My Father’s Pride
If my Tatay is alive today he would be the proudest granddad ever. He will be so proud his granddaughter who graduated as Cum Laude in one of the most prestigious University. I remembered my tatay who put premium on school excellence. He probably will be 86th this year and will be standing by beaming with pride for his “ Apo”.
Many of his wishes for my life came true ; promotion and success of his grandchildren in their education. How I wish he is alive my ever dearest Tatay. From him I felt the love, concern, and understanding of a parent. He will always be my Hero .. Tatay I miss you so much.
My Role Model
I was at the pinnacle of my career, I juggled several responsibilities that left me drained and empty. After several workshops and conferences I got sick although there’s nothing wrong with me. The doctors’s verdict over stressed. Three days in bed with cough and cold moved me to contemplate my retirement, at the age of 55 and at the height of my career maybe I will call it quit. My youngest daughter graduated from college just this month. And my eldest will be third year inn her medical course, maybe my retirement will be enough for her two more years study. I thought I have to preserve myself so I can survive and live to see my grandchildren.
However the graduation of my youngest daughter opened my eyes to reality that my husband will not finance all my caprices. That a cup of coffee latte in an expensive coffee shop is not an easy task to ask from my hubby. No I don’t take it against him that’s just his nature, no expensive purchases. How about my lipstick, my make up, my clothes, it will be five more years before I will receive my pension. No he will not shell out any penny for all those useless things that made me happy. So that’s a major consideration.
Next came Maundy Thursday. I vowed to myself to stay home and rest and get rid of this annoying cough and cold. So I glued myself to bed and occasionally watch lent season TV shows. Then by God’s timing I was able to watch my role model. Pope John Paul II, it’s as if his life directly spoke to my situation. He stayed as Pope for 27 long years even though he was stricken with Parkensons disease. This disease made his life as a pope a very difficult one. He almost tender his resignation but to the very end he never gave up. Instead offered his life for service of mankind. Thank you dear John Paul II for speaking to my heart. As if God is saying stay and serve men through your job. I have given you great responsibility. Don’t be faint-hearted, a cough and a cold are just minor ailment this will not stop you from serving men. Yes I am greater than my ailment.
I will try to be healthy, I will manage my stress so I can serve men in my office and serve God in my appointed reponsibilities. I am not perfect. I am a sinner. But one thing is sure I listen to His voice.
Praise God.
Random thoughts about love part II
“I’ll love you with all my heart, in every life, through every death. I
will not be bound by anything but my love for you.”
― Lauren Kate, Passion
“Never give all the heart, for love
Will hardly seem worth thinking of
To passionate women if it seem
Certain, and they never dream
That it fades out from kiss to kiss;
For everything that’s lovely is
But a brief, dreamy, kind delight.
O Never give the heart outright,
For they, for all smooth lips can say,
Have given their hearts up to the play.
And who could play it well enough
If deaf and dumb and blind with love?
He that made this knows all the cost,
For he gave all his heart and lost.”
― W.B. Yeats, In the Seven Woods: Being Poems Chiefly of the Irish Heroic Age
“I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.”
― Pablo Neruda
“There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic. The boundary between them is not clearly defined.”
― Albert Camus
“I have so much love for you, I could fill rooms with it. Buildings. You’re surrounded by it wherever you go, you walk through it, breathe it…it’s in your lungs, and under your tongue, and between your fingers and toes…” His mouth moved passionately over hers, urging her lips apart. It was a kiss to level mountains and shake stars from the sky. It was a kiss to make angels faint and demons weep…a passionate, demanding, soul-searing kiss that nearly knocked the earth off its axis. Or at least that was how Poppy felt about it.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Tempt Me at Twilight
“He loved her for being so beautiful, and he hated her for it. He loved how she put shiny stuff on her lips for him, and he also reviled her for it. He wanted her to walk home alone, and he wanted to run after her and grab her up before she could take another step.”
― Ann Brashares
“The eyes are one of the most powerful tools a woman can have. With one look, she can relay the most intimate message. After the connection is made, words cease to exist. ”
― Jennifer Salaiz
“We are all dying, every moment that passes of every day. That is the inescapable truth of this existence. It is a truth that can paralyze us with fear, or one that can energize us with impatience, with the desire to explore and experience, with the hope- nay, the iron-will!- to find a memory in every action. To be alive, under sunshine, or starlight, in weather fair or stormy. To dance with every step, be they through gardens of flowers or through deep snows.”
― R.A. Salvatore
“Derek’s breath touched Sara’s throat in unsteady urges. “Sometimes,” he whispered, “I’m so close to you … and I’m still not close enough. I want to share your breath … every beat of your heart.”
He cradled her head in both his hands, his mouth hot on her neck. “Sometimes,” he murmured, “I want to punish you a little.”
“Why?”
“For making me want you until I ache with it. For the way I wake at night just to watch you sleeping.” His face was intense and passionate above her, his green eyes sharp in their brightness. “I want you more each time I’m with you. It’s a fever that never leaves me. I can’t be alone without wondering where you are, when I can have you again.” His lips possessed hers in a kiss that was both savage and tender, and she opened to him eagerly.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Dreaming of You
“Life is an adventure of passion, risk, danger, laughter, beauty, love; a burning curiosity to go with the action to see what it is all about, to go search for a pattern of meaning, to burn one’s bridges because you’re never going to go back anyway, and to live to the end.”
― Saul D. Alinsky, Reveille for Radicals
“If someone loves you, they should not be envious of you pouring your heart and soul and time and energy into the things that you are passionate about, but instead….they should love you MORE because you are so involved in those things.”
― Sharon Swan
“Sometimes you want to say, “I love you, but…”
Yet the “but” takes away the ‘I love you’. In love their are no ‘buts’ or ‘if’s’ or ‘when’. It’s just there, and always. No beginning, no end. It’s the condition-less state of the heart. Not a feeling that comes and goes at the whim of the emotions. It is there in our heart, a part of our heart…eventually grafting itself into each limb and cell of our bodies. Love changes our brain, the way we move and talk. Love lives in our spirit and graces us with its presence each day, until death.
To say “I love you, but….” is to say, “I did not love you at all”.
I say this to you now: I love you, with no beginning, no end. I love you as you have become an extra necessary organ in my body. I love you as only a girl could love a boy. Without fear. Without expectations. Wanting nothing in return, except that you allow me to keep you here in my heart, that I may always know your strength, your eyes, and your spirit that gave me freedom and let me fly.”
― Coco J. Ginger
“They loved each other, not driven by necessity, by the “blaze of passion” often falsely ascribed to love. They loved each other because everything around them willed it, the trees and the clouds and the sky over their heads and the earth under their feet.”
― Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey
“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”
― Dr. Seuss
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”
― Elie Wiesel
“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect – you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break – her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there.”
― Bob Marley
“I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough..”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
“The real lover is the man who can thrill you by kissing your forehead or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space.”
― Marilyn Monroe
“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.”
― Alfred Tennyson
“So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s going to be really hard; we’re gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me… everyday.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
“I’ve been making a list of the things they don’t teach you at school. They don’t teach you how to love somebody. They don’t teach you how to be famous. They don’t teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don’t teach you how to walk away from someone you don’t love any longer. They don’t teach you how to know what’s going on in someone else’s mind. They don’t teach you what to say to someone who’s dying. They don’t teach you anything worth knowing.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
“Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone’s bad qualities because they somehow complete you.”
― Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby
“I am,” he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.
A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave.
A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master…”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
“I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.”
― Anaïs Nin
you are my new energy, a lift to my steps, a skip to my heart…
my new inspiration …to take away the boredom,
but also my new confusion, my new concern…
you will never know.. because I will never show..
I dreamed of you last night… a beautiful dream…
I hold your hand .. and you seem to understand…
that what is happening between us is beautiful…
we respect it ..
it just happened… we never expect it to happen…
but later on i lost you in the labyrinth of life…
in the haunted and borrowed time..
.I lost you and it was expected..
so for this time..let just enjoy this feeling…
never harm anybody…
lets acknowledge that we are ,,
we we are weak …
we can be drawn..
we can be touched…
we can be moved…
it’s useless to get angry…
useless to be bitter…
useless to grieve..
just acknowledge… accept… respect…
and just let go..
with enough awareness up to where our feelings shows ..
.you whispered something one time and felt good..
I take what is offered not demanding ..
not expecting…
as of this moment I’m so happy with you…
you were mine solely for this time..
in the midst of people…. you were mine for a time..
and its unforgettable…and lovely…
/clear
Random thoughts about love (part 1)
The letter had been crumpled up and tossed onto the grate. It had burned all around the edges, so the names at the top and bottom had gone up in smoke. But there was enough of the bold black scrawl to reveal that it had indeed been a love letter. And as Hannah read the singed and half-destroyed parchment, she was forced to turn away to hide the trembling of her hand.
—should warn you that this letter will not be eloquent. However, it will be sincere, especially in light of the fact that you will never read it. I have felt these words like a weight in my chest, until I find myself amazed that a heart can go on beating under such a burden.
