Embroidery of Thoughts

To Smile or Not to Smile.

2008-09-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

"When it's meant to happen, it'll happen. For now concentrate on your interests and being the interesting amazing delicious widdle piece of awesomeness that you are. Confident, interesting people that are happy being themselves are attractive"

Absolutely! don't allow your self to be miserable. You can wallow in the mud for a while and get it out of your system and get it over with, easier said than done. But since I am the most positive person that I am, I will do it and move on. There are more interesting and wonderful things to look forward to. Sure it will hurt for a while but got to focus. Focus, that's the word for the day. Concentrate on the greater things you will and can do, it's a matter of choice. Think of long term or futuristic goals. What do you really rather have or accomplish? Think of better things that you could be doing instead of torturing yourself into that insanity that is in your head. It is just your imagination. It's not real. I don't know why you allowed it to go for a long time. To allow yourself to be a prisoner of your own thoughts, a prisoner of your own.

" Break those chains that bind you "

That should be your mantra. To free yourself of the spell, the ultimate goal.

You know you will not savor anything wonderful if you allow yourself to be feeling terrible all the time. Yesterday, the lunch with friends cheered me up. I was able to laugh as loud as I can. One of my friends asked her son " Michael, what color do you see when the car stops at the stop light?" Her son replied " Many colors!" We all burst laughing. I found that funny. Just being with friends makes us forget about our worries even if it's just for a moment. A moment of feeling wonderful about ourselves. You can see that you are not alone. That other people could be suffering from worst situations. That your situation could be just minute compared to the emotional baggage that they maybe carrying. And still they are the ones that laughs the loudest.

I asked one of the ladies, her name is L. You look so skinny, how do you keep your weight even after having a baby. She replied " Well, I got lots of things that I worry about. My family. You know sometimes, even if we seem to have everything, there's still something missing". That got my attention. That although I wasn't saying anything, I totally agree with what she said. You can have everything,but there's still something missing. I don't know what I am going through right now, but that seems to be true in my case. There's this big hole in my heart right now. I was listening to a song yesterday and the line goes like this " Stuff that emptiness with something, anything." Right now, nothing seems to matter for me. What I am stuffing myself right now is coffee. Addicted to coffee. And I am glad that's my addiction so far. It's minimal right? Okey, there's also one thing that I do that I think is actually healthy. I go running. I run and run for as long as I can run. Sweat it out. It always makes me feel better. They are not bad, right? Well, I want to just keep these two vices. Keeps me going for years now. How do you think I survived all these? Well, we all have our own ways of surviving this so called LIFE. We all know that some days can be bad, some days can be tolerable. Some days just pass by unnoticed. Some days gets rainy and pouring and gloomy. Some days it can get stormy, where there are lightnings and thunder and hail. Some days are relaxed and breezy. But there are always days that the sun shines very brightly and so there's always a reason to smile.

Love is all we need

2008-09-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

The journey up ahead is really coming and I have mixed feelings about it. The tag-of-war of excitement and sadness and all other emotions are freaking me out right now. I think that I would be bereft without you. Just just how I feel at the moment of course but I am trying to think of all the possibilities and all the things, new things and experiences that I will be having in the future if I am going to take this trip. Great things may happen. i might meet great people and I might encounter unexpected experiences and all the things unexpected. Whatever they maybe I guess I can take the risk and go ahead and just go. So, what I am probably leaving behind, is just "wishful thinking". But we'll leave it to the laws of the universe and the Gods, I believe that if it's meant to be, it will happen. I have had experiences, painful experiences that happened before in my life but it was meant to happen because there was something else even bigger and greater awaiting for me at the other side of the road. And I believe this is true. We may not understand things that are happening to us for the moment but it will soon unfold before us when we get there. Then we would say "ah!, so this is why things didn't work out." If we believe that there's something else awaiting us, be hopeful and keep a pure heart. It would feel rewarding at the end. So, I consider what I am going through right now, a challenge and is happening for a reason and I intend to find out what lies ahead for me. To move on and be positive and have fun in spite of all these and maybe at the end of the tunnel lies the answers. Only the optimistic people survive this so called life. It's not easy, we get bruises and get bumped and ran over. All we have to do is keep getting up and keep on keeping on. Right now I am stuck at the moment. My wheels are not turning as they are supposed to be, the wheels in my brain just keeps turning with torturing thoughts going over and over and over same thoughts without a resolution. It's sickening already. It's killing me and I don't know how to handle it. The butterflies in my stomach just really feels like butterflies. And then I haven't even taken actions on packing things and I have a lot of packing and organizing and lots of things I have to do but I am not doing anything. I am dragging myself to do it today and the coming days.
I watched 13 going 30 last night and I totally agree with Jenna Rink(Jennifer Garner) "Love is a battlefield". She said we have to fight for what we want. Heartache to heartache, we stand together. Love, life is such. Talking about heartache. I am having one right now at the very moment. Can't stand it anymore. Maybe because I don't really talk about it. Maybe if I pour my heart out then I will free myself of the spell, what ever it is.

"Love is a battlefield. Heartache to heartache, we all stand together. Love is a battlefield."

Like the song by the Beatles, all we need is love, love is all we need. If you truly look at life, for me it is very true. It's love we all need. If we have love, there's nothing else to look for. What are you looking for in life, anyway? There are times that I am crushed by this question because I cannot seem to really come up with it. I mean we go through life, we search for that which we cannot find. Whatever that is. Don't you have those days that life seems so incomplete? Or is it just me. You know, you're waiting, hoping anticipating for something. I am at a loss sometimes. Sometimes I think I am just insane. And truly believe that I am insane. But you know, sometimes life is like that.

Scrambled Thoughts

2008-08-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Anticipation:
You know what I am talking about. When one is waiting for something, sometimes the anticipation can be a bit stressful. Sometimes people can get really all worked up. But when you actually are in that moment that you have been waiting for, it sometimes may not really be that bad. It's the waiting, the counting of the days, waiting for that moment what ever moment that maybe. I find that sometimes, the waiting can be the most exciting part, not the moment itself. Are you waiting for something, then enjoy the anticipation. You will eventually get there. I know I am.

On Gender Roles:
I noticed that when me and my husband go out, I noticed that people tend to ask questions from him first. Whether at a restaurant, bank,office. And so it got me thinking, is it because I am Asian, or is has something to do with me being a woman. Hubby pointed out that it probably has something to do with gender roles. The man usually pays the bills at the restaurants, so they tend to ask him the question first. Then I wondered too, if people probably doesn't know how to approach me. Whatever it is, it usually doesn't bother me, but when I am not asked. I usually want to be involved in the conversation. I also wondered maybe if I don't talk then they are not sure what to say. So, I try to have my say. When I mentioned this to J, he said, " maybe they see you very young and think that I am your father." I just started laughing, maybe I laughed a little too hard. I really thought that was funny. You probably are wondering why he would say such a funny joke. Okey, I am super petite that's why. My face probably doesn't show my age. He told me that one of his friends told him, he's a cradle snatcher. Then I started telling him of an acquaintance of mine, she's 25 and her husband is probably 52 right now. She's half his age. She also mentioned to me that his kids from his former wife are older than her. And when she first met them they gave her that look saying "what are you doing with our father who is twice your age." She said she just ignored them. Then I wondered she probably have been mistaken a lot as his daughter instead of his wife.

Ear Candy:
We were able to go to "Journey's" concert and it was so much fun. It was such a fun show. I was even able to see Arnel Pineda up close. He had so much energy. I am really inspired by his story, how he got discovered on youtube. I had to see and watch him in person. I personally can understand now why he was able to get to be the lead singer of "Journey". He really got the talent, despite his small size. He's got that voice. I have been watching all his performances on youtube.com with his old band "The Zoo" where he sang cover songs for some of the popular bands like Goo goo Dolls, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and he sounded just like the way these bands sing. He even sang Anne Wilson's "Alone" and he sounded just like Anne. By the way Cheap Trick and Heart were the first two bands that played before Journey. It was held at Chastain Park Ampetheater. It was such a hot day, so everyone in the concert were sweating. It was a fun concert. Would like to go to their live concert again.

That Brew:
Coffee, that's one thing that I am addicted to. I can't somehow go for a day without coffee. There are a lot of things being said about coffee, some good,some bad. Sometimes it gets confusing, but I think the rule of thumb here is moderation. Things done in moderation is good, if you overdo it then it becomes bad. Caffeine is addictive basing from my experience. I don't know but after I drink coffee I become alive, I become more alert and I can think. Helps me concentrate too.

"Life is uncertain"

2007-10-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

Things are happening so fast right now, things are changing so fast and I am a bit overwhelmed by the thought and responsibility that I am about to face but I am confident that I will be able to handle it. It's always hard at first, but when you get the hang of it, it will start to get easier. But I guess that's the challenge. The previous weeks, I have been through rainbows of emotions and it's hard. It's like riding in a roller coaster, your brain doesn't quite function well. Everything is spinning, and my insides are twisted in knots. I couldn't even eat. I felt really sick. It felt like I have just woke up from a nightmare, only it was real. Slowly, reality starts to set in. My previous imagination of how things should be have suddenly collapsed, like that of a sand castle washed up by a strong wave. My imaginary vision of things have crumbled to the ground, broken into pieces and me standing over it, staring at it as it shattered and tried hard to rescue what's left. The broken pieces in my hand, broken and so is my heart. Tears rolled down my cheeks, as pain started to envelope me. Pain crushing my spirit, just crushing me inside and even as I type these words, I can't just keep myself from crying. I know, it's my soul's way of screaming loud in silence. I don't quite know to put my emotions into words now. But there it is, I guess. Sometimes when I sit in the dark and watch the stars, I am in awe at everything that's happening to me. And it makes me wonder, you know, I traveled halfway around the globe to find love, to find life and I guess, this is life. That's the whole package and it's more than what I bargained for. It's hard, but at the sometime I am grateful to be able to experience all these. I think my story is unique in it's own way, and all these things happening to me makes like colorful. And I believe that we ought to learn from them, they have grate lessons we need to learn. Take them as challenges, make them your stepping stones towards higher heights, towards higher horizon wherever that maybe. I think that although at this time I may not understand things, answers would unfold as I go along the road. Whatever road these all may lead. And it gives me peace when I do the right thing no matter how painful it maybe. Pain is the greatest teacher in life. We learn the most when we encounter great pain, because that's how we all grow. It may take sometime to heal and recover but if we heed from them, we would grow as better persons. We grow within, we become tougher and more sure of ourselves. There's no certainty in life, but as we experience all these wonderful experiences, we somehow have a better perspective and a better view of what is ahead. I believe, hope keeps our spirits alive. That's there's something out there, that there's something better in store for us. And for me, I intend to find out what there is for me. It's also the consistent reminder to ourselves that life is always changing and taking unexpected twist and turns. And who knows what's beyond those bends of the road. It's exciting to take the path and think that there's some surprises out there for us and the anticipation always drives is to go forward. And so, I am looking for that bend on the road that would change things for me. It has been a great journey and I don't intend to stop here. I intend to find out what and where the road is heading to wherever that maybe and I hope that I will have the grace to choose the right path when I get to a crossroad. Right now, I see verdant greens, forests, and from my viewpoint life is still beautiful. There is hope.

2007-09-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

I can hear the leaf blower in the background, the sound of the lawn mower woke me up this morning. I don't mind since I went to bed early. The TV is tuned in to travel channel and they were showing the harsh conditions in the jungles of South America as these scientist/etymologists look for all kinds of species in the jungle. They get caught up in the rain, no communication to the outside world, their satellite phone does not work and food is low. I mean it's rough out there.

I remember an experience when I was a kid back in the Philippine Islands. We were going to town and we had to take a short cut, it was just after a big storm and we had to cross a river. We didn't know how to swim and we had to keep our backpacks from getting wet. The older guys in the group, my father was there at that time tied a rope to a tree from one one end of the river to the other and we held on to the rope as we crossed the river. And I mean muddy river, the water rose higher from the normal level. Of course after we crossed we were all soaked and wet. But we had to keep hiking until we got to the residential area where we were able to wash up using a water pump ( and yes, until now, there are still water pumps being used in the remote areas the last time I was there). It was not fun at the time, I was young and I bet I did complain a little bit. But looking back now, it is a great experience. And that's just one of the great memories I have growing up in the province. When we say province, we mean, small town, even a village as opposed to the city life.

Another fun memory that I recall was the time me and my mom would go gather mud snails. I was really young then, but I can clearly recall the feelings, the sensations like it was just yesterday. She would bring me along with her and I would try to help her, but of course I was probably six or seven at that time. I can clearly recall that I would wade in the water, and when the waves move I sway and almost get knocked off my feet and I felt scared I would drown. I didn't know how to swim then. But yes, we would gather mud snails and as soon as we get home, she would cook them for supper.

So, last night when we stopped at this Chinese restaurant that serves authentic Hongkong cuisine, I was delighted to see mud snails in their menu. I mean, it is very rare that I would have a chance to indulge myself with a delicacy like that. Well, we just came from the Georgia Dome, after the Falcons and the Panthers game. Panthers won by the way.

The Game

Herd of People Coming out of the Dome.

Traffic After the Game.

Anyway, I did order the House Special mud snails. As soon as I got the plate of snails, I said " This really reminds me of home." You are probably asking how do you eat them? You suck them out of the shell. There was a small saucer of toothpicks too, which I understand is to be used to pick them out of the shells. It tasted really good. Yummy, as in I haven't had them in years, so it was really a delight for me to see it in the menu, plus other delicacy which reminds me of traditional foods served in the alleys and street foods in Hongkong. I am sure I would be going back to that area again. It's not that far from where we live. It's a bit of a drive, we just happen to discover it. It's called "Asian Square", so I wasn't surprised to see rows of Asian boutiques and small restaurants.

Yummy Snails.

Walking downtown Atlanta is a breath of fresh air. I highly recommend, to get out once in a while and see what's around even we are sometimes buried in our work. It was nice to get out there, see people, watch people passing by. Ride the train (MARTA), I mean, there's a lot to learn just by getting out, even the smell of the air is so different. Although, yesterday was a bit muggy and hot, it was still fun. I see people sweat while they walk. But that's good, that means they are getting a work out.

Twelve th Street

Before You get to The Train Station.

So, that's a day's fun and excitement. Hopefully by the coming week ends I will be able to go somewhere and explore. To go up the mountains and see Fall unfold, or just anywhere and take a glimpse of life. They say that sometimes we got to go farther, in order to have a better view. And I definitely agree. From a distant, life is beautiful.

Thinkable thoughts

2007-09-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Thoughts that got me thinking:

-Words distort what a person really feels in his/her heart.-

-Life itself when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet.-

-Some things are easy to buy but sweet people are difficult to find. Life ends when you stop dreaming. Hope ends when you stop believing. Love ends when you stop caring. Friendship ends when you stop sharing.-

-Hearts cannot be broken, they are squishy little things, but they bruise easily.-

- Pens are our best friends, they never desert us, they are there when we needed them. They don't demand for anything.-

-Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments.- Joseph Addison

_We are all wanders of this earth, our hearts are full of wonder and our souls are deep with dreams.-

What keeps me Going:

-The belief that there's always hope as long as there's life.-

Top of the World Looking

2007-05-02T11:57:00.001-07:00

The warm weather is really getting a lot of people out and about including hubby and I. We even got an anual pass to Stone Mountain Park, one of Georgia's attractions. It's a great hike up the stone mountain, and the view from the top is spectacular. Adrian came with us and he said that hiking up the mountain is not for the faint hearts. It's about a mile and a half, but when you are about to reach the top, it's when it gets the steepest. But once you reach the top, the view is awesome. You woul d almost touch the sky.

MENTAL FLOSS

2007-03-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

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To wake up everyday and be excited and be passionate about something.

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To do something that would bring me closer to my pursuits.

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Pick up the pieces and mend back things and plans that have been put on hold.

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"Today might be the day!" should be the phrase of the day. "Today might just be the day."

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Nothing will happen if you just sit there.

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Let kindness be your guide, put a little love in your heart each and everyday.

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SLICES OF THOUGHTS

2007-03-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

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"Everyone by nature has some goodness in their beings."

I do believe that everyone is by nature good but also has capabilities to do bad things. It depends on how an individual tames the monster that is within us all. It depends on what kind of monster you feed and rear in a daily life. The good or the bad monster. If we feed our negative desires and thoughts, they get bigger and bigger. They get robust and grow humungus. But if we feed our minds with positive and good thoughts, that's the part in us that gets developed and nurtured.

"Everyone is capable of changes."

I also believe that each of us are beings that are capable of changing. We can always change our ways, and it starts from doing one step at a time. I believe that all of us have the desire to be better persons, sometimes we may not succeed that first try. We just have to keep practicing.we are all capable of learning.
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I consider myself lucky to be able to experience different cultures in my lifetime. Chances are, if you go from one country to another you tend to acquire the host country's way of life. If you are a Filipino and is born in the United States, the tendency is you have an American culture. But if you are like me who was born and grew up most of your life in the Philippines, most likely you have a big chunk of the Filipino culture.

After reading the book "Dim Sum of All Things" by Kim Wong Keltner, I realized how the US born Asian-Americans might feel about their own heritage, the identity crisis. I find it so funny how the characters in the story describe people as an "egg",meaning one is yellow on the inside and is white on the outside, while other people can be considered "banana", white on the inside and yellow on the outside. I agree to Lindsey's description of some people as "Hoarders of all things Asian" or simply "hoarders". I was able to relate to the story, especially that I understood most of the Cantonese words used in the book which I was able to absorb with my few years stay in Hongkong. Most people in Hongkong speak Cantonese, but then, a lot of people go to Hongkong from mainland China and they still carry some of their own native dialects, generally the older people. In the story the words Gung Gung and Pao Pao have been used, they are the grandparents from the maternal side. For the Filipinos, we simply call both grandparents from both mother and father sides as lolo for the grampa and lola for the grandma. But for the Chinese, Gung Gung and Pao Pao are the grandparents from the maternal side of the family. And from the fraternal side the grandpa is called yeye and the grandma is called mama। There are lots of episodes in the story that I can relate a lot. Love the humor too.

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Hubby said that it's so easy for women to be close to each other, I mean with someone in the same gender that intimacy between and among women are almost acceptable। And I mean sexual intimacy, more acceptable than when it is with intimacy between males. But that's just a perception coming from a man's point of view. I have heard some men fantasizes of watching two women getting intimate. It's probably a general idea of what some men fantasizes about. Not every men though. When intimacy between males comes to mind, it becomes a taboo and disgusting.

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I am one of those people who loves to people watch. I love to stay at spots where I can see people in motion. It's just relaxing when I am not in a hurry to just sit and let time pass by, people go by. And when I watch people, there's so many details that I can see compared to when I am in a hurry myself. I do watch them pass by and try to see what I like about them, their hair, their height, their posture, even the manner of walking. I also notice what they are wearing, their accessories, I actually learn from them.

Some people just go about their daily lives, strolling after work. Picking up a few groceries before heading home.

"Please grant me a second lifetime"

2006-10-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

I guess I have lost my muse in the vast space in between, lots and lots of things have happenned. I guess I just want to digest all the commotion in my very own privacy. Well, sometimes, not everything is for public consumption and I am a very private by nature. I wish I could share all what's boiling within, what my brains spinning. I guess I am quite shy in pouring my heart out sometimes. Actually, I am very shy, I fear disclosure. I guess, a lot of us are. I think that it's human nature to fear exposure, not a lot of people are able to bare their souls especially with strangers, with people they don't even know. To those who are able to, I admire them. It's just that I guess I am among the shy ones. And I think it's okey too. We all have our very own sanctuaries where we keep our deepest secrets, and I would like to be able to do that sometimes, away from anybody. Just to be myself, not be judged by anyone, just be myself. I think all of us want to be able to do that.

So, I was talking to L, and we got talking about her past marriage. She's just 22 and already divorced. She got married when she was 19. I am not sure how long she has been married before they got divorced. But within that short span of her marriage and divorce, a lot of things changed. "People change", she said. "You don't know a person, until you really get to know them" she went on. And she is absolutely right. But also, one reason why their marriage didn'tlast was that they got married very young to my opinion. You know how when you are young and inocent, you have a certain idea of how things are. But when you actually experience it first hand, you would find that it's harder than how you thought it would be as a younger person. And as we grow older, our wants, likes and ideals changes overtime and so we do change as we grow older. The things that we dream of as a young teenager changes as we grow older towards adulthood. I am not saying that all people that marry young cannot be successful. There are of course some lucky people who are able to grow with the relationships they have. But from my observations, a lot of young people who get marry young wouldn't stay married for a long time. So, I was saying to her that somehow I think she is lucky. Because now, she has grown wiser, even wiser than me because she has been through that road and that she would know better. That somehow, even if it is hard, she has got through it. Of course when one goes through a rough time like that, they would have to undergo stages of recovery. She has to heal and nurse her wounds. Sure, it will take time. But you'll get there. After an experience like that, it makes people somehow tougher. She said that after her divorce she thought she wouldn't date anymore. She closed herself, but as time passed by, she eventually openned up her heart and started dating again. And now she's dating this nice guy. I have met him once because he came over to bring her flowers, and the ocassion......Just Because! I find that so sweet. She was blushing and blooming and glowing as she told me how they met and how surprised she was when he showed up with flowers just out of the blue.

Now, atleast somebody's having a very colorful life story.

And I think everyone deserves "SECOND CHANCES". And I mean lots of "chances". Sometimes,we got to give ourselves second chances. After all, life is about starting over and over, and over again until we get there, wherever that place or state of perfection we want to reach.

And so life goes on.

Ah! Life That is.

2006-10-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

I looked outside the window and I feel stillness rushing through me,
except for the chirping birds and the humming of the kitchen fan.

The caladiums are still thriving, the basil plants are getting old,
the okra plants have gotten taller than me and have yielded a few fruits.

How time have passed by so quickly. It's fall again and I should rejoice
but why am I so blue?

I feel stillness outside,silence and I see beauty but within is such an unexplainable chaos. A tug-of-war between two equal forces. And it sickens me. It's tying my guts into pretzels.

Now, I need to gather up my strength and refocus my energy to something else,
to the future.

All of a sudden a cardinal hopped infront a few inches within my sight. Such a beauty and it's saying life is still beautiful!

SPAM

2006-08-30T06:13:00.001-07:00

I normally hate forwarded e-mails, especially the ones that says if you don't forward this to atleast ten people you will die or have bad luck. I usually delete them even if it says, "I want this back, if you are really my friend."

Today I got something that I found really funny.

Actual Writings from Hospital Charts

1. The patient refused autopsy.

2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.

3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.

4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.

5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

6. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.

7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.

8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.

11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

12. She is numb from her toes down.

13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.

14. The skin was moist and dry.

15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.

16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.

19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.

20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.

21. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.

22. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.

23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.

24. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.

25. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

Living like an

2006-08-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Karma

2006-08-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

We were out on an evening walk with hubby. As we passed by a parked car by the curb that has a sticker with the master card logo on it. It says "KARMA". Then hubby went went on saying that he didn't believe in "karma". Well, I am a believer in karma, so we went on desputing about it. He claims that he knew of people who had done bad things and got away with it. I told him, they may get away from it for a while, but then it would catch up with them. Then I went on saying that I think it's a great thing to be a believer of karma because that would encourage people to do good things. I believe that there are unseen powers in the universe that does punish wrong deeds. So he says, how about the saying that says "No good deed unpunished?" Well, there are instances that we do good things and gets a bad result, but that's not usually the case. I believe if we get bad reactions from a good deed, we would be somehow rewarded in another way. Then I said that I believe that when we do good things, it comes back a hundred fold. He says, that seems selfish, because we only do good things because we expect something in return. I think, often times it's all in the intention. If your intention is really to do good things, enjoy doing it and is from the heart. The good deed would come back to you one way or another. My belief is not just based on theory, I have experienced it. I have seen it with other people. And of course people don't see what's in people's hearts. It's all with one's intention or motive in doing a certain action.

Hubby says, what if we do good things to people and they don't do good things back. I said " Atleast I am not the one doing bad things. They are the one's doing it, not me." And of course it always feels good. I think that's one of the signs that we are doing good things, we would feel good afterwards. Not if you are a sadist or a masochist. Surprisingly, there are people who enjoy inflicting pain on other people or to themselves. But of that's another story.

Karma cannot be fully explained. According to this any activity which gets the physical body into material etanglement is called karma. The law of karma is mostly associated with Buddhism but also in Philippine beliefs. I have often heard people saying "makarma ka sana" which is translated to "I hope karma will get you" or something like that. But of course saying that to someone doesn't necessarily make bad things happen to people since it's wishing someone bad luck. Or sometimes they would say "Tamaan ka sana ng kidlat!" meaning "I hope lighting strikes you!" Mostly people utter such grave wishes when they are mad. As I said earlier, sometimes it's all in the intention. A lot of Filipinos believe in karma. When some misfortune happens to someone, especially if they know that, that person had been doing something bad, they would associate that misfortune as a result of his bad deeds. And I think that belief in karma makes people try to do good. And I think it should be " No bad deeds go unpunished!"

What I don't believe is when people associate illnesses as a result of karma. I think some of the illness' causes can be scientifically explained. It is even sad that when people believe that some bad spirits caused a certain illness and lots and lots of ritualistic measures being done causing complications instead of bringing them to the doctor.

If in case we did one bad thing, can we cover it up by doing five good things? Not according to this:

Another very important aspect of the Law of Karma is that there is a common belief that we may do one bad deed, and then to cover it up we may do five good deeds and think that actually we have a balance of four good deeds to enjoy the fruits of, but this is totally a wrong notion.

The Law of Karma acts as follows : You may have done one bad deed for which you will have to suffer and for the five good deeds you will enjoy the fruits of all the five good deeds, there is no such accounting in which you can add or subtract good and bad deeds (karma) - As you sow, so shall you reap.

How about you, do you believe in the law of karma?

Women Rule!

2006-07-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

"I am glad I am a man" my hubby exclaimed after I complained about swelling joints. Until now, I don't really know exactly what it is but I have an idea. I think it's water retention. I sometimes use a lot of salt. Yes, I am a salt person, I almost put salt on anything. I don't have a sweet tooth, which could be a good thing. But as they always say "too much of anything is not good." I always want my food flavorful, and sometimes adding salt can just do the trick. But it could also be bad, too much sodium have been linked to hypertension, high blood pressure. Even so that my family has a history fo high blood pressure.

