This nativity scene would soon be taken down and the world will go back to how it was before the Christmas rush. Students will go back to enroll by next week or the week after that. My friends would have been done grading this week and are taking their brief academic break.

I’ve always taken photos of my kids on by this nativity scene almost every year. One day I will line up all those photos from when they were still babies up until the time they still take photos by the scene.

Meanwhile, I’m back to work but today is slow and my brain is not functioning yet. I’m supposed to reply to a number of emails but my head is still full of cobwebs. Probably because I’m on intermittent fasting and prayer this week. It’s hard to think when your tummy keeps on telling you it’s hungry.

Getting out of bed is harder as well because the temperature keeps dropping. It’s at 24 degrees C at night and at times it goes down to 23. Suffice to say we no longer have our aircons and electric fans on. I also have taken out my comforter and put on fresh duvet covers for it to snuggle up. I’m playing catching up with the holiday that I missed. I wasn’t able to have a Lord of the Rings movie or book marathon, which I used to do during Christmas holidays ever since I started working in Manila. I wasn’t able to play my games but I managed to buy Twin A her own controller because I don’t want her taking mine.

Whoa whoa whoa! Philippines’ Alex Eala with her partner Iva Jovic defeated the Venus Williams (former #1) and Elina Svitolina (former #3) at the ASB Classic in Australia.

Rizza Maniego-Eala, the former CFO of Globe Telecom, retired early to support her daughter, Alex, as she goes around the world to put the Philippines on the tennis world map.