I love you. I love you desperately, violently, tenderly, completely. I want you in ways that I know you would find shocking. My love, you don’t belong with a man like me. In the past I’ve done things you wouldn’t approve of, and I’ve done them ten times over. I have led a life of immoderate sin. As it turns out, I’m just as immoderate in love. Worse, in fact.
I want to kiss every soft place of you, make you blush and faint, pleasure you until you weep, and dry every tear with my lips. If you only knew how I crave the taste of you. I want to take you in my hands and mouth and feast on you. I want to drink wine and honey from you.
I want you very much.
I’m sorry. You deserve more respect than that. But I can’t stop thinking of it. Your mouth, open for my kisses. I need too much of you. A lifetime of nights spent with you wouldn’t be enough.
I want to talk with you forever. I remember every word you’ve ever said to me.
If only I could visit you as a foreigner goes into a new country, learn the language of you, wander past all borders into every private and secret place, I would stay forever. I would become a citizen of you.
You would say it’s too soon to feel this way. You would ask how I could be so certain. But some things can’t be measured by time. Ask me an hour from now. Ask me a month from now. A year, ten years, a lifetime. The way I love you will outlast every calendar, clock, and every toll of every bell that will ever be cast. If only you—
And there it stopped.”
― Lisa Kleypas, A Wallflower Christmas
“I’ll love you with all my heart, in every life, through every death. I
will not be bound by anything but my love for you.”
― Lauren Kate, Passion
“You only need one man to love you. But him to love you free like a wildfire, crazy like the moon, always like tomorrow, sudden like an inhale and overcoming like the tides. Only one man and all of this.”
“Man can never know the loneliness a woman knows. Man lies in the woman’s womb only to gather strength, he nourishes himself from this fusion, and then he rises and goes into the world, into his work, into battle, into art. He is not lonely. He is busy. The memory of the swim in amniotic fluid gives him energy, completion. Woman may be busy too, but she feels empty. Sensuality for her is not only a wave of pleasure in which she is bathed, and a charge of electric joy at contact with another. When man lies in her womb, she is fulfilled, each act of love a taking of man within her, an act of birth and rebirth, of child rearing and man bearing. Man lies in her womb and is reborn each time anew with a desire to act, to be. But for woman, the climax is not in the birth, but in the moment man rests inside of her.”
― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934
“Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping… waiting… and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir… open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us… guides us. Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love… the clarity of hatred… the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we’d know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we’d be truly dead.”
― Joss Whedon
“They say a good love is one that sits you down, gives you a drink of water, and pats you on top of the head. But I say a good love is one that casts you into the wind, sets you ablaze, makes you burn through the skies and ignite the night like a phoenix; the kind that cuts you loose like a wildfire and you can’t stop running simply because you keep on burning everything that you touch! I say that’s a good love; one that burns and flies, and you run with it!”
― C. JoyBell C.
If I am to be fallen into love, I will. And if as a result I will appear to be stupid, disillusioned, and of poor judgment, I will. And I would be damned if I cared what other people think. For I would rather be thought of as all of these things, than not love. If in loving, I become the naked woman on the horse, I will ride that horse with my head held high. This is my spirit. I am unbreakable.”
― C. JoyBell C.
“You’ve got this life and while you’ve got it, you’d better kiss like you only have one moment, try to hold someone’s hand like you will never get another chance to, look into people’s eyes like they’re the last you’ll ever see, watch someone sleeping like there’s no time left, jump if you feel like jumping, run if you feel like running, play music in your head when there is none, and eat cake like it’s the only one left in the world!”
― C. JoyBell C.
“I’m not in search of sanctity, sacredness, purity; these things are found after this life, not in this life; but in this life I search to be completely human: to feel, to give, to take, to laugh, to get lost, to be found, to dance, to love and to lust, to be so human.”
― C. JoyBell C.
“Haven’t I? – he thought. Haven’t I thought of it since the first time I saw you? Haven’t I thought of nothing else for two years? …He sat motionless, looking at her. He heard the words he had never allowed himself to form, the words he had felt, known, yet had not faced, had hoped to destroy by never letting them be said within his own mind. Now it was as sudden and shocking as if he were saying it to her …Since the first time I saw you …Nothing but your body, that mouth of yours, and the way your eyes would look at me, if …Through every sentence I ever said to you, through every conference you thought so safe, through the importance of all the issues we discussed …You trusted me, didn’t you? To recognize your greatness? To think of you as you deserved – as if you were a man? …Don’t you suppose I know how much I’ve betrayed? The only bright encounter of my life – the only person I respected – the best business man I know – my ally – my partner in a desperate battle …The lowest of all desires – as my answer to the highest I’ve met …Do you know what I am? I thought of it, because it should have been unthinkable. For that degrading need, which would never touch you, I have never wanted anyone but you …I hadn’t known what it was like, to want it, until I saw you for the first time. I had thought : Not I, I couldn’t be broken by it …Since then …For two years …With not a moments respite …Do you know what it’s like, to want it? Would you wish to hear what I thought when I looked at you …When I lay awake at night …When I hear your voice over a telephone wire …When I worked, but could not drive it away? …To bring you down to things you cant conceive – and to know that it’s I who have done it. To reduce you to a body, to teach you an animal’s pleasure, to see you need it, to see you asking me for it, to see your wonderful spirit dependent on the upon the obscenity of your need. To watch you as you are, as you face the world with your clean, proud strength – then to see you, in my bed, submitting to any infamous whim I may devise, to any act which I’ll perform for the sole purpose of watching your dishonor and to which you’ll submit for the sake of an unspeakable sensation …I want you – and may I be damned for it!”
― Ayn Rand
“I’ll love you with all my heart, in every life, through every death. I
will not be bound by anything but my love for you.”
― Lauren Kate, Passion
My life was changed in a moment
November 8, 2013.. the unimaginable thing happened, and my life, our lives as a community was changed in a moment… nobody expected that it was the worssssssst typhoon that visited planet earth….. the aftermath was heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, difficult, hard…
Come year 2014… the worst have happened we have to force ourselves to look ahead and embrace the future with courage, with boldness,with faith for we have to move on. In this blog… I will mark the testimony of the unforgetable devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda that changed our lives in a moment.
The Children of Caibaan II
We have feeding done to the children of Caibaan… my barangay… close-up of their faces will tell us stories…
stories that will touch our hearts and create compassion… I pray may kindness propagate in mankind… Godbless.
The Children of Caibaan
experimented on the pictures and it evoked some emotions in me. … I’m sharing this to my friends… God bless.
The tandem
I wanted to provide the best input I could find for our participants to the “Effective Correspondence Training” . My staff hired a retired expert, she say. But he huff and he puff while reading his lecture and only proved to our participants that studying English language is boring. I prayed the pair that will take over the lecture the following day will give an excellent, interactive lecture that will really enhance the skills, and knowledge of the participants. Of course these thoughts made me anxious .
Heaven answered my prayers on the second day, the pair of lecturers I invited gave an unforgettable, stimulating and intensively enhancing input. I salute these experts who were generous with their talents. the participants have fun, as well as enhancing their writing skills. I can’t thank these two speakers enough. God bless.
A wingless angel
I encountered several angels in my life. Real flesh and blood people who made a mark of kindness in my life’s journey. This is one of my stories, of a wingless angel I met just recently.
We received a bad news last week, our one day sale of 15 sacks of rice were stolen. They told us, children in our neighborhood were the culprit. So I visited the informal settlers at the back of our house. I went to their shanties and talked to some of the mothers, and I saw the children. Most of them were shirtless, malnourished and bad mannered. My heart bleeds for these young children. I know their parents were busy making a living, they don’t have time to teach spiritual values to their children, for they too were in need of these things. In my heart I desire to reach out to them. That moment, the recovery of our stolen goods were no longer important anymore.
In the same week I heard a friend sharing she has a children’s ministry in Eastern Samar, and due to some problems, she’s unable to visit them. I floated the idea for her to minister to my neighbor’s children, and she answered she will pray and discern if this is God’s will for her. After a day of prayer she received the marching order from the Lord. I was elated, we organized immediately by preparing snacks to serve to the children. True enough she has a knack in holding the children’s attention, and lead them in prayers and songs. The children liked her. She’s like a magnet that draws their affection and like the pied piper who can lead them with her charisma and action songs. She promised to give school supplies, and regularly visit them with my assistance of course. Big plans were drawn, that extended to the mothers too. Truly God is amazing for sending a wingless angel in our midst. See for yourself.
Living Sacrifice
<div style=”margin-bottom:5px”> <strong> <a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/purple.pastor/living-sacrifice-the-shape-of-worship-in-everyday-life” title=”Living Sacrifice: The Shape of Worship in Everyday Life” target=”_blank”>Living Sacrifice: The Shape of Worship in Everyday Life</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/purple.pastor” target=”_blank”>purple.pastor</a></strong> </div>
Somethings New In My life
A pair of sneakers – this shoes is very significant to me because it is s symbol of generosity. An officemate borrowed my tennis shoes and I almost hesitated, my only sneakers is invaluable for I often use it for my jogging and exercise. But I gladly lend it since she was refused by my other officemate, in return she brought with her tennis shoes sent by her sister from abroad and gave it to me a token of my generosity. See the price of being not greedy.