So the conversation between hubby and I went on. He said that it must be hard to be a woman with all the hormonal imbalance, mood swings, and all that women has to endure. I guess that's part of being a woman. Now, do I want to be a man if given the chance to choose? I think I might want to experience being a man, even for just once. I guess, it's because I am a woman already and it's out of curiousity. But I don't regret being a woman. There are advantages and disadvantages. Being a woman can ba a great thing, that men can never be. There's the ability to give life to another being, becoming pregnant, becoming a mother. I think that's the greatest part of being a woman. Of course both men and women has to co-exist, each needed each other, well somehow, not in all circumstances. But they do complement each other. Women don't get pregnant without the sperm cell from a male donor.

Some of the funny answers to what are the advantages of women that I have come across:

1.Women are prettier than men. Women mature faster, on the average. Women are more protected by society than men. Women can still have it both ways, if you know what I mean. Women are believed more often than men. Men tend to chase women, rather than the other way around.

2.men open the doors for women
women sometimes are served first in public offices
women are usually the last to be blamed for any kind of a disaster
women can lie and never be discovered
women have less responsibilities than men
women can wear make up and totally change their features
women can say something and do the opposite with no questions asked ( women ! who understand them !!)
women can wear high heels
In most of the countries , women are protected ( have rights)
women in most countries don't participate in wars.
women can get into fights ( verbal or physical) and always win.
You see a woman can hit a man but it is a shame ( a very very big shame) on him to hit her. He would be considered manless - even if she started the fight.
women can gossip and never to be blamed for such an urge - their nature !
women can act really stupid but still look cute

3.As a woman you partake in Gods wonderful plan of creation, when you hold and nourish a new life in your womb. What could be more sacred and advantageous than that.

Man only plants the seed, but it is the woman who nourishes, waters and makes it grow.

4. Women always win the arguement..........

5.one advantage i would say is when we have a flat tire, usually about the time i'm almost done- some macho guy stops to offer his assistance. the last time i had a flat, the guy actually stopped while i was trying to position the jack. most guys think a woman can't change a flat tire. i guess i'm an exception to that rule- my dad wouldn't let me drive until i learned how to change a flat

As a woman, I would say women rule and men drool! Hehehe.... (Seriously, we love the guys! I'm married to one.)

Summer and Stuff

2006-07-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

I was trying to find out anything about hydrogenated oils and I came across this.
Amazing how much we don't know about the foods we intake into our bodies. I have heard somewhere that hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils are bad for the body. I just swept it at the back of my mind until yesterday I bought this instant cofee mix from International foods, it has different flavors, I got the Suise Mocha flavor. I read the ingredients and it contains partially hydrogenated coconut oil. Coconut oil, by itself is supposed to be healthy, but when they pass it thrrough the process of hydrogenation that makes it bad for the body. So always read labels and contents in the foods you buy.

Of course being informed with all these makes us more aware of what we are eating. It's only lately that I have been reading labels on canned goods, wrappers, boxes of foods.
It's always recommended to get organic products which are becoming more and more. I start to see organic pasta sauce, organic sugar even all natural chicken. I hope that more and more the production companies would start making or producing organic products. I think that one of the reasons two thirds of Americans according to CDC are obese, because of mass production without really caring for the health value of foods. There's the big portion sizes, super size meals in fast food places, deep fried foods, busy people who doesn't have time to cook. All that plays a role in the obesity plague that's spreading. And so, as part of the masses, we ought to educate ourselves about what we are really feeding our body.

I know a lot of people are grilling this summer. It has always been part of the American culture. Grill out, cook out especially during holidays, July 4th, baseball game, tailgating, sometimes on festivals. But overcooking your food can be deadly. I am a person who loves things crispy, but, overcooked foods especially charred meats can cause cancer. If you love grilling especially this summer, it's great to be informed of the hidden harmful effects of overcooking food. It is also advisable to marinate meats to reduce the amount of carcinogens. Some of the seasonings are believed to shield the meat from direct contact or charring.

The American Institute for Cancer Research doesn’t mince its words. ‘Cancer researchers have found that grilling … causes ‘muscle meats’ (red meat, poultry and fish) to produce cancer compounds.

So, have fun, grill away but don't forget these safety babecuing tips.

The heat wave can be gruellling. Some stuff I do to cool off.

1. Wear loose fitting and light colors especially white, it reflects heat off.
2. Do outdoor activities during the cooler parts of the day, like gardenning, mowing the yard.
3. Drink plenty of water, fruit juices, non-alcoholic and non-caffiene drinks.
4. Bring water whenever going out. What I do is freeze a bottle of water and leave it in the car, if you can bring a cooler even better. It would still be cold depending how long you would be out, if it's frozen it will not heat up that quick compared to just unfrozen water.
5. Wear hats, exercise indoors, run in the shade or exercise during the cooler part of the day.
6. Smoothies are always great, make it with fresh fruits.

Studies

2006-07-18T07:31:00.003-07:00

In reference to my previous discussion on love, it's a wonder what happens to people when they fall in love. I, myself have experienced being in love in my lifetime and I would say it is the greatest feeling. There's this intense euphoria, like they say like walking in clouds, but also makes one go nuts, sometimes. So, here's a study that was conducted to find out what happens to people's brain when they fallin love.

ON ANOTHER STUDY:
According to this study conducted in UCLA, men and women reacts to pain in different manners.

Dr Bruce Naliboff, clinical professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, at UCLA, added: "The reason for the two different brain responses may date back to primitive days, when the roles of men and women were more distinct."

He suggested the gender differences may have evolved as part of a more general difference in stress responses between men and women.

Men's cognitive areas may be more highly triggered because they would have had to make "fight-or-flight" decisions, while women would have reacted to threats by thinking about how they could protect their children.

ON FOOD & HEALTHIER STUFF:
As a health concious person, I have always been looking for ways to stay healthy. Always looking for foods that gives the optimum health benefits. And here's a list of some of the super foods.

I recently just started eating cereal, not that I have never had them for breakfast before. But recently I tried to have it on a regular basis. I alternately have it with oatmeal.

Other things I have incorporated in my diet are; spinach, as a susbtitute for lettuce. But the key thing as they say is variety. Plenty of vegetables and fruits. I am always on the look out for ways and means to cook healthy and and eating healthier.

I have also tried using coconut oil, for a an affordable price. I have bought a plastic tub of Lou Anna cocnut oil at Walmart and it lasted me a whole month. I also use olive oil, and there's this combination of healthier oils called "Smart Balance" which is a combination of canola and olive oil. There's also a "Smart Balance" butter with flax oil. Smart Balance has other products too like mayonaise, which I want to try next time.

I am always craving for something fresh, so I grow my own herbs which I use for cooking. I have plenty of basil right now. It seems growing wild since the old basil plant have produced seeds which are literally sown all over the place. So far, I have plenty of harvest from my tomato plant which I have used to make salsa dip, together with my parsley that have weathered the winter and is still alive, though with fewer leaves since I cut the flowers. I have also enjoyed my green onions, I cut up from the stem and then uses it for cooking. In just a few days there's a new bud coming out from where I cut it from. Okra is bearing lots of fruits, I have used some of them for making Pinakbet.

Of love and stench

2006-07-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

You know how they say that love is blind. I think that it's the people that gets blind sometimes. There's so many faces of love that sometimes people mistake them for real love.
I was talking with a friend of mine and we were talking about how some women become so dumb when it comes to love that they don't see what the person they think they love is doing to them. I mean women who are intelligent individuals but when it comes to matters of the heart they seem to loose their minds. Well, the first person that came to mind once we started this conversation was Kris Aquino. It only tells that not only ordinary people faces the dilemna of so called "love" but also even famous people, afterall they are made up of same material that makes up all humans.

I have heard some women who have been cheated on over and over again but they keep staying with same guy who hurt them. Some women who are battered still stays with the person who keep hurting them. Well, I used to work with a very sweet girl named Sharon who just got kicked out of her mom's place, just because she doesn't want to split with her boyfriend. She moved in to her mom's place after her divorce with her husband. She has two kids who, I'm sure suffers some of the consequences of their mother's poor choices. She works all day and her boyfriend just hangs out, sometimes he comes over to get some cigarrette money from her. Sometimes she would buy lunch for both of them, and since she has been kicked out from her parent's place they have been staying in a hotel and she pays for the rent. One night they were arguing and the boyfriend kicked her out of the hotel room which she pays for, including her daughter and they slept in the car for the night. When one of my co-worker told me the story, I was really speechless. How could she let him do that to her and her kids? Everyone thinks she should just split up with the guy, but she doesn't want to hear about it. She's really gone so blind. I'm not sure what happened to her since then. But I hope she would realize that she deserves a better person to be with. I don't know if it's an effect of her divorce. You know how some women feel after a divorce, some may think, they might not meet any other guys, so they stick to whoever they have at the moment, even if they are being hurt. Whatever the motivation, I think, she was not choosing well.

We all go through life meeting different kinds of people, we sometimes get infatuated, we sometimes get hurt. We move on, but some people just stays right where it hurts, sometimes they feel numb that they keep going back for more. Almost as though they are enjoying being hurt. I guess it's sometimes human nature that we keep going back to the people we consider family, or in some sense a family. A longing to be loved and to love, sometimes a sense of loyalty to that person even if they hurt us physically or emotionally. I guess to some, they feel lost without the other person. Just like in some abduction crimes where the abducted person becomes intimately close to the abductor in some sick way, that even when they have the chance to run away, they just stay with the abductor. I guess sometimes it does apply with battered people. Somehow they just don't run away from them, instead they keep going back for more.

One kind of sick love that I know of, is a situation where the other person is married and then there's the mistress or what do you call if it's male? Mister#2. I don't know, anyway, what I'm saying is that whoever the other party involved with someone whom they know who is married and still keeps that affair or relationship is sick. You know how in the movies, where the man keeps promising the mistress that he will leave his wife and they (he and his mistress) will be together. We all know that most of it is just crap in real life. I mean, do the mistresses really believe that the man they think they love would really leave their wives? He might, he might not. Rarely happens, but even if he does, what does that tells you about this person?

Okey, married people do get attracted to other people too. It's a reality, it's when they act on it that makes it not right. Which leads me to the next question. At what point does infidelity really occur? Is it when a married person starts flirting with someone else other than the spouse? Or is it when his/or her heart starts focusing on another person other than his or her spouse? Or when sex actually happen? I guess when there's sex involved is a sure hit of infidelity. But how about when a married person's heart and mind is on somebody else other than the spouse? I guess it's a bit of a grey area, don't you think? It's probably depends on what that person is thinking and feeling and what is he or she going to do with it.

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Note: (You might get grossed out with the discussion, you can either cover your nose, cover your mouth or just cover your eyes.)

Hubby and I were on our way to lunch one day and that was just after I talked to a friend of mine about foods. I mean not just food, you know, exotic foods. My friend said that L, one of our friends told her that she likes eating cow's brain. Well, both of my friends are pregnant. Where in the world would she get cow's brain over here? I guess back home she may avail of cow's brain. I know from experience that there are Filipino dishes that uses maybe pig's brain. As they say over there, they don't waste any part of meat. Like the chicken, they use up every single part from intestine, to head, even the blood. I know some of you who may not be used to this would find some of the things I am talking about gross or yukky! or disturbing.

Z said that eating an animal's brain is tantamount to being a cannibal. I don't really know where to draw the line. It could be, but we all eat meat, a dead animal. Geez! if we say it that way, it sounds gross. Poor animals that sacrifice their spirits for human consumption.

I guess people have different perceptions as to what is gross and what's not. Sometimes it's a matter of getting used to the gross odor and sight. Someone who has been exposed to let's say internal organs of animals may not necessarily gross out at the sight of butchering a pig or a chicken. Well, I am not gross out cleaning fish but other people may not be able to handle ripping off internal organs. I guess people can handle different degrees of grossiness.

If you have watched "Dirty Jobs" you would realize that there are jobs that really takes a lot of gut, to do that certain job. Few people can do it, but somebody's got to do it. Very few people can go wallow themselves in the sewer and take all that stink to keep things from spilling and save us all from doing all the work. I mean when your bathroom gets clogged up and spills all over, you got to fix it, call a plumber, so easy, we don't even want to deal with the stench and all. Well, very few people would try to do it themselves. People have different stench that they can handle, and do with different degrees of grossiness.

There was an episode on "Seinfeld" where Elaine was asking Jerry if someone could actually die of foul odor, like in a vomitorium. Yeah, ever heard of someone died of odor?

Have you noticed that one can actually get used to a certain odor that you might not even notice the stench after a while?

Mirror, mirror on the wall

2006-06-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

"Don't believe everything that people tell you about yourself."

This is actually a great mantra that I want to keep repeating to myself in my daily life. You know how often we get affected by what people tell us. Negative critisism for some reason some people love to do that to other people. Do you remember the last time somebody told you that you have gained weight or that you look like you have gained weight? I bet you suddenly got self-concious, you actually looked at yourself in the mirror, scrutinized every curve of your body. You might have even uttered to yourself "I'm hideous!" Just because somebody said something about your physical appearance. Not only that, but stuff that people say say about yourself. Sometimes, out of spite, jelousy, or people are just trying to be mean or it's just that they are insecure and sometimes it reflects on the words that comes out of their mouths.

I was in a shopping center when I heard this part of the discussion over the radio. They were talking about the book called "When Men Marry Bitches" The fifth principle to the woman's guide to winning her man's heart is not to believe in everything that anyone tells you about yourself.

Beauty is how one feels inside and is reflected through one's eyes, it's not something physical.

I have yet to read this book and I think it is an interesting read. It talks about what makes a women attractive to a man. Here are some of the myths according to the book:

Myth 1: You have to be perfect.

Myth 2: You have to be his sex toy.

Myth 3: You have to be whatever he wants you to be.

Here are some of the relationship principle according to the book:

1. In romance, there's nothing more attractive to a man than a woman who has dignity and pride in who she is.

2.He marries the woman who won't lay down like linoleum.

3.He doesn't marry a woman who is perfect. He marries the woman who is interesting.

4.When a woman is trying too hard, a man will usually test to see how hard she's willing to work for it. He'll start throwing relationship Frisbees, just to see how hard she'll run and how high she'll jump.

5.Don't believe what anyone tells you about yourself.

6.Men see how you dress, and then make assumptions about your relationship potential.

7.When a man sees you wearing very revealing clothes, he'll usually assume you don't have anything else going for you.

8.When he sees you scantily dressed, he is not reminded of how great you look naked. He immediately thinks of all the other men you've slept with.

9.Every guy knows he can find a girl who is simply satisfied with satisfying him. They are much more turned on by a woman who cares about her own pleasure as well.

10.You can tell how much someone respects you by how much he respects your opinion. If he doesn't respect your opinion, he won't respect you.

You would have to read the book for the detailed explanations of each principle. I find some of the things very interesting. It's also a way of understanding how men thinks. And how some women misinterpret how guys react around them. I think it's very interesting how men and women play a psychological game in a daily manner, sometimes it's just comes so natural that the involved parties don't even know they are playing the game.

EVERYDAY IS A WINDING ROAD

2006-06-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

WHAT'S KEEPING ME AFLOAT THESE DAYS:

1. LONG EVENING WALKS: has been a bonding time for me and hubby after each day's work. It's always great when the sizzling heat cools off in the evenings, perfect for strolls or long walks. We take this time to talk of stuff like plans in life, how our day was. Sometimes, it's just a play time for both of us, to relax and let go our the day's weariness. I think it's a great practice, not only it is healthy, it's therapeutic by clearing the mind and relaxing the body.

2. 30 MINUTE INDOOR EXERCISE: this is what I do when I don't have a lot of time for the day. I would do atleast a 30 minute work out stretching, combination of yoga, aerobics and simply stretching. Sometimes I would do it for less time, but I always feel better if I did it. It always helps when I play an audio book on my computer and play it and listen to it because I would actually work out because I focus on listenning that I don't notice the time, unless of course when I am at a rush.

3. MY BACKYARD GARDEN: Well, this is what I am so into right now. What can I say, it's gardeening season. I have had gardens in the past, and this year I have focused planting more vegetables and herbs. I have green pepper plant that's bearing three small peppers right now. There's a Cayene pepper beside it which is also full with hot peppers. I have some okra with blooms, shallots, green onions, yellow onions, garlic, spinach. I have already harvested some of the baby spinach twice for salads and burgers and sometimes "tinola" with some of the pepper leaves. Water crese - I was surprised when one of my friends came over I showed her the water crese and she is not familiar with it. She is from the Southern part of the Philippines, I guess it could be a reagional thing. I grew up eating water crese, so I thought I would plant some. I just placed some of the ones I bought at the Asian store in a glass of water, I chose the ones with roots already sprouting, it's easier to grow that way. After three days, I planted it in regular pot with potting soil. It is an aquatic plant, so it needs a lot of water and it's suppose to be full sun, but I just placed it in a hanging basket in the shade with some sun and it grew wild. I already harvested the new bud. The thing is, the more you cut them, the more new buds come out. And pineapple plant, I have two big pineapple plants. I just cut them off from the tope of a fresh ripe pineapple that I bought at the Asian store, placed it in a glass of water and waited till the roots came out then plant it in a pot. It's growing nicely now that it's warm. I brought them in during the winter including my citrus plant. I just planted some lemon grass, all I did was buy them at the Asian store, get the healthy looking. I peeled the outer layer soaked them in water for about a week, and the roots were out. Then I planted them in a deep pot since it would grow big and tall like a tall grass. And I have my grape tomatoes on the side with some of the fruits turning red. As for the herbs, I have rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley. The parsley survived the winter in a pot which I left just in our backyard. Now it's seeding and very tall. I also got some caladiums that I lined them up by the edges of our backyard, They are actually coming out now. Aside from them, I have some hanging baskets of Asparagus ferns and pothos. I am actually surprised to see that the christmas cactus bloom in summer. But well, I can't complain. I thought it only blooms in December. So, there I'm pretty proud of my plants.

4. AUDIO BOOK: I just dicovered audio books. I have just finnished "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, started "Life of Bees" but haven't finnished the entire story. It was just so sad. And right now I am listenning to "Tuesdays with Morrie" I haven't read the story yet. I started with learning Spanish in audio, now I have explored novels and other stuff.

5. RUNNING: Has always been a must, but now, I would do it atleast twice or three times a week as long as I do some other form of work outs. But you know how schedules can be messed up. So, I do it whenever I can. There's no better feeling after a long run and the cleansing effect of sweating.

6. CHATTING WITH FRIENDS: It could make my day just to be able to chat with my friends, sometimes just to pass time, but also I find that it feels so much better to be able to speak to them in person or over the phone as compared to just chatting online. I mean, there's the difference between hearing them laugh compared to just seeing the "lol" or those laughing emoticons. But of course for friends who are that far away online chatting could suffice unless you are willing to spend on long distance or overseas calls.

7. TRIP TO THE ASIAN STORE: Everytime I go to the Asian store I know that most of the things I buy would be for myself. Some of the foods that I cook, hubby eats them of course, but mostly it's for myself. Lately, I have been seeing green mangoes. And yes, I bought some many times now and I mean firm green mangoes. It is hard to find them in the regula grocery stores. It was more expensive than the ripe mangoes though. Hubby actually like green mangoes, not when soaked in spicy vinegar or salt, but he eats it plain.

8. COOKING: I love to cook. When I have a lot of time I always cook at home and avoid going out. I don't know what's with me, but when I am cooking I might be so focused that when hubby doesn't make a sound he startle me everytime. Then he would say " Maybe I should wear dog or cat collar with the bell on it, so you would know when I am approaching." I don't know, I guess my mind just wanders off when I am cooking that I don't notice what's around me. Now, hubby whistles whenever he comes to the kitchen.

9. CUP OF COFFFEE: I was never a cofee drinker until lately. I tell you, it's addictive. I get headaches now whenever I don't drink coffee. It really makes me high sometimes, that I have started to reduce my intake.

10. GRILLING OUT: It is also grilling season, cook outs. I was able to find out a way to marinate foods for kabobs just like they do back home. Well maybe not totally, but I would say 90% to 95%. I found a BBQ marinate, it's one of those Mama Sita's in a bottle. Works for me, I still add stuff to it but I like it.

11. HANGING OUT BY THE BACK PATIO: When the sun is down and our back porch has cooled down, I love to hang out by the rocking chair which was given to me by a friend. She told me she actually used the rocking chair when she had her kids, the kids are big now. Not that big or older, but she told me she used the rocking chair to rock them when they were babies. And I thought yeah, I would like something like that when I get to have my own. I probably have mentioned this before that I love screened porches. Unfortunately, with don't have screens with our porch now. Maybe in the future.

12. OCASSIONAL TRIPS TO THE MALL: I sometimes go to the mall to get away from the blistering sun. I mean, it's cool there, I can hang out, walk around, window shop, people watch, browse at stuff, maybe do some shopping, okey a lot of window shopping. Well, I try not to come out of the mall with truckloads of stuff.

12. THE IDEA THAT AS LONG AS THERE'S LIFE THERE'S HOPE: Like everyone else, I have my bad days and my great days. That's the reality of life, and as long as we live we will live through different flavors of emotions. And realizing that sometimes it's okey to feel bad, that sometimes it's okey to have a bad hair day, that we are not alone that other people may be in worst conditions, we can better live through knowing things can get better.

WHAT'S KEEPING ME COOL THIS SUMMER:

1. SMOOTHIES: It has always been my practice to make smoothies when the weather gets warm or hot like the weather we are heaving right now. I love the combination of fresh fruits. I love it with yogurt. I got a big tub of plain Dannon yogurt and add a few spoonfuls in my blender.

Here's a recipe that I like:
1 ripe banana
4 pieces ripe strawberries
a handfull of blueberries
3 tbs yogurt
4 scoops watermelon
ice cubes, a handful and a half maybe

Just add them all in the blender and enjoy. I don't add sugar, the banana and watermelon sweetens it, make sure they are all ripe since the strawberry can be tart. You can add some liquids like milk or chocolate milk or fruit juices, but the watermelon juice is just fine with me since I don't use a lot of ice. That's it and viola! cool refreshing healthy smoothie.

2. GREEN MANGOES: It's a Pinay thing... I guess. I have read that green mango can be used for salads or pickles as a substitute for papaya.

3. DANGLING EARINGS: Lately I have been into these hanging sparkling earings, not the hoop ones but the beads. Well, they are in fashion right now especially this summer, even with necklace and bracelets. I even have one anklet.

4. FRESH FRUITS: I am into fresh ones, I seldom eat the ones in cans. I think for fruits, fresh is the way to go. I love pineapples, strawberries, watermelon,bananas, cantaloupe, blueberries, honeydew, peaches, apples, pomelo.

5. NATURAL HAIR CARE: Lately, I have been trying to find natural home made recipes for hair care and I came across this mayo treatment for hair:

1 C Olive oil
1 avocado
1 can coconut milk

Peel avocado and blend it with all the ingredients. Apply on hair for 1 hour then rinse. This is a pre-was treatment so after rinsing your hair, shampoo as usual. I Like the result, so try to do it twice a week. Sometimes I just use coconut milk.

Another that I do is just combine equal parts of coconut oil and lemon jiuce. Apply to hair 15 minutes before washing hair.

Wander Thoughts

2006-05-15T07:26:00.001-07:00

Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.
-- Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

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Experiencing something is often different from how we imagine things to be. We may have an idea but when we get experience it for real, often it's different from how we thought it to be.

Take for example marriage, I'm sure a lot of you who are already married would say it's a bit different from how you imagined things would be once you are married. Some of our expectations may or may not be true in real life situations.

As a girl, I used to think that I would be a great wife and mother when I get to be one,of course who woudn't dream of becoming one when they grow up. But experiencing married life is a self-discovery in itself. I have discovered parts of myself that I didn't even know. I guess it's discovering yourself when you are with another person, or a love one. It could change a person, it could transform a person, it could make a person grow, or it could be the opposite depending on the relationship. As for me it has been a nurturing relationship with my husband. He has helped me see a lot of my positive sides that I haven't seen before. Very encouraging, very nurturing. Of course it is still a continuing journey and learning epxerience for both of us. It's learning to handle difficult as well as joyful events in a marriage. Time and time again, they say that "nobody's perfect". We just keep trying to work to make things perfect as we go through the different stages of marriage.

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I am one of those people that loves the country side. Those places away from the hustle and bustle of city life. One reason is probably because I grew up in a small province in the Philippines. I have enjoyed both the country/rural as well as city life. But I still prefer the simplicity of the country life. There is a certain serenity and peace that I feel away from the noise and clutters of city life. It always has that relaxing effect on me as I wander and explore nature, the woods, the creeks, the rivers. The rolling hills, the distant horizon just blazing as the sun sets. It's just so beautiful as I think about it.

Now, my childhood life came flashing back when we went camping up in the mountains of Dahlonega, North Georgia. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate the other weekend. The weather dropped and it was blowing. It is understandable that the weather drops as we go higher in the elevated parts of Georgia, but it was more than cool. The drive up there was zigzag and winding. We have drove almost zigzag uphill, except for a couple of downhills, we must have passed a couple of mountains until we reached Lake Scott Winfield campsite. We also passed several cow and horse farms. The closest store we could find was half mile down the road in a convinient store called Dale's. We also passed by the lake which is a walking distance from the campsite. As soon as we got there we had to set up our tent quick because it was already dark. It wasn't that hard since we already practiced setting up the tent in our backyard once. We finnished in less than thirty minutes. After everything has been set up we gathered around the campfire. This was the most enjoyable part of the camping. Sitting infront of the fire, grilling, telling stories, relaxing.

