Decor at Ayala Techno-hub. Dinner with Tito and Kara at Kanin Club. I loved their Sigarilyas Express!!! I want to marry it someday.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Lights galore
Decor at Ayala Techno-hub. Dinner with Tito and Kara at Kanin Club. I loved their Sigarilyas Express!!! I want to marry it someday.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Something to think about
From Maria's diary in "Eleven Minutes"
Once upon a time, there was a bird. He was adorned with two perfect wings and with glossy, colorful, marvelous feathers. In short, he was a creature made to fly about freely in the sky, bringing joy to everyone who saw him.
One day, a woman saw the bird and fell in love with him. She watched his flight, her mouth wide in amazement, her heart pounding,her eyes shining with excitement. She invited the bird to fly with her.and the two travelled across the sky in perfect harmony. She admired and venerated and celebrated that bird. But then she thought: He might want to visit far off mountains! And she was afraid, afraid that she would never feel the same way about any other bird. And she felt envy, envy for the bird's ability to fly. And she felt alone. And she thought: "I'm going to set a trap. The next time the bird appears, he will never leave again."
The bird, who was also in love, returned the following day, fell into the trap and was put in a cage. She looked at the bird everyday. There he was, the object of his passion, and she showed him to her friends, who said: "Now you have everything you could possibly want." However, a strange transformation began to take place: now that she had the bird and no longer needed to woo him, she began to lose interest. The bird, unable to fly and express the true meaning of his life, began to waste away and his feathers to lose their gloss; he grew ugly; and the woman no longer paid him any attention, except by feeding him and cleaning out his cage.
One day, the bird died. The woman felt terribly sad and spent all her time thinking about him. But she did not remember the cage, she thought only of the day when she had seen him for the first time, flying contentedly amongst the clouds. If she had looked more deeply into herself, she would have realized that what had thrilled her about the bird was his freedom, the energy of his wings in motion, not his physical body. Without the bird, her life too lost all meaning, and Death came knocking at her door.
"Why have you come?" she asked Death. "So you can fly once more with him across the sky," Death replied. "If you had allowed him to come and go, you would have loved and admired him even more; alas, you now need me in order to find him again."
Once upon a time, there was a bird. He was adorned with two perfect wings and with glossy, colorful, marvelous feathers. In short, he was a creature made to fly about freely in the sky, bringing joy to everyone who saw him.
One day, a woman saw the bird and fell in love with him. She watched his flight, her mouth wide in amazement, her heart pounding,her eyes shining with excitement. She invited the bird to fly with her.and the two travelled across the sky in perfect harmony. She admired and venerated and celebrated that bird. But then she thought: He might want to visit far off mountains! And she was afraid, afraid that she would never feel the same way about any other bird. And she felt envy, envy for the bird's ability to fly. And she felt alone. And she thought: "I'm going to set a trap. The next time the bird appears, he will never leave again."
The bird, who was also in love, returned the following day, fell into the trap and was put in a cage. She looked at the bird everyday. There he was, the object of his passion, and she showed him to her friends, who said: "Now you have everything you could possibly want." However, a strange transformation began to take place: now that she had the bird and no longer needed to woo him, she began to lose interest. The bird, unable to fly and express the true meaning of his life, began to waste away and his feathers to lose their gloss; he grew ugly; and the woman no longer paid him any attention, except by feeding him and cleaning out his cage.
One day, the bird died. The woman felt terribly sad and spent all her time thinking about him. But she did not remember the cage, she thought only of the day when she had seen him for the first time, flying contentedly amongst the clouds. If she had looked more deeply into herself, she would have realized that what had thrilled her about the bird was his freedom, the energy of his wings in motion, not his physical body. Without the bird, her life too lost all meaning, and Death came knocking at her door.
"Why have you come?" she asked Death. "So you can fly once more with him across the sky," Death replied. "If you had allowed him to come and go, you would have loved and admired him even more; alas, you now need me in order to find him again."
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Christmas is for Kids (2009)
Christmas eve to day after Christmas was fun-filled with good food, good company, and grandkids of Ate Norie and Ate Girlie providing the entertainment.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The UP Manila Chorale presents Christmas Shines
The UP Manila Chorale held its Christmas concert at the Philamlife Auditorium last Dec 5, 2009. Kara joins them as a new member. She sings Soprano 2.