Our three little kittens – Little kittens came to our family just in time my two daughters went to college. These gave us boundless joy with their antics and cuteness.
My Garden- Since I became a vegetarian I transformed my garden into half vegetable and half decorative plants. Both are an excellent way to spend my weekends. I have exercised doing the gardening and I harvested what I planted and I’m assured it’s organic and healthy.
My new friends – One acts like a mother to me and the other a sister. What could have been missing relationships in my life was replaced by these people. And they are good, they are caring, thoughtful, and stimulating.
Books- I’ve almost completed reading my Paulo Coelho book collection and very inspirational and inspiring books, these are my treasures.
The Stork
Three o clock early morning I and my sister entered a smoke filled room, dimly lighted by candles ( the smoke came from the wet firewood used for boiling water). The woman in labor obviously was ready to be transported to the hospital, she was already dressed in her clean maternity dress. She was lying in a small cot, my sister (a doctor) joined her, to conduct Internal Exam and I also sat beside my sister to assist her. I was worried if the cot could still carry the weight of three persons, while my mind was wandering, my sister blurted. “Be ready with the instruments, the baby is crowning.”, WHAT? I almost shouted, We will deliver the baby here? “ There’s no other recourse.” my sister answered back. I mumbled… braced yourself the baby you’ve been waiting for is finally here. And with three strong pushes from the young woman (she’s 24 years old ) the baby boy was in my arms.
Copious thoughts came to my mind, I was anxious, if the baby is normal for I know the young mother have taken some drugs to abort the baby. I recalled, five months ago I met this young woman, informing me, she wanted her baby, ( four months in her womb) to be adopted, and could it be to be possible that I will be the mother of the child. I’ve never dreamed that an offer like this will come to my life. I have two daughters of my own already. I came to know her because her mother, is a member of our prayer group. As we talked, I found out that the young pregnant woman has been a rebel and ran away from home, she went wayward to the point of having a married live-in partner. Now that she is four months pregnant she wanted her life back and desired to go back schooling. This will not be possible with a baby, and the family’s income is only enough to met both ends. I assured them, I will think it over. Kind of, I let this idea hibernate in my mind.
Another flash back, a close friend asked me if I could help her arrange pictures for the slide show for her mother’s 60th birthday. As she showed me the pictures I was flabbergasted her mother’s face has similarity with my new pregnant friend. An idea came to my mind since this close friend of mine has been childless for a long time. Well, I said “by the way are you ready to adopt a baby ?” I asked her, she was equally stunned with my question. I told her of the uncanny similarity of the face of her mother and my new pregnant friend, however our conversation was cut short by a call for me to attend a conference. I completely forgot about our bantering. Later, almost midnight , sleepily I answered a telephone call from my close friend. She said she can’t sleep thinking about what I related to her that afternoon. I know then and I’m sure that my close friend is the future mother of the child for adoption.
To make the story short, we arranged for the care of the young pregnant mother. With me as the go between. That was the request, that the two women should not meet to avoid complications later on. I was in, for this great adventure although I have some qualms on how it will turned out in the end.
So one early dawn, my sister and I were the stork, delivering the newly born baby boy to his new parents. The new parents were excited, especially my close friend she walked back and forth, not knowing what to do, as her husband carried the baby boy and tried to think of a name. Later they admitted the newly born baby in the hospital for the usual newly born assessment, thanks God the baby boy was in excellent health. After several months, with intricate legal processes and lots of paper works, the baby was legitimately theirs.
Fast forward, I attended the usual Sunday Mass and saw a handsome boy ran in front and took my right handfor the customary blessing. As I turned my head I saw my close friend with her hubby both of them smiling proudly at me. Yes Life’s been good, their prayers been answered. I thank God for being part of the answer of the prayers of this good natured couple.
Much later we found out the young mother (who offered her baby for adoption) married somebody and had a child of her own and finally settled. I sighed! God is great! God bless you all!
Understanding
Understanding is very important… it moves a person to action or emotion, because as one comprehends all faculties agrees with it. It enlightens any given situation, or event thereby giving harmony and peace. But for human beings like me it doesn’t come easy. I need pattern of events to make it clear to me and this is my story.
The husband of my sister left her for almost two years in favor of loving another woman, and so I stand in the gap, showed my whole hearted support. I was there, her emotional support, psychological, material, physical, social support. Not only me but my husband and my children too. Practically we made adjustments in our family life so we could include her perhaps to ease a little of her pain and hurt. We fetch her and her children, ferry them to clinic/office and school. I am always present at her beck and call, eat breakfast with her almost everyday, listened to her woes, cares, frustrations, and disappointments of her marriage life even if it’s repeated a hundred times. I decorated her home for Christmas, supervised the painting of her rooms to make it not gloomy, cleaned her house, changed the curtains, included her to my parties and events. I’m in her parties and seminars. Protected her from insults of insensitive people. Supported her in her ministries and cheered her in her talks. I know I neglected a little my family, but I know they understood, that I’m more needed at her side.
Fastforward, she reconciled with her husband, although for me rather hastily for there were no “forgive me’s” or “ I’m sorrys”, but I respected her decision. That also made me distanced from her for I don’t want to have an eye to eye contact with the villain of my story – my brother inlaw), (he who brought so much sufferings and pain to our family). And here’s my sister, she felt I should still play the same supporting role. Wanted us to fetch her and her kids ( why should we fetch her, let her husband do the job, my angry response) (now I’m now the villain) She wanted me to help out in her parties ( I’ve done the cooking in her birthday) Praise God I have a valid excuse not to attend. She wanted to borrow my dress even if she have a lot of her own and that was the last straw. I told her I’m tired of neglecting a part of my life ( limited exercise, no taeboo cause I’m spending breakfasts with her every Saturday and so I bloated). I’m tired of her circle of friends, who size me up and compared me with her and says ( you’re a little chubby and are you also a doctor?) . I’m tired of their comment that I’m fat, and of my joke that I’m a conductor. And when I’m with her while she shines I felt ugly, small, and do not amount to anything. I’m tired of being her shadow, her personal assistant, her kitchen girl, of listening over and over to her woes about her husband ( I ask myself why did she reconcile anyway) . So I declared my freedom and told her “enough please don’t include me in your world anymore, Set me free”. I want my independent life again. And Voila Praise God she no longer texted, no longer asked favor, borrowed money, complained to me, nor texted of her woes and pains. It brought me to asking “ have I done wrong ? were my plea out of anger or hate ? No may I tell you I just want my life back, Now I taeboo every weekend, spend hours walking and meditating, eating breakfasts with my husband, reading more inspirational books, re-acquainted with my old friends, and met and made new friends, of which two I felt they are my mothers, and other two people were like my sisters. I found are beautiful relationships, I also learned new things which are beneficial, like wealth management and financial discipline, redone my garden ( replaced it with vegetable) watched my diet carefully, and exercise more. (I noticed my UTI no longer recurred maybe I was absorbing to much of her stress)
Slowly an understanding dawn on me I will never be controlled by other people anymore, for one time a friend controlled my life (via my love for God) and I broke free. Without putting a finger on it my subconscious can’t accept another form of subjugation or pseudo control. I broke free; cut the umbilical cords that put her in a co-dependent relationship with me, that all will be free. It’s for her own good as well as mine. Now I have peace and guilt free, truly God works in amazing ways. With this understanding I know later much later she too will understand. God bless !
A Sister’s Plea
A Sisters’ Plea
I’ve been reflecting on my life lately…. And to tell you, I have nothing against you nor I am angry with you. But so that you will understand my actions I will make it clear to you. When I started to work my confidence is very low and I have very nil self esteem. It took years and years to build it up by God’s amazing ways. Now By God’s grace I am a person with a bit confidence and self esteem. So even if I’m already 50 my confidence and self esteem are still very fragile.
However I noticed every time were together I always received some comparing negative remarks and side remarks and stares that assess me that made me feel very small. Remember Albert in front of other people his insulting remarks? my way of coping with it was to fight back and lash him also with insulting words. There were still others who have done the same thing but I don’t have the energy anymore to respond and fight back. In parties if only it’s possible I would hide just not to be seen and be compared again. I just made a strong front and swallow everything the time when your husband was not around. It’s needed at that time. I just bear all their ugly remarks. You know that never happened in my office cause I am their boss. (I remember never did once you come to my defense, In fact you come to the defense of Albert asking excuse for my behavior).
Now I’m in menopausal stage, I am extra sensitive please spare me from this. I know you tried hard to include me into your world. but I hope you have the compassion enough to le it be. I am already tired of showing a strong front. I’m always hurt whenever your around with me. In the parish, with the priests, in your community, with the medreps, co-workers, , don’t bring me in their crowd. because I already experienced cruel remarks from these groups. At this stage I can’t take it anymore. You may say that I am over reacting but my feelings are real to me. I hope you will respect it.
( I prepared this letter to heal myself, this is how I wanted my dear sister to respond to my concern.)