Some of the important things that you should bring when going camping depending on what the campsite amenities. There are sites that has bathrooms and showers and with drinking fountains and even electric outlets. These are the things you might want to check so you know what to bring. The campsite we had didn't have any electric outlets. We had to rely on flashlights. My brother-in-law brought an oil lamp which was a great help. So make sure you have flashlights and enough batteries. Make sure you also check if the site provides drinking water, otherwise bring jugs of drinking water. Some of the helpful stuff that I found very helpful while camping are; wet wipes, especially if there's no faucet to wash your hands everytime especially when working with the fire and grilling because your hands can get all charcoal black. And with that of course is paper towel. Also, bathroom tissues. They may not provide in the site, or they may run out. It's always a good idea to bring your own. A pan and a camping pot are useful because you can always use them to boil water for drinking, use it for cooking, heating up food and all that. If you want to be fancy you can bring a grilling cage, if not just skewers because you can always make kabobs. Of course don't forget some condiments if you want foods to be tastier. Some foods can be prepared ahead of time at home and pack them in the coolers. And yes, don't forget a cooler, or coolers to keep foods and drinks cold and ice of course. Another is to bring ziplock bags, or plastic bags for hanging foods. Yes, since you are outdoors there are lots of insects and animals that may want to share your foods. One way to keep them away is to hang them up in the braches of trees or hooks provided if the coolers are all packed. Of course you may want to measure your food supply according to how many days you want to stay. You may want to check also how far the closest store to the area in case you might want to get some supplies. This campsite we went to doesn't have celphone receptions, so we were not able to use our phones. In this case you may not want to get lost, especially if there's no way of communication, unless you have walkie talkie.

The night was cold, as I was saying earlier, the weather was terrible. It was chilly and blowing, at night the temperature even drops, so that's of course the first thing you might want to check to make sure you bring enough blankets even warm sweaters. I just brought thin sweaters because I was expecting a warmer weather. I layered two sweaters and still felt cold. Good thing we brought thick blankets and seeping bags. You might want to bring other stuff like tarp or some sort of covers in case it rains. We were lucky it didn't rain. Of course it's always a great idea to have some of the necessary outdoor gears, because you can get vulnerable out there. It also helps a lot to improvise especially if you cannot have any of the convinience in the modern world in the woods. I guess it all depends on your primary needs since everyone has their own specific needs which varies from person to person when it comes to camping.

While out there in the woods, away from all the conviniences of life, I really got to appreciate the comforts I get at home. But imagine if we had stayed longer if the weather had not been terrible. A few days without celphones, no tv, no electric stove.Of course all these things can also be brought to the camping sites, but there's no electrical outlets to plug them in. Other camp grounds offer these amenities, you just have to check them. One can even bring their portable laptops and be wireless if there's a wi-fi in the area. But I think, getting away from all these modern technology once in a while is a great thing to better appreciate the wonders of nature. And while I was there, I waswondering how long would I survive in the wilderness if I were lost somewhere, how would I improvise with food and water and all that stuff. With my childhood experience I would say I probably wouldn't do so bad since I have learned a lot of things from my dad, even catching wildlife using whatever is available in the woods, or even fruit trees and all those sorts of stuff. But of course we are talking of probably a wilderness where things are foreign. Growing up, we used to go mushroom picking. But I have noticed here in the United States that there are so many varieties and colors of mushrooms that I wouldn't know which one is edible. Now, talking of mushrooms, we used to gather mushrooms also from the barks of dead trees after it rains. I think they are called oyster mushrooms. But see there are a lot of kinds of mushrooms that grow on dead barks of trees. You just have to know which one. I miss those days of wild mushroom picking. Of course in the tropical jungles in the Philippines there are lots of fruit trees, grass, flowers that are edible and they may not be found in North America. So, it's really knowing and learning about things like that, but in a world of convinience a lot of people don't even have to worry about those stuff until probably they are confronted with being lost in the woods.

If you have read the book "Life of Pi", it's one of the great stories of survival I have read. It's a bout a boy's story of how he survived at sea in a life boat after a ship carrying his family and a bunch of zoo animals from India to Canada sunk in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He was at sea for months with limited food and water supply. It's a great read about determination of the human spirit in desperate situations. I have enjoyed the story very much. It also mentions a few stops along the way, they stopped in Manila for fuel. It's along way to Canada. I suppose they got to travel zoo animals in ships especially huge animals like tigers and elephants and all that if they have to bring to another part of the world.

As I was saying, one can really better appreciate the conviniences we have at home when one is in the woods with very limited amenities even the comforts of using youw very own bathroom. But there's that comfort that nature provides that the modern world sometimes can't provide, like the serenity, peace, fresh air. It's nothing like waking up to be surrounded by trees, with chirping birds, the sunrise. I can't wait to go on another camping. And this time we will be better prepared and of course this time there will be more fishing and grilling.

JUST SAY IT

2006-04-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

"A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking."
-Jerry Seinfeld

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It's not so often that we meet special people in our lives. They come in different degrees of "specialness", if there's such a thing. It's really a shame that sometimes distance can bring us apart from people whom we consider bestfriends. I'm sure that
most Pinays who has relocated abroad can relate to this after years of being away for a long time from the Philippines, or from childhood friends. Although communication can still be maintained, the physical presence is still lacking. Thus, putting us farther and farther away from our old friends. The assimilation of a new culture, practices, and way of thinking can also become a barrier in between the people we used to know, or even our very own family as with my case. It is not that I totally changed my culture and way of thinking but have assimilated some of the practical ways of life and thinking in the western world.

Being far away from our friends is like moving on with life in a parallel world. We move on, they move on. Some may eventually get married and have children, and so we do.Sometimes, we all get busy with our lives and move on. It is only during ocassional visits that we finally get to see how our old friends back home. You would be amazed at how far they have gone. With my case, I felt suddenly old when I got the chance to see my hometown again and the people, that when I left were children. But now, very grown up, and even have children of their own. I was filled with amazement at how time flies, at how things could have gone by so fast. The places, the streets still have a feel of familiarity although an additional building might have been built or have been demolished. Some people remained like the last time I have seen them like they haven't aged at all, but some totally have been ravaged by time and age that I couldn't recognize them at all, mostly the young people who has grown up and moved on with their lives. I was almost embarrassed when some of my former classmates started talking to me and I didn't recognize them. Not that I am pretending not to greet them or know them but because I honestly didn't recognise them. I wouldn't like to embarrass anybody at all, in fact I was the one who got embarassed when they started talking to me on the streets and I didn't have a clue who they were. Time and age changes appearances of people, so it's not surprising that we don't recognize some of them. The changes did make me feel weird. I wondered how much I changed in appearance. Well, we all grow old. It probably depends how long one have been away from his or her hometown to experience these weird feelings that I had visiting home for the first time. The longer, the stranger the feeling. I cannot fully put it into words how I really felt. It's sort of a feeling of being a stranger in your own hometown, at the same time there is still the sense of familiarity. It feels like it's home and it's not at the same time. I guess, we all have different feelings once we get back home for the first time. I guess that's just how I felt the last time I was there. I know it's been a while I just thought of reviewing things up.

Talking about inculturation and assimilation, some people go overboard. I was at a Pinoy party but there was an Indonesian girl named S. I have met her at the same place with another ocassion, it was a baby shower. She was with a boyfriend at that time. After two weeks, we were invited to the same house with another baby shower, she showed up with another man which Ate Zie immediately told us as her new boyfriend. I said "na naman!", she said "yes! this is America." I said nothing but the expression "this is America!" made me thinking. So what if this is America? That doesn'tmean you can lose your sense self morale and self respect. Some people who move to this country take "freedom" in a literal sense. I would think that the sudden sense of freedom makes some people who were once restricted by other culture suddenly go crazy with the new found freedom that they suddenly have and overdo things and lose self control. I know it is true to some Filipinas who move to other countries. They suddenly lose their self into the new culture, they get confused with the new norms and practices and ways of doing things. Freedom come with responsibility. It can free a person or it could destroy a person. It depends how they use them. There has to be a sense of balance.

I have heard the expression in a lot of situations. One ocassion is when people who are smarty pants encounter other immigrants who can't speak English or have a hard time speaking English. Somehow it's true, in America, one really has to learn to speak English because it is a necessity in order to go around, get a job and do all sorts of stuff here. But I don't think people who doesn't speak English are dumb. It just happens that they grew up in another country where another language is spoken. And there are people who learns a language faster than others. The older people who moves to America may have a hard time learning and speaking English. But their children will be very fluent in the language. It is always an advantage if one learns the language of his or her host country or English as it's widely used and spoken in almost anywhere, the universal language as they say. It is part of adaptation into a certain place, to be able to speak what the locals speak.

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Lately, I had been trying to be very practical and practice frugality. I probably said in my other postings that I love shopping. In some ways it's my way of spending free time. It's not that I needed things, but sometimes I cannot help buying stuff especially if they are good deals. Lately I really restricted myself in just buying very few stuff keeping in mind what I really need. Before grabbing stuff I have to stop and think "do I really need it?" It did help a lot. Sometimes I go in a storewithout any plan of buying stuff but then I come out with a bagful of stuff. My shopping isn't that bad, other people have worst which is literally an addiction. I wouldn't say my shopping is an addiction, since I have a control over it and I do shop minimally but I still wanted to be more practical and eventually make it a habit not to buy things that I don't really need and they just accumulate as junks in the storage. I am trying also to make it a point to go for quality instead of quantity or just because it's cheaper. I have found that quality goods lasts longer than the cheap products. It's not always the case of course, there can be quality goods that can be cheaper if you know where to find them. I am a person who go hunting for stores that have quality products for a cheaper price. I figure I would spend less on stuff and maybe invest for things needed in the long run, things more important and really are needed.

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I think it is wise not to assume anything. A lot of things, even people may not be how they look or they seem to be. In a multi-cultural area where we live where there are so many kinds of people from all over the world, people seem to be more tolerant, more aware and more accepting of different cultures. When I meet someone foreign, or of foreign accent basing from how they talk. I make it a point to ask where they are from instead of presuming they might be from a certain country basing from how they talk or their appearances. Most of the time guessing wrong may be offensive to other people. As with my case sometimes, when people started talking in Spanish presuming I talk Spanish, meaning I am of Hispanic origin. Not all people with brown skin are Hispanic. When people assume too much, it can get annoying and offensive. It doesn't bother me sometimes, but on ocassions it annoys me when even people who really doesn't speak Spanish all of a sudden started speaking in Spanish to me. And when I say "what?" they suddenly come to their senses. Looks are really decieving. I was conversing with this Chinese guy who has another friend by the smoothie shop. He introduced his friend as Jennifer. Jennifer started asking where I am originally from. I said, Philippines. How about you I asked. She said Cambodia. Then, Jo said, "you don't look like a Cambodian." She has a fair skin, that's why he made that remark. He said that I am the one whom he might think as Cambodian because of my darker complexion. It only means that not all Cambodians are dark skinned. And not all Filipinos are dark skinned too. Skin and appearances vary, even Filipinos have different degrees of skin tone from brown to dark brown to sand, to toasted, to even very fair skin. Sometimes people of mixed bloods look very much like one of the parents depending on what's the dominant genes. So, it is not really a wise thing to just presume someone is from a certain country just by their mere look especially in America where everyone is an immigrant from different parts of the world. People may not look like a typical American, they can be Asian-American, African-American, Hispanic-American.Most of the time people who moved to this country still carry a certain accent from their original language but their children may be very well be American especially if they were born and grew up here.

I am fond of meeting people from different places and learning their own culture. It is facinating when you learn of other cultures' way of life, traditions, beliefs, even superstitious beliefs. It irks me mostly when people who are ignorant of a certain culture makes derogatory remarks about a certain culture or other people. As they say "don't criticize something you don't even understand." So I make it a point to learn other cultures before even openning my mouth. Most of the time, people who have never been exposed to other kinds of cultures base their perceptions with what they hear around, those stereotypical descriptions of other people or they base it from what they read, from what they see on televisions which doesn't necessarily depict the true culture, if it does only in a limited manner. It is in the experiencing, learning, observing and immersing oneself into another culture where they can truly understand it.

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I believe people are very much like plants. They are resilient, they can adapt to wherever they are planted. We have been here in our new place for almost a year now, and I have grown more comfortable as they days pass by. It's almost like my roots have started to hold on to our new home and my leaves have started to become robust as the spring wakes up all the lush greens all around me. I'm feeling like one of them coming alive, green and lush again. I can sya that I have gone dormant during the winter season, that's what it does to plants and people too. Less active, trying to stay warm away from the freezing cold. And now I can really tell that I have gained a few pounds during those hibernating season when I tried my summer pants. They felt snug and a little tight. It's really high time to shed off those few pounds. I'm trying to take advantage of the not so hot weather spending time outdoors before the steaming hot and sticky season comes. I can tolerate heat more than cold, being from the tropics. I notice that I am more vulnerable to cold than heat. I can stand being hot and sweaty but being cold, I can last for just a few minutes. That's why I am so glad that we live in the South where it doesn't even snow except in the mountains and the elevated areas.

So, like everyone else, I'm enjoying the spring weather down South before the kudzu come spreading it's leaves on everything else in summer.

Magic 3 Oh!

2006-03-24T07:27:00.001-08:00

"Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough."
"Groucho Marx quotes"

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The Filipino dating and courtship as I know it is really quite different from the west. Of course it is evolving and changing from the very traditional manner, adapting some of the western practices but it still maintains it's traditional ways. In the bigger cities, courtship and dating may be more liberated compared to the smaller provinces in the Philippines where the women are supposed to be more conservative. Of course in smaller towns where people know each other, people know their neighbors and almost everyone living in that small town, people are bound to follow what the norm for fear of being the talk of the town. In small towns when a young man tries to woe a particular girl, he practically has to woe the girl'sentire family even her circle of friends. The guy has to gain approval from these people if he want to continue a long term relationship with the girl that he likes. The dating undergoes certain stages from letting the girl know that he is interested. In the traditional manner, communications between the man and the girl he wants to date passes through a go-between. A friend of the lady, or someone close to the lady to literally bridge the two. It might start with let's say giving flowers, gifts, love letters. Ah, gone are the days when people use to express their love through love letters. Well, I hope not totally. I guess in the modern times they could just text or e-mail love letters. I still love the traditional way of writting love letters. Well, if the lady shows interest with the guy, they may start going out. But there's still the chaperone. When the girl decides to go out with the guy, it doesn't mean they are girlfriend/boyfriend already. They still have to know each other and there comes a time when the girl has to say "yes" or confirm that they are "steady" to make the relationship official. This was the dating and courtship that I grew up with in highschool, even in my college years. It was then more traditional of course. It has been a while then, a lot of changes I'm sure are changing in the Philippine dating and courtship. Sometimes it all starts from the "teasing" or "paring" from peers which in our local term "tuksuhan". I can still remember those days when peers would tease saying "uyyyyyyy! bagay sila." Meaning, "you two look great together". Sometimes it all starts from there. I remember that generally the girls are more coy with her feelings towards the guy. At that time, women are not supposed to be very forward if they like they guy. And if the guy really like the girl, he would pursue and woe her love. And the dating and courtship will take a while, the guy has to prove his intention to the lady before she accepts his love to her. He has to prove his love to her. And when he has proven that he is worthy of her love, will she accepts his love and will make the relationship official.

I don't know if it's still the case of dating and courtship now. It probably still in a manner. Atleast to teenagers. The more grown up way of dating and courtship is probably slightly different, it entails a more serious intention. A longer and more lasting relationship which would eventually lead to marriage. Most women of course who doesn't see commitment from a guy will most likely turn him down. Especially if the lady is in the advance age, in her 30's or older. Back in the Philippines, atleast at the time when I was still there, women seems to crave marriage and commitment before they reach their 30's so as not to be tease as "old maid" or "lampas na sa kalindaryo" meaning she's passed the calendar numbers. It's like it's the ultimate destiny that people has to marry before they reach their 30's or they are doomed.

I have noticed that in the US, that is not that case. They don't really care so much whether you marry before your 30's or stay single. There is an acceptance of the choices you make, like stay single, not having a baby. Well, of course not always the case, some parents, siblings or friends would bug or tease people who do make these choices. But the pressure is not so much like growing up in a small town in the Philippines.

When I was on vacation last year, my sister who was turning 25 at that time seems to be battling that pressure, since she doesn't have a boyfriend yet. My mom says that she might be worrying that she's getting old and doesn't have a boyfriend yet. I was like "getting old?" Then it dawned on me that "getting old" over there means when one is reaching the age of 30. I told my mom that my sister is still young and there so much things she still has to do, explore and experience before worrying about dating or marriage. Sure she can date, but marriage? She is still very young, atleast that's how I see it. But to them it's not the case.

Then, I had the chance to talk to my younger sister. Apparently she had been dating this guy, but he moved to another city, so they just communicate through text. She said that she is saving her love for this guy. They are not officially girlfriend/boyfriend. As an elder sister who have had some experiences when it comes to love and commitment, I told her what my mother had been telling me when I was still in school that she would meet a lot more guys in her lifetime. Why would she just settle for this guy? In my short time that I have been there, I have already heard rumors about him being physical and abusive towards his own mother. My mom says " I don't know what she sees in him?" I said to my sister, sure, putting your whole heart to one guy is a great idea. But what if he turns out to be "Not the One?" I told her, you should open your heart and mind and explore life first before investing your love to someone. You will meet more people, more guys and who knows you will find a better man whom you can give your whole heart. You are still young, you are at your prime and don't even think that you have to marry before you reach your 30's. And I think it's a great advise that I can give to a younger sister who is just starting her own life after school. It's not like marrying is a primary goal in life, we will all eventually get there, but to succumb to the pressures of people is not a good thing. I just want her to enjoy her single life, change her perception about love and life. I told her, "You will eventually find love and happiness". You don't have to rush it, and just settle for the first guy you meet. I think that's a wrong approach. I don't mean for her to date several men all at once of course, that's not my point. It's just going about her life, enjoy being single, enjoy dating, and get to know herself, have a career, save some money, have some experiences in life before eventually thinking of getting married. Not having this frame of thought " Ok, I'm getting old, I need to find a guy to settle down with."

Well, elder siblings always wants the best for their younger siblings. And that's what I want for my younger sister. And I hope that she would eventually find herself enjoying single life, gain lessons from experiences and eventually find a good man worthy of her love and commitment.

2006-03-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

Some of the reasons I love spring. Blossoms and blossoms everywhere.

Bright colors emerges and brightens everyone's day.

The sun seems smiling all the time.

Life seems brighter, lighter and milder. And everywhere you look is very beautiful and colorful.

(The above photos were taken last year in Macon, Georgia. Every year they celebrate Cherry Blossom Festival when the Cherry Trees are in full bloom. The Yoshino Cherry Trees originated from Japan and was given to the US as a gesture of friendship and celebration of the explosion of Spring in 1912. Cherry Blossom Festival are celebrated each year both by Washington D.C. and Macon, Georgia. The festival originated from Japan called "Cherry Blossom Viewing" where each year the Japanese people awaits the blossoming of the trees, upon the blossoming, families gather underneath the Cherry trees in joyful celebration for family pinics picnics, cultural activities. The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.is an annual celebration of welcoming Spring. In Macon, Cherry Blossom Festival started when Bill Fickling, a long time Macon resident donated Yoshino Cherry Trees when the city launched the "Keep America Beautiful" program. Some of the activities during ten days celebration in Macon are; blossom tours, parades, wearing of pink and white, pink ribbons everywhere, hot air balloon rides, arts and crafts, bands and lots of Southern hospitality. More information are listed in their official websites for the activities for 2006 festivals which starts March 17-26 in Macon, Georgia. And March 25-April 4 in washington D.C.)

2006-02-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry Mickee, it took me a long time to do your tag.

4 movies i could watch over and over --> It varies, and it changes depending what mood I have. I normally can't watch a movie over and over again, unless I really really love it. Can't think of a movie that I can watch over and over again at this moment.

4 places i've lived --> Kowloon,Hong Kong,Metairie, New Orleans, Macon Georgia, Lawrenceville,Georgia

4 tv shows i love to watch --> CSI, Sienfeld, Law and Order, Monk

4 places i've been on vacation--> Philippines - Baguio, Ifugao, Quezon Province, Isabela

4 websites i visit daily --> yahoo mail, blogspot, hotmail, friendster

4 of my favorite foods --> Pinakbet, pancit, Vietnamese Pho soup, Dinuguan

4 places i'd rather be right now -->Philippines, Europe, Carribbean, Egypt

YOUNG ONCE( upon a time)

2006-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

Would you rather be young and reckless or old and wise?

I can say that I still consider myself young but not that reckless, maybe sometimes. More of carefree maybe. I am getting old and is learning a lot. Old age does come with wisdom only if we are able to learn from our experiences. I still have a lot of things and still many journeys to take. There's still a lot of learning experiences to involve myself. There is still a long way for me to go. There's still miles and miles for me to walk. There's still a an oceanful of expieriences and explorations I still have to conquer. I still have innumerable mountain peaks to climb. There's still imeasurable heights and horizons for me to reach. There's still so much for me out there to see and feel and experience. So, yes, I haven't drank enough water to call myself wise. I will always be a student in this university of life, taking quizzes, taking tests. Sometimes I fail, sometimes, I succeed. But it is in the failing sometimes that I learn the most lessons.

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Going to the doctor isn't really one of my favorite things to do, especially to the gynecologist. I would think a lot of women doesn't like going to the gynecologist either. It's not really a very comfortable experience. But it is necessary for every women to be tested in the most private parts to make sure they are healthy.

I was watching a show at Paula Zahn one evening and she was talking about a certain male gynecologist who is a pervert. Now how would you feel if your doctor asks you inappropriate questions while he is touching you down there? A lot of the women who actually went to this doctor felt violated.

At Oprah's show, they were talking about necessary tests woman should have like pop smear especially for the sexually active. And women who are in their 50's should atleast have a colonoscopy test. Older people are vulnerable of colon cancer, especially when they don't take in enough fiber in their diet. I found the show very informative.

I have to admit that I often postpone or refuse to see a doctor because I don't feel anything wrong. Well, a lot of things going on in the body may not necessarily show any symptoms. As they say, some illnesses creep up slowly and quietly that we don't even know we have them until too late. I also sometimes wouldn't like to know if I have any disease at all. Which I think most people wouldn't want to know. But it's in knowing that we are able to prevent and cure what illness we have.

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Old age is a disease, according to a doctor in one of the CSI shows. That's really something. Old age cannot be treated, it can be slowed down, but it's not something that cannot be treated. Some of it can be prevented but I have never thought it to be cured. It it a natural life cycle, others can live younger physically for a longer time, but time would eventually catch up. The only people that I know that never grew old are those people that died young.

And then there's the urine therapy. That's right, people drink their own urine. There's actually some scientific explanation to this according to this site. I can't see myself drinking my own urine. I don't know if there are people who really does this. Would you even consider this kind of therapy, to drink your own urine just so to stay young or to cure cancer?

HEARTS OF HEARTS

2006-02-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

When I recall my younger days when I was so naive, inocent about a lot of things in life. Well, I still am in a lot of ways. The younger days of my life full of dreams. I used to dream of a perfect love, a perfect partner. It's looking forward to a future. How did you envision your future ten years ago?

Ah, love, such a great thing that lots of people do anything to posses the real thing. To posses, to acquire, to have it, feel it. I have seen and heard of a lot of people that would do a lot of things in the name of love. It is a powerful thing, powerful that it can also devastate people. There's so many faces of love, so many degrees of love. Degrees and it may be in celsius or in fahrenheit. Depends where it boils down to.

I have my own experiences of puppy love, of infatuations, of love unreciprocated. Puppy loves do die after a short period of time. Infatuations do too. Remember the times when you have crushes, I think those days were just silly. But it's part of growing up. It could be fun too. I mean, from time to time it still happens but as an adult I find that I am more reasonable compared to when I was just a teenager. I understand that crushes do happen and it is a normal thing that happens to people. It's just what people do with those emotions that matters. Emotions can be just a short term only. Real love lasts as long as it lasts.

Love is such a wonderful thing, it does makes one feel like they are walking in air or floating on cloud 9. Now talking about cloud 9, that was my favorite chocolate bar back home. Whoever put that name there on chocolate bar is very clever. I suppose that's where they got the expression "walking on cloud 9". Being in love does give one that euphoric feeling, a "high" feeling of weightlessness like walking on clouds, like walking in outer space. That's what I'm talking about. It makes one do a lot of wonderful things, silly things, some embarrassing things. Do you remember what you have done during this state of euphoria? I bet lots of things that you don't normally do when you are in the normal "sane" state of mind. If it is indeed insanity to fall in love. Well,some people literally go insane when this so called "love" is not reciprocated? Wouldn't you go bananas? Ah, but love is the sweetest thing when both people feel the same way with each other.

Just like one of John Lennon's songs.......All we need is love. Indeed, all we need is love. Love changes the world. Did you notice that when you are in love, the air smells sweet. The days seems brighter, even if it's raining. All of a sudden the world around you seems beautiful. You hear love songs, you sing love songs. All of a sudden you become a poet. All of a sudden you can write love letters. All of a sudden you can dance. All of a sudden there's smile in your face. People notice you are glowing. Yes, there's a different glow when someone's in love. Not only the person in love seems to be glowing but everything he/she sees and touches like he/she has this magic wand, well like the King Maida's touch, only things don't turn gold but love is gold and is even better that any treasure on earth.

Wouldn't you all agree that all we need is love? To love and to be loved?

2006-02-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Just a few days ago, there was snow storm warning in the county we live up here in North East Atlanta. I was skeptical because the news was like that last December on Christmas day, and there was no snow. We waited if it would indeed snow, well, it didn't. It snowed in the Nothern most part of Georgia and in the elevated parts,but not where we live. I was hoping I would experience snow even for a day. It's okey, it just rained, it was cold though. I had to bundle up even inside the house. I don't want to crank up the heater. Gas bill is soaring high this winter.

The days have passed by so quickly. In a few weeks, the season would change into spring. I love spring, the colors, the beauty, the liveliness. It's just awesome. It lifts up the spirit.

And I will start my small garden. It would be mostly in pots, but would be nice to bring out my plants that I have brought inside to keep them from dying. My pineapple is starting to bear fruit. I'm excited. I haven't noticed it until yesterday when I saw new leaves sprouting and when I looked inside there's a baby fruit growing. I know, I have such, small joys. I have planted that pineapple from the top of a pineapple I got from the grocery store and it grew. It took me two years or more, but it's bearing fruit. I have another one, which is still growing, I also planted it from the top of a pineapple we got at the grocery store. I fed them fertilizer and they just grew robustly. I can't wait to see how big the fruit will grow. I guess it would help when it is exposed under the sun.

