I have just turned 40.  Yes, the much dreaded big 4-0. I was consumed by the blues, days leading up to my birthday. Hence, my absence on the blog.  I felt a sense of panic and a feeling of utmost emptiness for the lack of accomplishment. The life I had envisioned for myself is nowhere near what reality shows me now. 

During my birthday month, I'll be writing about personal stories and reflections.  I  thought about the questions that followed me everywhere since I gained consciousness, to better understand our existence in this world. 

In search for answers, I found solace and nuggets of wisdom in books. So I have made a list of books that shaped me throughout the years:

"A Grateful Heart is a Magnet for Miracles."

The other day I found male neighbors in their 20s and 30s playing "tumbang preso" in the side street where not a lot of vehicles pass. Tumbang Preso is a Filipino children's game literally translated as "knock down the prisoner".  The goal is to knock down a can with their slippers or flip-flops. I was amused to watch them set up their game, dividing themselves into two groups equally standing at opposite sides. The game should be played by a maximum of nine players. One guards the can while the rest stands behind the line to hit it.  I couldn't help reminiscing about my childhood playing this game as well as hide and seek with my friends in abandoned buildings or a thrill seeking game "of patintero"

Patintero, on the other hand, is another group outdoor game played by two teams. It requires speed, agility, strategy and team work. The rule of the game is to pass through the grid lines guarded by the opposing team without getting tagged. A chalk is used to draw the grid lines on the ground and a bigger space is required roughly around 6 linear meters in depth length x 4 linear meters horizontal width. It is usually played by four players per team. 

Have you played this game when you were young (er)?

2. Green Therapy

When I moved to the south, I have always wanted to wake up early, drive up to this spot and drink my freshly brewed coffee in my thermos while enjoying this view. Finally did it this weekend!

Was sucking the sweet nectar from this flower a part of your childhood? The santan plant, Ixora coccinea grows into a shrub and thrives well in the heat.  I finally learned how to propagate them by using their plant cuttings.  

Love & light,

Arni

If there was one thing we did a lot while we were in New Zealand, it was drinking beer.  

The contents of one's bag reveal so much about a person. I can't necessarily claim I can't live without these items. Yet, you will see how my lifestyle has been altered when I compared them with previous posts;  such as, what's inside my beach bag when I was still living in Dubai and my hand carry luggage during a 4-day trip to Prague.