this season..

One thing I love about Christmas is that inspite of the many trials and struggles that people are going through, still you'll see and feel them really aiming for a better if not a perfect Christmas. We all have different ways of defining Christmas. For some it may be having their family together, for others it may be the feeling of excitement of the exchanging gifts that brings, the merry-making, reunions with old friends and relatives, or it may be the feeling of being able to share what we have to the less fortunate ones. To sum it up, we want to feel the spirit of Christmas as something like far from the ordinary days that we have when we just simply wake up one morning and rush for work.

Christmas is remembering and thanking the ONE significant reason why God so love mankind. In a nut shell, Christmas is a time to realize that we don't simply exist to a life that is meaningless. And that no matter how much we feel like being left out while the rest have gone to their stairways to successes, still "your" existence has a reason for being.

I wish for a Christmas that is not fleeting for us all. A season that will not just be remembered... but lived by everyday of our lives.

Maligayang Pasko!:)

snow..

got this photos from my sis, in a snowy land, that she just took 30mins ago...she could not go out..there's the thickness of the snow covering almost the entire town of aldeburgh, suffolk. i couldn't still imagine myself experiencing snow being used to the kind of weather that we have here in the philippines. though i wish to experience but then sa nipis ng aking balat na halos di nga makatiis sa lakas ng air-con, i wonder pano nalang kaya ang manatili sa isang napakalamig na temperaturang tulad nito?!hayyss!

thanks you sis for the photos. ingatz!:)

Even dogs have the right to celebrate!

I felt guilty when I saw this photo from my cousin's fb. I was supposed to be at Ken's(my cousin's dog) birthday. But I disappointed them...I wasn't able to attend. sigh!

Anyways, better late than never..happy birthday Ken!:)

bahrnee

i never thought my dog could swim,

i just realized that animals do learn
things instinctively...bahrnee did.

proud of an old friend..

Last thursday, the school where I am currently connected, joined a spelling bee competition with all the participants also coming from both public and private schools. We only have one contestant allowed from each school. And so given the task to coach our participant, I was there to witness myself the event. And there I met familiar faces back in college who are also coaches coming from different schools. But what caught me by surprise was when I saw a very good friend back in high school.

He used to be the sickly and thin guy in our group as there were eleven of us then who used to jam around the school campus, cracked jokes to each other and even made noise that irked-up some of our high school teachers. I was brought back to that high school life when I once again got the chance to meet him, no longer in his sickly and pale look but very much dignified with his formal attire while shaking hands with the head officers of the Davao City Library office. He was the one covering the entire event, taking video and pictures to the participants. Somehow, I know so well some of the not-so-happy moments that my friend went through as a student and a brother to his four siblings. And I was so delighted and proud to see him now very much happy with his career and family.

While I was falling in line to get our participant's badge and number, it was only then when he noticed me as he was the one taking video coverage. I couldn't help but show him my big grin at that instance as he too was grinning at me in a distance. We waited for like and hour to start the activity. Sitting quietly in one corner, I noticed my friend walking into my direction. We have not yet said our lines and yet we were already both laughing at each other as if we were back to the old times. He was teasing me for being there and so was I to him. I also teased him with his formal attire however congratulating him for being successful in his chosen field.

We all really have our own fair of chances and luck in life like that of my good old friend if only we don't give up to trials. His struggles back then were his steps to become who he is now. Congrats my friend! For sure the rest of our high school friends are also proud of you. Speed on!:)

stopping by my blog on a late night...

only to say (with my tired hands and poor penmanship),


however, i am reminded by the line that that goes.."work as if you're the highest paid."aha!:)

i can only hope that it's all worth it.

just lead...

on nature's wrath..

"Panginoon, bigyan Nyo po kami ng lakas at tibay ng paniniwala sa gitna ng mga trahedyang aming pinagdadaanan ngayon.Naway maintindihan namin at mapukaw ang aming mga isipan, anuman ang pahiwatig na hatid nito.Naway maging responsable pa kami sa biyaya ng buhay at kalikasan na sa ami'y Iyong pinagkaloob.Tulungan Mo po kami na lalong maging matatag sa gitna ng kawalan. Kami, na sa kabila ng aming mga kahinaan at pagkukulang, ay humuhugot ng lakas na nagmula lamang sa Iyo."Amen.

giving..