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Moving to another place means adjusting to new things. And of course meeting new friends. Since mving up here, I haven't had the chance to meet a lot of Filipinos for months, so I tried different ways of networking. Just yesterday I was able to meet one Filipina from Bukidnon. She and her husband came over our place for a short visit. Well, we chatted for sometime over the phone and she seems a nice lady. She is pregnant and she's in her fifth month. We just chatted for a short while, before they

left I sent her some "ginataan" and "puto" which I made after she called me on the phone telling me that they are coming over. They are very nice couple. I had fun chatting with them even if they didn't stay very long. They are getting ready for their travel to Illinois to visit her husband's parents. And then after that they will be leaving for a long vacation to the Philippines. She is going to have her baby delivered over there and of course have her family help her. I think it would be awesome. Plus the long vacation until December, I wish I could go for a long vacation like that. Her husband has been to the Philippines about four times already, so he knows what to expect. He was telling me he would probably miss some stuff, like the convinience of having hot shower. But I guess, he is willing to adopt to the life over there since he agreed to have this long vacation. I don't know when will I go back next for a vacation again to the Philippines. I had fun during my last vacation, it would be expensive to stay that long though. Hopefully everything will turn out well for them.

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There are times that I miss Filipino cuisine, that's why I am happy to have found an International Farmer's Market closeby. It's mostly Korean, but they have some Filipino stuff like hopia, tocino, some Pinoy seasoning mixes like sinigang, pancit, adobo. And they have a variety of vegetable and fruit selections for even lower price compared to Kroger or Publix. One of my favorite recipe that I often make is "Pinakbet"

which consist of bitter mellon or bitter gourd (ampalaya), okra, eggplant, long beans (sitaw), onions, ginger, tomatoes, garlic of course "bagoong"(fish sauce). I get them all at this farmer's market. They also have an isle full of Pinoy condiments like Silver Swan soy sauce, banana ketsup, canned goods, and snacks like Nagaraya, chips and cookies. I aslo found these tiny pomelos called "Oro Blanco" literally means white gold, it is white inside while some pomelos are pink. It is in the citrus family, it looks like a big grapefruit, except it is a tiny pomelo. They are produced in South America.

And this Tiramisu. It's good with coffee. They are small Italian cakes. Love them. I had been looking them for long time.

Chances are, if you love Asian cuisine you would love going to this place. They have all kinds of Asian stuff, especially Korean foods, even cooking utensils, I love those Japanese kitchen wares. If you happen to pass by Suwanee, Georgia, check out the place. I'm sure there are lots of them in the area. This one is the closest to where I live. It's called ASSI Plaza, International food. Some people who haven't been to Asian stores would think you are out of the country when you step into ASSI plaza. It reminds me of grocery stores in Hongkong. Some of the stuff are all labelled in Korean or Japanese or other languages, so if you are not familiar with it, you wouldn't know what it is unless it has English translations. Of course Filipino stuff can be labeled in Tagalog and English together, so it's so easy to find them if you are looking for Pinoy stuff. If you are really into these kinds of Asian goods, might as well go to Buford Highway, Georgia, the biggest international market is located over there with live fish and other live seafoods like blue crabs and crawfish in tanks. I have been there a few times, and you can really find lots of exotic foods. So, if you happen to be in the area, this is one place to check out.

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I am also excited, I am meeting some Filipina this Saturday at a friends' house for dinner. It's really the best way to meet other Filipinas through gatherings like this. Some other places would be at the church. Of course anywhere else, it's just that I can't sometimes I can't tell whether they are Filipinos or not. I see lots of Asians but I always know if they are Filipina, because they would ask; Filipina ka? It is also such mutli cultural over here that there are lots of other nationalities that may look like Filipinas like Hispanic people and other Asians. I don't really care much nationalities, in fact I would like to meet and befriend people of other nationalities. Of course it is easier to meet fellow Filipinas. It's nice to be able to find groups of Pinoys in the area. To be able to hang out, cook Pinoy foods and have fun the Filipino way.

2006-02-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

I often find myself looking for whatever food in the pantry or in the fridge, you know just to cook whatever I can come up with. I'm sure I am not the only one who has lots of stuff in the cupboard, canned goods, seasoning mixes, boxed foods that just sits there, until their expiration dates. I am bad about that sometimes. You know how you would just grab a can of this and that, and when you get home you put them in the pantry, cupboard and forget about them. I do that sometimes. I would grab a can of corn, a can of fruit, even those seasoning mixes in envelopesand store them in the pantry. Sometimes I would forget about them till they get old and moldy. Since we last moved I actually dug them up and I couldn't believe what I had in my cupboards. Ancient, antiques canned goods and pickles and seasoning mixes. Some of them I had been searching but couldn't find them when I needed them. Well, I tossed them all to the garbage, seems that I have acquired on of the American habits - wasting food. And now in our new place I try not to buy any canned goods or seasoning mixes that I wouldn't use. It's one of my strategy of trying to eat healthy, I try to buy fresh stuff. Although it's unavoidable that I would grab a can of mushroom or a can of olives, tomato sauce and all the other stuff that are used for quick food preparation like Spaghetti and pasta recipes.

Well, ocassionally, I would make goulash, I was actually surprised that I found recipes for goulash. My goulash is actually quite different, really it's anything you can find in the fridge and toss them altogether in a pan, pot, as soup or stir fry. I made goulash for lunch with instant chicken noodles with broth, I cut up some left over chicken breast from yesterday's baked chicken and refried it, and tossed up some baby bokchoy. And then tossed them up with the noodles, broth and all. It was actually pretty good. I am trying to use up left over foods, more often we would toss our left over, so I try to fix foods just enough for me and hubby, but sometimes, my calculation is sometimes bigger than what we can fit in our tummys. During garbage pick-ups I would have to toss all our left over for the entire week. All wilted or spoiled vegetable and old stuff. I think it is a great practice, not the tossing of food or wasting of food but to clean up the fridge and pantry every once in a while to get rid of expired and old food stuff. It would actually drive away roaches breeding deep in the stock of food. You know when foods sometimes are not moved for many months, after sometime roaches and other insects breed under them. Not that I know exactly where they are coming from.

So, next time when you find yourself looking for spaces to fit in your groceries, maybe try cleaning up, toss old and expired goods to make room for all your groceries.

I find that when I look into the fridge or in the pantry and make a grocery list, it actually helps. I would buy stuff that would go with what I already have. Like for example; I see some spaghetti pasta or fetuccini in the pantry, I will just buys stuff for spaghetti, ground beef and spaghetti sauce and mushroomss maybe, and stuff that would go with fetuccini. We love pasta alfredo, so I would get Alfredo sauce , shrimp or chicken and that would be two meals there.
Sometimes there are so much stuff in there that wouldn't actually go with each other, I have to think of what I want to cook, and then what I need, then add them to my list. I would like to use up what I have bought in a few days before going to the groceries again. Sometimes food are stored too long, even in the fridge may loose it's freshness. Fresh foods are vulnerable. One thing that I have noticed is that when you keep wet vegetables or fruits in sealed plastic bags they rot easily,compared to keeping them dry. Even fruits that are wet and stays in these plastic containers when wet, they develop molds easily than when they are kept dry.

Well, just rambling with foods and stuff steaming from my head.

The Humdrum Life

2006-01-15T09:40:00.001-08:00

It's just one of those days. The other day was warm, comfortable, the sun shining brightly. The birds are singing. And looking around doesn't even give a hint of the winter season. Days like these makes one feel like spending time outdoors, to just lavish oneself, bathe oneself with warm sunshine, catch every glimps of it before the southern sky swallows the radiant warmth and keeps it somewhere beyond the horizons when darkness comes.

The next day, the wind has gone wild, blowing anything and everything in it's path. The temperature has gone down, not that cold but the wind made it terribly cold. As I walked outside,the wind blowing my hair slapping my face, windchills sipping through the layer of clothes, making it's way through the tiny pores of my clothing. I just walked and took the beating, the wind flapping my jacket, trying to tear it into pieces. As I hurry, the wind tried to corner me, blowing harder as ever blinding me. I just had to pick up my feet and run.

Inside I looked out, the wind was still blowing, making a howling sound. Blowing the heads of the trees off, hard and wild. I just looked and stared, the blandness is there. Boredom maybe, like a worm eating me from the inside, shaking me. It was a crazy feeling. I almost feel the emotion of the wind, if it indeed has emotions. I wanted to smash things, just go wild and free my emotions, free myself for whatever that is inside gnawing me. It's uneasiness, I tried to walk it off, walked around the living room. Looked out through the glass door. Tried to sit on the couch and pushed a button on the remote control. It didn't help. I felt like shouting at the top of my lungs. If it wasn't that chilly I would have run and run, to get rid of the monster winthin me.

With such emotions within me, I was such in a foul mood. I wasn't myself. I was ill, temper wise.
I was unwell, that pretty much describes it. In this state, I would growl at everybody who irritates me, I was vulnerable. I would get irritated with even with little things. Dishes laying around especially in the living room. I get insane. I couldn't even put up with it myself.

But I do calm down after sometime. I would be myself again.

The next day I got saner, calmer, no growing horns nor the Hulk within that turns me green. Now that I think about it, it felt just like that, if I visualize myself into this "Hulk" state, suddenly growing greener by the minute and small clothes ripping off and this big green monster immerges. Except for me it doesn't come out so I had to try to do some stuff to get rid of the green monster. Sometimes strenuous exercises calms me down. No, it's not anger, it's probably a combination of boredom, hormones...whatever it is. It's just uneasiness that happens to me for some reason ocassionally. I have to find something to occupy myself or tire myself. It's like there's so much energy built up within me, that I have to use the energy otherwise I feel like exploding and (run amok as I describe it to hubby, he would then say that I shouldn't run amok unless he is around to restrain me, and of course we burst out laughing) Whatever it is, that's how describe it. It doesn't happen everyday, just on rare times. I usually able to deal with it.

The days went by so fast, the weather man says that the weather is going to be warmer today, so I decided I would go out. Enjoy the warm weather. Either walk or jog by the park or go to the mall and walk, shop around, look for good buys. You know when the weather is not too friendly for outdoor activities, I would go to the mall and walk there. I mean, it's double purpose, I can shop around, even if it's just window shopping and at the same time exercise. I have read it somewhere that in winter time it's really very hard to loose extra pounds, it's a struggle because the body is less active and the serotonin level is low when we are less active, it also affects our mood and thus, we resort to eating. The more active we get, it boost our serotonin level which makes us feel good. Atleast that's how they say it. And I have noticed that in winter I tend to eat more, it's also because the body needs more fuel to keep our body warm, but exercise could help with that. When I exercise I tend to feel warmer than usual, even if it's cold. And now as I think about it, I thought of how they fatten pigs by putting them in small pig pens, the less they move the fatter they get. And it's same thing with people, the less we move the more fat mass are accumulated in the body. So, by being more active, we burn the extra carbohydrates and energy that we take in which when not used converted into fat. Just how I look at it. Of course, the kind food intake and amount, metabolism, heredity even medications and illnesses can play a role in the process.

I have made it a point to conciously motivate myself no matter what the weather is, there's always a way for me to be active. Walk indoors, do stretches inside the house. So, it becomes a habit, when I sit on the couch for a long time, I try to get up and do some stretches while watching tv, which is great, I guess I do that so I won't get guilty. Sometimes I even feel guilty that I haven't done any stretching or exercise for a few days. I would say that if one develops a habit, it won't be as hard anymore. One has to enjoy doing it, if not it won't stick.

Some days are better, you know those days when you wake up and it feels light within, like the nights' sleep have taken away all the weariness and you are walking as light as a feather. I love those days. Especially when I wake up on the sunny side of the bed. It feels so great that I feela smile bursting when I'm out there. If I could whistle I could just be whistling my way out and about. These days I feel like shouting "It's so great to be alive!" It's so great to be existing when you are feeling like this, compared to other days. The weather and season affect people's moods. I try to make it a point to keep everything bright. Open the blinds in the morning. The outside air can make me feel better sometimes, compared to the stale air inside. I mean, outside can be as polluted, but living in America and in this season, inside the house got to be enclosed and sealed. During warmer days I try to open the windows to let in fresh air. Atleast our backyard just goes to the woods, the trees make it less polluted compared to living just very close to the highway where vehicles always pass by. Not only the air is polluted but also there's noise pollution. We haved lived before very close to a busy highway, and I tell you it wasn't fun because we can hear the humming sound of vehicles passing by. The horns, the loud motorcycles and every sound they make. We had to get a fan to keep on as a white noise. Since then we have developed the habit of keeping the fan on at night. We can sleep like a log with the fan on. It just masquerades all other noises, except for noises that are really loud. Of course really loud thunders can still be heard. That's probably when I went back home to the Philippines I woke up at every noise, the barking of the dog, the crying of our neighbors' puppy, the yelling of drunk people passing by, the shouting of people passing by, or people arguing in the streets. I could hear it all. But it didn't bother me at that time, I had to get up early anyway, since people start their day early. But on my last day I was really sleep deprived. But I guess I didn't mind, I was on vacation high.

But nice weathers make me go out and about. Well, there are those days that I get out of the wrong side of the bed and I get so grumpy for no apparent reason and makes me feel like growling at everbody. Those days, ha, keep out.I would say everyone has their own moods on certain days. Even men does, but I find it more tolerable to hang out with guys than women who are having a bad day. There are even people who turns into a bear when woken up in the morning. I'm glad I'm not like that although there are times I hate to be woken up, especially when I am trying to get some sleep. But I'm fine being woken up in the morning. Especially when I got to do something important on that day.

Of course we can't help the passing of time and days. It goes on and on, somedays we realize we are getting older. Sometimes it goes so fast and memories of yesterdays would be piled up with dusts. Before very long we have reach milestones. But that's the way it is, and always will be. We change, we get old. Places and people we know changes. It just goes on, and so is time. Warm weathers, rain pours, howling winds, chirping birds, seasons passing by. We would always be trapped in the magic of time, we would always be floating in the sands of time.

TAG OF HEARTS

2006-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

Here's the TAg from Malaya. Sorry it took me a while, but here it is.

Rules:
* The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover/partner.
* Need to mention the sex of the target.
* Tag 8 victims to join this game & leave a comment on their Comments saying they've been tagged.
* If tagged the 2nd time, there’s no need to post again.

TARGET: Male (HunkyMonkey)

Physical:
Tall, good-looking to my eyes as we all have different taste to what is good-looking. Olive skin, no mustache, no beard (not a fan of facial hair)

Emotional:
Someone who is as hard as a rock but at the same time soft and cuddly on the inside and is sentsitive to a woman's needs. Or atleast try to understand me, as a woman.

Psychological:
Somebody sane. Somebody who has a kind of insanity that I can tolerate.

Spiritual:
Someone that connects with me, who has the ability to make magical spells over me. Someone who has a pure spirit.

Mental:
Someone who can meet me half-way - meeting of the minds. Someone who meets my brain waves. Someone whom I can communicate with me in special ways even without articulating.

Financial:
Someone who knows how to handle his finances. Someone who is practical and wise financially. Someone who is able to invest his time efforts and money for the future. Atleast for our future and future family maybe.

Social:
Someone who is amiable, who enjoys the company of friends and family. Someone who knows how to have fun but at the same time knows how to prioritize time and money. Someone whom I enjoy hanging out with, share moments with, share hopes and dreams and thoughts and lots of things in life.

Everyone has an idea of a perfect partner/ perfect love. It is a subjective matter. Sometimes what we have in mind as an ideal partner may not always be applicable to actual life or actual people. I mean our idea of a perfect partner may never exist in this surface of the earth. Some people go a lifetime searching for Mr. Right, I know I started from that point. But how do you know when you finally meet that person?

I can only speak for myself, I just knew it, once I saw him. So, now I'm happily married and the most important thing is that I know he loves me.

And So It Goes....

2006-01-08T22:38:00.001-08:00

Life is a series of lessons after lessons that we have to eventually learn. Sometimes we don't heed the first second or third and so forth but life has it's way of teaching us many lessons. I would say the most challenging is knowing how to live a balanced life. A sense of balance in everything really is the key. One reason why I have decided to take a break from blogging is that I love blogging too much that I spent most of my time doing it and procrastinate on other aspects of my life. I thought that maybe I should give myself a break and maybe by then would have more things to talk about when I come back. It's prioritizing my time so I can do other things that I have posponed for a long time. As they sa "You're future depends on what you're doing NOW." I mean, not literally of course, but your future depends on where you devote your time and effort. And if you want to be good at something, or if you want to acoomplish something you just have to focus all your energy to it and you shall achieve. It's always so easy to talk about it, easier said than done. Of course willpower and determination too helps a lot. So, that's what I have been trying to do. To refocus my energy, my effort towards some other stuff that I have pushed aside. I am terrible at procrastinating, but blogging seems to be so easy and fun, that's probably I would do it more often than the harder stuff to do. So, if you don't see my updates, I am trying to do things in real life, aside from my virtual/ blog life.

These past years I can say that I have learned so much. Part of getting old and of course lots of experiences. I am learning more and more about handling relationship. We learn everyday, as we deal with our spouses. It has really been wonderful to share life with someone, the good, the bad and all things that come with it. Handling a relationship takes time and effort to learn. It's a continious give and take, and make sure you just don't take and take. One that I have learned is that to nurture that relationship, one has to be unselfish, and one very trick is to wake up everyday and think what you can do for the other person. What can I do to make him or her happy. Even the very small things can make the other person feel loved and cared. It's not just saying to them how much you love them but also show it in your actions. Of course, hugs and kisses are always a bonding glue that brings you close to people you love especailly your spouse. This is something that I will always be a part of my life that I want to keep working on, since it is a journey. Make the journey more enjoyable by sharing it with someone.

Practice - practice always makes perfect in anything you want to achieve. It takes practiceto get you there. And one thing that I want to keep practicing is positive view with life. It takes practice to be able to live a positive life. What one practices would become a habit and a habit can become a way of life. To keep practicing positive thoughts takes time and conscious effort. It is so easy to be pessimistic . To think that nothings seems to be going right when things aren't going as we plan it to be or as we thought it would be. But keeping a positive attitude would actually turn a not so good outcome into a learning experience and maybe with determination start over again until you gain a satisfying result.

Time - is managaing time and effort, distributing it accordingly. It is so easy to just do the things we love to do and procrastinate in things that we are not so fond of. But some of the things we have to do are really important, even if we are not that fond about doing it because it is hard. But it's in doing the harder stuff in life that we discover our potentials. It's life' s tests really. Set time to make something happen.

Planning - Life would always be a series of planning and replanning. Even if another kind of life happens when you are busy planning. But it's better to keep creating a road map on how you want to get to where you are going is always better rather just going with the flow, without a map. Knowing where you want to get and where you want to go is the question in the fisrt place. Because even if you keep going and you don't know where you want to go, how would you know when you have reached that......whatever it is your destination is, a level of success, a level of accomplishment, a certain level of maturity, a degree of contentment, or a certain stage in life you want to reach. Setting up goals is important.

These are some of the things that I want to incorporate in my daily life, plus some other things like:

Waking up everyday and to make it a purpose to just keep going, improving - to think of each day as another chance to better myself. Keep going is the key - there will be some days that are great, some will be not so great, some would be just okey and some will just be so bad, which would come in various levels of bad, terrible to worst. But, as long as we keep going, we'll be alright.

Another thing is to try to meet more people. Meet and make more friends in the vitual world as well as face to face encounters.

To be more productive in everything I do. Atleast most of what I do. And to do my very best in whatever I do.

To continually work on keeping myself healthy through exercise, more fruits and vegetables, more healthy drinks, less coffee, less sodium ( I don't know if I am the only one who is into salt. I probably like more salt on my food that most people, even on strawberries.)

To be able to do more things in actual life compared to what I think and imagine my life in my head. (You know how you can talk a lot of things in your blog and yet nothing seems to be going on in real life, I mean, is it all in my head? Well, I do feel like that sometimes. That can't be so bad, afterall, our lives would mold into what and how we envision it, or atleast it is as how we envision it.)

To Start With......

2006-01-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a great year and this year is another chapter to start over again. A year full of hope. Isn't it great that we are given year after year to start all over again. Year after year of chances to renew ourselves, to start afresh with whatever goals we have in life. It is indeed a great chance for us to look back and see what we have done for the past years and at the same time look forward to what we could do better this year.

Life is a series of lessons we need to learn. Year after year we want to start with something great. Putting up a goal to achieve for the year. It's life's way of giving us many chances to renew ourselves. I always love the feeling and the greatness of hope that the New Year always brings. It stirs up hope and a mode of optimism in everyone. It eventually wanes down as the year becomes an old year but the beginning of the year is ful of vibrant and cheerful people. The air might even feel fresher. Especially when people wants to do better, when people want to be better. It feels great.

It does the same thing for me as I look forward to the great long year ahead of me, hoping for a better, more productive year.

Let's hope that everyone would really stick to his or her new year's resolution. It's a great chance for us and let's not fail ourselves. It does take a lot of work sometimes, but if we are able to do it, it gives a sense of achievement. If we could stick to our resolutions we feel proud of ourselves. So, keep it going and keep doing it till we reach the end of the year. The best thing is, we'll never run out of things to renew. Year after year, there's always something that we need to renew. So, once we are able to achieve our list for this year, hopefully we'll jump to more great stuff in the coming years to come.

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, who have left messages and greetings while I was in a very long holiday. I would like you all to know that you are all appreciated and best wishes for the New Year! It has been wonderful to be able to meet vitual and blog friends, sharing daily life's stories, jokes, stuff and everything. It has been awesome to be able to learn and broaden perspectives through all your stories and thoughts and opinions and ramblings and I look forward to reading and learning more from you all as we go through another year of living, learning, meeting people, meeting minds, meeting and exploring other peoples' life dimensions. May you all continue living life to the fullest, having fun, learning from each other, being friends, bonding through the vitual world. It has been an honor to have met all of you, knowing you through this web and may we continue in our long journey, wherever we may want to head, always going forward, keeping up with life's demand and still have fun. It's been a pleasure and I wish you all the best, not just the best but the bestest.......if there is such a thing.

Peace You'll!

2005-12-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The inner us

2005-12-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Most often what we feel inside radiates through our aura and through our eyes. No matter how we pretend to be happy when we are not will always radiate and reflect through our actions and how people react to us. If we feel confident, and content of ourselves, it always reflects and people around us feel our aura. I am not the very vocal type of person, and sometimes I wait for people to talk to me first. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't and I wonder why. All through out my experiences, I have learned that people feel uneasy to converse when I myself don't say anything. Being quiet may send different messages to people like you might not be interested or that you are just shy and timid. I am a type of person that takes a few to warm up to people, I don't want to think of myself as painfully shy. That's just not me. It just takes a while for me to feel comfortable around people. And that's an important rapport that I keep practicing whether conciously or not. I notice that if I brace myself and prepare to meeting people and keep in mind to have fun, I actually have so much fun than I expected. I know I am not the most articulate person but when I try I can be good,I can be very good at it. So, now conciously knowing all these I try to practice being articulate and comfortable in the pressence of other people. I am not a party goer, so I do have limited social interactions, but I am trying to meet and hang out more often to practice being being and among people. I also noticed that being yourself is so much easier than trying so hard, it would come more naturally than trying to impress people by trying hard to talk or do things that are so unlike yourself. Be yourself in social ocassions and people would actually enjoy your pressence. I have noticed that some people try to hard to impress people in social gatherings and sometimes overdo it by bragging, which becomes lame sometimes. Or that people try to be somebody who they are not, which is so unappealing to me. And if people notice that, you would turn out to be a turn off. Some people actually enjoy doing this, pretending to be so and so, and don't even notice that people are turned off. The best way to really impress people is to simple be at ease with our very own selves.

One thing I have noticed with women is that they sometimes lack confidence. I am guilty of this myself in many ways. I have always heard my female friends who keeps saying; "I'm so fat". And when I look at them they look perfect, not at all fat, even too skinny. What's up with that? How thin should a body be to be considered skinny?

In my previous job, I worked with all female collegues. They were talking about ways and means to loose weight.I noticed that one of them always brings a bottle of water everyday. She was trying to drink as much water on a daily basis, according to her, helps her in loosing weight. One day, we were hanging out and the topic of weight loosing came up again. I was feeling left out, thinking I would join their discussion, I said; " I lost 3 lbs. today." and one of them looked at me and said " Beth, you're tiny". At that time, I was honestly thinking I needed to loose weight. They consider me tiny, and here I am talking about loosing weight. Sounds like an insult to them. Well, I am not really that tiny, I am vulnerable of gaining weight too.

Why can't we be just get contented with ourselves,with our bodies?

I don't really aim for a perfect body or perfect skinniness. I have learned to try to be content with myself, to be at ease with myself. Something that I should keep working on. And something that all women should try to practice. As long as one keep working on it, taking care of the body through exercise, proper diet. Sometimes people don't choose or not able to get rid of excess body fats. Sometimes no matter how they do they can't loose it. Some people don't even try and still have curvacious body, of course lots of people envy them, including myself.

Now as I think about it, one reason of my sort of low esteem traces back to my childhood and growing up always being compared with my elder sister. Way back then, she always was considered the prettier one, fair skin. In fact she does possess very fair skin than the rst of us, her siblings. And growing up in the Philippines, having a light skin tone was considered more beautiful (might still be, even today) than the tan color. Well, in a tropical country where almost everybody is tan, it's an ordinary color, so the lighter skin tones are considered beautiful. Which is the opposite in the western world where tan is beautiful. Anyway, growing up being compared with my sister all the time made me feel ugly literally. And when you feel like that it would follow that kind of self perception towards adulthood. There was a time that in my pressence there were people I know debating who's prettier, my sister or me. I was right there listening, I didn't say a word as the other lady insisted that my sister is prettier. I don't think that is appropriate to compare people especially in their pressence. I was thinking to myself, who cares? But those things do affect how we see ourselves. My sister really is pretty, I adore and admire her. She's good at a lot of things.

I have never really thought much about it until later in my adult life. I figure, we have different personalities. I don't dislike my sister because they always say she's prettier or have better personality. I learned a lesson not to compare siblings especially within their earshot. I believe that each and everyone has their own individual beauty.