Dearest Sister,
I’m very much sorry I did not know of your plight. I thought Like I do, you are enjoying my company. I’m sorry I did not extend my compassion when you received those negative comments. I thought you were strong enough, confident enough not to be affected by those remarks. Yes I respect your feelings and I do understand your actions I hope that someday we will put all of this behind us and let our sisterhood get the better of us. I would like to let you know if you need me, I’m just around.
Always loving you,
Love from the Past
(Fiction inspired from the book of Paulo Coelho “Aleph”
Dearest love in the past,
Maybe we have met before in the 18th century…perhaps, I was the beautiful senorita then and you were our errand boy. I caught you staring at me whenever I’m in the sala just reading a book or in the dining hall toying my food. You never said a word but your eyes spoken a lot… you love and worship your beautiful senorita. Secretly, I longed also for your presence whenever you’re not around, and pretended I didn’t notice your glances when we are in the same room. You need all the guts and courage to speak to me and then one day it happened in the garden as I was admiring the roses. I said something that I’m sorry that these roses have thorns for they are so beautiful, and you responded that “pain is part of beauty and the essence of love” then our eyes met and we both understood of what you meant.. that it’s painful, having this love we have in our hearts yet we don’t have the freedom to express it. When our eyes met I too understood you can’t have me and I can’t have you, for that meant death and destruction not only to you but to your family too. You maybe small in frame but you have a big in heart and so you are willing to sacrifice. I”m sorry I was not brave enough to fight for my feelings for you. Please forgive me for hurting you, for I saw the pain in your eyes as an elite senorito married me. I’m sorry for my betrayal.
And now I found you again in another space and time. I can feel the same intense gaze. and it’s still the same, the love we felt is not free, but the same love that flow like a river in the past flowed to the present. I realize that this love, is a love with no name and no explanation, like a river that cannot explain why it follows a particular course but simply flows onward, and I accept the fact that the love we have asks for nothing and gives nothing in return. It is simply there, I will never be yours, and you will never be mine; nevertheless, I love you…
I feel grateful to life because it has allowed me to find you again in the present. Even if I don’t have the answer why. I’m grateful to life that I felt this love I have for you, for it was beautiful though painful. and I do hope you felt the same way too…
Your’s forever, … through time,
Dearest mine forever….. through time,
At that time I’m the senorito and you’re the lowly maid who cleans our sala and kitchen, who stole glances at me. You have beauty but they were hidden in ragged dresses and bandanna which hide your face. You have docile eyes and cute upturned nose but what find me irresistable is you fierce loyalty, faithfulness and courage. You ran to my aid when you saw me fall from a horse, and watched over me like hawk when I was sick, even if you were forbidden to do so, yet you got the courage to stick to what you think is needed by me, your attention and care. I saw you trying to read a book and so I taught you, this got us close and how you wanted to learn more. You devoured all the reading materials I gave you. I heard you once praying…..you were praying for your family for my family (your landlord) for me and for us. I will never forget you for I loved you like a music that’s played by our hearts. You are like a seed planted deep in my heart waiting for a fertile ground. But I was sorry I was sent to a far away place to study and found more sophisticated girls, who have political connections. My mother said I needed this political connection for my future. To get more influential, to get rich and to redeemed our land. Please forgive me I let our love died , I will never forget you even if I married one of this influential ladies, beautiful but incomparable to the beauty you have within.
In another space and time the world turned upside down and now your a woman of highest position in a prestigious company and I’m the lowly messenger. The same fierce loyalty and faithfulness, the same courage but not to a man but to your career. How can I make amends of the wrongs I have done. when I can’t even get near you. but one day in an elevator you felt something different when I was there with you. The same electrifying force we f elt centuries ago. But my love, you hardened your heart, you just glanced at me and shrugged, because of the pain in the past, because of the resolved that yes someday nobody will look down on you and even if you have privilege to love again you can let it go for this pride. and so I think you will never be mine and I will never be yours….
Forever loving you,
Love from the past
A haunting song…
….And in another life I would be your girl
We keep all our promises, be us against the world
And in another life, I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were the one that got away
The one that got away, The one, the one, the one
The one that got away
In another life I would be your boy
We keep all our promises,be us against the world
And in another life,I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were the one that got away
The one that got away
The one, the one, the one, the one
And in another life I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were the one that got away
The one that got away
A Brother’s Song
I’ve adapted this story from an inspirational book. I also incorporated some revision to make the story contemporary.
A Brother’s Song
Once upon a time there were two brothers, where the youngest was handsome and smart, the eldest was endowed with a big black, hairy birthmark on his face, and he also walk with a limp. When they were younger the two brothers were very close to each other and so they went to the same well known high school in their locality. The youngest immediately became the star of the school. He was sought after by girls and peers, with his athletic ability, and physical appearance with a wit to match. However the eldest was a nobody in the school. He goes to school quietly and went home quietly too, singing along the way for he was gifted with a beautiful voice. But the students in that school were cruel. One day, some school bullies made fun of him, and the youngest brother saw how his elder brother was battered, and insulted. He never said a word, never came to his defense, never even identified that this ugly limping person is his elder brother.
Fast forward, the youngest brother became successful, corporate man for now he is a CEO in a rich company. He married the school cheerleader, a beautiful woman, and smart too. After 15 years of marriage, with two children they separated and he became a lonely, rich man. Now He remember his older brother, his manoy (elder brother). He went back to his home town to locate him. His elder brother after that incident never finished high school and devoted his life to farming. He married also a farmer’s daughter and have two children. The youngest brother visited their humble home, he found his manoy in poverty but with a loving family. The scene when his eldest brother was battered by his friends flashed through his mind and he was convicted of the betrayal he has done to his manoy… He approached him and ask forgiveness. It was then his manoy told him that he knew all along that his younger brother was there watching the scene and never came to his rescue. this hurt him most, more than battering he received from his younger brother friends. The elder brother compassionate heart forgive his younger brother and adopted him in his humble home for three months the duration of his vacation. It was then he heard his manoy sang again for he did not anymore sing after his betrayal. The younger brother realized although he was rich, he was famous or successful he was never happy because he made an injustice to his elder brother. Those wounds he had inflicted on his manoy need to be revisited and be healed for him to have also a happy life. God Bless !
Photo Opportunity
Guests from Central Office came and together with them was a professional photographer. We have a grand time modeling in our local scenic places; in Macarthur Park and Rafaels Garden. Come and take a look.
My new kittens
I’ve been missing my daughters lately, they’re off to college. Our home seems so empty without the voices of my daughters. But God in His own goodness sent to me three little kittens that somewhat healed the longings and the missings in my heart. They’re so cute and adorable you can’t help but cuddle them and love them.
Religious Hypocrites
Jesus hate religious hypocrites, hate is rather a strong word to use but several passages in the bible demonstrated that Jesus was furious of these people and these are the religious hypocrites.
Jesus dined with the sinners, the prostitutes, the thieves, the liars, he was compassionate to them and have given them all the chances to repent and amend their ways. However folks he was publicly furious with religious hypocrites. He demonstrated this attitude several times during his ministry.
Religious hypocrisy is worse of all sin. It is spiritual play-acting for selfish gain. This is doubly shabby: faking commitment to God in order to gain power or money or people’s adulation.
The two motives ( gain for power and money) are immediately recognizable. Preachers, evangelists, or priests, amass themselves with money through power. The later motive (for people adulation) is harder to distinguish, for it is not easily recognizable by material possession or position, nevertheless the result is still the same, it is religious hypocrisy. I have seen these kinds or witnessed these events. These people pretend to sacrifice to promote themselves (like politicians who stage a baby-kissing photo session although they abhor babies or children, they were counterfeiting authentic spirituality in a calculated way to move up in the popularity polls.(DRAMATIZE: public setting; for emotional effect).
Who struggles with hypocrisy? (lifted from Gary Delashmutt blog)
>> I would be a double hypocrite if I said I didn’t struggle with this myself! Jesus warned the disciples about the insidious nature of hypocrisy (Lk.12:1), and he empowered Peter to discern it and judge it. But Peter still fell victim to it himself (explain Gal.2:13)!! If you don’t believe that you are vulnerable to hypocrisy, consider the following questions:
Do you ever embellish your good deeds to others, perhaps even make some up?
Are you ever irked when others receive praise? Do you ever turn the conversation in a direction that is more likely to bring you praise?
Is your motivation to serve God and others equally strong when nobody notices it? How do you respond when people don’t appreciate your service?
Do you deliberately hide your problems or moral failures from others, or only talk about them well after the fact?
Do you get defensive when people point out problems in your life even when you know they are right?
Do you react with outrage when someone sins, even though you have committed the same sin?
>> If your answer to any of these questions is “yes” (mine are), you are looking at the seeds of hypocrisy. The truth is that all of us have a tendency toward hypocrisy in our own hearts because we are fallen people. Hypocrisy is not a selective problem; it afflicts all of us. That’s why it is so important to know how to nip it in the bud..