“I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity... I didn't feel better or stronger than anyone else but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved you or not--more important now is for you to love them. Feeling that way turns your whole life around...living becomes the act of giving.” --Beverly Sills

..as i come across this quote, i remember quite well an old conversation i had with a very good friend telling me once that in her search for someone to love, it's not about thinking that someone will be resonsible of her in her old age but it's about thinking she will have someone to be responsible with as they two grow old together. and that there is actually a big difference from a selfish thought of having someone who will be responsible of you one day than you being unselfishly reponsible for someone else. she might have not realized that i still think of that conversation even up to this very moment. i think of it because that's how real intents should be. my friend had brought that simple conversation into a certain level of maturity letting me even realized how wonderful her thoughts and visions are... letting me visualize how genuine her heart's desires are.

..thinking of that quotation and that of a good friend's conversation, it brought me into a thought too that as we venture into the very things we hope to be... it's not about searching for one thing that will fill "my life "with purpose, but it's about searching for one thing that will fill "another else's life" with purpose. Well then that way..perhaps, life will have grand meaning.

The Mamanwa

In line with Davao's Kadayawan Festival celebration, I wish to share this short details about the lives of our indigenous brothers and sisters or the Lumads in one area in Mindanao.

The Mamanwa is a Negrito tribe often grouped together with the Lumad. They believe in a collection of spirits, which are governed by the supreme deity Magbabaya. The tribe produce excellent winnowing baskets, rattan hammocks, and other household containers. If the Manobos are considered as the first Cantilan gnons, the Mamanwas could also lay claim to the same title. The big difference, however, between the two cultural minorities is that the Mamanwas are lesser in number and more scattered and nomadic than the Manobos. The Mamanwas are a different breed of people in their looks and physical features compared to the lowlanders and the upland living Manobos. Presently, there are still few Mamanwas who, on fiesta days, roam Cantilan streets and its barangays. In modern Cantilan, they are a vanishing tribe who could be traced only in the deep and distant mountains like the Mandajas who inter-marry with the Manobos.

Unlike the Manobos, the Mamanwas did not adopt the lowlanders’ way of living even if they were already Christianized. They had been rooted for centuries in the indigenous culture which is very difficult to understand. The speak their own dialect which noticeably has some phonetic similarities with that of Cantilan’s lowlanders. Unlike the Manobos and Mandayas, they do not go to schools to learn either Pilipino or English. Some old Mamanwas of today tell of their ancestors’ early habitats along river mouths, seashores, islets and islands. They cannot, however, pinpoint particular areas as their permanent settlements for they did not have any. They transfer from place to place and travel as far as their minds could imagine and their feet could carry them. The transfers usually happen in case of deaths for it was the old customs to pack up and leave the place when death occurs even if their plants are ready for harvest. (from wikipedia.com)

*** I wish we could do more to help the indigenous people in our community even in our own little ways.

Malipayong Kadayawan Festival sa Dabaw!:)

Lovers in the Island..

"Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." (from the movie Captain Corelli's Mandolin)

"Love is the beauty of the soul." --St. Augustine

***Our adventure here led me back to photography again and here's another try...hope my subjects here like these shots. :-)

On knowing..

Ten years had passed when I first heard a good friend affirming on the old cliche about "teaching as the noblest of all professions". I honestly did not grasp the thought that goes with it at that time. I have always believed that no profession is far greater than the other. All works require the hearts of us all. All being noble. As I hold true to what I believe, I thought I have fully understood what it means to be giving your heart in what you do. As I venture now into this new discovery about teaching as a profession, I then slowly realize that what my friend said ten years ago may have been explaining it all at present. It took me years to realize that there is more to being in the teaching career. IN teaching, one does not deal with paper works or gadgets...one deals with humans. All come from different cultures, values and attitudes. And this is happening everyday as part of a teacher's lifestyle. The greatest challenge lies on the truth that a teacher does not only hone the minds of these individuals. Teachers don't simply teach and facilitate learning--- they affect lives.

BUT the big question here, is that "how far can a teacher go?" Not all in the profession are actually happy with what they do. Some stay in the teaching career because they're already there and they're simply afraid to lose their job or income. This truth however, does not happen only to those in the teaching profession but even to all forms of professions. Sometimes, when things don't seem to fall in places at the height of our responsibility as a worker, a daughter or a son, a brother or a sister, a wife or a husband, a mother or a father and even as a friend or companion, we also come to ask ourselves "how far can I still go?".

It's been years already, since I last read Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. Last night, as I scanned pages of it, I am once again reminded the essentials of things---and that all being performed for God through others and not for self-satisfaction.

