Me and my hobbies

This prompt is relatable to me because I am the one with so many hobbies but I cannot stick to them. This is my story on how I started with my hobbies.

When I was in Elementary, I used to collect stamps from the letter my father sent when he was still working in Saudi Arabia. He worked there for ten years until he got a stroke and returned home in the Philippines. He always send letter to my mother and I received birthday card for my birthday every year. I used to collect stamps from his letter and barter it to my classmates whose parents are also OFW or Overseas Filipino Workers who work in different parts of the world. I get tired of collecting stamps and jump on to my new hobby when our 3^rd grade teacher assigned us to make a crochet as our project. My mother taught me also how to crochet but her designs are simple and traditional so I went to my neighbour’s house, she showed me her crochet book and ask me to look for designs. I scan through the pages and find something I like. I ask her if she could teach me how to do it. At first she is sceptical and told me that she will first learn how to do it. “I will make a sample, I will let you know if I am done.” So after a few days I went over there and she taught me how to do it by following instructions from the book. I was so proud of what I have done. The centrepiece I made was displayed in our home for about a decade until it is worn out.

During our 5^th grade we have an embroidery project. I wanted to make a design form the card my father sent me, so I trace the design through the cloth and started sewing it. I love how many stitches I made in my design. Until now I kept that table runner in my drawer. After that project I also made an embroidered picture frame and the design I got also from the card my father sent me.

My interest in writing started when our 6^th grade teacher asks us to recite an impromptu one stanza poem and among us I was praised by my teacher on how I construct my rhyming words to create a beautiful poem. Her compliment inspire me to make more poems until high school. I shifted from writing poems to writing in my diary in my teenage years. My writing always started with Dear God, In Him I pour out all my emotions and problems of daily life. By writing I have a friend I can open up to.

But teenage life is not always difficult, I also have my happy days, well, with lots of boy bands emerging I cannot help but sing their song and dance to the groove. My mother is some sort of a “kill joy” cause every time I turn up the volume she shouted to low it down or she will hammer the radio. Back to the boy group, my favourite is Backstreet boys and my favourite member is Nick Carter. I giggle everytime I see him. I cannot help but shout and jump, oh my God I must be really crazy. After I get over the boy group I fell in love with an Asian Heartthrob F4. I started to learn how to speak Mandarin and learn how to use chopsticks. Using chopsticks is kinda hard for first time eater. It takes me an hour to finish my meal. I am first to eat and the last to finish but thanks to that, my fingers are now flexible I can eat using chopstick with ease now. Well if you are asking me what Hobby I am in. I am collecting cassette tapes, yeah tapes, CD’s are expensive at that time and course I am also collecting magazines and song hits and posters. My room is filled with posters of my boy group crushes and I always kissed them goodnight. Wondering where I got money buying those stuff, I save my allowance, sometimes I go hunger strike just to buy them.

After I get over that teenage craziness, I am now employed in a non-profit organization which promotes culture and tradition. One of our project is a painting workshop for children and I am one of the facilitator. Being interested, I also learn from our faculty while I work, My first painting was published in Hiraya Magazine. My mother and daughter masterpiece wouldn’t be done without the help of my mentor Badong and his magic hand. I gave that painting to my mother on her birthday but I think she didn’t like it cause it has been collecting dust in our house for two decades now. My mother didn’t really appreciate my work, she is more of a critic than a supporter. From then on, I started to learn how to paint and I am also a member in an artist group called “Bungkaras.”

After painting I am into beadwork, I have a friend who makes beautiful beaded jewelleries and hanging out with her makes attached into making beaded earrings, bracelets, anklets, rings etc. Some of the jewelleries I made I sell it but most of it I gave it as a gift.

After I change my job, I came across to a peddler who sell appliances via installment. So being an impulsive buyer, I bought an electric oven. My first bake is a ready mix chocolate cake. I love baking so I started downloading recipes from the internet and trying it. Being not contented with my small electric oven, I save money and bought a gas range with oven so large baking pans could fit in.

During day offs, I do gardening. Some of the plants are from my persistent suitor who brought me plants constantly. I told him that it is much better to give me plants than flowers because plants grow, flowers wilted. So he brought every plant that I requested. Eventually that suitor became my husband.

Now that I am married with a beautiful daughter I still do crochet, I also sell crocheted headbands, ponytails, phone case and hair clips and even crocheted earrings. The paintings I made hang in our living area of our house and I have a small garden that I tended everyday. I also baked cakes every occasions and I still wear my beaded jewelleries. If you ask me about my collection, well, left it in our ancestral home but I keep it tidy so I can show my grandchildren what it is like to live in the old days.

It really doesn’t matter is you stick to your hobby for so long as long as you got the knowledge you can still use it in your everyday life. As hobbyist, My motto is “Learn the basics then find your own style.”