My personal experience,
Most often the root cause for religious hypocrisy is insecurity.. which drove us to various pretense to gain love and adoration of other people. Also sometimes it’s not only personal insecurity but also pressures of religious community which tried to control the lives of their members in order to put a good image of their group. How many well meaning Christians who truly love God embraced hypocrisy to be accepted by their own religious group and so they were forced to fake and put a show, although deep inside they resist this idea. How pitiful is our church if all members act this way.
How do you detect Religious Hypocrites:
They love to sit in the front pew in the church during big religious events, so that people will really see them to prove that they were there (for a show) and they wear flashy clothes to be easily recognized. They posted their religious activities, charity works and acts of mercy, in the Facebook and other social networks, to shout it to the whole world what they have done in the name of God to be admired and appreciated.
How to avoid it (lifted from Gary Delashmutt blog)
Live your life under God’s grace. Hypocrisy can grow anywhere, but it thrives in a legalistic environment. By legalism, I mean earning and maintaining acceptance by your performance. Many people try to earn God’s acceptance by their performance; others live for other people’s acceptance the same way. In either case, you will eventually fail to meet the standard–and then resort to covering it up. This is the beginning of hypocrisy.
But living under God’s grace cuts the nerve of hypocrisy by removing the need for dishonesty. You can be in a relationship with the most important Person in the universe, the One who knows you with all of your sins–and yet who loves you and accepts you just as you are! This frees you from any need for pretense.
GOSPEL: This means realizing that God’s acceptance is what matters most, that you can never be good enough to earn it, and trusting in Jesus’ work alone (rather than your own works) to make you completely and permanently acceptable to God.
CHRISTIANS: This means staying focused on grace…
Be open with others about your sins and problems. This is one of the surest proofs that I am living under God’s grace. If I really believe that God’s acceptance is what matters, and that I have it, I will be increasingly open
God bless !
Archdiocesan Marriage Encounter (AMEN)
We are involved in a marriage encounter group which helped so much in our journey as husband and wife and this is the Archdiocesan Marriage Encounter (AMEN) composed of married couples who volunteered to help others by way of a weekend seminar to be attended by married partners. From doing the administrative work to doing the secretariat job we are now promoted to render a talk. This gave me excitement at the same time anxiety, but by God’s grace we were able to prepare our talk. Please pray for anointing in the actual delivery. God bless
“The Ladies I Greatly Admire
I’ve watched the movie “The lady” a biography of Aung San Suu Kyi the present President of Burma. I came to love the character of this lady not only because she embodied the ideals of a democratic leader but also because there were some uncanny similarities in our own lady President Madame Cory Aquino. My heart resonate with all the struggles she was fighting for her country. For a study of character both Presidents were the same simple housewives dedicated to their families, President Suu the daughter of a great leader, former President of Burma who was assassinated by a Military Junta, while Cory was the wife of a freedom fighter Ninoy Aquino who was also assassinated allegedly by the allies of dictator President. They were both opposing and fighting a tyrannical regime and both succeeded by peaceful non-violent means. I am enthralled by their sweet, refine, demure ways, but strong character. Both are intelligent and highly passionate in their love and belief of freedom for their people and independence of their country. I was touched by the parallelism of the events that happened in both countries ( from martial law to democracy), The two personally suffered and invest sacrifices in their struggle, even to the point of leaving their family. At the end they were both able to celebrate the victory of their hard fight for freedom and became Presidents (the highest position in the land). Who would believed that once obscure ladies will rise to power for the good of their country. I believe this is providential destiny. God bless.
Life’s real lessons
My youngest daughter is going to college. It will be the first time she will be away from us, her parents… there was a tug of war in my heart, part of me won’t let her go ( I will surely miss her) .. part of me says she must… She’s taking up accountancy and yes ! we have very good accountancy schools in our city. It will be very convenient, cheap, and we will not miss her…. But who will teach her how to overcome loneliness and boredom, who will teach her how to take personal care of herself and not depend on others, who will teach her to stand up for herself, manage stress, and how to manage passion and emotions, how to be kind…. compassionate…. be a real friend to others and other life’s real lessons. These things are learned by oneself, away from the comfort of home, family and familiar friends. Tests and challenges in life are best learned when your on your own. So I think that’s more important. Come June 2012 we bid her goodbye, the baby in the family to face ferocious animals in the jungle of life… My prayers are with her and may the values we taught and demonstrate to her be her guide… God bless !
“The Reason…
“The Reason”
I’m not a perfect person
There’s many things I wish I didn’t do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I’ve found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I’m sorry that I hurt you
It’s something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why i need you to hear
I’ve found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You
and the reason is You [x3]
I’m not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I’ve found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I’ve found a reason to show
A side of me you didn’t know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you
The process
An article I’ve read gave me this vital information, that when somebody showed kindness and love towards us that is recorded in deep recesess of our brain and even if that person leaved and we forgot, when we saw that person again that memory of love and kindness will bring signal to the amygdala found in our hypothelamus and we remembered that feeling and once again gives us the same feelings of joy and happiness , in that case that makes that feelings and that person eternal…
In the same way, the memory of pain and hurt will be deeply embedded too in our brain, and time won’t really heal, but we choose to forget, however, when we saw the same person again that hurt us, the brain give us the same signal and voila unconsciously the same anger, bitterness, frustration, disappointments surfaced once again and we manifest this emotions in our bodies, no matter how hard we tried to hide it or subdued it. how do we heal? a process must be done… the forgiving will start as the other person manifest repentance and remorse and our amygdala will be moved to feelings of kindness and love. better still the other person will ask forgiveness and we choose to love…. but a process of asking (or akin to repentance ) and forgiving must be done for us to heal. A representative may take effort and may achieved the same result….
But this can’t be ignored, meaning, the feelings of hurt and pain must be recognized and be valued for this is natural response for we are humans… If nothing is done as if no hurt or pain happened this is complete denial and we are on our way to destruction/damage of our psyche. Some believed spiritually we no longer need this forgiving process for God is love and we are mandated to love unconditionally no matter what… I say in my experience this religiousity is all sham for Jesus showed a pattern of this healing… remember the women with 12 years issue and was ostracized, publicly Jesus installed her to the society, and the adulterous woman, publicly he healed her guilt by saying “neither do I condemned you go and sin no more”. In every sickness of our emotion Jesus always make effort (process) to restore us from guilt to freedom. For me the greatest example was Peter,yes he was totally remorseful but how can he knew he was forgiven? in the presence of other disciple, publicly he was installed in his position as Jesus disciple, Peter was dumbfounded the magnanimity of this love, he was inspired and zealous once again for Gods work. For me this process is beneficial to the victim of hurt and to the aggressor, it works both ways, both are forgiven and become new persons thats how God work he recognize that we are humans and have this unique emotions … God bless
hypocrites
what do you say when a person hurries and make all effort, so that an event in life will happen ?… texted, cajoled, emotionally blackmailed persons involved , without regards to the emotions of other stakeholders, .. and as it was accomplished …have the event pictured and posted it in Face book….isn’t it dam right hyper hypocritical?
I’m wary of people who are doing this whether they are religious or not, they are controlling, fake, hypocrites,and prideful and of course totally insecure, they may not know it, but deep in their heart they would like to control the world and would like to put a show that they are good. Never mind if others are still hurting and are getting depressed and suicidal he/she should get her way no matter what and for world to know that, what was done is good and saintly….
Such people i believed have deep seated insecurity,and are self centered and selfish who badly needs a therapy, I hate those kinds especially at the time they put a show and bring others to their show hmmmm, how many are like this among us,the pharesees were rampant in Jesus time and I believed they don’t come to extinction, human as we are. how many were hurt along the process, especially our very own children, how many were alienated from our lives because of this behavior?, how will we cure this phenomenon for I’m sure they too were once victims of these indelible sin that is handed down from generation to generation,
My sympathy for all of us….God bless !
habits
The habits that make people Poorer.
I’m living in the third world country and one of our abundant resources are the people but rather than they are our asset most of the time a large chunk of our population is a liability. Meaning they are living below their means and dependent and waiting for the government to address their basic needs such as food clothing and shelter.
I happened to live in an impoverished barangay and most of my neighbors are pedicab drivers, labandera ( clothes washing), salon and parlor staff, tindiras and etc… and I’m in close contact with two or three families, for I sometimes hired them for some errands or odd jobs in the house such as fixing the fence, general cleaning of our house and washing our dirty clothes. I observed them up close and have the first hand information of habits they displayed which did not in any way help them in their poverty.
First. They do not plan for their finances from how and where they earned money, to how and how much they will spend for their expenses… what they earned today they immediately spend it in that very same day too, no provision or even thoughts for reserve fund for the following day or for the future. They wake up not knowing where they will get for their breakfast, lunch or dinner. And so life for them always depend on luck or simply quesera sera.
Second : They spend all their earnings.. if they won in a lotto they spend it all in one day, having drinking sprees with friends. If they earned a bonus, the money is spent on drinking tuba, buying cheap plates, and clothes for the children. They want to enjoy at present what little blessings/ or extras they received. No savings, no reservation for the rainy days.