Have a happy weekend everyone!Thanks for reading my thoughts. :)

the son perceives

"One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yes," said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

"Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants to serve us, but they serve others.

"We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

daan lang..

just
dropping
by
this
empty
page.
(hehe!)

..will get back sometime soon.


take care everyone!:-)

Old photographs..

i only have the weekend to savor the day where things seemed to be on a rush each day lately. now i only have this moment to just sit down without thinking much of the time that passes by. and so as i was rummaging old files and listened to this music, i felt like missing the things, the people and the moments i used to be with.

allow me to share one..

http://www.imeem.com/simphatiko/music/-NSoygsv/jim-capaldi-old-photographs/

Yesterday I felt the wind blowing 'round my shoulder
Feel like I'm getting older
Still I can't forget your face

Separated by a million miles of ocean
My heart still feels emotion
Even in this lonely place

Old photographs and places I remember
Just like a dying ember
That's burned into my soul

Even though we walk the diamond-studded highways
It's the country lanes and byways
That makes us long for home

Lately I just find my mind has turned to dreamin'
Making plans and scheming
How I'm gonna get back home

But deep down inside
I know its really hopeless
This road I'm on is endless
We climb our mountains all alone


REFRAIN
That makes us long
For home

happy weekend everyone..miss you all!

The Man with a Hoe

As we join hands to celebrate "Father's day" with all the dads in the world, I would like to share this poem as there is something about it that really inspires...

Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans
Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground,
The emptiness of ages in his face,
And on his back, the burden of the world.
Who made him dead to rapture and despair,
A thing that grieves not and that never hopes,
Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox?
Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw?
Whose was the hand that slanted back this brow?
Whose breath blew out the light within this brain?

Is this the Thing the Lord God made and gave
To have dominion over sea and land;
To trace the stars and search the heavens for power;
To feel the passion of Eternity?
Is this the dream He dreamed who shaped the suns
And marked their ways upon the ancient deep?
Down all the caverns of Hell to their last gulf
There is no shape more terrible than this--
More tongued with cries against the world's blind greed--
More filled with signs and portents for the soul--
More packed with danger to the universe.

What gulfs between him and the seraphim!
Slave of the wheel of labor, what to him
Are Plato and the swing of the Pleiades?
What the long reaches of the peaks of song,
The rift of dawn, the reddening of the rose?
Through this dread shape the suffering ages look;
Time's tragedy is in that aching stoop;
Through this dread shape humanity betrayed,
Plundered, profaned and disinherited,
Cries protest to the Powers that made the world,
A protest that is also prophecy.

O masters, lords and rulers in all lands,
Is this the handiwork you give to God,
This monstrous thing distorted and soul-quenched?
How will you ever straighten up this shape;
Touch it again with immortality;
Give back the upward looking and the light;
Rebuild in it the music and the dream;
Make right the immemorial infamies,
Perfidious wrongs,Immedicable woes?

O masters, lords and rulers in all lands,
How will the future reckon with this Man?
How answer his brute question in that hour
When whirlwinds of rebellion shake all shores?
How will it be with kingdoms and with kings--
With those who shaped him to the thing he is--
When this dumb Terror shall rise to judge the world,
After the silence of the centuries?


by Edwin Markham

"happy father's day to all dads!"

this little daisy

As soon as summer started, I just tried to plant one tiny stem of daisy in a pot. One month after, here it is!
I am not good in planting and so seeing this little daisy blossoming just made me smile. I haven't done this for the longest time. :-)

I guess it's like recapitulating childhood days. When there were more moments of capturing the little details of life and appreciating what's ordinary in our naked eyes.

white hair

It's been months already since mama decided to move back to papa's hometown. She just loves the quiet life it offers there than living in a city life. For some times mother would come and visit, still trying to attend to her church activities being a devout Catholic. I could not measure the hard work, patience and dedication that my mom puts in everything she does. However, there are times when we would argue on matters concerning her health since she worries much on other things than her personal needs. But every piece of advice from us would most often turn out to be just a poor attempt. Sometimes I feel like she's the busiest person in the world. And I despise it when I see her having too much anxieties about things. And yet, there's nothing we can do than understand finding her already overly sensitive when being reprimanded. At her age, I feel like she needs much to be understood most often than being put into question.