Monday, December 7, 2009
After Christmas Shines
At the lobby of Philamlife Auditorium, with proud members of the family. Then dinner to celebrate Kara's hard work and of course, in thanksgiving for her talent!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Portraits of Servant Leaders
Members of the HFP Parish Pastoral Council and Parish Staff
PPC Christmas Party
Dec. 6, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The View from Kara's window
Kara is rooming in soon with Meryl in their family's new condo unit near UP Manila. I hope the glorious sight inspires her to do some serious studying, Baka naman maging serious daydreaming! Ganda kasi ng view!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
I should remember this
Fear Is So Yesterday
Fear is always counseling you against the perils of 'now' because of something that happened 'once before'.
--Robert Holden
Yesterday might be a nice place to visit, but only fear wants to live there. The next time fear calls out to you, Joanne, face it squarely and remind it gently that you no longer choose to live in the past and it can't live in the present. Then bless it and let it go.
May you always be aware that fear needs the past to survive.
And may you always be aware that you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to me.
Until tomorrow,
May your day be filled
with all things good,
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Buteyko reigns!
Ling & I attended the Buteyko Breathing Reconditioning Program to help us with our allergic rhinitis and migraines. The method was developed by Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, a Russian respiratory physician, who discovered that the stresses of modern living have resulted in most of us chronically overbreathing. This creates imbalances in the Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide levels, causing reduced oxygen supply to the cells, and symptoms such as asthma, rhinitis, sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, coughing, etc. We attended five 2-hour workshops to learn the method from Jac Vidgen, an Australian Buteyko practitioner. After the last day of our classes, we had dinner at Sweet Inspiration on Katipunan with Ling's friends.
Angels walk amongst us
Didn't think so until yesterday morning.
That day, I finally found the the time to go to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) to have a mammogram done. Because I have postponed doing this for so long, I rushed to the hospital, mindless of the fact that I might not have enough money to pay for the medical procedure. This unfortunate situation, I realized only when I saw the ATM machine by the entrance of the hospital. But the anxious moment lasted only for a second because I thought I could always withdraw some money later.
So after having my request processed, I proceeded to the machine only to find out it was off-line. The guard advised me to go to the Lung Canter in the adjacent building as there was another ATM machine there. It was quite a walk but I didn't mind just so I could have the mammogram that hour. To my horror, it was also off-line! So feeling so helpless but not hopeless, I went back to NKTI to check if they accepted credit card payments. No, cash basis only! So it was back to the reception area to inform them I was pulling out my request and would come back another time because I couldn't withdraw any money from the ATM machines to pay for the procedure.
A lady lining up in the next window heard my predicament and offered to lend me the money. I was so surprised that I could only say it was a big amount of money. She answered by asking if I needed a thousand or two? Flabbergasted, I asked her if she was sure because she didn't know me at all. She said she was sure as she knew exactly what I was going through having had a similar experience before. Embarrassment must have radiated from my every pore but practical me decided to accept her offer. She handed me P1,000 without any fanfare much to the amusement of the lady handling my papers. When I was at the cashier, she even asked me if the money she gave me was enough. We exchanged names and numbers and that was that! I still couldn't believe this was happening to me.
While waiting for my turn, I espied her seated by the Ultrasound section so I handed over the P500 I had in my wallet and told her I would pay the other P500 soon. While thanking her profusely for trusting me, I was called by the nurse for my procedure so I never got around to ask her how I would pay for the remaining amount.
It was only later in the evening that she replied to my text messages. We made arrangements on how I would get the money to her but more important than that we also got to talk a while on our landline phones exchanging details about our lives.
In the midst of grayness in my life the past few weeks, she was a golden moment. She was a streak of color I needed to help make the feeling of desolation fade away. In her text message, she said she found a new friend. Yes, I did too and she was no less than in the person of an earth-bound Angel. Thank you so much, Jojie N. !
That day, I finally found the the time to go to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) to have a mammogram done. Because I have postponed doing this for so long, I rushed to the hospital, mindless of the fact that I might not have enough money to pay for the medical procedure. This unfortunate situation, I realized only when I saw the ATM machine by the entrance of the hospital. But the anxious moment lasted only for a second because I thought I could always withdraw some money later.
