Saturday, May 28, 2022
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Columns Long Story Short by Adelle Chua

A beach, a rainbow, and so many sunsets

Adelle ChuabyAdelle Chua
January 8, 2022, 12:00 am
in Long Story Short by Adelle Chua, Opinion
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
82
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

“How many challenges, but also how many triumphs, small mercies, and pockets of perfection?”

I took my family on a trip to the beach during the last week of 2021. It was something I had long saved for and was excited about. So once the number of fresh cases went below 1,000—in early November, if I remember correctly—we started looking for places which we could book for our long-delayed family outing.

The pandemic had tried all of us in different ways and I figured we all could use a break. The children – well, young adults, really – were at a point in their lives when they should be exploring their options, spreading their wings, even leaving the nest. But because of COVID-19, these did not happen. In fact, one who had been living in another city moved back into the same building (which I thought was a fantastic development), one who had already left our home moved back in, and the two who were supposed to be enjoying college life found themselves learning in front of the computer.

And when in normal times this was a time for people of these ages to dream and begin shaping their future, the uncertainty brought about by COVID-19 made it difficult for them to even plan their next moves, or even be certain about what they wanted to do.

This would be a good trip, I felt. It was an opportune time to take stock of many things in our lives, individually and as a family. As a bonus, the three who had significant others were allowed their respective plus-ones, so it would be a good way to see how we all blended during an extended period of time. We could balance me-time, couple time, and family time.

We left Manila when there were fewer than 500 new cases documented the previous day.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Day 1, the driver was prompt, the drive was swift and pleasant, and, as an initial treat, we learned we were one of only three families booked in the resort that week. We enjoyed the meals which we had ordered the week before, especially the grilled fresh catch and the vegetables prepared by the staff. I discovered a hammock in front of our room, just a few feet from the water, and spent an hour of lovely sleep there in the mid-afternoon. Another bonus – data was strong, strong enough to let me peek into a Zoom Christmas party among friends that evening.

Later, I was on a beach recliner, looking up at the sky and hearing the waves crash onto the shore. There was the sound of laughter of the people close to me and some jazz playing from a speaker. I thought then, I wish I could freeze this perfect moment.

And then my older daughter’s boyfriend approached with their two-year-old Maltese, Cloud, adorable as ever. Cloud settled on the sand beside me. And just like that, perfect became “more perfect.”

My daughter is an early riser and on Day 2 we were up early enough to catch the sunrise. We took photos and did a Tiktok video over coffee before rousing everyone for breakfast. On my way back to the beach I saw a rainbow and was overcome with certainty that all this beauty had an architect, and that Someone was watching out for us. I started reading the thick book that I had brought, but did not get too far, because my boys and two of the SOs went kayaking, with Cloud sporting his own vest. I just had to take more photos.

I went back to my hammock, and fell asleep again. I was awakened, not rudely, by a call to lunch. And then, that afternoon we were awed by the sunset – the previous day’s was obscured by rain – that rendered everything deep and bittersweet and poignant. Every frame seemed to be of a different shade of orange. Again, as if under pressure, I rushed to take photos – of myself on the hammock, of Cloud with his parents on the balcony of our room, of the two other couples in their separate universes in the water, and of the boy who often sat silent and lost in his own thoughts.

In the evening, after dinner, everyone was on party mode, knowing it was our last night at the resort. There was another Tiktok made of almost everyone doing a silly dance, and I thought they should remember this moment when they are bickering about the dishes or the trash back home.

On the third day, upon my daughters’ advice, I rummaged through my bag for all the dresses I had not yet worn and taken photos of. I had a photo of myself with my boys, who both did a great job of getting in shape this year, and with my girls, with us wearing similar dresses in different colors. We used to call ourselves the Powerpuff Girls.

Again I felt a wave of contentment. We were a shallow bunch who had had enough of big drama early on. Too soon, our ride arrived, and just as we piled into the van we realized we had not firmed up our dinner plans. I got dizzy from the zigzag roads, fell asleep, heard that a few calls were being made, and when I woke up I was informed of our New Year’s Eve menu. I thought – they’ve got this all figured out.

We knew it would be a different Manila we would return to – scarier, more menacing. COVID cases had doubled twice over since we left.

