I should change the title of this blog to “The Chronicles of the Disaster that is Me”.
As you may have guessed, Siargao didn’t work out as I had hoped. I was definitely much leaner and fitter in Manila. In Siargao, I ate and drank, and ate and drank, and ate and drank. Towards the end, I tried to hibernate, and then I stepped out for a bit to run some errands and, before I knew it, it was two days later. I have a new motorcycle exhaust burn to show for it.
And then I spent one night in Cebu. I went to the mall to collect some gift checks and the whole mall vibe made me want to consume every vile concoction being sold out of a kiosk. Especially if they were labeled with the words “ham” and/or “cheese”. Pizzas, empanadas, wraps, rolls… Good lord.
The next day, I arrived in Manila just as my father was having a stroke (- his nth one). He refused to go to the hospital and insisted on going to a violin concerto. I canceled my dinner plans so that I could escort him and my mother as I didn’t think she could handle him on his own. Sure enough, before the night was over, it took five men to assist him back to the car.
We went to see Chino Gutierrez on the violin. My dad’s sister, former Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist, Belinda Olivares-Cunanan, has been supporting his career, so the family, in turn, has been supporting her efforts.
He’s since been discharged from the hospital but, between caring for him and getting ready to leave for Spain, I haven’t had time to work out at all. (Although caring for my dad can be pretty much of a workout in itself.)
Since I’ve been feeding dad and have been in charge of dispensing his meds after meals, I’ve been joining the folks for almost all their meals, which isn’t a good thing as far as my waistline is concerned.
Last night, I finally told mom that I would skip dinner, but she had me summoned from the safety of my room because dad was giving her a hard time. I found them in the middle of dinner and, when I saw the spread (- How can anyone turn down their mother’s cooking???), I sat down and ate EVERYTHING. My mother looked at me in disbelief. “I thought you weren’t eating tonight,” she said.
“Mom, you know I cannot see food and not eat it, right?”
Sigh…
So now I’m feeling fat and gross – I’m certainly far from being fit as I possibly could – and I’m about to leave for Spain to do the Camino de Santiago, which I was prepping for when I was doing all those barre3 classes in Manila last December and January! Doh!
“I’m drowning, baby, throw out the rope.”
Will write more about it later as I am pressed for time getting things together. I haven’t quite figured out how to update this blog given that I am not bringing my computer and the TypePad app no longer works, but I will find a way to keep you abreast on our progress.
Am off on Wednesday for Hong Kong and will be landing in Madrid Thursday morning. See you then -6HRS!