Third : they don’t pay their debts. They owe for the hospitalization of their parents or their child and you will not find them around in the next couple of days. You want to hire them for odd jobs so they can pay their debts but per experience they will only render haphazard service. They used all the dramas in this world to gain you compassion but they will not make effort to pay their debts in terms of loyalty and service. Well there are some who are exemption to the above observations they showered you with their loyalty faithfulness, but rarely can you find one. Such such sorry state. Maybe this is how they cope with their situation. it’s better to enjoy the present for they have been suffering all their life and who i am to judge but I just hope someday these habits will change so they will suffer no more.
… God bless
My issue in life :
I’m comfortable in my own skin. I believe the curves I’ve earned through the years are just right for my age. I have no problem with my shape, my husband love them, my children like me for it, and my friends and admirers adore my shape, not until I’m compared with my twin sister who shun carbo and trying hard to maintain her shape. My excuse I don’t have the pleasure of time to strenuously exercise and in my line of work, food is irresistible. So in as much as I’m fond of my sister’s company, I avoided her presence like a plague, especially during gatherings and parties. I have made a lot of justification for my attitude, but is it unhealed insecurities, or pride. You know sometimes comments were very painful and mean, often these clouded my confidence, so there you are folks, I’m comfortable in my own world and even if it’s a limited environment at least I’m the queen in it.
The anatomy of a playboy
He was no one before, a man whom you will never gave a second glance, but he is smart and intelligent, gift of singing and that put him above the rest and so he goes out with women but only as friends and never more than that.
He loved, was rejected, loved again but humiliated, loved again but was unrequited, have a relationship but still failed. And came the time where he earned a degree through his intelligence, and sheer hardwork, landed a job and promoted now this time all kinds of women flock to him for money, for promotion, for recognition. He never change he was kind and generous to all of them. The only difference is this time he can have them, make them happy in any way and dumped them, if he is finished with them, a true playboy indeed.
Emptying nest
So you think it’s easy when you come to the season of emptying nest. My two daughters is going to college and I believe for now they earned their independence not necessarily financially for they still fully dependent on us but rather on decision makings and taking care of themselves, so I have to send them off to a far place for their college schooling.
I think God’s preparing me for this stage, what with my blog and a dissertation to be accomplished, coupled with lack of household help, my hands are full and I’m looking forward to it. I need to exercise and hone my dance steps, perhaps for a ballroom contest and now I have time for that. Yaddah ! ! ! this could be an opportunity to again renew old friendships ? and read my favorite novels ? I can enumerate more but the truth is I will surely miss my babies … hu hu hu no more shouts .. ma ! ! !where’s my bra or my shoes? Or me rummaging my cabinet looking for my favorite bra or shoes? cause it’s taken by my daughter…. I will surely miss that and our morning wake-up caress. But like the mother/father eagles we can’t help but let them, our young ones soar high. God bless.
The art of flirting
My flirtatious friend:
Could it rooted from past feeling of un-attractiveness when she was boyfriendless or it stems from several rejections of men she loved … she really think she can’t help it, to be friends with lover boys. They appreciated her and gave her attention and made her felt beautiful . She knew yes she knew that there in for just one reason her body which is not much for it’s no longer supple and firm like 56 years ago, which added more to the value of their attention. In return she gave them her attention too and engage in intellectually stimulating conversations with them, while she served them coffee, these satisfy them . But one thing puzzling them, she never gone over board even if they explicitly suggested their intentions, for her convictions were clear, she will never exchange her integrity with one moment of pleasure. However she maintain them as friends like answering their texts with a hint that she too like them. These kind of relationships served her for many purpose not only affirming her womanhood but maintaining her relationship with her hubby for as she felt attractive she felt more amorous to her husband. And friends that the depths of woman’s emotions never trust them especially if they’re fifty something. Lol.
High School Goodbyes
I’ve attended my daughter’s secondary commencement exercise and I felt the energy of the youngs. Capitalizing on their youths and bonds of friendships we parents can just stand aside watching their pandemonium. They hugs each other as if they will never again meet. They embraced their teachers and said goodbyes with tears in their eyes. They seem as if they can’t get enough of each other, we their families waited for a long time for them to finish adieu. We were amaze of their energy and emotions.
My Lenten Post
Somebody almost killed my faith :
I was highly spiritual ten years ago…. I wake up with God on my mind, spent much time for my morning prayers and meditating the Bible, also crying my heart out, praying for the people I love. Any new friends or acquaintance is a candidate for conversion, I wake about God, think God, eat God, do everything for God, never for myself, for, for me it would be a sin of self-centeredness.
Every moment of my life was spent in serving God. often ministering to people for it was my joy. Everything I earned, I have no qualms it was surely spent for my ministry, no reservation even for my children nor for my household, my hubby often frowning on this attitude. I love the people I ministered, I gave my all to them so that they can experience the love of God. It was so self sacrificing (time, money) but I experienced the joy of serving others, almost forgetting that there were also so much pain I’ve undergone in that process of serving.
There were a lot of people who helped me in this journey and I admit they enriched my faith. But people change, as I succumbed to their demands in disguise to guide me spiritually so that I will be Godly or righteous they stretch their control over me. They almost completely controlled my life, as they wanted to change the real person in me. They took over all areas in my life, dictating everything, from how I behave, to how I dressed-up, to what I say, even decisions in my career or in my family life, everything !!! I almost felt my real self is fading to oblivion. My happy days were controlled by them if they approved with my behavior they appreciate me and made me feel guilty or condemned if they don’t approved of what I said or done. I was like a robot…I was often depressed and frustrated cause I can’t often met their standards.
After ten years enough is enough and I declared my freedom. I cut my connections with them, dissolve my ministry, even avoided the people I’ve ministered. I have enough of spiritual minded people and their spiritual ways. I abhor religious activities and I’m over sensitive avoiding super spiritual persons.
At present, without my hubby, my religious activities would be reduced to zero. Now it take’s a lot, for me to be moved spiritually. I often have uneasy feeling when I met people who are so heavenly… I’m sure they are super controlling people. And I can smell if you are a fake or not, shall I say am a good connoisseur of spiritual hypocrites.
I now believe that charity begins at home and my children and husband were happy with that. Although I found true friends in that spiritual journey , I’m also emphatic that I will not tolerate anymore controlling persons in my life nor I would be one. As I’ve already surrendered my life to God, He alone will lead me to paths of righteousness. God Bless.
My Twin Sister
She’s a strong willed lady… opinionated…and passionate… if she believe in something she will die for it….
Her testimony:
We got a neighbor whose both doctors.. in her young eyes (she’s probably seven years old at that time) these people were vey important.. they were sought after by many people… and given the best seats during parties. and they stature were confident and for her, they were truly beautiful people.. So she decided she will be a doctor someday…
Because our parents were only teachers and they already spent a lot of money for my elder sister’s course (BSN) they decided that she will take a BS Biology course and proceed to become a college teacher.. but blessing of all blessing. a co-teacher advised my parents that even if they will sell their house or go poor just give their child what she wanted… a medical course and they could never go wrong. True ended they never regretted their decision. she became a doctor and they got a medical insurance in their old age ( a full time 24 hours-attending physician)… She got married while in her last intern year to a classmate of hers and they begot three children
My brother in-law was kind of spoiled brat as the youngest among the six siblings and the only boy at that. My sister has given all her strength to keep the marriage. He got debts.. she pay for it… he was unfaithful … it was easy for her to forgive him and so now they are celebrating their 25th anniversary, kudos to her. She promised to kept her man and her family and true enough her prayers were answered (she attended three masses every Sunday and every noontime everyday) . .. he came back… her husband who left them for two years… after much prodding from her part. …again opening her door and heart for him, despite of and inspite of she accepted him once again with the same love when he left them. Truly this is only an amazing grace from the God…. God bless
Job perks
I am blest with a job that’s not only challenging but allow me to take pleasure in people and places. I’m in Training Department and I have a superb team who works with me. We make it a point that learning for both our personnel and clients is fun and enjoyable. Depending upon the budget we choose venues that’s not only conducive to learning but can also enhance both spirit and soul.
Since we can no longer get venues outside of our region we scout our local resorts and hotels. And Ohh what a discovery our favorite Sabin Resort, in Ormoc City provides and array of activities after session hours to relax the mind. Like their bar and the swimming pool.
Our newest discovery is the Caluwayan Palm, Beach resort. It so hard to contain the participants after straight 8 hours of learning session so we usher them to the beautiful swimming pool, go boating and sightseeing and the most exciting that we experienced in this resort was the early morning trekking to reach a hidden cave and a hideaway white corral beach. Take a look, our pictures will tell of our adventure.
And so we go home pact of the new learning, with recharged soul, with energized bodies and a fresh enthusiasm ready to face another bout of stress in work. Seems like we just had a mini vacation. I’m surely am a lucky lady.
