ling's sight - mama's portrait

http://tibok.multiply.com/journal/item/21/mamas_portrait
Ling wrote this beautiful poem which captures most, if not all, of the essence of Mama.

Josefina Quisumbing-Ramilo: Bong's Tribute to Mama

http://bramilo.multiply.com/journal/item/33/33
This is something Bong wrote about and for Mama when he was still in Darwin, waiting to come home for Mama's wake and funeral in June 2009

AS 101 Staff and SAs

Happy 26th birthday, Powie!

Birthday dinner at Congo Grille
September 16, 2009

5 Steps to starting the day

Still having fun with my camera

Il Divo UK AV

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052
Il Divo sings "Amazing Grace"

Mga bangko ni Ling sa Palma Hall

St. Lukes na naman!

WMG Strikes again

Freddie's plays are produced again... Dinner after the show at ROC courtesy of Al and myself

Mga Bintana ni Ling

View of the sky from Ling's attic. Taken the morning after my all-nighter kuwentuhan with Joy.

Lunch with Malou

September 2, 2009
Old Spaghetti House
Technohub

What Men Should Know

Got the following story in my e-mail. Really worth sharing ...

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death. 

The question?... .What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end. 

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. 

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. 

But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged. 

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first. 

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend! 

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. 

He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. 

He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table. 

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus: 

What a woman really wants, she answered.... is to be in charge of her own life. 

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared. 

And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding. 

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened 

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half. 

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night? 

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments? 

What would YOU do? 

What Lancelot chose is below. BUT....make YOUR choice before you scroll down below. OKAY? 

Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. 

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life. 

Now....what is the moral to this story? 

The moral is..... 

If you don't let a woman have her own way.... 

Things are going to get ugly 

Always a mother

Mama even her last days, never stopped being a mother. She would still ask if I had eaten or if how my children were.

On dangerous liasons ... and coffee

I swore never to be like people who needed it to start their day. I heard that it was not good for one's health if one consumed it like you would water.

The way we were in 1977

This picture of Team B(astards) of the Techno-aides was sent by a former co-worker from the National Coordinating Council for Town Planning, Housing, and Zoning (haba!). It was my first job and I was 20! May prize ang makahula kung alin ako!

Work, work, work and play

Spent two days in a cottage in the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) compound trying to finish a research report with Jay. This was sort of a going-back-in-time stay for me - spent many a days and nights here when I was with the Foreign Service Institute. The play part was lunch at Sonya's Garden where we had the pleasure of having Sonya bring us to her secret bedroom to sign her newly-published book! Ling bought the book for me as her birthday gift.