In one of her visits, I noticed that her white hair has grown in number. I remember those times when she used to have her hair dyed every once in a while. But then it seems to me that this time, she has stopped feeling conscious about it. I know my mother so well and all the things that hurt her and made her smile. I know her so well that sometimes I couldn't help but worry about our distance and for trying to live her life independently with papa away from us. Seeing her white hair seems telling me that it's time to have her and papa back home again. But she has been very persistent in choosing the kind of lifestyle that she's always wanted. And I wouldn't be surprised at all to see her again with her white hair even growing in numbers. Those white hair no longer telling me that it's time to have them back home again but already reminding me of the fruits of a mother's labor back when we were younger and of her unfading love.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers in the world!

a glimpse of Bes' Photography

Bes and I went on a Samal Island escapade and here are glimpses of my best friend's photography.

Catching the sunset..

I met Bes back in college as we were classmates when I was in first year. OUr friendship developed when she often came to me at the library, where I used to lounge. Trivia: I was in the library as oftne then not much to read but to take a good nap!hehe!! And in order not to be caught I would pretend to be covering my face with book stand with thick encyclopedia on it.:D

Bes is the most kulit person I've known back in college but the sweetest and outrageously friendly person I've known in the world. Lahat yata sa campus kilala nya. Pati yung crush ko sa college kinuhanan nya ng autograph for me inscribed on a candy paper.. haha!

As we were too thirsty upon reaching Samal on a very hot afternoon, we found a little bakeshop and took some refreshment...

I was surprised to see that the size of the bread was not ideally the one I expected. And so Bes took this photo for me as a remembrance..
Thank you Bes for this another great bonding moment! It took me longer to post this but it sure was a treasure for last. :)

One day at the Crocodile Park..

Welcome to our adventure! Here they are...weee!am scared of them, really.
The man in red was doing some tricks and exhibition for the visitors. He was walking on a thin rope while big mouths of the crocodiles were down under him in a pond, ready to devour him if ever he falls. But the man did well the whole time he was running in circus on a thin rope..while we were filled with such amazement. Bagtik kau ka Manong!hehe!
My family's just too brave to take a hold of that young predator (though safely tied)..but am not one them and so I was only content to take photographs the whole time.:D
I wonder what's this naked and bowed statue doing in this park..for whatever significance it brings, i guess he was confused too just as I was also confused for finding it there..LOL!

I like this quote..

(just click photo for clear view )

Yes, life is both a journey and an adventure.

Take care everyone!

Man and Ocean

"Lord, how vast is thy ocean!
And how little is my boat!"

(photo by flickr.com)

I learned..

"When you have the urge to say something blunt, leave half a sentence unsaid; although all rights and reasons are on your side; allow your opponent three parts out of ten."
T.C. Lai, "Chinese Couplets"

When someone says something so mean to us, most of our natural reaction as human is to defend our wounded pride. We rationalize and even act on impulse. But an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth isn't always the best way to win back our hurt ego. I learned that sometimes we have to leave some things unsaid for there is more of a depth in silence than in the cacophony of a wounded soul. In this world, people will always have their own judgment, regardless. It is not an easy thing just keep quiet at the triggering thought of knowing you have the right to reason out... but the truest intention of one's heart is most often the sure way to keeping your integrity intact as a person.

Thank God that I find true solace in this little contemplation...even if people in the shallow of their understanding and in their insensitivity at times, their words hurt.

Link entry click here.

reflect

"Jesus was successful in entering Jerusalem on a Palm Sunday but was not successful in entering the hearts of the people in its place." This is one line from the sermon of the priest yesterday that really moved me and it's true. True not only during Christ's time on earth but even perhaps up to this present time.

May we be able to truly reflect in this time of Lent.

si Ate Beth

Nagluluto ako nang bigla kong naalala si ate Beth. Napa-SMILE ako! Nagiging alarm kona kasi tuwing umaga ang lakas ng tunog ng sandok habang naggigisa sya ng kanyang paboritong putahe. Third year college ako nun nung nakatira ako ng higit isang taon din sa bahay ng tita ko. Sister-in-law nya si Ate Beth. Malaki yung bahay para sa aming tatlong natitirang nandun. Si uncle kasi ay isang seaman kaya madalas lang nakakauwi. Ang tita ko (na kapatid ng tatay ko) naman ay isang teacher sa public school sa probinsya kaya naman once a week lang sya umuuwi. Wala silang anak nun.

