#Ulog Journal 4: Simplicity and Satisfaction

Hi there, everyone! I am back with my fourth ULOG journal. If you notice, I have changed the title of my ULOG story from Episode to Journal. Before #ulog was born, I have been creating my journals sometimes because I want to preserve the memories I have, though, I wasn't confident on how to properly create them because Steemit is a blog platform that's more known to me as a platform that gives information to everyone, not sharing my daily activities, and I am very thankful that #ulog exists. I can continue sharing with everyone the life I have. Not just that, I can also share with you all what a life like for a suburb person living in the Southern Philippines.

I wish to give you more varieties of my blogs such as more exposure to the beautiful places here in the south of my country. I wish I could travel you all without really physically traveling in here but through the blogs that I will be making. Of course, I still need to improve more on how really make my #ulog journals more creative and interesting.

Today's #ulog journal is about me and my Mama on a usual payday and a little talk about my grand aunt that passed away days ago.

Going to the city

This is always the sight the I see whenever I have to wait for a vehicle when I travel. Having less public transport on the road is great I think, however, it's bad when you are in a hurry. Because I live in the suburb and there are really few multicabs (a type of public transport in my town) or motorcycles, I can normally get on one after 30 minutes or worst more than that of waiting. Unlike when I was in the city before, after some minutes I could easily get on a public vehicle, though, the traffic jam in the city is really bad that sometimes it makes me really mad. Whenever we go to the city, we usually get on a multicab. This vehicle looks like a small type of bus. It can accommodate around 8 people to 9 if everyone's thin. 😅 That vehicle that you see in the picture is a local vehicle that only travels within my town. It isn't licensed to travel outside the town, or else it'll get a ticket from a traffic enforcer, especially if unlucky. There are also some motorcycles that are also permitted to travel to the city but they should get a proper permit for it.

The ride to the city isn't always long. Usually, it takes about 30 or so, depending on how many passengers are waiting on the road. Today's ride wasn't long since there weren't a lot of passengers waiting. When we arrived at the city, I immediately went to the ATM machine to withdraw some cash. In my province, it's better to use cash than credit cards or other ways to pay bills. A lot of stores in the city don't use credit and debit cards, albeit there are really few, but mostly just accept cash.

This is where Mama and I went right away after cashing out. Prince Hypermart has a lot of branches in the Philippines, especially here in the south and some in the Visayas. As of now, this is the largest hypermarket in the city. This location is a total nostalgia to me. This was where the old jeepneys parked before. I usually got here when I was going home during my high school days but now everything has changed. It changed so much. The Oroquieta City I can remember before was totally different with the Oroquieta City I can see at present.

There are things, places, situations in life that change over time. Just like some of the people knew me. They always say that I change. Do I? Well, I think I do. There were times when I was still working in the city and my old batch mates would ask me curiously who am I and if I really studied in the school where they were studying in high school. They would end up asking, "Why I didn't know you before?". I always ended up laughing. I was a totally a different person before and now. I might tell you the story of that in the future.

Lunch time!

Jollibee store is just nearby the Prince Hypermart so we had our lunch there. As always, I ordered my mother that spicy chicken meal on the menu. That's her favorite. She has been loving eating spicy food. It gives her more appetite when she can taste spicy food. If I have a lot of money soon, I'll treat her in a restaurant that serves spicy food.

I usually order a simple B1 meal on the menu. That's inclusion of rice and burger steak. If my stomach lets me eat the desired amount of food I really wish to eat, then I would love to eat as much as I wish. But, I can't much because I would vomit if I eat more than my stomach can accept and it's my fault. When I was younger and working in the city, I always skipped my meals and resulted in peptic ulcer. I always have the feeling of being full after some nibbles so I always keep on having just less amount of food every time but I also try to have snacks to contain my hunger in between meals.

Life in the small provinces is really simple. As we were waiting on the motorcycle for more passengers and time to run, I could see a lot of people walking around, wearing simple clothes and mostly ride on bicycles or tricycles. Tricycles are the small version of the motorcycles that just tour around the city. For a person like me who had experienced living in the city, I could really differentiate the scenarios. Most people in the city don't walk even with short distances. I remember living in Cebu, I had to ride different routes of jeepneys (a local public transport) to get to my destination although it's just near. Because that's how people live so I have to do what everyone does.

Simplicity is a word here. Almost everything is simple but it really depends on you whether you wish to live simply or better in this province. As I can see it, everything is simple. You can simply have vegetables, fruits if you diligently plant them. You can simply have fresh seafood and fish if you wish to go the seaside and catch them. If you look at life, you'll see how simple it is. However, everyone is forced to make life difficult. I let you think why is that. Ask yourself why you make your life difficult which in fact it's very easy to live.

When I look around and observe people, I don't see contentment. I see greediness and competition. Well, whatever I say, we have this human nature. It is our nature to be greedy and compete. I have it. I don't want to deny that. I am hungry for greed sometimes, especially satisfying myself. I don't make myself happy sometimes because I become too greedy. And when the time comes that I reflect, I ask myself "Why am I like this?" Realization splash like waves reminding me that I should not be a crazy, greedy person. I should live and love my life. I might be young now and have the chance to make myself happier but when I get old and ill that will be difficult.

Farewell Lola Ninang.

Probably, my grand aunt did the same things, living her life the way she wanted it. I wasn't closed to her and I didn't much of her story. But I feel that she satisfied her human body before she died. One of her granddaughters who's closed to her, heartily cried how her grandmother smiled at her before she forever closed her eyes. She passed away this week and I am happy that she finally let her body rest. She'd been lying on her bed for months. She had told us that her deceased husband was talking to her and was telling her to accompany him.

I remember the priest telling us that the saddest thing isn't the death state but accepting the reality she is forever gone and it is too difficult to let go. We mainly cry over our dead relatives or family not because they're dead but because of the fact that we can't physically see them... touch, or even talk to them.

I pray my grand aunt to rest in peace. I also pray for my grandfather to have more strength and to accept this difficult situation. I know it's difficult for him since a year ago he also lost his older brother and now his older sister. We try to help him get rid of the pain he is probably feeling even until now by showing him love and never let him feel alone. My love for my lolo (grandfather) is indescribable.

The mass started at1 PM and ended at almost 4 PM. I could see the same faces of my relatives during our family reunion last April. I could see everyone's grief and deep sorrow. Everyone was quietly listening to the priest's sermon. The priest was calmly telling the family, like a father to his children, to slowly accepting the reality and to allow the pain but heal soon.

After the mass, everyone gathered outside and followed the vehicle where my grand aunt's casket is in. We were walking to the cemetery since it's just near. I was holding my grandfather's arm for the whole time and he would complain about his legs. I sometimes asked him if he knew who's in the casket but he would shake his head and say "I don't know."

When the casket was entombed, her family bid their last goodbye. I could hear the loud cry of her granddaughter. I know it will be difficult for her to heal because she's the favorite one but in time she will be able to accept it and move on. We all die and we have to accept that.

Rest in peace Lola Ninang (Grand aunt Ninang).

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That's all for today's #ulog journal.

Remember to always be optimistic whatever you are going through right now.

Support @Surpassinggoogle by creating your own #ulog and #steemgigs now. If you haven't heard of it, read ulogs blog about it.

Note:

All pictures used are taken and edited by @loudetteiam.

If you haven't read my #ulog stories, you can check them here.

#Ulog Episode 1: A Random Saturday
#Ulog Episode 2: Jollibee Made me Happy and I also Learned Something New Today
#Ulog Episode 3: Should I Let my Job Go?

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Loving you all, Steemians.

Loudette 😘