I worked with a Filipina before, she always brag about her second daughter. How pretty she is, and I agree, she is very pretty. But knowing her and her elder sister I like her elder sister better. I liked the older girl because of her personality. While she isn't as pretty as the other girl, she is very responsible, simple way of dressing up and even the manner of talking is very mature. Compared to the younger one who talks back, defiant, and puts on too much make up even if she's just 16. She also dress like she is in her 20's already. I mean the contrast is really opposite. I do go more for the personality rather than the physical look. I hope that this Filipina co-worker doesn't brag too much of her younger daughter in their pressence. I think parents shouldn't do that with their children, comparing them with each other. Praising the other more than the other. It does create a sense of jelousy when parents do that or even aunts and uncles show that they favor one over the other nephews and nieces. It hapenned to me growing up even with my aunts and uncles. One of my uncles claim that I am his favorite and that caused some of my siblings to be jelous of me. Now, I avoid making any comparisons of kids and siblings because I know how it feels.

Whenever people compare me with my younger sisters, I always avoid that topic by saying "We are all beautiful." I don'tknow why they do that. I have noticed that when I went back home. People will say stuff like "Sino'ng mas maganda o sino'ng mas mabait?" (Who's prettier, who's better personality?" Does it matter? Why does it have to be a contest? They even ask that question when one tries to introduce somebody, a sister, a friend, a cousin maybe. I consider it rude and mean, and it makes the other person squirm, uncomfortable for not being as beautiful as the other. It kills people's self-esteem, doesn't boost confidence at all. It's a confidence killer. Even if it's said in joking manner, it doesn't sound right to do that with people. It makes an uncomfortable situation.

Being away from my siblings for years now, I discovered myself better without being compared. My hubby has helped me a lot to gain self-esteem that I haven't seen before. He has helped me discover parts of myself that are simply beautiful that I never saw before. I have seen parts of myself invisible to me through his eyes. It didn't have to be physical beauty. Inner beauty is far deeper than the surface of the skin. And inner beauty will always radiate through one's personality and that makes a person really beautiful. A physically beautiful person with foul attitude and personality makes that person ugly. So to be truly beautiful, keep your inner beauty radiate and brightens your outward personality, stay beautiful with your words and actions.

Got Milk? (Tienes leche?)

2005-11-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

I think I watched it somewhere in the news, on tv about people breast feeding in public. I didn't know that's it's a big deal over here in the US. I guess it's a cultural thing. In my five years living here, the only time I saw a mother breastfeeding her baby was at the mall. We were at the food court, there was amother with her baby seated next to our table. I was watching as she unfold a sheet to cover while she breast fed her baby. That was the only time I saw someone breast fed a baby in public.

It was very different in the Philippines where I grew up. It was a very natural thing for mothers to feed their babies even in the pressence of other people, they didn't even have to cover their breasts or anything. I recall about a few months ago when I was on vacation back home. My elder sister just had her baby. We were in their living room, when all of a sudden she just started breastfeeding her baby. The door was open and there were people, some guys hanging around because they have a small sari-sari store. When I saw her breast feeding in plain view where the people outside were able to see her, I almost said something but I just shut my mouth. Her father-in-law was sitting just opposite her, when she bared her breast and fed her baby. It was uneasy for me, but I didn't verbalize it because I realized, it's a natural thing for them. It was just me, I guess I got used to the American culture.
Growing up, I have seen lots and lots of women breast feeding in plain sight even my mom when she had my younger siblings. It was very natural, they didn't feel uneasy or that the people say anything about feeding their baby in public.

I remember that there was a party, a Filipino gathering that I went to.It hapenned that one of the ladies' was still feeding her daughter. She didn't breast fed in plain view of everybody, she asked the hostess if she could use their a room to breast fed. I just happen to walk in and saw her breast feeding but that wasn't a big deal with her. I was a bit embarrassed but I realized, what's the big deal, she was just feeding her baby.

I guess the practice of breastfeeding in public varies from place to place.Other people feel uneasy about it because the sight of sucking breast is associated with sex. And the idea of breast being exposed make some people uncomfortable. I haven't had a baby yet, and as I think about it, it makes me feel uneasy too due to my exposure to the culture. I remember growing up that I felt comfortable seeing mothers breastfeeding in plain sight while I chat with them. It was very natural at that time. No uneasy feeling, I saw mothers do that all the time even my mom while I was growing up when she had my younger siblings. But why is it that now, I seem to be uneasy thinking of myself breastfeeding in public?

I say this again, I don't have any children yet, so everything's in my head at this moment while I contemplate about motherhood. It's something that struck my curiousity. I have always thought and planned to breast feed when the time comes. I wonder if other women have thought about it even before they got pregnant. It's something that I want to learn more. They say that you'll know when you get there, but I still believe that learning things early is a great preparation. Of course when one gets there then they got to learn on first hand experience. But having an idea will prepare one what to expect, even if expectations can either be way harder or easier than it is thought to be.

I think it's great that there are classes that couples or pregnant women can attend to learn about pregnancy and pre-natal care and all that stuff. I think that attending to these classes boosts ones confidence when entering the motherhood phase of their lives. I believe the first experience is always the hardest and the scariest for a mother. And as they say pregnancy differs from one another, and so is the experience. Others may have harder times, others may have very easy experiences. Of course, everyone wishes to have that easier experience including me when the time comes.

To all of you who are one the way, goodluck as you all discover the pleasures of being a mother.

La frase del dia:

Tienes leche de vaca?- Got cow's milk?

Countless things to be greatful for

2005-11-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without giving thanks, so THANK YOU!

For those wonderful mornings that I woke up feeling alive.

For the warm sunshine that splashes on my face whenever I open the door.

For the cool breeze that fills my being and fuels my whole body to keep me going each day.

For the wonderful people that surrounds me,their smiles, their greetings, their encouragements.

For the hugs and kisses that I get each day. For the love and care and fussy warm feelings wrapped in embraces.

For the tons of love I get everyday.

For the greattasting cups of coffee that I have sipped.

For the many chances that come my way. For allowing me to start as many beginnings as I could have.

For the wild colorful dreams that has filled my life with adventures and mysteries.

For the countless hopes that each new day delivers to my door step.

For the undesirable experiences too, that molded me to be a better person.

For the multitude of people that somehow taught me lessons for a lifetime.

For the many more days that yet to come with promises of new beginnings and millions of wonderful things to be hopeful for.

And for the long list that I'm not able to write simply because it goes on and on and it just doesn't fit the space and the screen.

Thank you for everything, it made my life more meaningful.

Thank you, Thank you.

Ink On Paper

2005-11-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

I am fond of collecting cute notebooks. I must have had a bunch of them. It started when I was way back in school, I have kept small pocket size notebooks from adress book to journals, organizers. I have always been fond of scribbling plans and dates to remember. Sometimes I even write down how much expenses I do on a daily basis, or tally my monthly budget. Sometimesjust random thoughts, ideas, feelings, some doesn't make sense. Mostly at the back of each notebook I have lists of Authors, novels and books that I want to check out. If you see my desk and drawers you will find lots of notebooks. Some of them could have been filled with scribbles from years ago. Sometimes it's fun to read and remember what I was thinking a few years ago. A walk down memory lane. I am also a collector of "meaningful phrases" and quotations that I find amusing, interesting or simply clever or some phrases or words that touches my inner self.

Here are some that I found while rummaging through my old stuff:
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Life as food:
Life can get as sour as a lemon
as pungent as a ginger, can get
as spicy as chili peppers and get as sweet as honey.
Life can be as bland as water.

This was something that I wrote and I know what I was thinking about at that time. Obviously it was food. I was comparing life with food, if we were to give life a taste, how would it taste like.
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If you could, would you?
Since you couldn't maybe I would.
If I can't maybe I should.
Even if I can't and I wouldn't
and maybe shouldn't, maybe I'll try.

Obviously this is just a brain twister, just playing with words.....Could have, would have should have.....
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Life doesn't always happen the way we imagine it.

I have come across this while reading a book by James Patterson, maybe. It's just so true that I had to write it down. A reminder maybe about realities of life. It doesn't always happen as we plan or imagine it, so we should be always ready for any detours and back up plans if what we have in mind doesn't work out. Imaginations are always, almost different compared to reality.
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Your brain is more active sleeping than it is watching tv.

If this is true then should we spend more time sleeping than watching tv? I believe this is true because I have experienced weird hapennings through dreams that are beyond description. Some of my dreams feel and looks like those video games. You know,you feel you are there and yet you're not, and you can also see yourself on a screen. Sometimes in the dream world it doesn't make sense, the dimensions shift from almost reality, to dimensions unknown to the physical world. Anyway, I don't know if I am the only one who dreams in wild colors.
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La frase del dia
Feliz dia de accion de gracias- Happy Thanksgiving!
Que le vaya bien- Have a nice day.

Piercing Cold

2005-11-18T12:29:00.001-08:00

While leafing through the "CREATIVE LOAFING" I came across this small yellow box that says: "Steve's Words of Warning" and it says:

NEVER GIVE PEANUT BUTTER TO FROGS; IT WILL MAKE THEIR TONGUES STICKY. AND THEN YOU'LL FEEL BAD THAT YOU DID IT. I KNOW FROM FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE.

I have no idea what the means, perhaps it's just a silly box where people leave silly thoughts. Or it could mean something else. Maybe someone could help me out with this.

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The season is I guess doing it's job. It's really getting colder now, when the wind blows it gets even colder. Sometimes the freezing cold can make it's way deep into the bones penetrating the bundle of clothes then the shivers start. The lips starts to turn purple or cracks.

Despite my oils and lotion rubs, the cold weather still has it's way of irritating my skin. The worst are the itchy and scratchy modes of my skin. I twist and turn and reach and scratch, imagine when it itches at the back where it's unreachable by your arm. It almost makes me mad at the same time feels like laughing. A bitter-sweet tug of war. Sometimes they say in Tagalog "nakakatuwang-nakakainis." There's hubby of course who is always ready for emergency scratchsectomy. For that, I love him to death. He could also be into the pimple popping business, but I am more into it than he is.

Times like these when the heater is on, the static electricity is always high. I'm sure you'll have had this popping sound when you touch something even people. Like there's electricity, a humidifier helps a lot with that. Sometimes, my nose gets so dry especially when the hearter is in full blast, then it hurts. Not very pleasant experience. Feels like there's soot in my nose. Some of the recommendations I have heard is to boil water,and just let the steam off. I do it sometimes, but when I get busy I sometimes forget about it until the pot gets dry. It's a fire hazzard, it helps to put on a timer though. It's still safer to use a humidifier, just make sure there's always enough water in it. That's why I always unplug it whenever we get out of the house. There was a fire by our neighborhood and it was caused by a plugged heater. The owner forgot to unplug it and they went to work.That evening, their place was on fire. So, it's always a precautionary habit to turn off electrical appliances before leaving. Something that Ialways emphasize hubby. Even if we go out for a short time. You never know something might come up and you forget that plugged appliance, it might cause fire. It's a habit that I have acquired over the years after burning the bottoms of several pots. So far, nothing really serious ever happenned. And I don't ever want anything bad to ever happenof course.

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There are people that are affected by seasonal changes or weather changes. I am one of them. It doesn't hit me as hard though. We live in the South of the East Coast, so we don't really experience the harsh snows and dark skies. In fact I haven't even seen snow in my whole life. We are in the subtropical and yet I have a feel of what they call SAD( Seasonal Affective Disorder) and it fits it's name perfectly because when you have SAD you do feel really sad, you become so depressed. If I do have a faint experience of Seasonal Affective Disorder, how much more for the people in the North and South Pole where it get's really dark during the winter months.

If you are having this SAD, there's one thing that can help which is as effective as drugs from numerous studies for treating depression, exercise. I actually do exercise to relieve myself from ,yup, depression and as an outlet to release stress. It's always a personal commitment and individual style of working out.It varies from person to person. I didn't use to exercise, but when I started it, it really made me feel better. So, whenever you feel down, sweat it out you'll feel better and you'll also feel healthier. It would also help especially that the holidays are coming.

Talking about holidays, I wonder where else in the world celebrates Thanksgiving Day aside from US and Canada?

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La frase del dia
(Spanish phrase of the day)

Dia del Pavo- Turkey Day
Dia de Accion de Gracias- Thanksgiving Day

Autumn in my mind

2005-11-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

The pretty colors have turned brown, and the brown leaves have fallen on the ground.Piled on top of each other forming layers.

Dried leaves that has been blown, scattered on the grass, scattered everywhere on the ground on the side walks, on the streets.

And the rest of the dark leaves still hang on top of the branches, clinging.

But one by one, they fell. Soon, the trees get so naked, no blankets of leaves to cover them. All it's leaves just drop to the ground.

The evening blows with chill as the branches of the trees stretch their hands to the
heavens.

The view that was once a kaleidoscope of colors, starting to fade,
the colors have fallen to the ground.

The leaves that have piled up will soon rot, decay into the earth and become part of the soil that will bring back nature to life in spring.

The leafless trees permitting the rays of lightsin the evenings, and so with dawn's sunrise.

Nature! so spectacular as it literally reinacts the wonders of the season.

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La frase del dia
Spanish phrase of the day
La vida es hermosa
Life is beautiful

2005-11-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

Here's Karen's tag,

Inaanyayahan ko ang bawat papasahan ko nito na maglathala ukol dito sa larawan sabihin ang nasa loob ng hanggang 50 salita walang lalampas pwedeng patula,pwedeng isang kasabihan,pwedeng patawa,pwede lahat pwera ang murahan....pag lumampas bahala ka...(Give an interpretation of the image not exceeding 50 words, may it be in a poem, a quotation,a joke, any interpretation, No cuzzing.)

The group of eggs were on their way home from a drinking spree. The egg at the middle said; " I feel like throwing up". The guy first egg on the right covered his nose, the next guy covered his eyes saying "I don't want to see this". The next guy said "Not here" holding his head in exasperation. The other guy just stared with furrowed brows. One said "ewwwwwwww!" and the last guy on the left just shrug his shoulder.
(I must have exceeded fifty words already)

Or in short, Don't cry over a spilled egg!

Those of who wants to tag themselves, go ahead.

Falling! Dead.

2005-11-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Waaaaaaaaa, dead! What's pretty when dead. It's actually made me laugh. So, that's the part of fall I am. DEAD!

Somehow the test got it right, I'm so dead, barren of thoughts and exciting stuff. I feel like my spirit has left my physical body. You know, lifeless, unenthusiastic. Feels like someone has squeezed the life out of me. Right now I am trying to bring back the vibrance, and enthusiasm back. I guess the weather has something to do with it. And some other stuff.

Somebody, bring back the smile into my face.The sunshine into my sky. The stars under my sky. Can somebody rope the moon for me, please. If not maybe somebody can [sungkit], (can't think of an english translation for sungkitin) a star for me. Just one would be enough.

Ahhh, I'm sure it will pass. I guess these are just my cloudy days, foggy and unclear skies. I just need some sunshine in my life.

Parenting

2005-11-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Having children or a baby for that matter is a big responsibility. It requires certain amount of time and effort and money, constant loving and caring and it's a role for life. I remember my mom asking me if we already have a baby, of course I expected she would ask that question. We have been married for atleast two years at that time. In the Philippines, it's almost like an expectation that husbands and wives would have kid/s even on the first year of marriage. It's almost automatic and is expected by excited grandparents. It's a tradition. So, being married for five years now I have been constantly asked when am I having a baby? And my constant reply, "One of these days." I almost feel their wondering stares even people I just met, or people I don't even know. Sometimes it's exhausting having to explain myself for the follow-up questions and unsolicited advices. Something like "you should have now while you are young, the older you get the harder for you to have kids." Of course I am well aware of my chances, but it's almost like an intrussion to me when people say that. I have my reasons, plus I think I am still young. I once encountered a Filipina at the grocery store. I was pushing my buggy down the isle when she looked and asked "Filipina na ka?" I said "yes" and then we started chatting. I was telling her we just moved to the area. And then she asked if I am married,I said yes. Then she asked how long have we been married, at that time we were on our fourth year of marriage. She continued, "Do you have kids?",I replied "No, wala pa." And then she said " Mag-anak ka na." I replied "Of course, one of these days." I mean I just met this lady and she's telling me I should have kids. When I told this coversation to my husband he said " She probably thinks you are married to an older guy." Good point. She probably presumed I am married to an older guy because she even asked if I am married to an American. In which I said "yes". I still don't understand what's the hurry. Being married for five years is too long not to have kids, probably to some people but to me it doesn't matter how long I am married. What matters is whether I am prepared to assume that role of being a mother. Of course I don't even bother explaining how we are saving up and waiting for that moment. But when people starts to question me for not having any kids yet. I feel pressured and even think "Do I look that old that they are saying I should have kids." I mean I don't mind family members and friends telling me that, but when a total stranger whom I met for the first time tells me that, I don't know what to say and think. It's almost invading my own privacy. I don't have to explain myself and tell that person that I am simply not ready yet. I am still young, my husband's just two years older than me. First of, I am glad that I am able to enjoy the privilege to choose and plan and decide for that moment that I want to get pregnant and have kids. A lot of women don't get the chance to do that because sometimes the moment just knocks them out and next thing they know they are pregnant and even if they are not ready yet, they got to assume the responsibility, and sometimes it's not their choice but there's no choice. Being ready is one thing, one has to be prepared physically, emotionally,psychologically and be committed it. And to be ready one has to take time. Even years of marriage isn't enough for someone to prepare for this life long role of becoming a mother. So, for those who got the courage to assume that role at a young or older age, I admire them. But for now, I am just trying to better myself in order to become a better mother and a parent in the future. And not jump into it, just because everybody is having a baby or because eager parents wants to have grand kids, or because it is the acceptable practice. I want to be able to plan as long as my internal clock isn't ticking yet. I understand the concerns of other people, but it's not always the case. I want to be able to do it on my own time when I finally gathered myself and say "Okey, I am not getting any younger, it is time." And that time hasn't arrived yet, so I just enjoy myself instead of chasing spoiled brats. Don't get me wrong I love kids, I have to really make sure I have grown up enough to have my own. So, for now, I'll just enjoy friends getting excited for their bundles of joy and maybe learn a little bit so that when I get there I would know what to do.

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Talking about kids, I grew up taking care of my younger siblings and cousins. I remember as an older child, second to the eldest, we have to help take care of our younger siblings. I have four younger siblings. It was tough. I was a little girl and I was assigned tobe responsible and take care of my siblings. I learned to be a mother at a very young age when my parents would leave and we would be left at home. There was one time that I was left at home with my younger brother who was an infant at that time. My mom had an operation and I was assigned to baby sit. We were in my aunt's house because I had to take care of my cousins too. I was feeding my brother with his milk bottle, but when I set the bottle down on the table, my cousin who was very young at that time got it and sucked the nipple out. He tore the nipple of the milk bottle. I couldn't find any nipples around the house and my brother started crying. I tried to give him the milk with the big hole at the tip of the bottle, but he's too young, he has to suck it, not gulp it like adults do. I was too young, I didn't know what to do. He kept crying for hours, I was getting nervous but I can't leave the house. Hours past and I grew impatient and dread for my mom to come home.I don't know how long it took, but she and my aunt finally came home and I told her what happenned and I was almost mad. You know when you are young, you don't know what to do. Anyway, that's just one of my childhood tales that came to mind as I thought of the responsibilities a mother and a parent has to assume when they have children. A parent can get away for a moment from her children, but she is responsible twenty-four hours of her children no matter what. Atleast until they grow up and have their lives of their own. But even then, parents don't stop being parents then. It's a lifetime commitment.

Of course in the modern times, it is much easier that parents are able to leave their children to day care centers for them to be able to go to work. It is still a great risk putting that responsibility to the hands of other people. Even baby sitters are available, it's just a question of whom you can trust your bundle of joy.

ASSORTED THOUGHTS

2005-11-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

SPEAK UP!
I watched "Legally Blond II" for the second time. This time I wasn't really paying so much attention. I was on the computer at the same time I was listening to the movie. I stopped doing anything when the movie was towards the end because I wanted to listen to Elle's speech again. That's my favorite part of the entire movie because of the message that does apply to many of us. Our right to use our freedom of speech. To use our voice. A lot of us don't really use this freedom of speech that we rightfully have. It's not of course just running your mouth. It's about speaking up for ourselves. Getting involved. Many of us probably do not even register to voting areas during elections. It's one way of speaking up for ourselves. We shouldn't leave others to elect our leaders. That one vote might make a difference. Another way is getting involved to movements of a cause, it's one way of getting ourselves participate. There are lots of ways we could involve ourselves, one very common of course is by volunteer work.

Using our voice can also be practiced in our daily lives. You know how we often complain of some services in places like the restaurants, stores, even to the salons as in Elle's example in her speech, everywhere we go, we have the opportunity to be able to speak up and make a change in laws and regulations and improvements of services. I have seen places that has suggestion box, but do we bother to even make our suggestions.I have seen them in hotels. I bet a lot of us don't care and ignore them. But we do complain about things. I think that the best way to contribute in the changes in our community is by actively involving ourselves. Not just by being an outside critique. We should let our voice be heard, may it be a small voice, it might make a difference. I always admire people who are able to do that. Sometimes I am guilty of being an outside critique.

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EXPRESS YOURSELF!

There was an episode on the "Simpson's" show where Homer was so angry but doesn't know how to express his anger, so he supresses it and everytime he does that a bump/swelling appears behind his neck. It is sometimes true in real life. If we suppress our bad emotions it can cause inner damage to ourselves through illnesses and sickness. Sometimes expressing yourself in the positive way can help avoid that heavy feeling we have. I'm sure you know what I am talking about, the feeling that feels like kicking/hitting/smashing somebody in the face. Anger of not being able to express ourselves. I have had a lot of these experiences, sometimes because I may be too nice and people take advantage of that opportunity. Sometimes we get so startled at the rudeness of other people that we remain speechless. Those bad feelings gets accumulated within us and we feel like exploding. I'm sure a lot of us experience this at home, work place, anywhere, really.

There was a guy that commented me for being all smiles and seems happy everytime he seesme. I said " I was just putting my work face." And he said "Yeah, when you get home you just kick your dog." It's really true for some people. You know at work we try be very nice and happy looking people, but when we get home we express our anger and stress to our love ones. Me and hubby calls this "unloading the baggage." Everyday we collect baggages, and we carry them on our shoulders. The more we accumulate the heavier they get. If we don't find a way to unload them, they sometimes make us miserable and vain people. It also make us sick physically and mentally and psychologically.

There are lots of ways of "unloading the burdens", people have different ways to unwind. A short walk, a few minutes of quiet moments, listenning to music, working out- sweating the bad energies out of the body, running, playing musical instruments. Having hobbies are good ways to recharge. Sometimes its just a concious effort to reset/refocusing your mind into the positive stuff. How do you unload your heavy loads? How do you vent the steam off?

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BE A MODEL!

When I recall my childhood, there are bits and pieces that I can recall clearly, some faded images and some parts I just see blank. I can clearly recall how I started to read novels. Growing up and going to school, nobody read me stories at bed time. My early years as a child were spent away from my parents. Me and my siblings had to stay with our aunt inorder to be closer to the schools we attended.

I recall that I was in the sixth grade when I notice my big sister reading a novel. It was out of curiousity and a challenge for me. I noticed that she was able to read up to 100 pages. I was sitting there watching and saying to myself "How does she do that?" The next day I went to our school library and borrowed a book. I started reading and I had to read the whole book. I never even talked or even asked my big sister about it. But I sat down and read. At first, after leafing through a few pages I almost wanted to just leave it and go out and play. You know how kids are, they love to play. But I stayed there and read. It might have taken me three days to finally finnish the book. After reading the entire book, it almost felt like a conquest for me. I was very proud of myself. I was saying to myself "See I can read a whole book too." Of course my big sister was ablivious about it. But I guess I was looking up to her as a role model and at the same time immitating what she does. You know how big sisters able to do things, and as a younger kid I was challenged without even telling her, " I can do that too." So that's how I started reading. I read books after books after that. In highschool, I remember borrowing books at the library, the "Nancy Drew" and the "Hardy Boys" were so popular at that time. I read almost the entire series. Even "Sweet Valley High" and in my junior and senior years I have been reading Sidney Sheldon's books, Sherlock Holms and etc. There were Filipino pocket books too, and I can also recall that there were comic stands. I used to swap reading material with friends. It was fun. I could have missed out some of the things that young people do like outings and stuff, but I learned the joy of reading, not only novels but variety of reading materials.

When I think about it, whether we like it or not, our younger siblings will look up to us, as their elders and as role models. So whatever we do sometimes our younger siblings maybe doing the same thing because they saw their (ate)elder sister or (kuya) older brother doing it whether it's good or bad. For my case it's a great thing.

To this day, reading is a part of my entertainment. Reading I think is important inorder to be informed and updated aside from televisions, CDs and other forms of media and exposures.

2005-11-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

" Faith is acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove."
-The da Vinci Code-

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After reading the Da vinci Code I was left with rushing hundred questions. I was staring at the last page trying to see maybe there's an inscripted ending to the story. It was a series of hunt from clues of anagrams, I enjoyed as the characters searched clues after clues but at the very end I was at lost. The novel ended but the puzzle just started for me, being born and raised as a Catholic. The novel, speak of, I would say some outragious claims about the Catholic Church, the contents of the bible and truths about Jesus himself and his relation to Mary Magdalene, who was described in the bible as a prostitute. It is of course a work of fiction, but it embodies, historical references that are contrary to the contents of the bible. I was totally intrigued. I was very curious as to what the controversy was that's why I wanted to read the book. Although I have watched the documentary on Discovery channel that tried to scientifically explain and seek the truth, thier findings didn't reach a definite conclusion. A lot of the origins of signs and symbols are really fascinating.

There was another show on TLC called "Da Vinci De classified" and according to the researches, these geeks found, a lot of the histrorical references in the "Da Vinci Code" aren't that accurate. And it's not so surprising, it's a work of fiction, so it doesn't have to be accurate. It's still a controversial book worldwide. I had to read it to see for myself what's the commotion all about.

There is one question though that poppped up in my head, you know Jesus being the teacher, the preacher at that time, wouldn't he have written something Himself?