So after having my request processed, I proceeded to the machine only to find out it was off-line. The guard advised me to go to the Lung Canter in the adjacent building as there was another ATM machine there. It was quite a walk but I didn't mind just so I could have the mammogram that hour. To my horror, it was also off-line! So feeling so helpless but not hopeless, I went back to NKTI to check if they accepted credit card payments. No, cash basis only! So it was back to the reception area to inform them I was pulling out my request and would come back another time because I couldn't withdraw any money from the ATM machines to pay for the procedure.
A lady lining up in the next window heard my predicament and offered to lend me the money. I was so surprised that I could only say it was a big amount of money. She answered by asking if I needed a thousand or two? Flabbergasted, I asked her if she was sure because she didn't know me at all. She said she was sure as she knew exactly what I was going through having had a similar experience before. Embarrassment must have radiated from my every pore but practical me decided to accept her offer. She handed me P1,000 without any fanfare much to the amusement of the lady handling my papers. When I was at the cashier, she even asked me if the money she gave me was enough. We exchanged names and numbers and that was that! I still couldn't believe this was happening to me.
While waiting for my turn, I espied her seated by the Ultrasound section so I handed over the P500 I had in my wallet and told her I would pay the other P500 soon. While thanking her profusely for trusting me, I was called by the nurse for my procedure so I never got around to ask her how I would pay for the remaining amount.
It was only later in the evening that she replied to my text messages. We made arrangements on how I would get the money to her but more important than that we also got to talk a while on our landline phones exchanging details about our lives.
In the midst of grayness in my life the past few weeks, she was a golden moment. She was a streak of color I needed to help make the feeling of desolation fade away. In her text message, she said she found a new friend. Yes, I did too and she was no less than in the person of an earth-bound Angel. Thank you so much, Jojie N. !
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
BLAME IT ON THE WORLD
"I am two women: one wants to have all the joy, passion and adventure that life can give me. The other wants to be a slave to routine, to family life, to the things that can be planned and achieved. I'm a housewife and a prostitute, both of us living in the same body and doing battle with each other."
"The meeting of these two women is a game with serious risks. A divine dance. When we meet, we are two divine energies, two universes colliding. If the meeting is not carried out with due reverence, one universe destroys the other."
- From "Eleven Minutes" by Paul Coehlo
This explains why we are the way we are, sister! Blame it on Mama who was anything but a simple schoolteacher and housewife. Blame it on our St. Jo education which taught us right and wrong but also brought out the Artist in us. Blame it on our liberal UP education which opened our eyes to the countless possibilities the world can offer. Blame it on the men in our lives who have been nothing like the stereotypical male.
We are destined to struggle but eventually thrive in these two worlds. No choices need to be made. It just is!
Thank you, Steve!
Last Tuesday, November 10 2009, Jingle, Andong, Powie, and I distributed to the Grade 6 pupils of the General Roxas Elementary School the school supplies lovingly donated by Steve Lawie. With us was Ate Yangyang Lopez, Head of the Social Service Ministry of our parish, who coordinated with us and the principal to make this event possible. Thanks for your generous gift of time and resources , everyone!
Friday, November 6, 2009
At the end of a full day's work
The CSSP Registration Assistants for the 2nd semester, 2009-2010 seem not to feel tired even after 4 days of stress and toil during registration. Buti pa sila! Hmmm, it must be my age!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Steve from Melbourne
Powie's foster father during the "Days in the Diocese" part of World Youth Day 2008 was in town for a few days. Broke bread with him a couple of times. He was also able to hear mass at HFP and meet our parish priest (who was also with Powie during WYD).
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A scene from my 28-year marriage
J: I think she is finally leaving him. Because when she got back from her trip, her husband did not even show signs he missed her. Nothing. Why do you think her husband is unresponsive?
T: I don't know. There must be a reason.
J: Of course there's a reason. That's why I'm asking you.
T: Baka nagsawa na.... I don't know!
J: E ikaw, nagsawa ka na rin ba sa akin?
T: (With a chuckle) Hindi a.
J: E bakit unresponsive ka rin sa akin?
T: Unresponsive ba ako?