Kaya dalawa lang kami ni te Beth ang madalas maiwan sa malaking bahay. Sabi nga ni Bes (best friend ko) di raw ba ako natatakot. Sa isip ko naman, kanino ba ako dapat matakot, sa laki ng bahay na ang tahi-tahimik o kay ate Beth na may pagka-misteryosa dahil sa minsa'y matalim nyang tingin. Minsan nga out of my wierd imagination, gusto ko syang katokin sa kwarto nya tuwing malalim na ang gabi. Masiguro ko lang na di sya witch!haha!Sori te Beth, alam ko ako ang witch sa'ting dalawa.:D

Nasa mid-40's na si te Beth nun ngunit nanatiling single parin. Samakatuwid, kandidata na sya sa paging matandang- dalaga. Pero sya yung taong nakilala ko na punong-puno ng positibong pananaw sa buhay. At naniniwala sya na makakatagpo pa sya ng taong magmamahal sa kanya.Maganda naman sya kaya lang pihikan. Minsan naitanong ko sa kanya kung bakit. Simple lang sagot nya ngunit diretso: Perfectionist daw sya. Di na ako nag-comment, ayaw kona makipag-argue. Kuripot din sya at sobrang matipid. Kung pwede lang nya initin ang ulam for the whole week gagawin nya hangga't di pa napapanis. Kapag nauuwi si tita pag weekend madalas nya tinatanong kung nagluluto raw ba kami. Kasi halos di daw nababawasan pinamalengke nya para sa'min na nakaimbak sa fridge.

Grabe talaga kalokohan namin ni Bes nun sa malaking bahay. In fairness, mabait si te Beth sa amin. Kasi naman, naniniwala sya sa mga hula ni Bes sa kanya. (langhiya ka bes, hanggang ngayon yata hinahanap kapa ni ate beth!haha!) Ang di ko makalimutan kay te Beth, ay yung gumigiling-giling sya sa bawat tugtog ng sayaw na naririnig nya. At yung suutin nya ang isang napakainit na damit sa aking paningin na nagmukha lang naman syang astronaut. Suot nya eto tuwing gusto nyang magpapayat dahil masyado daw syang pinagpapawisan dito habang nililinis ang flooring ng buong kabahayan. Si ate Beth kahit di nagpapatawa pero di nya alam, ako'y lihim na napapangiti sa kanya. She was such a good antidote to my boredom in the big house during that time.

Matagal narin kaming di nagkikita ni te Beth at wala na akong balita sa kanya. Pero napapangiti parin ako tuwing naalala ko sya sa aking pagluluto. :)

"Today is Earth Hour"

Let us altogether switch our lights off at around 8:30-9:30 (local time) tonight to support earth hour. Let's help save energy. Let's save our mother earth.

The Amazing Race reaches India

i am not a regular viewer of this kind of show, "The Amazing Race", however at times when i start to search for a good t.v program, i would come across with it once in awhile and the contestants already to me become familiar.

this is indeed an amazing race that it seems like they have to travel different places actually far enough. now i wonder if they'll reach Philippines(hehe!). in this show you'll see how they struggle to survive with each challenge only to get to first place, of course to win this game. just seeing India even on tv, i was surprised to see the place that aptly taught me how these poorest of the poor really live and survive. and it's very moving because while the contestants were on their way to their destination riding a cab, one lady and a young man (from the contestants) really burst to tears upon seeing the people along the streets like little children being dirty while some really naked, animals so freely roaming around rummaging food from garbage and the damaged buildings and houses. that was part of India, showing a real picture of what poverty is all about.

but what really got me teary-eyed was when this contestant really kept crying for pity that his mother was trying to console him saying "it's okay"..only later then too when i realized that during their exchange of messages that this young man could even hardly speak. yet inspite of his disability, his concern went to the poor ones even realizing that he's still lucky to have a good life back home.

am back to realization too that we just couldn't go on complaining in life for not getting what we want more than what we already have... because if we look around us, we'll realize that we're still lucky after all.

just a thought

I thought about the "what if's" and the "could have been's" I might have opted to write. There are a lot of them creeping in my brain at this moment. But I am not a star..still to me this is not my stage even when I continue writing.

"What if" I would talk about Pacquio and the new issue that he's been into with the t.v industries? But whether Manny has violated some contracts or not, I can only hope that when Manny says that "his games and winnings are for his country", there is truthfulness in it. It would be very frustrating to have started to feel like seeing him already swinging the boxing arena( in purely business) only in the name of fame, power and money. I still hate his political ambition, with all my honesty.