===000===

After reading the Da Vinci code which I say was so intriguing I borrowed "Angels and Demons". It was a great read too. Very similar plot, but different stories. It was the coversation between the Camerlengo and Lt. Chartrand that I liked.

Camerlengo: terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems life proof God could not possibly be both powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation,He wouldn't prevent our pain, wouldn't He? Wouldn't He?

Lt. Chratrand: Was this one of those religious questions you just didn't ask?

Camerlengo: Well, if God loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems, He is either omnipotent and uncaring or benevolent and powerless to hep. Do you have children Lieutenant?

Lt. Chartrand: (Flushed) "No signore"

Camerlengo: Imagine you have an 8 year old son, would you love him?

Lt. Chartrand: "Of course."

Camerlengo: Would you let him skateboard?

Lt. Chartrand: Yeah, I guess. Sure, I'd let him skateboard.

Camerlengo: So, as this child's father, you would give him some basic, good advice and let him go off and make his own mistakes?

Lt. Chartrand: I wouldn't run behind him and moldycoddle him if that's what you mean.

Camerlengo: But what if he fell off and skinned his knee?

Lt. Chartrand: He would learn to be more careful.

Camerlengo: So, although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child's pain, you would choose to show your love by letting him learn his own lessons?

Lt. Chartrand: Of course, pain is part of growing up. It is how we learn.

Camerlengo: "Exactlty."

I'll just leave you'll the fun of finding out for yourself what hapenned if you decide to read the book. It was somewhat tragic ending. With Langdon as the star character and Vittoria who relentlessly chased a series of clues, people died in the process.

Behind Closed Doors

2005-11-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

These guys are so funny.

Watch the video.

What jersey shirt do you think are they wearing?

They are so funny because they reflect how people act behind closed doors. How many times we imagine ourselves on a stage and perform just like our favorite singer? How many times do we mimic theeir moves, feel the rythm in our bones, dancing swaying being entranced by the moment of silliness and fun? How many times do we drown ourselves to the emotions of a song, feel it in our core? Music do have a way of touching the soul and a way of reaching into our very inner selves. Music is a great instrument to channel ones emotion, an expression of oneself. An expression of humor. Have fun!

Health Blabber

2005-11-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

I found an interesting read about gray hair. And according to this article, having gray hair isn't that bad after all. Here is an excerpt from the article.

When your biological age reaches a certain threshold, your hair starts turning gray. This actually serves a social purpose, because gray hair signifies a degree of not just age, but wisdom and experience.

This is because the other members of the group tend to look upon someone with gray hair with a greater degree of respect. Gray hair signifies that you probably know what you're doing, that you're wiser, and that you have much more experience about the way the world works.

I was all smiles when someone where I used to work noticed my hair, obviously because he is taller he can see the top of my head, saw my white hair. He said " You are too young to have gray hair." I just looked at him and shrug and went on with what I was doing. Later on another co-worker was asking what my age was and I said "I'm old." Then he went on saying "But you are just 18 according to blah blah". I was laughing and I said "Really he thought I was just 18." Of course I was thinking to myself "Wow, do I really look that young?" That was a great compliment. But I know one reason why some people think I am younger than my age is my pettite size. One of the teenage girls I used to work often says "You're too short." I would look at her and say "I'm not short, I am regular. You are just big!" There are people some people that sometimes make fun of my size. Calling me "shortie". I am not that mean, but to myself I was thinking, "Atleast I am not XXXL", you know what I mean. I really do think it's better to be pettite than to be extra extra extra large. Now I never make fun of anybody's size, I think it's mean and discriminatory. And I know some people can be very sensitive about their size. You know when people say I am short I almost want to tell them "Are you saying I am less of a person just because I am a few inches shorter?" I can also do things that tall people can do. There are instances that "Bigger is better" doesn't apply. And besides I am Asian. Asians by nature are generally smaller or shorter in size. Not all, of course, there are lots os Asians that are tall. Like the Chinese basketball player Yau Ming. I am glad that hubby likes my size. He often says "I like your pettite size, I wouldn't want you otherwise." I think that's a very sweet statement. I used to be very sensitive about my height way back when I was in school. I even tried looking for ways to gain a few inches taller. But oh well, I just have to be happy with my height. My dad isn't that tall. My mom though is a bit taller. Among my siblings I could be the shortest, but we all are short atleast all the girls in the family. The two boys are tall. Which isn't so bad. The girls are pettite and the boys are tall. So far so good. (So, are you fond of "BIG"? In Tagalog, mahilig ka ba sa malaki? I know lots of people that are fond of "malaki". Malaking ano? Malaking kwan....bahala na kayong mag-isip)I'll leave it to your imagination and see where you imagination goes.

Going back to graying hair, a lot of my aunts and uncles including my dad and my mom has gray hair. But they are all in their 50's 60's. I guess it's inevitable that I will have gray hair too. I just wish it will wait a few years. I am not yet in my 30's for goodness sake. I mean soon to be but, oh well. Atleast my face will remain baby face, hopefully.Insert a giggle here. Now, on having a younger looking face. I was surprised when people pointed out that I look younger than my two younger sisters when I was on vacation back home. I don'tknow it as a fact, but some people pointed it out. I didn't want to make my younger sisters feel bad, so I told them, I am older.

I have been trying to live a better lifestyle with exercises and a better diet containing more fruits and vegetables. I avoid soda. I do drink some soda from time to time since hubby drinks. I don't buy any soda when I go grocery shopping. Sodas are packed with sugars and I remain skeptical about diet sodas either. Even the frozen foods that are labeled "low carbs" "low fat" I am skeptical. I try to go with foods that are fresh as much as possible. Sometimes, it's unavoidable though.

Some may not consider their kind of drinks contributing to body fat. But according to what I read, even fructose-sweetend water can cause increase in body fat. Regular filtered water is still the best way to go.

Some of the foods that I recently read that have health benefits:

1. Olives and olive oil. Contains healthy oils,monosaturated fats and vitamin E and antioxidants.
2. Ginger-rich in disease fighting oxidants, aids in digestion,e ases nausea (pregnant women can use ginger to ease morning sickness) possessesanti-inflamatory activity.
3. Soy and soy products- low in saturated fat
4. Salmon- has Omega 3 fatty acids
5. Nuts- peanuts, walnuts,almond, flax seeds even pumpkins seeds and sunflower seed. Possesses good fats when taken in moderate amounts.
6. Green Tea- antioxidant. activates enzymes that aid in detoxification.
7. Substitute sugar with molasses, maple syrup and honey.

So far I had already been using some of these healthy foods. I have been buying coconut oil and olive oil. I also was able to find a blend of olive, Canola and Soy oil. Olives, I love olives in cans and in jars. I can much on them black or green olives. I sometimes use them for pizza toppings. I am a seafood lover. Seafoods are less fatty compared to other meats. I sometimes buy soybeans, still in their pods. Boil them and eat them like peanut snacks. Green tea, I always make iced tea drinks with green tea. And they are available in groceries as well as Asian stores. And instead of granulated sugar I use honey for my tea and splenda for my coffee. And do you know that coffee may contain antioxidants too even chocolates?

I think if one wants to stay young one should start early in life. I hate to hear people saying "Im on a diet." What does that even mean? I don't mean to pooh pooh anybody's technique. It's just that when somebody says I am on a diet, it sounds temporary to me. It sounds like "I'm doing this for the moment, but later I will get back to my usual diet." I was drinking a drinkable yogart at work and somebody asked me "Are you on a diet?" I simply said "no." It's just a drink. But see a lot of us think that to be on diet we need to be doing it for the time being. I think to have a successful dieting one has to incorporate that diet as a long term activity even as long as lifetime. It's not doing it for a week or a month and then after that back to usual eating habits. That's just how I see it. I am not saying I don't eat same crap people eat. I mean I sometimes do, I just try to train myself to eating the healthier stuff as much as possible.

Just blabbering my mouth out loud.

Hair here and everywhere. Help!

2005-11-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

It's bothering me that whenever I clean the floor I there's so much hair especially in the bathroom and it's my hair. Long black hair. I have a think hair so, even if I shed a lot, I don't notice it thinning. It remains thick. I wonder what causes my hair to keep falling. Aside from the shedding, I have early developement of gray hair. I have had a few already when I was in highschool. And now, I have a lot. My siblings and relatives noticed it when I went back home months ago. Now, that I have lots of white hair I am thinking of dying it. I have read that stress could cause white hair. Still some people don't have a lot even if they are being stressed more than I do. Heredity? My mother did have white hair at an early age.They also say that sleeping with wet hair can cause it. Or tying it in a pony tail while wet cause white hair. I haven't read any scientific evidence as to what the causes are. Any thoughts? And what to do to avoid having white hair. Maybe I can still save the rest of my black hair.

2005-10-31T07:39:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HOLLOWEEEN EVERYONE!
Just help yourselves with eyeball chocolates, blood soup, gut cookies, bat stew. There's also blood juice and spirits. Or if you are more adventurous, there's worm spaghetti, nut-o-roaches, muffins sprinkled with spiders, there are bowls of crickets, beetles, centipedes, maggots for crunchy finger foods. There's snake soup, snake bladder snack. There's fresh pig's blood too if you don't care for blood soup. Have fun.

Of spirits and unseen forces

2005-10-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

What comes to mind when you think of holloween? Pumpkin carvings, scary costumes, ghosts stories, haunted houses, colors of orange and green and spider webs, witches and their brooms. These are some of my thoughts when I think of holloween, and there's the children trick or treating and basket full of candies and sweet delights. But do you know the christian connection?

Growing up in the Philippines, hallow's eve is not quite celebrated just like how they celebrate here in the US, atleast that's the case in my hometown. There might be some holloween parties, were kids wear costumes and try scary tricks and games. But that's about it.I never associated pumpkins with holloween until I moved here in the US. Pumpkins were just considered vegetables. Nothing significant about them then. But hallow's eve then was believed to be the night that the spirits of the dead comes out and mingles with the living. That was the belief that I heard growing up and it probaly is still the belief of most folks where I come from. As a kid I was even afraid to go out on hallow's eve, not only becasue I am afraid of ghosts roaming around but also a lot of people are doing scary pranks and tricks.
You might go out walking on the streets and all of a sudden someone behind the bushes jumps out and scare the life out of you. My highschool classmates would do that, or they hide behind the bushes and prey on unsuspecting person, whatever trick they can come up with.

The most celebrated part really is the "All souls' day" atleast to the Catholics. They visit the graves of their loved ones, clean and offer prayers, put flowers and candles and priests come and bless the graves with holy water. And being a Catholic, I shared this practice of going to the graves. It seems fun at that time especially when your whole family and friends are doing it. It's almost like a picnic on top of the grave.

I have never experienced seeing a ghost so I remain skeptical. But I am very curious about the paranormal and the supernatural. I was watching "Psychic Detectives" on Discovery channel and it is unbelievable how these psychics can see through visions and vibrations, whatever it is they call energy. It is amazing. I have heard of people who can communicate with the dead, I have never seen it firsthand though. I believe some people are gifted that way. It's just hard to just believe anybody without proven authenticity since some people could just be using tricks for decieving purposes.

Like the idea of "mangkukulam" in the Philippines. I have never seen or experienced it first hand so I can't say I believe it. It's all from stories that were passed along by word of mouth. Even in books we read about witches and magic powers of the dark and the idea of black magic and white magic. What I do know is that there are really people who can inflict evil and pain to other people. I just don't know how they do it and I remain a curious observer. Magic and rituals and spells, I still wonder about them. And there's voodoo. We lived in New Orleans for two years and this voodoo thing still remains a point of my curiousity. I have not seen anybody perform, it was just stories. I had the opportunity to go one of the ghost tours around the French quarter, our guide told us ghost stories as we moved along places of ghosts sighting and his stories combined with historical references. It was a bit spooky, it was dark and all these ghost stories probably got into my head. It was fun though plus we learned a bit of the French Quarter's history even some of the buildings that are still standing at present, well atleast those that were not damaged by the hurricane.

I can still remember as a child I heard a lot of superstitious beliefs that as I look back to them now, doesn't make sense. My family lives a small town in the Northern Philippines. It seems that superstitious beliefs are sometimes regional, depending what part of the country you come from. Well, I grew up hearing my grandparents and even my parents talk about how the hoot of an owl as a bad omen. We lived near the woods and we sometimes hear owls hooting. According to my grandparents, who are very superstitious, when the owl hoots at night, it is a sign it's about to collect a soul. So whoever's house the owl is facing, someone in that family dies. Now, isn't that a very scary thought. So, I grew up, being scared of the hooting of owls. One cool night, we were living in Macon at that time. We lifted our windows to let the cool air in. We had screens, so we didn't worry about bugs. We also opened our bathroom window. In the middle of the night I woke up to use the restroom and while I was sitting down on the bowl, an owl came hooting right by our window. I jump out of my skin with horror. I was horrified to get back to bed and I didn't want to wake up my husband. But I did tell him the next day and he was laughing. Now as I think about it, it makes me laugh. There are still some superstitious beliefs left in me. It's almost like believing what the elders say about things without question, but when I grew up I began to question the scientific explanations of things. I admit that I have witnessed some things that really happenned without scientific explanations and so they are categorized as supernatural. And I believe there are things that happens that cannot simply be defined by reasoning and yet they do happen.

Bits and Pieces

2005-10-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

" 20 random facts about me then tag the same amount of people
as minutes it takes you to write the facts "

Goodness! Parang marathon pala ito Neng. Hindi ko pa inumpisahan ay hinihingal na ako.(I haven't started writting yet and I am already out of breath.)Sorry took me a while to do this. But, Ok it says random facts, but they are subjected to change without prior notice.

1.Book monster- loves to read,my adventures starts with leafing through the pages, aside from being a blog butterfly.(I am hoping I can write a book one day...maybe in my dreams.)
2. Watches CSI,Sienfield makes me laugh, Law and Order sometimes for noodle scratching cases.
3.I have a green thumb (green pinky lang yata), kumukulubot nga lang pag winter. Love the lushy greens, ornamental plants and herbs.
4. Health concious- always on a look out for what's healthy,I'm into organic foods anything that has health benefits.
5. Speaks Tagalog, English, Ilocano, Ifugao,learning Spanish at the moment. Knows a little bit of Cantonese, understands some local Philippine dialects of Kankana-ay, Ibaloi, Pangasinanse,Kalanguya, Kelay-i, some of these dialects you may have never heard of unless you come from the Cordillera Administrative Region.
6. I play tennis, can run 3 miles before falling to my knees.
7. I like to hang out to places like the library, the mall, backyards,patios, I'm crazy about screened porches.

8. Likes to trail hike, mountain hiking/walking- think that the mountains is one of the most serene and quiet places for spiritual conquest. Loves the rolling hills too.
9. Lakes are great too, loves the woods- grew up exploring the woods looking for palm hearts and fruit trees. Climbing Star apples, mangoes, mandarin orange trees used to be my childhood past time.
10. Loves Asian culture, and learning cultures of extraordinary practices and rituals.
11. Loves Asian cuisine, Filipino of course on top of the list. Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, some Korean, some Indian. Indulge myself with Mexican food, Mediterinean, Italian, Middle Eastern foods.
12.I'm a sort of a shopaholic (atleast according to hubby). You know retail therapy. I do that sometimes.
13. Optimist- I always look on the brighter side of things. And I never give up when about anything but sometimes my procrastinations get in the way.
14. I mind my own business-hindi ako masyadong pakialamera, and I avoid people who don't mind their own beeswax.
15. I can be nuts sometimes, I have my own wacky moments. But who isn't, everyone has their own normalcy and abnormalcy.
16. I put salt on my strawberries, I peel my grapes, I peel my apples. I eat bitter mellon (Ampalaya)
17. I fear nakedness. I guess that's one of my imaginary fears, to be caught in a compromising position. Bugs, worm, I don't fear them. I am brave that way.I figure, I can always squeeze the life out of them if the try to attack me.
18. I have a giant pineapple plant in my dining room (atleast it's a fact at the moment.)And I have photographic evidence.

19. I have nearly twenty plants in our house. It's a jungle in here and I like it that way. We are just missing a monkey. I do have a hunkey monkey and Tarzan in one body though. Well Tarzan and Jane lives here and I am Jane.
20. I'm a coffee addict. I cannot start my morning without coffee. I love tea and cocoa as well, and so with capuccino and mocha drinks.

Fourty Years of Virginity

2005-10-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

We watched "The 40 year old Virgin", I think it's hilarious. It touched the subject of sex and virginity and relationship. First of, I don't think it's that bad to be a virgin. At 40 though that's a little too far down the road. I know some people who have reached their 30's and 40's and still single. Don't know if they are virgins though. That's something that people don't openly share. It's a sensitive issue for some people. And if they choose to be celibate for along time in their lives it's not that bad. But that's just me. In this modern world, it's almost like it's a fad that people should or must have to lost virginity especially for men. I don't know though if it's really a realistic desire of every growing teenager. It's almost like a race, who gets to get laid first or is it just all talk? But what is that, just for the heck of it. Being a woman for that matter, I respect my body and I think I got to be careful whom I share my body with.

I grew up in a more conservative environment and my parents always stressed on being careful. Growing up in the Philippines I wasn't even allowed to have a boyfriend even when I was in college. You might think, that I had been shielded. I grew up at a different place and time and I have to admit that I was in culture shock once I was submerged with the American culture. But I learn and I think am doing well. There's a certain feeling of freedom when you embrace some of the liberated ideas and still keep your own culture of upbringing. It's almost like meging two extreme ways of thinking and and keep it in a balance by staying at the middle.When I say balancing, it's choosing which way of thinking and way of life between all the liberated as well as conservative ways of lives. Not only that, expose yourself to other ways of thinking and then you get to decide which is better or best for yourself. In the process of submerging yourself, one undergoes certain levels of learning which involves confusion in the beginning. But once things settles down, a certain understanding starts to clear up.

Now going back to virginity, I grew up in a very inocent world where in our 20's a lot of us were still virgins and at that time, virginity was something precious and was thought to be kept only for the future spouse. Atleast that was the case for women, it seems to be not the case for the guys. They require the women to stay virgins until the night of their wedding, but it seems that the men wasn't required to. A double standard case and somehow I think it still is the case in the Philippines. But more and more women are getting into the liberated thinking, not to equal with men , but questions why they are required to be virgins and the men can do whatever they want. But I know that there are still a lot of Filipinos that still thinks that virginity is very important. I have to admit that even with my exposure to the more liberated ways of life, it scares me that some people gets sexually active at very young age. I don't have any kids yet, but I am already worried for my unborn children. Is that crazy or what? But as people keep telling me, it will depend on what kind of upbringing my children will have. Hopefully it will be the case. I remember a friend I had way back when we were still living in New Orleans. She used to tell me about her teen age son, she says she has a hard time handling him. And at one time, she saw some pornographic magazines in her son's room. Being a Filipina mom, she probably was horrified and confronted her son. The dad, he's American by the way, seems to be more relaxed about it. My friend was also concerned when her son told her he wants to get an apartment of his own. It's some of the scary stages of growing up to a mother. Her son was 17 at that time. Now as I am thinking about it, I am thinking, I have to better prepare myself for all these changes that may happen in the future by educating myself on how to discuss the sensitive issues with my future children (even if I don't have children yet). Although, I'm sure I will learn on hands on experience. I'm sure it will be harder when I am actually there, but learning to discuss sex issues comfortably would be a start. I have to admit that even with my husband, when talking about sex related issues, I still clam up. And it's because I grew up where sex related issues aren't openly discussed.

In The 40 Year Old Virgin, there was a part where the guys were talking about how sex could complicate things in a relationship. I think it does complicate things, especially if two people have sex at the earliest part of their relationship without even knowing each other. You know how they say "No sex on a first date". I think it's a wise idea. One should know the person more if you want a wholesome relationship. So that if ever you discover things that may ruin that relationship you will be able to back off without being hurt that bad. Like when you discover the other party, is married and he/she lied to you. Then you can always partways and start over again. Or during the course of knowing each other, you feel like he/she's not really the person you want to spend the rest of your life. It would be easier to break up when sex isn't involve. The thing is sometimes people gets trapped into this sex thing, others are blackmailed especially if the woman is pregnant. The more gentle men would be obligated to "do the right thing". Then they will be trapped in a relationship even marriage that they didn't want or aren't ready for in the first place. I have heard a lot of these case way back when I was in the Philippines, the women gets pregnant, the boyfriend is forced to marry the woman or else the relatives of the lady, the father,the brothers will hunt the boyfriend if he refuses to. See, how sex could complicate relationships. It could tie a person to eternal damnation. I mean, maybe not eternal, but it's just like tying a rope around your neck, the thing is the other party won't hesitate to pull that rope tight if you try to run away from the deal.

You know there may not be a specific age one should engage in sex, but I think one should enjoy first the inocent years. To me, losing virginity is almost tantamount to losing ones inocence. Some may disagree. But once you engage in sex for the first time, it's a whole new world, it's like opening Pandora's box. There's no way of returning to that inocent stage of your life. You start to see things differently, and then gone is the inocent child in you. You wouldn't even want to be called a child anymore. So to those of you who are still teenagers, hopfully you enjoy your inocent years first before openning that "Pandora's box".

Does that mean that Andy enjoyed 40 years of inocent years? Maybe...be the judge.

The part that I found hilarious was when Andy was holding the mold of the female sex organ and saying "So, where does the pennis go?" Isn't that very inocent?

See, I also have this inocent question, is the female **gina exactly the opposite of the male **nis,I mean when you put the **nis inside out? I don't know how to write it to make it sound not too rated X. I guess you have to watch the movie,if you want to. Otherwise you wouldn't know what I'm talking about and I hope you would enjoy it as much as I did.

World beyond our world..........

2005-10-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

Who was it that said, "Reality is the worst nightmare?"..........

Have you ever had a nightmare? I mean not figuratively, a nightmare while asleep. Dream patterns can vary from person to person. I sometimes have this half awake,half dreaming state. In that state I could see my room exactly as it is. Almost like my spirit is out of my body and is roaming around the room, I could hear actual voices.In that state it feels so real. It doesn't feel like a dream at all. There are lots of things that happened in that state, at one time I was taking a shower. When I looked on the floor I can see my reflection,then I realized I was standing on top of my dresser with the mirror, but this time the dresser is on the floor. That same dresser in our room facing our bed. All of a sudden the scene shifted and the dresser was gone and I clinged to the walls,all of a sudden there were rails and I can see the ground, I was on an elevated place I was looking down. I was screaming for help but no voice comes out of my mouth, I couldn't move, I struggled and that's when I suddenly wake up.

Sometimes there's this different version that all of a sudden my bed starts to engulf me, like there's a force underneath pulling me lower and lower but I feel like there was no bed underneath and I was going down down but no base. I would feel like I am going down on an eternal abyss and never reaching the bottom, and then at a certain point I start to struggle. My body feels all of these, and my mind is fully aware, not even feeling like it's a dream. Then I force myself to get up. I struggle until I suddenly wake up.

Sometimes, it does really feels weird because, in some of my dreams it feels like my spirit would come out of my body and roams around, go to places, and when gets to a point that I struggle and gets up I almost feel like my spirit suddenly comes back to my body seconds before I get up. Some times it's an adventure, sometimes it's a nightmare. Sometimes it has happy endings,sometimes no resolution at all, just random shift of events,places,people,dimensions. It's crazy. You know how dreams could be so scattered, doesn't make sense. Sometimes in my dreams the emotions hieghtens, it's intensified compared to how you would really feel.

There's this dream that had been lingering for sometime. In my dream I was splashed with a certain liquid and it hit the right side of my foot just above the ankle. All of a sudden there were white solid stuff protruding out of my skin. It looked like giant whiteheads, very huge in diameter, imagine giant whiteheads protruding on the surface of the skin. When I looked at it, a pang of hundred of emotions came over me, maybe of fear and hundreds of different ones. I cringed. Then I woke up, I quickly checked my leg, they was nothing on my skin, but the emotions were still there. I couldn't go back to sleep. The feeling lingered for days. And everytime I think about it, my whole body just want to scream.

There was another time, I cannot forget this because it was too real. In my dream, I was aware that I am on my bed. It felt like I was awake, then all of a sudden, bugs, whatever it was was crawling inside my skin and I felt and saw it moving, as an instant reaction I tried to brush it of. I litterally jumped out of my bed brushing and shaking of whatever that was. That's when I realize it was a dream. It was too vivid, I couldn't go back to sleep after that.

Sometimes I wonder if my spirit really wanders out of my physical body when I sleep and go out beyond the physical world. And when the spirit goes to dreamland where emotions are given life, colors, shapes dimensions that doesn't make sense in the physical world. It fascinates me to think that there's this different world we have, totally different from our waking moments. A world we explore once our heads hit the pillow and enter into that curtain of darkness. There's this inner world we have, our inner world of subconcious. I believe that this is really the place where we all store our inner most secrets. Some secrets we may never be aware of. Have you explored your inner world lately, what have you kept in that secret deposositoty of yours?

Which is better to have a nightmare awake or to have a nightmare while asleep? Have you had a nightmare lately?

2005-10-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

" Faith is acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove."
-The da Vinci Code-

====0000====
After reading the Da vinci Code I was left with rushing hundred questions. I was staring at the last page trying to see maybe there's an inscripted ending to the story. It was a series of hunt from clues of anagrams, I enjoyed as the characters searched clues after clues but at the very end I was at lost. The novel ended but the puzzle just started for me, being born and raised as a Catholic. The novel, speak of, I would say some outragious claims about the Catholic Church, the contents of the bible and truths about Jesus himself and his relation to Mary Magdalene, who was described in the bible as a prostitute. It is of course a work of fiction, but it embodies, historical references that are contrary to the contents of the bible. I was totally intrigued. I was very curious as to what the controversy was that's why I wanted to read the book. Although I have watched the documentary on Discovery channel that tried to scientifically explain and seek the truth, thier findings didn't reach a definite conclusion. A lot of the origins of signs and symbols are really fascinating.

There was another show on TLC called "Da Vinci De classified" and according to the researches, these geeks found, a lot of the histrorical references in the "Da Vinci Code" aren't that accurate. And it's not so surprising, it's a work of fiction, so it doesn't have to be accurate. It's still a controversial book worldwide. I had to read it to see for myself what's the commotion all about.