J: Oo, parang magroommate na lang tayo.
(LONG SILENCE)
I get up from the dining table to go upstairs. He stays downstairs for a while.
T: I don't know. There must be a reason.
J: Of course there's a reason. That's why I'm asking you.
T: Baka nagsawa na.... I don't know!
J: E ikaw, nagsawa ka na rin ba sa akin?
T: (With a chuckle) Hindi a.
J: E bakit unresponsive ka rin sa akin?
T: Unresponsive ba ako?
J: Oo, parang magroommate na lang tayo.
(LONG SILENCE)
I get up from the dining table to go upstairs. He stays downstairs for a while.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friendship is like a molar tooth
The molars are most often subjected to the hardest toil and that is probably the reason why these are the teeth that usually need repair and attention. When they become diseased, dental procedures like root canals manage to save them from the good, old-fashioned extraction. But there are circumstances, like what happened to my tooth, that makes one decide that the more practical option is to let the tooth go.
Last April 17, I went through a most difficult dental procedure which lasted more than 3 hours. Surviving that trauma to my mouth, I had to deal later with the bleeding, inflammation, and eventually the pain when the pain blocker wore off. The ice packs, mefenamic acid, and saline solution would help for a few days but 10 days later, the pain is still there.
Two days ago, while mulling over the dull ache in my mouth and the inconvenience it was causing me, a most unflattering comparison came to mind. I likened my extracted molar to a friendship gone astray.
Misunderstandings and uneven expectations chip away at relationships until there is no recourse but to end them. But because the person has been a fixture in your life, the uprooting is not an easy task. The absence of the person in that space where daily sharing of each others' lives were spent equals an ache which lasts for a little while. This, while the healing of the wound takes place. Finally, when the pain is but a memory, the gap is ready to be filled up with either new friends or old friends who emerge after an unexplained absence.
Yes, there is life after a failed friendship!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Till the mirror whispers
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the most foolish of them all?
Is it that woman there?
Who careened into a liaison
Courting danger
Loving him in reckless abandon
Or is it me, placid
Staying, waiting,
No, suffering
Till the mirror whispers
His love is no more.
28 October 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A day without you
Bright sunlight,
Hopes of You
Fading light,
Sadness veiling my heart
Darkness,
Waiting in vain
Will there ever be a Dawn?
Marcia's!
There's a new restaurant in Tagaytay... and it's fabulous! Great ambiance and creative and yummy food prepared by owner, Marcia.
FMM Sisters Act
Stayed in a cottage in the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary compound for 2 days with (pretending to be religious sisters) Ling and Maya. (Sorry, you couldn't pull it off!) At the far end of the compound you can find the cemetery where all the FMM sisters who have died are buried. Our aunt, whom we fondly called Tita Madre, also rests there.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mirror, mirror on the wall
...In my bedroom in the FMM cottage while trying to fight off writer's block. I think it's a magic mirror, shaving pounds off in all the right places and hiding wrinkly faces. I should have brought it home!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The view from Potter's Ridge
Spent 2 days in Potter's Ridge Hotel in Alfonso, Cavite to be able to finish writing a research report. I know this about myself - I need to be free of distractions to accomplish something on a given deadline. So I work best being away from it all. ... Mission accomplished? You bet! All I needed was a fabulous view and silence to help me along.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Happy Birthday to me!
September 25, 2009 was spent in Tagaytay for Me time! For 24 hours or so, I created a world where I could celebrate everything that has made me who I am the last 53 years!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
SJC Chapel Reveries
Even then, I guess, solitude was something I sought. I found solace in the soft light and the simple beauty of the chapel. I remember now that I would take a few minutes each day to pray like a young girl would. I was so sure that He was always there to listen to me.
The chapel is also where I heard the beautiful singing of the sisters in the late afternoons (Vespers, I think). I would be entranced by the angelic voices wafting from the windows. Those moments would transport me into a state that had me imagining I could be like them.
And then I grew up! And would ultimately decide that the sisters' world wasn't for me.
But seeing the chapel again after more than 30 years, it still held me spellbound. Sitting quietly there brought me back to the days when life was pure and simple. Reminding me how good it was when loving God and pleasing him without question was all that mattered.
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