Celebrating a New Found Freedom

June 2024 · 5 min read · Baybay

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. — Friedrich Nietzsche

Life is not all flowers and blue skies.

For a few, it can be their prison, or even deathbed.

Esther's 50th Birthday

"Lord, grant us an Esther in this modern times," a prayer referring to Esther 7:1-4 of the Old Testament.

In the world that is plagued with the embodiments of Haman, there is always hope.

It could have been more than one Queen Esthers who have touched the tip of the golden scepter. They may be in various courts in the world.

So, it was a first time to experience the world again.

It was Esther's 50th birthday.

For her special day, the sun was shining, the flowers were in full bloom, and the waves were calm.

Her guests came in to greet her, bringing gifts and laughter. The tables were laden for a lavish feast and there was music too!

I was there with everyone and a happy heart—I felt I am human again.

MYV Beachfront Resort

It's wasn't really that far from my house.

So, I went to shop for a birthday gift and eventually settled for this cute Japanese bowls.

It took me almost an hour of waiting at the gift-wrapping station, I thought I was going to be late. After that, I hailed whichever vehicle was available just to arrive at the resort ASAP.

Since I commuting, I had to drop off in the highway and a 2-minute walk along a rocky road which lead to the resort—but if you have a car, there's a big parking space for everyone.

Phew! I looked around saw my folks, they were already settled down and full.

I said Hi to them first and look around for the birthday celebrant, greeted her and gave the gift.

She had rented the whole place exclusively.

There were bamboo cottages, about 17-35 USD each.

A large pool facing the sea, at varying depth fit for both kids and adults.

They had kayaks, too! So, if you're feeling adventurous, you can just take the stairs leading to the sea.

A house with large halls, big kitchen, and a family-size bedroom with aircon and TV. The house is free for use, but the room cost around 35 USD.

There's also karaoke, or was it videoke at 8.5 USD for unlimited sing-a-alongs.

I certainly recommend this place if you're planning a big family occasion, definitely worth it!

They waited for sunset, but I needed to go home early.

Another Chapter in Life

Right now, I can now go outside without fear of being demeaned or ridiculed.

My realization is that thew world can be a beautiful place, but a minute set of people who have the power, motivations, opportunity, and method can disrupt the lives of many—LOL, in reference to MOM in cybersecurity.

It's not always that you're allowed to be human, sometimes, people will zip your mouth and rip your rights. So, let's enjoy while we still have our rights and freedom back, even though some people still think we've gone crazy for judging and deciding what's good and bad for ourselves.

Remember when our national "heroes" fought from their oppressors, ironic that they were celebrated for achieving freedom, but it's considered dumb and crazy (and illegal) to share the same vision as them right now.

After the unseen (and disregarded) redacted, I now value the little things more than before—the blue skies, the sun, and the good people.

Thank you, Queen Esthers!

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About Me

@oniemaniego is a software developer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.


	Onie Maniego / Loy Bukid was born in rural Leyte. He often visits his family orchards during the summers and weekends, which greatly influenced his works.