my grandmother. Even I could feel my eyes tearing up, as the atmosphere was truly heavy in the heart.

However, my father sat dry-eyed all throughout the ceremony. My mother kept on urging him to cry, and yet he remained stubborn as he refused to let the tears fall.

When it was time to close the casket, that’s when he couldn’t hold it any longer. My strong, brave father cried buckets of tears as he embraced my grandfather, holding on to the body like a little lost boy.

That was the first time that I saw my father cry, and hopefully that would be the last. :(