Reminiscing the glory of the past
Brought some visitors to the famous Sto. Nino Shrine and had fun reminiscing the past glory of a dictatorship regime so they said. The furnitures and decors were exquisite and truly priceless, imported from Italy, China and Europe. The design was grandiose, the architecture elaborate and expensive. as describe by our guide the walls were made of leather imported from Italy designed to look like woven mats we call in our dialect “banig”….. and other walls are made of wood tiles also designed to look like “banig” . As our region is famous for Banig products. The supposed guests will be accommodated in rooms that has themes of the different regions and cultures in the Philippines ( Ifugao, muslim, ilocano, ilongo, cebuano, etc.) There is a dining area that can serve thousands of guests, a ballroom place for dancing and entertaining visitors, a conference hall for political events and rooms of the members of the first family including the “yayas” (nursemaids) and the guards. but as you enter the shrine, what will meet you are the icons of the saints and the Sto. Nino, complete with pews and altar for celebrating Holy mass.
Upon reflection I noted that the shrine is not only is a house of prayer but constructed also to accommodate and entertain guests of the President and an abode of the first couple…..Remember in the old testament the house of God is always a separate tent, a heavy curtain will always separate the holding area of the priests….. do you know what I mean ? meaning ordinary mortal men should not share the glory of a high, holy, and mighty God. …
When the shrine was fully finished and furnished .. Edsa revolution (people’s power of the Philippine) came, up to this time the shrine was never used as intended by its design but only serves as a museum, a testament that grandeur of God cannot be shared by mere mortal men. God bless.
Remembering My Lola (grandma)
Actually she’s the aunt of my father who came to live with us when she was widowed (she is childless). Since my father was her favorite nephew we adopted her. She was 70’s something. She wore “baro’t saya” ( ankle length flowery skirt) for her daily wear, and with a beautiful embroidered “panuelo” on Sundays. She has a few clothing though but all of them were priceless. She doesn’t speak a lot, but I know a lot of thoughts were going on her mind for I often accompany her whenever she visits her relatives ( we walked 2-3 kms.)
What I remembered most of her Is, she showed she really cared for us. She gave me a massage whenever I’m sick, and allowance when we travel back to our college campus. And I know she prayed for us everyday as she holds her rosary beads longing for our footsteps, waiting for us her grandchildren to visit her at home.
She left all her properties to my father, I guess that helped us with our college education, we are forever indebted to her.
What I regretted most Is, I didn’t showed I cared for her. I was embarrassed when I’m with her. She smells odd and looks odd ( I was a teenager then). I knew she knew I was ashamed of her looks(warts, wrinkles and outfit). Except for my occasional visits that’s all I’ve shown to her that I have concern for her. Now I’m shedding tears for my lola. What and how she suffered with our neglect. If she’s with us now I could have showered her with my love and care. But then I know she understands.
My Idol
His my idol in writing… I’ve learned a lot about life from him… widened my microscopic perspective of things. From his books I’ve learned to be more accepting of others idiosyncrasies, to be tolerant of others weaknesses and mistakes including mine. I shed tones of tears in his stories, felt broken hearted, disappointments, frustrations; suffer sadness, grief, overwhelmed with happiness, joy; was exhilarated, excited, and thrilled, experienced a range and myriads of emotions by reading his books (I have a collection of these). And I guess I became a better being. Paulo thank you for inspiring me. I’m grateful for the wise words and wisdom you shared through your books. I’ve learned a lot from you. Thank you for being among us. God bless
altar carvings
Not an old church but the same old idea, intricate carvings for an altar, what is best Is, it’s made of Cement not casted but carved and hand crafted like wood but much better for termites can’t bite into it. Come take a look on these beautiful carved altars, it’s amazing, kudos to the “Tanuan, Leyte” carvers.
dreams and wishes
She’s my eldest daughter my firsts in parenting experience. I have many mistakes as a mother, but thanks God she turned out just fine. I pricked her baby stomach( when I’m still practicing how to put on baby diapers), she fell from our bed(I slept soundly forgetting I have a baby beside me), and she got diarrhea due lactose intolerance ( I didn’t knew there is such thing as this).
I strongly resisted her to be the fulfillment of my dreams, so I will not put undue pressures on her, unknowingly she put all of these to reality. I wanted to be a singer but my voice croak like a frog, my daughter fulfilled this dream. I secretly wished to be a professional dancer, and she’s a member of a dance troupe, I yearned to spend my school days in a different place on my own so I gave this opportunity to her. I’ve got a crush when I was in college, and she got a loving, caring and respectful bf. You know she can pursue her dreams whatever it is, and we her parents will gladly support all of these. So folks she’s a theater actress, a singer, a dancer, a choreographer and neurosurgeon (someday). I’m lucky to have her as my daughter.
and here’s a sample of her being an actress (just a project in their class whew it’s a horror movie lol)
love is in the air
love this song…
the feelings of the lyrics resonate
yes… when you love you’ll be hurt too
and yet you can forgive…
people…… love is in the air
it’s valentine month !…
Prom Night
She was born February 14, 1995. My valentines gift from God. I kept the double initials for her name to kept my lucky streak and sure enough she is a blessing with her brain and her talents . She was my baby alright, I baby talk to her even if she’s already a teenager, and she responded to me in baby talk too (our endearment).
She’s certified vain person. She got my best pair of shoes/sandals, my prettiest dress, accessories… anything she likes in my wardrobe it’s for her to use. Her motto “ Mama what is yours is mine and what is mine is still mine” ( crazy spoiled). But oh boy she will shower you with her kisses and so super sweet, and most loving and extra caring. You can’t say no to anything she ask or beg from you.
Now she a full grown lady I just realize that this Prom night. I helped her dress, my baby is undeniably already a lady. I stayed until she danced their special number and she was so proud, I was there to watched her and yes ! she can really dance. Praise God I followed my hunches to stay. ( I thought I will be bored). I had fun experimenting with my camera. And was excited watching the transformation of these once school children turn into young adults. They admired each other’s gowns and tuxedos. And was flabbergasted (saying ohh !… ahh !) to their classmates new look, they surely now look like handsome princes and beautiful princesses.
Sunrise, sunset… a study in photography
Sunrise and sunset always inspire me. It energize my power of hope and faith knowing that everyday there is a beginning and an end. It gives me hope that after the sun sets and night will come,the sun will surely appear in the morning. This is the time of day that transform me to meditation mode, that gives a calming effect to my soul and my spirit. It created a mood that quiets a troubled soul and convey peace to a weary spirit.
A friend taught me how to shoot/ take good photos in any time of the day, I choose sunrise and sunset for it’s so dramatic. So friends here’s a collection of those amateur photos.
Battle of the bulge
I was stick-thin in the past and often indulge myself to mindless eating. But after two caesarian Sections , a miscarriage, stress, type A personality, and escalating hormones, here I am, in an undesirable state, bloated and 10 kilos heavier than I was twenty years ago. This frequently given me trauma ( most often compared to my svelte sisters). This trauma generally includes mocking comments, ridicule, being stared at, and derogatory remarks. Thus laying the ground for my battle of the bulge (which kept appearing especially in the mid-section of my body).
I’ve done everything, crazy diet e.g. fruit juice, protein, south beach, carbo-less diet /non-rice diet and subjected myself to various strenuous exercise, Taeboo, aerobics, jogging, running, walking, gym name it I’ve done it. but to no avail. Until I was hospitalized ( was dehydrated) I’ve got to wake up from my stupid ambition to be a perfect 34-24-34 body frame, that’s an impossible dream for my age. I’ve decided instead to transform myself into a health buff. Regular exercise, eating more of fiber (fruit and vegetable) refrain from meat, instead increase fish intake (with high omega oil which is good for the heart). and shun all kinds of stress.
I have to motivate myself regularly, human as I am I become lax as the time went on. It’s also hard to discipline myself in my diet especially when food triggers are available all the time in my line of work (I have a sweet tooth, I can’t resist desserts). The greatest challenge however is changing my attitude, and changing my motivation, I will stop trying to be super thin but live a healthy life so that I will still be alive to play my great great grand children.
Raising parents
(excerpt from my daughter’s blog)
MEET MY GORGEOUS MOM
#world’sgreatestmother
—YES!!I GOT IT FROM MY MOMA!!
ako na ang future (my Name), my ever loving and caring mother. I’m thankful for everything she have given me and taught me. i thank GOD for giving me a mother that i can be PROUD OF. she is indeed my mother and my best friend at the same time. i can never ask for more.
she may be moody at some times but i try to adjust to her. knowing how she works hard for me and my older’s sister future. i can feel her stress and her disappointments whenever she scolds me. also i try my very best to make her and my father proud by my grades. kahit na minsan na lang kami magkita sa bahay, alam ko naman na mahal na mahal at iniisip niya pa rin ako. oh diba??? at sa lahat na talaga ng OC siya na talaga!!sa kanya na ang corona!!!hahaha…pati pambahay na damit ay plaplantsahin…hahaha…
my ever SUPPORTIVE MOM!!! im so happy na kahit na i told her that i have a boyfriend ay di niya ako pinagalitan.. kasi she knows that my generation is different from hers. but still, she reminds me of my limitations coz i am still young:)
She is a GREAT WRITER and a Frustrated singer(sorry ma!!), and i love her for being like that. halata mang may edad na ang itsura ngunit BAGGETS pa rin ang mga gawi at kilos. you’ll know her and i know you’ll love her. sa tawa pa lang, alam mo nang masarap kasama!!!I LOVE YOU MA!!
