TUESDAY night last week, the gym had its Happy Halloween Open House.
We wore Halloween costumes—Little Red Riding Hood, Maleficent, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, fox jiangshi, fairies, witches, and the ever reliable horn—for the Zumbathon.
Imagine Little Red Riding Hood, Maleficent, Wonder Woman, and Catwoman dancing to “Apt.” Cute!
As for my costume, it started as Wednesday but I ended up looking like a black-clad nun with a black-sequined horn that has red feathers. I’ve never been creative with costumes. I couldn’t even create a school-uniform attire—out of what I already have in the closet—for our Zumba group’s YouTube dance. That would have been easy for the fashionista.
And perhaps that’s the problem. I’ve never been a fashionista. My sister Joan was my fashion stylist and now that she’s gone, I have to imagine her advice for my daily attire based on what she taught me before. Aside from that, I’ve been looking for a copycat of her most delicious blueberry cheesecake but found none. So, I buy all brands of cream cheese, hoping to sate my cheesecake cravings with that.
But here’s great news. My personal trainer at the gym bakes the most delish basque cheesecake, and I’ve been sending recipes for the low-carb version to him. He also makes biko which is the traditional kakanin for Undas.
At the gym’s Halloween celebration, however, there was no kakanin at all. Gym rats are known to focus on proteins so that must be the reason behind the carb-less event. Instead, our personal trainers/coaches were busy conducting the fitness challenge, and the team which our gym friends joined won! Yay!
Since the gym is open 24/7, friends were still there working out during the long weekend. I was planning to work out, too. Operative word: planning.
A friend came home for the long weekend, so, eating out with him and our gym group became the major part of my Undas vacation, and then I stayed home for the rest of the weekend to sleep, read books, write, and continue my spring cleaning.
I gotta feeling political candidates also had their way of commemorating Undas—by having tarpaulins featuring their portraits and the caption, Remembering Your Loved Ones on this Undas, with the tarpaulins strategically placed at the entrance of cemeteries and memorial parks. But if you haven’t seen one, perhaps the candidates have finally learned about the compassionate side of political campaigns.
I remember a particular candidate wearing his campaign uniform at a wake, and shaking hands with everyone there, which I still consider as the most desperate form of campaigning. I could almost see his thought bubble going, Vote for me! He lost, of course.
The Undas is supposed to make us realize that time is so precious. For family members and friends who have gone before us, the only way we can be with them now is through the beautiful memories we have of them.
Since no family member or friend has come back from the dead to tell us how it is on the other side, we are assured they’re at peace if they look happy in our dreams.
