My Inner Diva

 

 

"This is diva therapy, it’s when you need grand gestures of fabulousness added with a high level of art doused with a bit of gossip and giggles to keep one’s mood buoyant."

           I almost didn't buy this pair of slip-ons. While they appealed to my aesthetic sense, I wasn't sure if the excessive display of color and the intricate bead work belonged to something that would just shod my feet. But the "bongga" in me could not be contained. It was just struggling to get out!

          I've always had trouble deciding between that which is subtle and understated and something that would be considered bright and flamboyant. Much as I believe in "less is more," I am also in awe of intricate and small details in designs.Whether these choices concern my wardrobe or home decor, I'm usually stumped when there are two equally active alternatives. Recently, when faced with a choice between beige or red for a pair of shoes, a colleague proposed a solution by suggesting that I just get both. Which I gladly did to help contain the inner struggle!

          That I would be attracted to color schemes & designs that are poles apart probably speak of the two persons that I am.  On the surface, I try to project a persona of calm and restraint but deep inside me resides this creature who wants to express vividly all that she feels about her life.  I want people to know that my joy (or its complete opposite sometimes) cannot be contained in simple, uncomplicated packages!   All I know is it makes me happy to be part of the beauty that surrounds me!

             Oh yes, my inner diva has been awakened! At least for a little while. All it needed was a call from a pair of outrageously colorful Liliw slip-ons. 

kurokuroatbp

http://kurokuroatbp.com/
Written by "TOE," someone I used to know at SHP as a teen-ager. Now, a diplomat posted abroad.

Romancing my Id

   As I get older, it seems that getting friendly with my Id has become less dangerous. It is not as threatening to my Ego as it used to be.I've noticed that not only am I less fearful about speaking my mind, I've also allowed my mind to speak in not so wholesome ways.

     I've allowed wicked thoughts to slip through the sturdy and unyielding barriers of yesteryears. For example, when I see people with very unattractive physical features, I think about descriptions that are definitely politically incorrect. People who fail to meet my expectations are berated with sometimes unkind words (silently, of course!) And... ehem, when I see very attractive men of every age, I imagine possible dalliances (Joke lang, T!) Then there's my ever-increasing temptation to butt in when overhearing conversations of strangers. I just have this need to correct errors, offer answers to their questions, and oh, just say anything to "enrich" what is going on!

     Yesterday, I stunned people in a fastfood after I told a distracted food server to pay attention to me. Everyone turned to my direction when I said that and I actually did not even feel embarrassed. With my sweetest smile, I explained that because he was multi-tasking while taking my order, he was getting it all wrong. I apologized, of course, saying that I was a teacher and thus, used to telling young people what to do. I told him the lesson from this was "Focus, focus, focus!" Good thing the young chap never erased that smile on his face all throughout the little scene we had!

      So I thought, "Ayan na, talagang nag take-over na ang Id ko." But then again, Freud whispered to me that I might be wrong on that. That last incident? OMG, that was probably my Superego still saying who's Boss!

       And so it seems my dear Id, while you may have found a comfortable, little spot in my thoughts and imagination, it may still be a while before you see regular action in my life! 

High School Classmates

Reunion on 25 June 2010

YouTube - SJCHS Batch 1973

Thanks to the hard work and thoughtfulness of our high school classmate, Evangeline Hernaez-Legasto, we now have a digital copy of our high school yearbook. You're awesome, Ivan!

Bunny, after 30 years or so

Dinner with high school classmates at Romulo
Jan. 4, 2010

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. !

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!

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