And indeed, 2022 opened with many ups and downs at once, for my own bunch and for many of us. Who knows what challenges this year would bring? Then again, who knows what triumphs, small mercies, and pockets of perfection we would be blessed with, as well?

Happy New Year, dear readers, and please let us all take care.

adellechua@gmail.com

Tags: COVID-19New Year’s Eve
ADVERTISEMENT
Adelle Chua

Adelle Chua

Related Posts

Senseless deaths

byManila Standard
May 28, 2022, 12:15 am
0
137
Senseless deaths

Earlier this week, 19 children and two teachers were killed in Texas after a young man went on a rampage...

Read more

Ascension is assured

byTony La Viña
May 28, 2022, 12:10 am
0
155
Denying Villafuerte justice

"By sending the Holy Spirit, Jesus becomes our advocate." Tomorrow is Ascension Sunday. In the Gospel reading Jesus said to...

Read more

Thank God, the election is over!

byRod Kapunan
May 28, 2022, 12:05 am
0
175
Denying Villafuerte justice

"I’m relieved." What many of our people do not know is they really have to thank God that the election...

Read more

Inching our way back to the old normal

byCharlie V. Manalo
May 28, 2022, 12:00 am
0
160
Denying Villafuerte justice

"Are we really easing up?" With the number of COVID-19 cases drastically reduced and its Omicron variant and sub-variants now...

Read more

New economic team

byManila Standard
May 27, 2022, 12:35 am
0
271
New economic team

The incoming administration is basically keeping the character of the Cabinet economic team intact—many of the appointees had worked in...

Read more

Judicial notice

byTranquil G.S. Salvador III
May 27, 2022, 12:30 am
0
1.8k
Nullity of marriage: a defense in bigamy cases

"There are facts readily verifiable, of public knowledge, and have attained a certain level of notoriety that requires no proof."...

Read more

Stories you may like

  • Ex-Naga dad links Leni’s brother-in-law to illegal drugs

    Ex-Naga dad links Leni’s brother-in-law to illegal drugs

    36092 shares
    Share 14437 Tweet 9023
  • Of course, it was BBM’s project

    30444 shares
    Share 12178 Tweet 7611
  • INC endorses BBM, Sara

    28701 shares
    Share 11480 Tweet 7175
  • Duterte’s seven biggest achievements

    19435 shares
    Share 7774 Tweet 4859
  • Marcos leads SWS survey on presidentiables at 50%

    13549 shares
    Share 5420 Tweet 3387

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • JACKSTONES, INC.: Notice of 2022 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting
  • Sneakers for Makati : AB4.0
  • WHO may end COVID crisis
  • SC upholds graft conviction of whistleblower Jun Lozada
  • China sets SCS drills amid regional tensions
  • Palace: No legal hurdle for Rody to be drug czar
  • Diokno not worried over big national debt
  • Central Bank orders removal of e-sabong from online apps

Advertisement

Latest News

Palace: No legal hurdle for Rody to be drug czar

byVito Barcelo
May 28, 2022, 1:10 am
0
162
DOLE 9 joins Duterte Legacy: Barangayanihan Caravan in Dipolog City

Malacañang said it is up to outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte whether to accept the invitation of president-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos...

Read more

Diokno not worried over big national debt

byMacon Ramos-Araneta
May 28, 2022, 1:00 am
0
150
External debt still at prudent level

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno, nominated by President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as his administration’s finance secretary, said...

Read more

Central Bank orders removal of e-sabong from online apps

byJulito G. Rada
May 28, 2022, 12:50 am
0
153
Sermonia poised to replace Carlos as new PNP chief

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has ordered its supervised financial institutions (BSFIs) to remove all electronic sabong or e-sabong operators...

Read more

Government to borrow P250 million on last month of Duterte

byManila Standard
May 28, 2022, 12:40 am
0
147
Vax wastage, infection surge feared in Odette-hit areas

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) plans to raise P250 billion by offering government securities to local creditors to boost...

Read more

China thanks Rody for ‘contributions’

byRey E. Requejo
May 28, 2022, 12:30 am
0
165
Rody: I did my best to serve you, but sorry if you find that lacking

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian thanked outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for his great contributions to strengthening China and...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App