===000===

After reading the Da Vinci code which I say was so intriguing I borrowed "Angels and Demons". It was a great read too. Very similar plot, but different stories. It was the coversation between the Camerlengo and Lt. Chartrand that I liked.

Camerlengo: terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems life proof God could not possibly be both powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation,He wouldn't prevent our pain, wouldn't He? Wouldn't He?

Lt. Chratrand: Was this one of those religious questions you just didn't ask?

Camerlengo: Well, if God loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems, He is either omnipotent and uncaring or benevolent and powerless to hep. Do you have children Lieutenant?

Lt. Chartrand: (Flushed) "No signore"

Camerlengo: Imagine you have an 8 year old son, would you love him?

Lt. Chartrand: "Of course."

Camerlengo: Would you let him skateboard?

Lt. Chartrand: Yeah, I guess. Sure, I'd let him skateboard.

Camerlengo: So, as this child's father, you would give him some basic, good advice and let him go off and make his own mistakes?

Lt. Chartrand: I wouldn't run behind him and moldycoddle him if that's what you mean.

Camerlengo: But what if he fell off and skinned his knee?

Lt. Chartrand: He would learn to be more careful.

Camerlengo: So, although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child's pain, you would choose to show your love by letting him learn his own lessons?

Lt. Chartrand: Of course, pain is part of growing up. It is how we learn.

Camerlengo: "Exactlty."

I would spare you the joy of finding out for yourself what hapenned if you decide to read the book. It was somewhat tragic ending. With Langdon as the star character and Vittoria who relentlessly chased a series of clues, people died in the process.

2005-10-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

The weather is already hinting the brrrr weathers. Winter isn't really my favorite, it's okey. I am more susceptible to cold weathers being born in the tropics. Cold weathers can be brutal sometimes, it starts by pruning the skin with it's ghostly touch,the skin starts to itch, it seems to suck the moisture out of the skin leaving it dry, then cracks that no lotion can heal.

Some things I do during winter time:

One of my remedies when any lotion doesn't seem to help, I use vaseline gel. It does seem to work. I even apply it on my face especailly when I know I would be out there for a longer period of time. I apply face cream all the time before putting on make up. My skin is from normal to dry, but it gets drier during the winter months. Another is bath oil, I apply bath oil after each shower. Just rub it all over after shower. Sometimes I do a quick rinse to avoid that oily feel on the skin. I use lukewarm water, hot water dries up the skin.

Wearing socks inside the house to avoid cold feet. When going out I normally bring with me extra sweater or jackets one thinner one and one thick onejust for emergency purposes. You never know. I bundle up everytime I go out with scarves and mittens. It always helps.Hats are very good too.

I love making stews and soups when the weather gets cold. One of my favorites include beef stew, arroz caldo, noodle soups. I am fancying arroz caldo at this moment. I bought a packet of arroz caldo at the Filipino store and it tasted really yummy. I should make one from scratch.

Hot pot is great when it's chilly. Hot pot is the Asian version of Swiss fondue. This is something I have learned while I was in Hongkong. Hot pot is basically a winter way of cooking in some of the Asian countries like Taiwan,Thailand,Hongkong,Korea and Japan. I normally use paper thin slices of meat, seafood and vegetables. They can be seasoned ahead of time. Or just plain and just use dipping sauce. For the dipping sauce, I use soy sauce, satay sauce, or blend of sauce like soy sauce with chilli and sesame oil. Of course you can use hot sauce,mustard,hoisin sauce whatever dipping sauce you like. So,to start the hot pot, you can actually use any pot if you don't have fire pot and a portable burner. There's also electric pots. Fire pots can be bought from Chinese shops. What we have is one that uses charcoal. First boil water on the regular stove and keep it hot to refill the fondue pot.Fire up the charcoals, brushing off ashes and dusts before setting the food around it. Clean and slice the meats very thinly, beef,pork or chicken. Wash vegetables, you can use any,aslong as they can be cooked very quickly, some of the ones that we use are; baby bokchoy, fresh mushrooms,baby corn, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, water spinach(kangkong) any leafy veggies that won't take long to cook. For the seafood, I normally use deveined shrimp and fish balls. After washing and cutting then in thin slices, just arrange them rows on platters. Prepare dipping sauce in small saucers. The broth can be seasoned using chicken or beef buillion. Ginger, green oinions and herbs can be added too.Or you can leave broth/water plain, since it's a communal pot, if there are other people they might have a preference. After transferring hot water to fondue pot, keep it simmering and with chopsticks just put the food in there to cook,it will just take a few minutes, fish it out using wire ladle and fondue forks and dip it to your sauce of choice. Keep adding water or broth in the pot as it recedes.

I have to do more and more indoor exercising. One that I have constantly been doing when I miss running is taebo. Concentration is the key here accompanied by determination. Sometimes I tune in to the fit channels and follow their moves. A little bit of yoga, a little bit of pilates and aerobics.

Bring in my plants before the frost starts, otherwise the will freeze on me. I have learned this the previous seasons. I have two pineapple plants, on had survived the last winter and a citrus tree. Some of my hanging baskets, I will just bring them in and store them in our guest room. My christmas cactus seems to be forming bud blossoms, I hope they will still bloom in December after I bring it inside.

I am sure the cold months would be filled with coffee, and cocoa and tea drinking while snuggled up on the couch. Hopefully we can fire up the fireplace too.

Wit and honesty will win the heart.

2005-10-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have been reading about how well Precious Lara Quigaman answered the question during the Miss International Pageant. I can't help but to have my say about her phenomenal performance.

If you were in her place and was confronted with this question, what would have been your response as a Filipino? Pretend you have never heard her response, what would you have said?

Q: “What do you say to the people of the world who have typecasted filipinos as nannies?”

A: “I take no offence on being typecasted as a nanny. But I do take offence that the educated people of the world have somehow denigrated the true sense and meaning of what a nanny is. Let me tell you what she is. She is someone who gives more than she takes. She is someone you trust to look after the very people most precious to you - your child, the elderly, yourself. She is the one who has made a living out of caring and loving other people. So to those who have typecasted us as nannies, thank you. It is a testament to the loving and caring culture of the Filipino people, and for that, I am forever proud and grateful of my roots and culture.”

Some people say that the question was discriminatory, some say it's a stupid question. I say, it's a great question that meant to test how well a person will respond to such question on stage and she did an excellent job.

She spoke for the thousands of overseas workers, migrant workers working as nannies who are not getting fair treatment. For the numbers of Filipinos workers around the world that are being taken for granted, she spoke for those who cannot speak for themselves. She is a voice of a lot of Filipinos around the world doing their job caring, loving and are sometimes mocked because of what they do. She made people think of whom they are entrusting the people they love, themselves. She spoke for the invisible workers most people take for granted. She spoke for the people who sacrificed so much inorder for other people to be able to go out and have a career while she makes a career of caring and loving. She spoke for the people that are making life easier for other people. She spoke for a lot of people out there giving so much of themselves out of love, and are being paid too little. She spoke for lots of people, not only nannies that deserve respect because of their dedication and loving ways.

Precious lara is the voice of a lot of people's voices that are lost in the crowd that are just viewed insignificant.

Is it prejudicial? I think there's some truth to it. If you look at the statistics of overseas workers and migrant workers all over the world, majority of the pie falls to the nanny jobs.Countries like Hongkong, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, countries in the Middle East and other countries.

Being a nanny, I think it's one of the most noble jobs. It takes a certain skill to be a nanny.You get to be a parent, get to be the teacher, a confidant, a friend, a referree, a coach, you get to assume a lot of roles being a nanny. And it requires lots and lots of patience. So, if you are a nanny,be proud to be one as long as you are doing a great job.

The question really is, what's wrong with being a nanny?

Kudos! to you Precious Lara, you would make an excellent ambassador of goodwill. Because you speak for the people you represent. You are a real mirror of beauty. You voice is loud enough to reach people all over the world. Continue uplifting the Filipinos working all over the world whatever they might be doing as a living. Even in the blogger world, everyone is talking about your excellent wit of rebuttal. You deserve the crown. Keep up the good work.

When words don't contain you

2005-10-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes words are not enough to describe the things going on in one's life. Sometimes there are events,emotions and thoughts that are beyond description. Sometimes we don't have any words in layman's term existing to describe them all. So often times we use the next best word to describe what is it we feel, how we feel, what we think we feel, our thoughts on our feelings and so forth. Some of these things that happen in one's life are meant to be felt. Sometimes they meant to be a mystery that can only be experienced becasue sometimes putting it into words may distort the real essence of it. Just like when two people look at each other without speaking,looking to each others eyes. No words come out of their mouths, no whisper, no noise. But somehow they understand each other. A wink, a smile, a gesture, an expression painted on their face is more than enough for the other person to understand without having to use words. There are things beyond words and sometimes they are the most wonderful things in this world.

Wrinkles on my forehead

2005-10-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
-- Jack Benny--

====000====

I don't know about you, but when I was younger (this statement makes me feel old), I used to plot my time line. You know how they always ask the question, where do you see yourself years from now? I tried to look forward into the future with my own magic ball. And I thought,at 30 I have to accomplish this and that. Now that I am about to turn 30, it's depressing me to know that I have accomplished very little of my plans years ago. My dreams remained in my dreams. Still, I hang on to hope. You know, I try not to be bitter but still looking towards the future, thinking there's got to be some bright light there somehow.

I remember when hubby turned 30, during his birthday he was very depressed. Got the birthday blues. I was telling him, so what if you are 30. I thought I wouldn't feel that way when it got to be my turn, but I was wrong. I wouldn't say that I am totally freaked out, but more of worried. Whenever I think about it, it makes me feel bad. But you cannot stop the clock. We are always running against time, but I know we'll never beat time. We burn in time, we burn in it. Yes I do believe that we grow better with time, how much better? I don't exactly know. But I can say that I feel much sturdier than ten years ago. With all of life's beatings, I know that I have become a much stronger person. We all fall to life's tests sometimes, we got to ppick up ourselves and move on, keep going in the rat race of life. One time hubby and I were talking about the rat race. Does anybody ever got to reach the finish line.Hubby says, I guess a few, those who are able to stock up enough fund and be able to retire early. But I don't think we'll ever retire from life itself. I mean, it's an endless, self-defeating pursuit.It goes on until death of course. And if there'san after life then it still goes on beyond the grave. Gosh! I wonder what I would become in the after life? You know, somehow, a second lifetime seems appealing.I get to do things all over again and perhaps do it better this time. Well, it aint so bad, there's still time.

I would usually tell hubby to turn the volume down whenever he plays his audio player very loud at night. And he would say, " If you can't listen to loud music anymore then you're too old." I don't think so. The only reason I don't want him to party very loud is that I don't want the neighbor to get mad like they are very considerate.

I used to call hubby "hunky monkey'", I don't even know where I got it or how it started later I was calling him "old man" and then lately I kept calling him "moldy man". Isn't that terrible? He would just say "I'm not that moldy". I got to think of a better pet name. Of course nobody wants to be called "old and moldy".

One night we were hanging out in our backyard grilling hubby asked when is our last hint of youth gonna be? Hayy, youthfulness fades, atleast in the physical worlds. Some says it's a state of mind but it's a state of the physical too.

Do you think that somehow the aging process can be decelerated? There are lots of studies of course and ways of doing that but I wonder how many of them are effective.I know botox and surgeries maybe a solution for some, but will it last long? I don't wear wrinkle creams, just not yet. But you know I want to be youthful in small ways. And by that I try to indulge myself with exercise like running. And coupled with that I try to fortify my body with fruits by making smoothy. It's easy, just combine fruits, yogurt, milk, honey and ice in a blender. Viola! I don't add sugar, fruits have natural sugars. Another way is avoiding frozen tv dinners. Maybe it's just me, but I believe they got a lot of preservatives. I would rely better with fresh vegetables. I do have to get frozen meats sometimes. And of course avoiding deep fried fast foods. I have always been health concious, especially when I see extremely obese people. I don't like to look like them years down the road. But nowadays, it's getting harder and harder to know which one is healthy even with fruits and vegetables with the bioengineering and all that. With seafood,one worries about mercury. I guess one just have to get updated and informed about what's healthy and what's not.

I don'tknow, there's just this fear of old age. The deterioration, being senile, and eventually death I guess. Not to mention, long agonizing death maybe. I guess that's the natural course of life and that's a process we all have to undergo whether you want your remains to be frozen, burned, burried, you still have to undergo the process of dying first unless they happen to figure out how to be immortal in the future. Still, would you like to live forever?

Blog and the blogger!

2005-10-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the
freedom of thought which they seldom use."
--Kierkegaard--

====0000====

This is suppose to be what kind of blogger I am. A private performer. Except the line that says "adoring fans." Tests like these are not that accurate, they are just for fun. And I do it just for the fun of it.

Your Blogging Type Is the Private Performer

Your blog is your stage - with your visitors your adoring fans.
At least, that's how you write with your witty one liners.
And while you like attention, you value your privacy.
You're likely to have an anonymous blog - or turn off comments.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

I guess some of it are true. I do value privacy, I want readers to focus on what I write and not on my private life.Although, I impart some of my private life, it doesn't mean it would be for public consumption. I guess I am not the person that does bare it all. Just as they say bearing is daring. I am not as daring as others. But I admire the bold ones.And that's just who I am. I write because I want to be part of the world that speaks. I want to be heard. Sometimes I just want to write just for the hell of it.

I guess I am a private performer in my own life's stage, I do have my comments button on because I also want to know what you think or what other people think. I firmly believe that in this world, one doesn't just listen to his or her voice and monologues but by listening to other people,one can learn a lot. Although there are some people's voices that ought to be ignored, other wise they will just bring you down deep into the hole they are wallowing. As Elle said in Legally blonde 2, use your right of spit, I mean speech. But there are rules to the right of spit. If you spit on others, of course they would spit back and slobber all over you. One has to be careful not to step on to others toes, as they say the toes might be connected to the ass that you might kiss in the future.

I would like to think that my blogs are about anything under the sun, not just me, otherwise I would have bored the death of whoever happens to read my blog. I would like to think of my blog as anything may it be thoughts, ideas, theories, fiction, non-fiction. I would like it to be a pizza crust and I could put any toppings on it.

So, there you go. In the blog world, I would like to just have my own little spot in the vast world wide web,a spot for me to scribble whatever there is worth scribbling.

2005-10-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

"What some people mistake for the high cost of living is really the cost of high living."
-- Doug Larson--

I am not a football fan, I can watch but just not my interest. I know most guys love watching sports, and hubby is one of them. Sometimes when we are out somewhere maybe at the grocery store, he would say;"Could we just hurry up so I could watch football or baseball".I would just make a grunting sound (Freaken football/baseball!). Well, he asked me to go with him to watch the game, he got complimentary tickets from his brother-in-law. Atlanta Falcons vs the Minesota Vikings at the Georgia Dome. We took the MARTA train from Chamblee area all the way to the dome. As expected, it was quite crowded. With the taxes back on gas prices people try to save by taking MARTA. Well, we haven't taken MARTA in a while. I was a bit nauseous, I wasn't feeling a hundred percent. While in the train, since it was crowded, I could hear the hundred voices speaking all at the same time, swimming in my head. It made me feel worst. You know how you get vulnerable when you're not feeling well. I guess it's been a while that I have been in a crowded public transportation. It took a few minutes before we got off. As in a typical game, there's a lot of people. This time, they separated the men from the women at the entrance gates for inspection. I guess they are taking precautions. We hiked about four or five levels before we got to the very top of the dome. The dome was almost full. I was sitting there elbow to elbow with our sitmates. Our row was full, can't move a lot. I was just thinking, wow, they must have collected a lot of money with this crowd. Somebody's getting rich. With 69,000 attendance, thay must have collected millions. Ok, I tried to pay attention. Vick got injured, but Falcons played well. They scored easily during the first part of the game. Then took them a while to make the final score. Falcons won the game. Falcons fans left happy. Back to the train. When I finally get to sit, I noticed that to my left, a lady was crying. I thought she and her boyfriend must be just arguing so I ignored them. At the third stop, they must not have realized that was their stop. They didn't go out on time. The guy was mad and was trying to push the emergency button. When the door didn't open he tried to shout. The woman infront me told him he shouldn't do that. They could just get off the next stop and then go back. They sat back, when I looked at the lady again, she was still crying. At the next stop, they got off. The lady next to me cried "Oh my God she wet herself." Well, I saw that the lady's back was wet. She could have wet herself. The lady infront of me said "If you got to go, you got to go!" I have never wet myself, no matter how bad I had to go. Maybe I would wet myself if a gun is pointed to my face. I guess it depends on the situation. And I guess some people might have weak bladder. I know it to be a condition with kids, but as an adult? That must be tough.

====0000====

It's one thing that I like about Atlanta. The diversity of culture. You can find all kinds of Asian restaurants. I like most Asian foods, I am a food adventurer.One of my favorites is Vietnamese. I normally get Pho noodle soup, it's basically beef stock, clear rice noodles with bean sprouts, slices of jalapeno with a squeeze of lime. I also love their charbroiled pork and chicken over rice. I have tried to make it at home twice, the beansprouts seed were just bigger in size that I feel the crunch every time I bit on to them. It was almost as goodas the one I get at the restaurant. But I still have to keep working on enhancing the flavor. One can even get authentic Asian food if they know where to look for.

There are also lots of Asian stores, actually international markets, well both. Sometimes it's great to just go browes at these stores and see what you could find. I love the wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables at the international markets. You can see lots of stuff that you don't see at the regular grocery stores. If you love Asian cuisine, these are the places you could check out.

The Beatles' Return

2005-10-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

"If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door." -- Paul Beatty

We had the pleasure to be able to watch them at the Duluth Fall Festival. It was a very pleasant evening when we decided to find out what's going on down there. We were not familiar with that area, we just looked up the driving direction and we headed on.We were lost actually, until we decided to go back and look for the exact turn on our map. We saw a whole bunch of cars parked, people walking and we decided to park and walk and find out if we were really lost. We walked and followed a throng of people and viola! we stumbled on the place we want to be. The band is called "The Return", A Beatles' Tribute Band.
Here's what the they say about the band.

Considered talented enough to perform in front of a national audience, THE RETURN caught the eye of Good Morning America's weatherman, Tony Perkins, as well as executives for the morning show. Since then, this amazing group of four young musicians has continued to excite crowds all over the country, growing substantially in popularity. Part of what makes a RETURN show so enthralling is the way in which they have so meticulously recreated the complete Beatle image on stage. The boys feature authentic vintage instruments, haircuts, and custom made clothes and boots. Their unmistakable Liverpool accents and Beatlesque antics truly bring out the charming, charismatic personas of the original four lads we all adore. In being true to the original Fab Four, THE RETURN derives their song list from a specific part of the Beatles catalog, primarily performing material that the Beatles played in live concert settings. This long and wonderful list of songs spans material from the early cover songs they played at Liverpool's Cavern Club, to Lennon-McCartney numbers performed on the last Beatles tour of America in 1966.

Their touring takes them to festivals, college campuses, corporate events, benefits and private functions from Georgia to California and New York to Florida. No matter where the band travels, people always enjoy THE RETURN because people everywhere still (and probably always will) love the Beatles. A few of THE RETURN'S performance credits include The Fox 97 Ultimate Oldies Concert in Atlanta, GA (two years in a row), The 94.1 Oldies Fest in Salt Lake City, Abbey Road on the River, Peachtree Road Race, First Night Athens, First Night Atlanta, Lenox Square's Star Spangled Night, Peachtree Morning TV Show, Good Day Atlanta TV show, 1996 & 1997 Atlanta Fab Four Fests, Malco Theater in Hot Springs AR, Columbia, SC Mayfest, CNN, Fox 97 Radio Morning Show & Afternoon Love Fest, Campus Live TV show, New Orleans Casinos, as well as hundreds of other private and corporate events (Coca-Cola, Turner Broadcasting, Georgia Pacific, AFLAC to name a few) and several cruises (Carnival and Royal Caribbean). THE RETURN has shared the stage with many legendary performers - Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Monkees, Peter Noone, Chubby Checker, Tommy James, B.J. Thomas, The Association, Johnny Rivers (and many more!!) THE RETURN is also particularly popular at college campuses, where fraternities, sororities, and student activity organizations line up to book them.

They can be booked for a private concert or public entertainment just like fairs and festivities. I have to say that their performance at Duluth Festival was impressive. There was a standing ovation on their last song and the crowd really had a good time, dancing to their tunes.I saw people even bring their own folding chairs and even tables with drinks, beer amybe. Some just spread a blanket and sat on the grass picnic style. We did sat on the grass and even went infront were the dancing crowds danced hippie style.But while sitting down I asked hubby if the members of the band really are from England or are they just faking their accent? He said they probably were just faking the accent, but of course they don't want the people to know and they are just playing out their character from the real Beatles' band. They said very little in between songs.And as they were about to exit, the crowd shouted "More, more,more!" in a chanting chorus. They performed next in Cornelia Georgia. Aside from the impressive performance, I think part of why the band was digged both by younger and older people is that the performers are young that they attract the younger population. But the songs attract the older people who grew up listening to these songs from the real "Beatles" band.I tell you, if you are a Beatles' fan, you would love "The Return" band.

The wonders of autumn!

2005-09-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

I remember a birthday card that my best friend gave me way back during our school days. It says; " Even the falling of the leaves,has a purpose." I just thought about it because fall is here again and it's one of my favorite part of the year. The kaleidoscope of colors everywhere, of nature. I know most of the time, the falling of leaves from trees sometimes signify deterioration like dying, but it is a natural cycle where the non evergreens go to what they call the "dormant stage".It's almost like a hibernation for plant where they remain inactive or asleep.You would notice that some of the trees may have buds after the leaves fall off, but those buds doesn't grow, they suspend their growing state during the dormant season. Some trees may look dead with no leaves, but they are not. They are just asleep for the winter season.

There's a lot of stuff to do during fall. One that I am fancying right now is to go up to the mountains and watch nature change it's color. Maybe take photographic evidences of the changes.Of course with that includes hiking,trail hiking,picnicking, backpacking, you know just be out there.Another is going to the lakes. It's so much fun when the weather has cooled down a few degrees from the summer heat. Maybe fishing, canoeing. It would be awesome. The cool weather really is an inspiration to be active outdoors before the winter weather comes. Another thing that I enjoy doing when the weather is temperate is jogging, running and sweat off a few inches. It is harder to shed off pounds, it is so easy to put on weight. What we loose in exercising is far too small than what we take in. It would take a lot to shed a whole meal. Walking is good too. Sometimes an evening stroll or morning walk is beneficial. It would be so nice to go camping too. Of course there's the pumpkin patches to visit and the fall festivals.I have enumerated a whole bunch of stuff to do but I wonder how many of them will we able to do before the winter weather come freezing our butt. We would definitely go up the mountains and watch the spectacular fall unfold. There's just so much to do when the weather is great, there's just not enough time to do all of them. It pays to be active. One has to put on a conscious effort to be physically active. I am guilty of being one of those mouse potatoes, clicking the mouse all day or during free time. I just have to pull myself up from being glued to the chair and work out, run, walk, move. I figure, as long as I am moving, it would help. Cardiovascular exercises and sweat,those are the best. Fall is the best time to be out there in the outdoors, whether just for fun or to be fit because when winter comes it is harder to go out there in the freezing cold.

So True! (Totoo nga naman!)

2005-09-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is so true. When I was back home five months ago, I observed that people take the signs as a "dare me" signs. My first encounter with the "SIGN" was in Baguio when I was waiting for a jeepney at Km 4. Just across the street is a bold sign that says "No Loading,No unloading". I had to go back and ask my cousin where should I wait for the jeepney since there's a sign that doesn't allow loading and unloading. My cousin and his friends laughed at me. I mean I haven't been there in years and while in the US I got used to really following signs. They told me, to just wait across the street just beside the sign. I didn't believe them at first so, I went out to the street again and stood there and observed. True enough, there were people waiting just in front of the sign and the driver stopped and let them in. I was thinking to myself, "What's the sign for,then? Okey,when we were walking along the streets, we just passed by the University of Baguio and I happen to see that in front of a building or store was a sign that says "NO Stand by", but just in front of the sign is a guy sitting down. I pointed it out to my cousin and he was laughing and then he went on to say that if they didn't want anybody hanging around then, there shouldn't be a bench or sitting area where the sign is. Even then I was saying "Pinoy talaga". Then I told him that in the US, if you didn't obey signs like that you may get arrested, or may have to pay fines. So, I asked my cousin what those signs are for. He said that if there are cops in sight, then they follow the signs.But if they see no cops, then theylook the other way, act blind as if not seeing the signs at all. It's maybe funny how there are signs everywhere that says "Bawal Magtapon ng Basura Dito" yet right below it are mounds of trash. And everywhere on the walls say "Bawal Umihi Dito" but one can already tell that people have been leaking there by the smell.I think that it's totally sad that we can't follow simple rules. I don't know if a lot of us do it because we think it's cool, maybe it's in the culture.I was telling this observation to someone while we were having halo-halo and he said that the signs are just ornamental. It's almost like we follow the crowd even if deep down we know it isn't right. It's almost like one thinks that they are not violating any rules as long as nobody catches them, or as long as nobody is looking and even if someone did see the act,they look the other way.Why is that so?

Is it lost in translation or lost in the humor or lost in a tongue twister?

2005-09-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

We love humor,I mean everybody enjoys fun stuff. But Filipinos can be very funny in a lots of ways. Take a look at these Taglish humour; Nakakatuwa!

Onli in da Philippines
Can there be anything more amusing than these? Is there anybody wittier than a Filipino to think all of these names? Check it out. I was literally rolling-on-the-floor-laughing while I was reading it!