"What if'" I would talk about the rape case of Nicole, now being recanted by the DOJ? For sure I am not happy about the 'victim's' abandonment of the case. But, whatever 'truth' there may be, I would not attempt at all to 'add insult to injury' to both the victim and the accused. Whether justice is served in my country or not, may we just continue to pray for them to find that inner peace one day. So much so that in this life, we just have to be happy knowing that at the end of the day, these personalities still have people to hold on to.

Well, these are just some thoughts banging on me..lousy thoughts though, but worth the lessons.

asking the difference..

"Te, unsa diay kalainan sa true love ug commitment?

(what is the difference between true love and commitment?)

Sometimes I am still in disbelief with how my cousin, in his teen, has already grown to be asking such kind question. He's already a sophomore in college but then to me he's still just that young boy I used to know whose interests are only into riding bicycle, playing around his neighborhood or just watching DVD's. Though we only see each other during family gatherings or special occasions, I never failed to ask my cousins how are they doing in their studies. But this time, his little query brought me into a thought that he'd already grown up while I have aged.(LOL!)

At first he showed me a picture of a young lady in his phone and then asked me if the girl is cute. I plainly answered 'yeah..'. I was about to tease him but it seemed that the wind had blown my thought away. With that look of seriousness in his eyes he asked, "te, unsa diay kalainan sa true love ug commitment?".

I gave my view without a second thought. However, I was hoping that I answered him just right to at least open up an idea. Although I wasn't sure if i'd grabbed the exact views for that matter but then it's still good to know that he bothered to ask. As young adult, I still would love to hear them asking things like this. There's always a 'kilig' factor when talking about relationship whether it's a failure or a success. Love is the only niche where all just seems eternal and nobody is an exemption.

At times when I look back and ponder on it, I too come up and wander just what really there is between true love and commitment . And why some things still fail even when two people already venture into it. Reconstructing my thoughts over and over. And perhaps, just perhaps, it happens to every one of us, just like a young boy...still asking for the difference.

Thanks blogspot..

This is a short one.

I have been here for years but have not thanked this space for freely giving me just the right spot to gather my thoughts. And so here's my gratitude for all. I may not get the chance to cross rivers and seas, climb hills or mountains and yet I am able to travel the world to this thing we call as 'blogosphere'. The wonderful thing of it all is that I find solace out of this little contemplation; a place to learn, to discover, to affect, and even to brace my self when at times I lose the courage to hang on. I have said good-bye to blogging then but it was a poor attempt. I have breathe in here perhaps. Now, I can't believe this is my already 241st post. And even when some do not make sense at all, still they mean much to me. At times I miss life back from basic like working with paper and pen. And I shall go back to my old diary when this online journey is over. However, I will still consider this blogging experience as one important highlight in the story of my life.

Daghang salamat blogger! I am really thankful we discover each other.

i just finished watching GMA 7's World View report entitled: "Si Barack at Si Juan." quite late though but it was worth my wait to see this report. there i just understand what the Filipino-American veterans went through after the past US governments' promises to them; the racism they went through and for how many times a bill for an equity benefit for them was not honored in the US Senate during the past governments. it's sad. now, i really hope that the lump sum for the war veterans that's included in Pres. Obama's recent signed stimulus package will really be very much beneficial to them.

i have learned a lot from the documentary report (or whatever it's called). life, wherever you go, must simply be cherished no matter what you do for a living because we can never tell what tomorrow may have in store for us. we can only hope what the government can do for us but it's important that we can also do so much for what we can do to be productive individuals. this global financial crisis might be too much for everybody to bear. but we can keep praying...it is never with a price.

life for rent?

I came across with one blog where the lady expresses her thoughts (quite pathetically) and how this song relates her life. I can only wish the lady in that blog is feeling better now. I have not really been religiously following Dido's music but once I get into it, her songs would really get you down to your nerves. I love her "Thank You" for sure. Well, I didn't know she came out with this song last 2003. Just click on the title to listen to the music.

Life For Rent
by Dido

I haven't really ever found a place that I call home
I never stick around quite long enough to make it
I apologize that once again I'm not in love
But it's not as if I mind
that your heart ain't exactly breaking

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't lean to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

I've always thought
that I would love to live by the sea
To travel the world alone
and live my life more simply
I have no idea what's happened to that dream
Cos there's really nothing left here to stop me

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

While my heart is a shield and I won't let it down
While I am so afraid to fail so I won't even try
Well how can I say I'm alive

If my life is for rent...

