The Gift Project

I've been wanting to start a business in the clothing industry but it seems that I can't get my mind to focus on a thing.  I know I can't do everything, and I at least wanted to follow the advice of experts online - focus on a product/service then expand as necessary.

Pero naguguluhan talaga ako hahaha... for one thing, I am not expert at one thing.

If I decided to start a business with one particular item, say scrunchies, I am not sure how can I integrate other things that I love.  Am I supposed to create another business?  Parang ang hirap naman non.

Then came the idea - the gift shop.  Souvenir shop, novelty shop... kahit ano pang tawag dyan.  The idea is to retail items that I love and I am passionate about.  So for days, I was thinking of how to start, what items to sell, what to prioritize etc.

I love giving gifts.  There are upcoming holidays and birthdays that for sure, I will be preparing gifts for.  At ayun nga... ang galing... naisip kong ang ibebenta kong items, at least while nagstart pa lang, is the gift that I am going to give sa mga upcoming celebration.

It is gonna be a project that I and Quel will take upon for the business... and we will call it MRQL Gift Project.

A bit of info, MR is Miss Rhei and QL is Quel so this is us, taking on projects to give as a gift to people we know and care about... extending these pieces to you so you may also be able to show your love, thru our products, to the people dear to your heart.

Wish us luck... 💚

Rainy Days and Mondays...

Photo by Aline de Nadai on Unsplash

Rainy days and Mondays always keep me down... 

It has been raining here in Sorsogon for more than a month now.  It started in December and January's about to end, the weather's still the same.

Parang laging may bagyo!

But no such announcement from PAG-ASA, only warnings about heavy rainfalls.

When I was young, I remember hearing adults saying that January is a month of crisis, extending it to February.  I do not understand it then but I know it now and fully understand what this heavy rain is doing to us.

Yes, it gave us the opportunity to curl under the blanket and read our favorite books or comics.  Or, children nowadays, stay in the corner with phones in their hands.

These are times I remember, and vividly picture in my mind, the bowl of champurrado with milk on it or the steaming sopas filled with carrots and hotdogs.  The comfort we get even from memories are amazing.

However, as an adult, it can be a totally different thing.  The wind blowing aggressively makes the coconut and other fruit-bearing trees lose their fruits.  Fishermen can not go to the sea or the ocean to cast their nets.  Even farmers have to stay home because the rice fields are flooded.  People have no source of income and no source of food during this time.  Money is scarce, food is scarce, and for a family with a good number of mouths to feed, it can be frustrating.

But we are Bicolanos, we are Filipinos.  We survive, we will survive, that's how it is.

So I am taking these rainy days as an opportunity to be mindful, and grateful, for all the graces we receive.

Stay positive! 😍

My Dream, Simple As It Is

'...walking with Popo at the beach.'

I'm weirded.  Is it even a word?

A friend told me a long time ago that I am making the best of what I have, only I can do better.  I'd say he could be right, and I can feel it.  My stars are telling me so.  The universe is trying so hard to make me understand.

But what if I'm fine with waking up with the sun and taking a walk, or sleeping in till I'm hungry?  What if I'm okay with the food on my table and a roof over my head?  What if I'm good with enough to buy groceries and pay my bills?

I dream of a simple life - a house on a farm or a beach, a red pickup, and a hobby/business to save the day.  I wanted my day to look like this:

- wake up in the morning

- drink coffee and jog or walk

- tend to the garden

- prepare and have breakfast

- clean the house, do the laundry

- prepare and eat lunch

- have siesta or read a book

- work on my business

- play with the dogs and the kids

- tend to the garden again

- prepare and have dinner

- watch dramas or movies

- then sleep

Trips to the market and suppliers, visits to families and friends, tours to beaches and hot spots, etc in between.

Sometimes I think that the life I want is just an excuse.  A reason not to act and pursue what I should be doing all along.  That I am just letting time pass, and that I’ve given up.

Did I really give up on what I should be?

What about the joy I feel when I slowly prepare the ingredients and cook our meal?  What about these feelings of peace, and of joy when I tend the garden or sew a dress?  What can compare to the delight I feel when I pet our dogs?  I’d even give up my internet access for a siesta and a good book.

I still believe this is the life I should be leading, and I’m still working on it.

I’m just weirded out.  There was a bit of a nudge earlier on my mind that tells me what if I had worked on the other path, the other way, the other measure of success.  Would I be happy?