——at dahil dream kong maging magaling na writer tulad niya, i dedicate this post to her:**
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
……As I read this I don’t know whether I will be happy because my daughter is proud of me or be sad because in some way she pointed out my failures. But at the end I told my friends this is a revelation, so folks here’s snippets of that revelation.
First my being moody was affecting my daughter ( because of pre-menopausal syndrome, stress at work all of these are my flimsy excuse) good thing she accepted this moods without questions or complain.
Second my being busy is not good for the emotional make up of my daughter, I vowed to stay at home whether I will be bored or not. Whether we interact or not (she is busy studying all the time or making projects). So here I am deliberately staying at home while my daughter is studying for her finals, for her, quality time and love meant my presence.
Third Obsessive Compulsive (her exaggeration) was brought about by my being hypochondriac LOL … afraid of getting sick. Where before I can tolerate a topsy-turvy a little bit unclean house, now I have to change beddings, linens, towels, curtains, every week, consequently changing a 50 years old household helper because she can’t coped up with the demand of workload. I may ease up a bit in the coming days but I guess it becomes a habit already.
I am blest with a level headed daughter so to counteract all the of the above negative qualities she also pointed out my positive characteristics and for me thats endearment.
First I’m a supportive mom rather I will rephrase this, I’m an accepting and understanding mom. Having a bf when you’re in High School is not really my cup of tea (my twin sister strongly disagree with this, it’s not within the bounds of her morality). But here’s my youngest daughter, her elder sister studying away from home, her mother always on out of town training and her father busy with his business. A good Christian boyfriend somehow will answer the emotional gap we created in her life. I also accepted him in our circle of family friends, with proper reminders of their boundaries, I think they’re doing fine. (my prayers for her protection against all temptations))
Second; what I love most ? is her appreciation of my being a trying hard or shall I say courageous writer, and the fact that I inspired her (that matters most). Writing my blog became my hiding place, my work in progress, also my inspiration and my passion. I can stay whole day at home just writing my thoughts, and reading other ideas, reflections and blogs. my daughters reaction to this new hobby is enough remuneration.
Third masarap kasama ( fun to be with/ and feeling bagets (young) in my attitude ) that’s another trophy from my daughter. It’s like the perpetual-young-attitude award whew. It’s hard to do that especially with stress in the office, burden of responsibilities at home, and demands in the ministry, somehow I was able to do that by God’s grace. This made me easy to relate with in this x- generation.
Parenting is tough, but I guess most important other than discipline is I make it sure no matter what happen, and what I am doing or undergoing… they knew that I love them foremost. And thats all that matter. God Bless
Manna
Manna
After the collection of love stories I will be presenting to you testimonies of friends of the goodness of God in their lives, I call these stories Manna. Manna from heaven in the bible is food provided by God to the Israelites during their Exodus from Egypt to the promised land. Hoping and praying that these will serve to nourished the spirit and soul of my readers.
The amazing grace of God ( A testimony of a friend)
I’m a victim of abused. I’m the 5th child out of 8th siblings and we live in dire poverty with my mother as a laundry woman and my father as a security guard. In this situation God’s mighty hand and amazing grace manifested in our lives. My mother a laundry woman (labandera) worked for rich/ middle income families and one of these is a rich Chinese family. Unknowingly the Chinese husband was eyeing on her. And one day with no one in their house but the “labandera” and the Chinese husband, it happened. She was raped and I was the product of that incident. This background laid down my destiny of misery and sufferings. I earned the hatred of my mother for I was the constant reminder of the evilness of that devious master, and the indifference of my father because he doubted the faithfulness of my mother.
To have peace in the family, I was sent to foster parent, my aunt in a far-away place. I have to work hard to merit my stay in their household, fetching water, cooking, cleaning the house, washing clothes, not mentioning that while working I received physical and emotional abuse whenever I commit mistakes. This started my intimate relationship with God. He become my best friend, my confidante of all the hardship I am experiencing . Nobody introduced Him to me I just knew that somebody out there is a loving and powerful God who is taking care of me, I talked to him constantly.
In this situation I finished high School. And returned home for my college degree. God of all miracles and mysterious ways, I work as Dance Instructor at night, selling delicacies, processed food, and working student in daytime, In this way I finished my college degree. At home the emotional abused in my life continued, through my mother and my father (I was almost raped by my father, he is not my biological father). I’ve reached the point where, I can’t bear it anymore and so I stayed away from home (I’m already working and sending my two younger siblings to college).
The time when I was away from home my mother changed, according to my elder sister, she always talked about me and how she appreciated me for helping my two siblings and at that time she was already diagnosed with adrenal cancer. After sometimes I was married to my avid admirer, during the wedding my mother gave an emotional speech asking for my forgiveness for her maltreatment and expressing her appreciation and love for me, that healed everything I was reconciled to my family and was given the chance to serve my mother for two months before she died of adrenal cancer.
Now I’m working as a teacher, continued my journey in life with God as my guide, counselor and friend. I have a new challenge, my son is diagnosed with ADHD where God is giving me the grace of patience and more love. Praise God through all the events in my life, I’ve learned to depend on him for everything as he continue to give me strength, bearing fruit of humility, perseverance and patience so that I can also minister to others. Praise the Lord.
Growing old gracefully:
Something just happened tonight that made me eager to grow old gracefully. The despededa party for a friend made me admire what they can do in senior years. First they can say anything without having others scandalize…. Like he was her love at first sight ( the lady is 67 and the man she is referring to is in his early thirties) and we can’t let you go or we will surely miss you or I love you with all my heart, my oh my at my age I have to be very careful with what I say or I will be over-board of what is proper and appropriate. At their age (sixty something) they are given the authority to be super expressive without feeling chagrin. The next thing I noticed was they can dance and sing to their hearts content and no one will thought they are overacting or drunk, it’s just accepted that it’s natural for their age to really enjoy to the fullest and it’s not an embarrassment, in-fact people will even appreciate it. Meaning they can be themselves and no one will criticize them. I will surely love to be in that situation. Aside from the privileges of dual citizenship where they take pleasure in discounted movies, restaurants, fares, medicines, etc), they were given the extra honor to be first in the line at the buffet table, the best seat, the best menu, all the best … Now who will not love to be in that age ? God bless.
La Luna
He can’t forget her silhouette ( sitting in a kiosk by the beach) against the full, soft light of the moon, this seem to stick permanently on his memory, like the Mona Lisa painting of da Vinci, this image haunt him continuously. The beach, the people, the food, and the petite Filipina girl seemed to possessed him, it’s unexplainable. Come to think of it when he visited that beautiful, scenic secluded place in the Philippines, he was with his former girlfriend but they parted ways immediately when they returned to Italy. She likes the high life and will not part with her Italian family, while he prefer a quiet, laid back, stress free life, enjoying the nature and people. And so he returned armed with the mission to marry that simple Filipina girl from a remote barrio, and the vision of an Italian resort by the beach where they could live a happy, contented life. They met again and was engage immediately despite the language barrier, love knows no walls. The girl never dreamed in her life to marry this handsome Italian gentleman, never imagined that together with her Italian husband they will build a classy beach resort and raised a beautiful baby girl, they named her La Luna.
photos will show of our escapade in la luna
love conquers all
He was the poor boy, she was the rich girl, they met and that was love at first sight. Their love story is the usual melodrama we saw in movies and TV soap operas. Her siblings disagree with the relationship even belittle the boy. So they eventually eloped to give freedom to their love. Their life together as husband and wife was hard and difficult aside from the fact no relatives helped them. But they have overcome all trials and challenges in marriage life and successfully raised three beautiful children. Their love story is a testimony of the famous adage “love conquers all” I know because they are my parents.
Temporary Gains
Part of the itinerary of our Regional Assembly was a visit to small scale chromite mining in Salcedo Eastern Samar. We witnessed first hand the disastrous effect of the chromite mining to the environment. Twenty hectares of chromite deposit a meter thick from the surface of the ground is mined in several barangays in that municipalities, they remove the surface clay material and wash it, the recovery of chromite is about only 50 %. The method is crude, they haphazardly excavate the soil result to dispruption of the soil structure, soil erosion and leaching of nutrients, which will render the soil unsuitable for agriculture. Although they are providing a siltation tank to wash the clay surface materials, the water in washing will eventually find its way to rivers and seas which will destroy the marine environment. The labor is cheap (P1.50 per kilo of processed chrome), surely the real beneficiaries were the financers, operators of the small scale mining (and the politician for the grease money in securing the mining permit ssshhhh). The temporary gains of augment in the income of the poor farmers for washing the clay from the chrome is not even enough to compensate the destructive effect of irresponsible mining. Take a look
The old church of Immaculate Conception
An out of town conference leads to a visit of an old church (1630), the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Amazingly For four centuries the parishioners were able to preserved the entire structure including old relics of saints, and hand carved altars and doors. Thus the church edifice is a concrete testimony of the faith of the Guiuananons.
Let’s take a respite inreading love stories and take a look on the old church of Immaculate Conception. My DSLR camera ran out of battery so I’m using the focus and shoot kind.