As I captured this moment, I am not only reminded of the friends I've personally known but of them whom I shared moments here in blogosphere for years. Some have stayed while some have already left...

"We do not remember days; we remember moments."
~Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."( Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)

"from the dust we were created and to dust we shall return..."

Today is Ash Wednesday.

recapitulation...

this is already long overdue but i still wish to share..

that certain glow of my curtain from the bright reflection of the sun outside got me up. things were vivid as i peeped out of my window: birds chirping, the sun shining, blue clouds covering the sky and green leaves waving on branches. but wait! i have to hurry for a grand event. and so i jam packed a few of my belongings, have them all prepared and headed to the hotel for a make-over.

i still remember when we were still growing up, we just used to have fun not a care in the world. and now look at us...trudging life into an even mature perspective. sometimes i still couldn't imagine how much we've grown to be thinking already of making a family--of our own.

the bridesmaids were already there as we arrived at the hotel. ready to be even more pretty with their gowns. the wedding ceremony at the church was set to 3pm and so we had more time to prepare like what to bring, what not to miss for the entourage...wishing not to forget things from the smallest detail for the occasion to the biggest stuff. all went well at the church. right after the wedding ceremony we headed to the hotel for the reception. the whole event ended at around 10pm. (a little late)

as i walked out of the reception room, feeling a little exhausted, i heard a beautiful voice from a lady serenading in one corner while playing the piano. that atrium was filled with couples in such sweet countenances while they were surrounded with red heart-shaped balloons.

..little did i realize that it was valentine's day. oh boy!i almost forgot!haha!

i have always been so close to my cousin. i've seen her grown to be a matured woman..from her most painful journey to the happiest...now even more ready to face the challenges of time and dream on with her unceasing love to her family and devotion to God. if only uncle were still here with us, he could have been the most proud father in the world.

it was my cousin's wedding day...finally, she'd found her man. and i've never seen such a beautiful bride on the 14th of February.


***mao lang to akong sugilanon charo!:D

nice...

"Life has taught us that LOVE does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. "

an award and a few facts about me

my gratitude to ghee for this cute award. happy birthday gurl!:)

I have not copied the entire rules for passing this award but one thing i remember is that you are going to write ten facts about your self. Ok, without much ado, here are some facts about me that some haven't realized even when I've been blogging for years.:D

1. i am the wackiest/kalog in my (HS)circle of friends (can you believe that?) hehe!
2. i love to make prank calls to my close relatives' houses..i would change my voice and pretend to be making business deals with them. after the trick, i would reveal myself while they hate me but laugh out loud at the same time.:D
3. my first ambition when i was still growing up is to be a 'sexytary'..hehe!sure ayy, gusto ko lang maging secretary...ewan bakit ako napunta sa teaching.hehe!
4. i love to groove (when no one's watching) even without music.:)
5. my very first serious performance in front of many was when i sang "kung kailangan mo ako" by rey valera when i was in high school.yayyy!:D

di ko na kaya umabot ng ten facts kasi kahiya na..hehe!am passing this on to Bes and Jie.

faithfully

I do not wish to spoil this site with all my favorite songs but music just truly depicts people's lives. Actually, my first time to hear this song performed by Arnel Pineda on stage. The message of the song reminds me of a few of my dear friends who are in the same encounter with their beloved. Well, I have always believed in the magic and power that love can bring even when distance and time would go in between. Here's a hope that you'll like this song..

just give

It's love month. At times I no longer know how to gather my thoughts when talking about love. We all have countless of viewpoints about it. We even put the feeling into a song, a painting or a good poem as it inspires. And we can even make a masterpiece out of it. Love makes the grass greener, makes the sun brighter or makes a life more worth-living. It's not only each year that St. Valentine wants us not to forget the real measure of love in every one of us. But we are also reminded of it in every tick of the clock...not only in our relationship with our partner (if you have) but also in our daily response to people and situations. Love is not only confined within the feeling of two people for each other. But it is also best represented within our motives and actions towards the people we get along everyday.

*Are you being gentle with your house helpers when you give a command or just used to shouting at them because you find them too dull and not as smart as you are?
*Do you treat your pets like they're also part of your family or you just feed them because they help you watch your house from thieves and strangers?
*Do you care to smile to people you come across on your way to work or you just walk past them because you're too in hurry to notice them?

