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If I were younger, I'd hate it since it meant it was time to drag myself out of bed to prepare for school. But on a Sunday and my birthday at that, it is such a treat to be roused from sleep by my parents, even if it was just a phone call from the U.S....

We were supposed to go to Tagaytay today for my birthday but due the semi-inclement weather, we were prevailed upon to just stay in the city. My siblings and I went to mass at the Greenbelt chapel; had a massive lunch at Greenbelt 5's John and Yoko (the finest salmon sashimi in town if I may say so myself); bought a flat iron to replace our busted one; strolled some more through the mall; visited Anne at Heritage Park; headed home to sleep off the lazy day. I went online, answered emails, prepared my materials for my class tomorrow.

That's pretty much how my birthday went. No rushing off on a personal retreat to the hinterlands of Sagada. No fireworks, no mega-celebration. It's a typical day. And I'm not the least bit disappointed by how it unfolded.

This day is, for all intents and purposes, typical- since a typical day for me is just blessings-filled. (If time with family and the deluge of greetings from people who value you enough to spend time to send you warm birthday thoughts aren't blessings- I don't know what is.) This day is a wonderful fiber in a wonderful tapestry of a life that I'm weaving daily- replete with challenges, hurdles, and victories- mini and major ones. This day, simple as my rundown of today's activities may suggest, is no less a celebration of life. And what a life it has been!

There are times that I am deluded enough to believe that I am God's favorite. There are times when I feel that I am receiving more than my fair share of blessings. All who are dear to me have ample daily provision, good health, and the zeal to pursue their own lives' paths and pleasures. My parents are coping well in the U.S. I've been fortunate enough to do a lot of traveling the past year. While most still struggle for the direction their life is to take, I feel that I've found my calling in medicine and the academe. I belong to a Catholic yuppy community who nurtures my faith as I journey Christ-ward. I am single but not lonely. My blog has six loyal readers!

And should I cease to be before I finish my work at the loom, I pray that what I've made of myself so far is pleasing to God and of benefit to even just one person.

Not as old as the U.P. but as happy and proud to be still alive, equally excited about what the future has in store...