Love has many expressions ..only at a different level. Most often we thought of love as something that we can only give to the people within our circle. Love that is even conditional. Love is only love when it does not dwell on pride or arrogance. If a dog or a cat is capable of loving its master by wagging its tail upon seeing him/her on the door step, what more for us humans? Look around and know that there are a lot of people in this world who also need our kind of LOVE. Just give... but only when your heart is already willing. We can't be saints but we can choose to be truly human.

Have a happy heart everyone...keep going!

YOU're special

just wanna share this inspiring song..

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Bridge:
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
I am yours.* *Chorus)

Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
'Cause I am yours.
I am yours.

"take care everyone..."

childhood..

"In the eyes of a child, there is joy there is laughter..

there is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future.
For the lessons of life, there is no better teacher..
than the look in the eyes of a child."
--from the song "The eyes of a Child".

There is just one very important thing that I so love about them. And that they can never fake what happiness is. :)

promissory note

Dear Ms. Eve,

I am sorry for the poor performance that I did yesterday during our class activity. I just went through one painful experience in my life that brought me such trauma. I hope you'd understand. I will try to do better next time.

Yours sincerely, Liz

Summer 2007 when I handled a bridge program in another city (some miles away from where I live) for the incoming college students. Days following our class activities, a young lady handed me a small piece of paper before that one session ended. The next morning, while everybody was out for a ten minutes break, I called her attention. She sat next to my table. I smiled at her and asked, "How are you?". Tears started to well up her eyes that got me speechless. She then started telling me about losing her boyfriend in an accident. I looked at her intently while trying to grasp some piece of advice like saying " you're still young and you still have your dreams waiting for you..just don't lose hope." In my mind, i know that what I was telling her had nothing to do with her youth. BUT it was the pain that she actually felt at that moment. I came to realize that I might also have given her my lousy or poor advice. However then about two days past her sharing, I was surprised to see her already full of eagerness as she stood performing for our class activity. And when summer class ended, saw her mingling with her new friends already laughing and giggling with them.

A thought came to me, "t's not the comforting words that she solicited from people around her, i know, BUT it's by just being there. And that a good relief doesn't have to be exactly words of wisdom from anybody in this planet....sometimes, people just need someone to listen."

Paintings..

"If a picture paints a thousand words then why can't I paint?LOL!

I remember the first painting of myself when I was 18. My friends stole from me my high school graduation pic. And as a surprised gift for my 18th b-day, they handed me a wonderful painting of me. And though I know they hadn't visualized themselves to be really painters, they gave their best to make each angle almost perfect for me as a gift with their signatures on it. How thoughtful are they and I miss them!The second painting I got was from Mari last year. Thanks Mari!My hat's off to your talent! Here it is...
This third one is done for me by the great grandson of Michael Angelo..hehe!Just kidding!Got this from photofunia.com ( you may try too!). This one is actually artificial. However, i had fun 'coz I tried to imagine that I could break the record of Mona lisa's smile:D
Well, so much for being narcissistic..haha! I just dropped by to say, " have a wonderful time everyone and God bless!

trying photography..

even the buds have significance ..

especially when in bloom..

***
the flowers are of same variety ..they only differ in colors. sorry don't know its name.. haven't bother to ask my mother yet. also been counting the days since i haven't been feeling well, perhaps it's the scorching heat of the sun during daytime..already unbearable :O

have a blooming year ahead everyone..tc.

They're 41 years..

As I sat here in my little room where I just had my curtains changed:D, thought of all the things I went through in 2008 and of the things I will still have to get by for 2009. And it made me smile to have realized that God's responses into my life are still wiser than my own prayers.

Today, we just celebrate my parents' 41st wedding anniversary. Looking back to all the things that they two went through, the fighting and the making amend they have had as part of every married life..I don't kn0w how to thank my parents still for keeping a family intact. And though sometimes, it's getting really harder to understand their moods now at their age, I still couldn't help but think and wish if somewhere in the future when God permits and I will reach the same age, I will have someone who'll understand me and be patient for me in my old age too. Well, how early must I have thought of these things though..but whether we like it or not,we'll get there.:P

I continue to pray for good health and happiness for my parents. I think most of our prayers already go to them that we almost forgot to have one for our own. But they're my life. Our relationship as parents-children may not be perfect as it is. But still at the end the day, we are able to sleep well and say "thank you God..we still have each other."

I can only wish I can make a tribute for them, but my brain is too little if i will have to compare it to what my heart feels. I just wanna say "thank you mama and papa for keeping us your children going..for keeping one's ordinary journey going."