Only in the Philippines will you find such amusing names as:

Bread Pitt (a bakery)
Maruya Carey (a fast-food place selling turon and maruya in Greenbelt, Makati)
Caintacky Fried Chicken (an eatery in Cainta, Rizal)
Cooking ng Ina Mo (Resto in Mandaluyong)
Cooking ng Ina Mo Rin (Resto across the street from above!)
Mang Donald's (a burger joint at the Naga City Plaza)
Candies Be Love? (Can anything be sweeter than this ? )
Doris Day and Night (a 24-hour eatery)
Babalik Karinderia
Holland Hopia (Owned by Mr. Ho) and next-door neighbor Poland Hopia (owned by Mr. Po) in Chinatown
Miki Mao (a noodle house)
Tapsi Turbi (a tapa house)
Cleopata's (a manukan and bakahan)
Goto Heaven
Goto Hell (serves spicier goto)
The Fried of Marikina (a fried chicken house)
Wrap and Roll (a lumpia outlet in Quad, Makati)
Pansit ng taga-Malaboni (a panciteria on Boni Ave., Mandaluyong)
Side-saki (a side street eatery besides Mandarin Oriental in Makati)
Let's Goat-Together (a kambingan-cum-beer garden)
Meating Place (a meat shop)
Automobili Ko (2nd hand car buy and sell shop)
Meatropolis (another meat shop)
Isda best, Pusit to the limit, and Hipon coming back (entrees on the menu of a seafood restaurant)
Cinna Von (a laundromat)
Yo Wash Up (another laundromat)
Pier Carding (a tailoring shop in Pier, Manila)
Elizabeth's Tailoring
The Way We Wear (a boutique)
Curl Up and Dye (a beauty salon)
Goldilooks (a barber shop)
Goldirocks (a gravel and sand shop)
Sylvestre's Salon
Stomach Inn (motel in San Juan)
Bote Nga Sa 'Yo (used bottle shop)
Christopher Plumbing (your friendly neighborhood plumber)
Fernando Pe's Box Office Hits (a video rental shop in Palawan)
Leon King Video Rental (in Las Pinas)
Memory Drug (a clone of Mercury Drug)
Petal Attraction (a flower shop near U.P. Diliman)
Susan's Roses (a flower shop, but of course!)
Maid to Order (maids placement agency)
Kik-Mai-Balls (food cart selling kikiam, siomai and fishballs)

And here's what I add to the list from a Pinoy singer: Celine Din Yon.
Ang Pinoy talaga.

Remembering New Orleans

2005-09-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

New Orleans was the very first state I landed when I moved to these united states. It's a famous city, as I have heard of it even when I was still in Asia. Of course Mardi Gras makes New Orleans very famous around the globe. I loved the location of our place, right there on the 5th Street across the Double Tree Hotel, just before the Causeway Bridge. Lake Ponchartrain was literally our backyard where we biked,jogged,walked or picnicked. It's a great site with flocks of birds flying each day. People boating or sailing on warm days.By now, it is different as people are starting to rebuild their home, their lives.

Places we have been during our stay in New Orleans: ( Some of these places may or may not exist anymore. Some may have been partially damaged by water,by wind.)
Cafe Du Monde:
I am sure a lot of you have heard of this famous cofee place. They are also well-known for their beignet. We have been to this place several times and I have enjoyed their chickory cofee.

River Walk: It's a long walking path that at the bank of the Mississippi River. You can just walk and watch boats,or even the steam boats. Great for strolling,sightseeing and even shopping.There are lots of shops and dinning places, walking distance from the French Quarter.

French Quarter:

It's of course a must see area of New Orleans.And according the the news, the quarters hasn't been that affected. In fact people are already starting to parade on that side of town well-known for it's partying and parades.

Bourbon Street:
If you love night life, this is the place to go for drinking, dancing, sight seeing. Yes, even at night, people dress up, wear masks and walk around the street. This particular street is lined up with bars after bars and dancing clubs, and souvenir shops. Some shops sell lots of beads,masksand knick knacks. And of course this is the street where you can flash your thingy to earn beads. Even on ordinary days, this area always gets crowded.

Harra's Casino:
This was the first Casino I have ever been to. And we won some money playing the poker machines.

Steam Boat Natchez:
We rode this boat one romantic evening, the weather was so nice. There was a band playing jazz, and a guide talked about the Mississippi River and it's history.

Saint
Charles Street:
It's a quiet street lined with alot of old old oak trees and goes all the way to the Garden district and along the way you'll see historic houses from the 1800's. And the best way to see all these is to ride the streetcar or trolley.

These are the nice places we have been while living in New Orleans. I am sure a lot of these places may have been washed out or may have been flooded as the entire NO city has been flooded. The city of Metairie was our home for two years at the 5th Street. It's a quiet neighborhood, except for the screaming couples at night. We had a lot of nightlife since hubby works till midnight. We would drive to downtown New Orleans and enjoy walking by the French Quarter,on Bourbon Street. It is very colorful at night. People dress up and come walking around, strolling.And I mean, not just dress up but they would wear funny outfits and masks. So if you are up there in one of the porches, you would have a great view of the crowd. You would see people with hairs of different colors,painted live person all kinds of stuff. And of course you would see a lot of skin especially when people get drunk. At first, I was very inocent. I was appalled that the women would flash their boobs just to earn beads, and I mean they are not gold. Later on, it was a common sight to me. It's something I have never seen in my life. Their party is very adult. It's not a place to bring your children. Of course there are lots of family fun during Mardi Gras, during parades and lots of family activities.

Another fun place we have been was the swamp. There are lots of swamp tours, but we did our own touring via canoe. It was a fun tour to the marshes to see the wildlife.We have seen alligators,snakes,lots of turtles.A nice adventure into the wild. We might have slightly tipped over a few times,but we managed to get out of the water at the end of the day.

I have seen some of the weirdest things I saw was at a freak show. We just happen to enter this bar, we didn't even know what was going on it was dark,all the lights were off and the guy at the entrance told us that no cameras allowed. There were peircing of nuts, women carrying cans of beers with hooks on their labia and guys drinking the beer under them. There was a guy who hammered a long nail into his pennis. I mean, it hurt just by looking. Then there was this woman who turned a bulb on using her genital organs. Gosh! I couldn't believe what I was looking at. Hubby was laughing at me. I felt like what they were doing wasn't right yet I was drawn to watch. It was a lifetime experience.It was one hell of a shock to me to watch people doing these stuff. After that I haven't seen any other shocking stuff.

Then there were these trips across to the other end of town to get to the Asian stores. I noticed that there were lots of Vietnamese people in New Orleans. People sometimes ask me if I were Vietnamese. There were not a lot of Filipino stores around except for a small store by Canal Street. I talked to the owner one time and she said that most of her customers are Filipino sea men that just stop over New Orleans. She would cook Filipino foods on Saturdays and that's when Pinoys flock to her store.

Aside from all these I really enjoyed going with hubby to these concerts. Some of them organized by the radio stations he worked for, and he gets to introduce some of the bands and/or singers. So, it was a great experience for me. Most of the ones that I have met in person are country singers. We were at the Goerge Strait Concert, Hubby introduced Sara Evans. I had a close look at her,she's pretty. Of course I saw the george Strait, Brad Paisley and others. We also went to the introduction of Brian McCommas album at the House of Blues. Of course he was there to promote his album, so he was very nice to everybody. He wasn't quite famous then. Later I saw him on CMT. We have been to some other concerts,just can't remember them all. Most of them were country fests. I am not a diehard country fan,that's why I didn't really pay attention to the country stars.

So,looking back, I would say that we had a great time. Really great time.

I hope that in due time,people who have fled the city will be able to come back and rebuild their lives. To rebuild the once very lively and colorful city of jazz and Mardi Gras.

Isn't it a wonder?

2005-09-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy? -- Albert Einstein--

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If you have watched National Geographic's documentary featuring what is TABOO, I wonder what you think of nudism, nudists.
I have heard of nudist beaches and topless beaches. I have always been curious and giggle when we talk about jewels just hanging,dangling in full view of people. But I am wondering how it's like to really be there and experience it. Okey, don't look at me and imagine me naked. Of course in our world, the proper thing is to cover up. It's interesting, don't you think? Go play in the yard naked, cook naked, walk around naked, do everything naked. Of course, for people who have been doing this since they were born or for a long time seems a normal thing. Being naked scares me. I was wacthing the nudist people on TV celebrate christmas naked, even kids, putting up the christmas lights naked. Well, as a kid, I may have been naked walking around with my snot and drool just flowing on my face, but as an adult, I cannot imagine myself being out there seen in public very naked. I would still prefer to wear clothes. I have also seen another documentary about certain groups of people living in the Amazon jungles, who really live their lives naked,but there are far for civilization. Unlike what they do in this nudist area where they have been once wearing clothes. Somehow what they say is true, that in the normal world were people wear clothes, people are judged by the clothes they wear, by the shoes they wear.If we could just see people as they are, from what is within, it would have been a better world. I guess since almost 99.9 percent of population wears clothing, then that's what is considered normal. But what if it's the other way around? Of course what is taboo to us maybe be perfectly normal for other people.

Now, the second episode features Manila and their graveyards. I am aware of people building houses wherever they can as I have been and seen some parts of Manila. Every little space could be used for anything; sleeping,cooking,everything.So, I wasn't surprised when they showed some people taking refuge and and making the graveyards actually their homes. Carton roofs aren't that protective from severe weathers and rain. While the dead is being roofed better, might as well stay with the dead. Somebody's got to do the jobs there, cleaning, and maintaining the graveyards,as long as the dead doesn't haunt them at night. Filipinos are very superstitious when it comes to the dead, so a lot of people don't really mess with them. Still I have heard of people using the dead to pull up a scam through "lamay",using the dead to collect money from people.

From personal experience, during All Soul's Day, we visit the tombs of relatives, clean the it's surroundings, maybe even have lunch on top of the grave. It wasn't that scary. The last time I was in my hometown, my friend's brother died. I had a very close look at him. We even touched his face. It felt hard to the touch.Surprisingly, I wasn't afraid. I guess it doesn't scare me as I have witnessed burials and wakes of dead people and have very close contact, can even see the pores of their faces. I think that there's nothing to be scared of with the dead.The living are even more scary as they can do harm to us. I haven't really encountered any ghosts yet in my lifetime except from stories from other people, so I don't know if I believe in ghosts though I believe in the supernatural.

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Boy, are we glad we are out of Louisiana. It has been a few years now. If we would have been there, we would have been submerged since we live right at the levee just a block from lake Ponchartrain overlooking the Causeway bridge. I can still recall, that when the wind blows coming from the lake, wow, it smells like watermelon. Fresh breeze, the smell of the water. I use to spend my evening walking or biking by the lake watching flocks of birds and the lake view, so serene. So nice to sit and just relax out there. But now, the whole city would be inhabitable for months according to the New Orleans mayor. It's really devastating for people who lost their homes, properties, everything,jobs,not to mention lives that have been taken away.It's catastrophic. I can't imagine people wallowing to that mud of filth from the French Quarter. Filth accumulated from Mardi Gras. That would really make people sick. I mean, black filthy residue would form around your snickers if you go walk around the French Quarter, comnination of booze,urine,barfing, you name it.

My only experience with flood was when I was in Manila. Of course those who have been there, you already know that the city is well known for flooding. I was working there and one evening there was flood around Sampaloc area, and I was out, I was really in trouble as I didn't know my way around there yet. I just wallowed around with the water upto my knees. I was so glad a lady called me in a taxi and told me they will even drop me off to my place. I was profusely greatful when I got home after wallowing in the dark water, while it was raining. I was glad to find help from a complete stranger.

Hopefully, all the affected people from the hurricane will be given help. It would be a hard recovery, picking up the pieces, but life goes on.And I hope people won't be that cruel to be taking advantage of the situation, instead try helping those who has nowhere to go.

2005-08-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."
-- Will Rogers --

Lately, I had been reading a lot. I am glad I have the time to do some reading. I have read four books just the past month. I love Katherine Neville's "The Eight". It is a combination of historical, mystical and scientific plot. Really enjoyed reading this book. Mary Higgins Clark's "We'll Meet Again", I can't believe I read it in one day. A wife was convicted of murdering her husband. Locked up and was released after six years. After doing time, she's determined to find out who shot and killed her husband.Interesting twist of events. Then I read Micheal Palmer's "Miracle Cure". It is about a certain miracle drug that's being tested before it's release to the public and a doctor who once believed in the drug went hunting for trail of deaths which may have something to do with this miracle drug.
Then James Patterson's "1st to Die." A sexual deviant who chooses to brutally kill brides and grooms on their wedding day. I also have started leaving through "Memoirs of a Geisha", I don't seem to have the patience to finish it, perhaps in due time I will be able to finish it. I have also started with John Sandford's "Silent Prey." I am still starting. Sometimes, when the beginning of the story catches my interest, I would go on reading. Sometimes, it depends on a certain mood. I could get into a reading mood and goes on and on like a bookworm. Sometimes reading doesn't get into me.

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Lately, I have been doing a lot of cooking too.And not just cooking, but I am trying to practice my creativity. Some of the ways of cooking that I have tried so far; tempura - using tempura batter, I was able to make shrimp tempura, vegetable tempura, fish tempura, chicken tempura. Pasta- We have gotten into shrimp pasta alfredo, in addition to spaghetti and pancit. Curry - Chicken curry is a classic favorite especially with toasted red hot chilli peppers. It gives it a kick. Porkchops topped with sauttied onions,green peppers,red peppers,and veggies. Some veggies that I use, baby bokchoy, zuchini. It's best if the porkchops are marinated ahead of time with your choice of seasonings. I use olive oil, chilli oil, season-all, paprika,salt and pepper,dash of soy sauce.Spread,smother seasonings evenly and let it stand for 30 minutes. Salads- we are trying to take the healthier alternatives. We love spring mix, and this salad dressing called "Seven Seas", it's a red wine vinaigrette. Sprinkle sunflower seeds,or some other stuff like tomatoes, cucumber,carrots, mushrooms. Smoothies - we love smoothies especially when the weather gets steamy hot. Of course the classic banana strawberry is on our list. I would combine different fruits. Sometimes I freeze some fruits that are starting to be over ripe and then put them in the smoothie mix. I sometimes use, also those drinkable yogurt in addition to milk to the mixture. It's always refreshing. I would trick hubby into eating avocado this way, by adding avocado to the smoothie. He doesn't like eating avocados, unless it's guacamole. In a smoothie drink, you can't taste it really unless you put a lot of it. Frozen Capuccino, or mocha. That's right, we make our own at home. I am trying to have fruits for snacks and desserts, but hubby doesn't get into it. He loves ice cream and cookies. I would say he's got a sweet tooth. I am not really into sweets except chocolate. But even chocolate, I tend to be choosy. I love Cadbury chocolates. I like my chocolate more milky that sugary taste. Sushi - I love sushi, I have made homemade sushi with shrimp tempura roll. So far, it has been successful. I have to figure out how to make miso soup. Of course, the easiest way would be to get those ready made that you can just pour in hot water. But making sushi can be easy. I just don't get into making the raw stuff. It's hard to get real fresh seafoods. I mean raw fish and seafoods take special care to avoid food poisoning. So, I stick to the basic, maybe california roll next time.

Right now, am trying to avoid canned goods, and frozen goods and too much salt. I probably use more salt on all my foods.

Still in the process of well, I guess experimenting with different ways of cooking. I would like to get into steaming and other ways of course.

Another thing that am trying to do is to grow my own herbs. I have some already in pots in our backyard like parsley, shallots. I intend to get some others like rosemary, mint,oregano. Some of my herbs have been left at our last place. I even had two tomato plants blooming and some garlic. Oh well, I will get new ones later on.

2005-08-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

I was reading James Patterson's "1st to Die" and there was a part where the sexual deviant character in the story, Phillip Campbell was talking to a woman on the plane going back after he brutally killed his second bride and groom victims. He looked at the paperback the woman was reading;" Memoirs of a Giesha." It interested him that of all things this woman was reading a book about bondage. "Good book?" as he smiled to her direction. "That's what everyone says." She replied and she added that she was just starting. Then he leaned over, sniffed her citrusy perfume. "It's hard to believe, it was written by a man."

I never realized this until I read "!st to Die." Or I would have never looked at the author of "Memoirs of a Giesha" that I have put off for a while after reading the first few chapters. It's written by an American and a male guy from Tennessee, Arthur Golden. It's from the perspective of a man. I was wishing it was written by a first hand experience. If you don't really look at the author you would think it was written by a giesha. I haven't read the whole story, so I won't comment further, according to some who have read this book, it's a good read, a classic. I would probably want to read other books written by a real geisha like the "Geisha of Gion." by Mineko Iwasaki.

I have never had any idea what a geisha is until I watched documentary that illustrates a corps of highly trained women dedicated to the performance of traditional dance, singing and instrumental music—while addressing cultural perceptions of this uniquely Japanese tradition.Their training from an early age by older geishas. How they put on layers of kimonos and how they are taught how to perform gracefully infront of men and etc.

Of course there are still present day geishas performing in teahouses.In the west, a geisha may be thought as a prostitute.Well,being a geisha may not exclude that part of the entertainment may come the sexual involvement since most of the customers are men. At present, it's an art that's becoming extinct.

I have the part where the fiftteen year old girl's virginity was put into auction. At the present day, it would be a crime to do such thing due to the changes in laws and geard towards protection of human rights. But there are still similar cases going on in some parts of the world.We just hear or read about them. I remember I watched a documentary about "Human Traficking" going on in differant parts of the world. Women being recruited and being promised jobs and good pay in other countries, it turns out they end up in a pimp house where they are being abused and mistreated and not even get paid. There was a woman from Bogota,Colombia who was betrayed by her own cousin was working in Japan. When she got to Japan, she found herself in a pimp house, her documents and passport confiscated. She was forced to work for them. There are lots of similar cases going on around the world, people being sold for sex slaves. We just don't hear about them, except when they hit the media.

On a slightly different topic, I was on a plane from Hongkong, I was reading "The Morning Post" and I was shocked to read about this African sexual cleansing. It is an old practice where widows have to have sex with a family member inorder to break the bond with his spirits and to save the village from disease. I find this practice very weird. Well, it's a practice that is slowly deminishing.

Another practice that is a old and is still being practiced at present in a way is "arranged marriage." The first time I heard about this was in highschool when a classmate of mine mentioned she's "nitbe". I was so curious what that means. So I was insistent she explain to me. She said that eversince she was a baby, her parents have already pre-arranged her "husband to be", I said, "what?" She even know who the boy is and that her parents and the boy's parents are close friends. Later on I have learned it's an old practice that people do in the olden times. Some even wed their kids as early as toddlers or even while they are infants. Some parents take it seriously that their kids marry their choice. As to my former classmate. She didn't marry the guy. She ended up marrying another. But even then, this practice is being done in present day marriages. What is amazing is that when two people are pre-arranged and would actually marry each other in the future with their own free will, and I mean fall in love without the pressure of other people. In the Philippines, it's very common for good friends "compadres" to arrange the future of their kids over a bottle of gin.

We Moved!

2005-07-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

We just relocated to Atlanta. It's the second relocation we did within the five years and it's harder the second time due to the fact that we have acquired more furnitures. Not that we bought them, but hubby's siblings have given them. It seems that we had more stuff this time than before that we can barely stuff them all in the truck. Hubby's brother had to haul some in his SUV. Most of them where my plants that I didn't want to part with. Although I left some still and thinking about going back and getting them, but hubby is not willing to drive two hours just for my plants. So, if we ever go back I would just try to get them while they would still be there. If not, then, the new occupants can have them. It had been very tiring but the thing is we had a few days packing so, it didn't break our back. It's the transporting that was harder. I was greatful that some people came and carry our heavy stuff like the dressers and the furnitures.

Tips for packing,Transporting and Unloading your Stuff:

1. Pack up those stuff that you least use first, to avoid openning the boxes when you already packed them. This is also the best time to get rid of the stuff you won't be needing or stuff you want to get rid of.

2. Another thing you could do is to put all the kitchen stuff together, living room stuff together, bathroom stuff together, so you would know where to grab stuff when you get to the new place.

3. One very helpful tip is to label them according to what's in the box/container.

4.Wrap glasses, breakeables and fragile stuff with newspapers or bubble packs.That would really keep them from breaking except of course if you drop them.

5. If you don't have much space to carry stuff, try to fold any foldable furnitures and anything that you could fold without of course breaking them. That save more space.

6. Pack up heavier stuff, combining with lighter weight in bigger boxes or containers so you won't put all the heavy stuff in one box. That will allow you to carry them by yourself, in case you won't have any help. Of course you need to try to lift them if you could.

7. When putting them in the truck,or whichever you would use to transport them, put the furnitures first. Of course arrange them in a manner as to save space, at the same time in a manner to protect them from chipping off or breaking or scratching each other.

8. Next put some of the softer stuff in between them to avoid bumping from each other. Then put all other stuff on top of the furnitures and in the spaces between.

9. When you get to the new place, it is very helpful to unload all the stuff out off the truck and start bringing in the furnitures first and putting them already where they are supposed to stay before bringing in other stuff. Put the couches in the living room, arrange them to the right spot. Put the television where you want it and the rest of the furnitures, dressers, and the matresses. The rest as you have labelled them put it to the room where they belong. That would make the unloading easier.

10. As we get to the arranging of stuff, put all the unopenned boxes in the room that will not be used, or to the storage areas to keep them from cluttering the rooms.

Of course as we go along from unpacking everything, this is the best time to use your organization talent and interior decorating skill. You could always move stuff around according to how you like them. And this is the best time to keep the old stuff that used to clutter your kitechen, your living room and bathrooms. Try to unpack those that you really need and put away stuff that may not be needed for a while and put them in storage bins/boxes and label them too before putting them away in the storage areas. The same is true when unpacking clothings. Choose the clothes that you think you would really use and put away the others that you might not need for a while. But label them so you would know which is which when looking for them later.

For the next few days I would be rummaging through all our stuff and reboxing them, and restoring them, organizing them,and throwing some stuff that would only clutter our new home. There's always the Goodwill or the Salvation Army deposite places for those things that may still be useful but unwanted. But if you could discard them before moving, then your load would be a little bit lighter, instead of carrying stuff that you don't need.

I look forward to a clutterless home, so while I am in the process of unpacking I would try to keep those things that are really not needed, box them up and store them.

I am sure you all have your own style and organizing tips when doing all these stuff, I just thought I would share mine and who knows, there might be someone who would benefit to the things that I have learned when relocating to a new place. It can be tough and a lot of work, but then it could be exciting and fun decorating a new place with your own style. So there you go. Next time you move, maybe you could have more fun than bruises and broken back.

Thinking of home sweet home and food!

2005-06-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

The sound of cicadas reminds me so much of the scorching heat in the Philippines. The humming chorus of the cicadas was such a background noise as we live in the wood.
Growing up in a very small village in a remote area in the Philippines provided me with a lot of experiences that a person who grew up the bigger towns and cities might never get to experience unless of course if they happen to visit the far flung places.

The very first thing that I remember when I was a kid was those times we had to fetch water from man made stone wells. It may not even be called wells because they are certain kinds of stones where water is sipping through. and when they make holes on them, the water would get collected on the holes and we would get water using tubs to transfer water from these holes to the water containers. In some areas people would make man made pipes made from bamboos with the nodes removed so that water can flow freely. Since there were just a very few number of people, the entire village would share two or three areas of water source. I remember that as a kid, we would sometimes go as a group like it's a group game of hide and seek or a race, who gets to get their plastic gallons full first. And on our way back home we would catch dragonflies. At that time, well, that was almost twenty plus years ago, there's not much invention, so we use whatever we could find around. We would collect the sap from jackfruit tree to catch dragonflies. It is that sticky thing that they use to make bubble gums. We would wound it on a long stick and then use it as an extention as not to disturb the dragonflies. We would also catch butterflies as the place has a bundant butterflies. But nowadays, I noticed that a lot of these wild life are fewer in number compared to when we were young kids due to the cutting down of forests and woods for the purpose of farming.

A lot of these memories were triggered when I was sitting by our patio listening to the sound of cicadas and watching the birds just hop around from trunk to the branches. Makes me feel so close to nature. And then there are the squirrels playing around catching each other's tails. Their nails must be that sharp that they can just go up and down the trees and can even position themselves up side down.

I remember too that we would go to the woods and we would always find fruit trees. We used to go look for passion fruits, star fruits and even palm hearts. Real fresh palm hearts. Bananas, all types of bananas, and even banana hearts for dinner. I remember that we would invade our grandparents yards full of fruit trees such as jackfruits, star apple, pineapples, mangoes, guyabano. And at the back of my granparent's house they have this bamboo tree that is always abundant with bamboo shoots. The edible bamboo shoots. And just a few yards is a pond full of watercress and "gabi" or taro. Also "kangkong", swamp cabbage or water spinach. All these three do best in ponds or swamp. The pomelo tree they have withstand the strong typhoons that they had last year and is always abundant with fruits. It was already there eversince I was a kid. And it's still bearing fruits.

I had such glee when I was back at my parent's place. Just outside the portch by the yard is a mango tree and it has fruits. Although some of the branches have been blown away by the storm, there was a branch that had fruits. I just went out there and picked some fruits.And just by the side of the house are pineapples. A whole bunch of pineapples, almost ripe and ready. My mom, picked two ripe ones for me to bring to my sister's place. There is also a coconut tree right by our yard and some citrus trees. As my dad have been doing some kind of marcotting calamansi with some Australian citrus. These citrus fruits are actually being sold along the Nueva Vizcaya area, in fruit stands and in the market. Of course there are some trees surrounding the house. I guess, that's why I love Georgia because it has a lot of trees and vegetation which reminds me so much of home. It was such an adjustment for me not being able to avail of real fresh fruits and vegetables. I have noticed the difference of taste between foods from back home and what they have here in the US. During my last trip, the fruits and vegetables tasted so much better. Probably they are more organic and freshly picked compared to what they have here that has been refrigerated and/or frozen. Even the meats tasted so much better over there. I don't know if my taste buds are tricking me.I had a craving for Pinoy foods the few days I was back. I craved for freshly picked fruits and vegetables and seafoods. We had to rush to the Filipino store. But i was disappointed, it didn't taste the same. I got frozen tinapa. I loved tinapa when I was there in P.I., with freshly sliced tomatoes with a sprinkle of salt. But of course the frozen one has lost some of it's taste. It was almost bland.Haaaaaaaay!

I actually passed by a place in San Fernando La Union, where they make they manufacture Virgin Coconut Oil. Had I known about this product, I would have bought some when I was there. I am using a certain Indian coconut oil with some other herbs and lemon on my hair. It smells good. I put on my scalp for overnight and then wash it off in the morning. Coconut oil is suppose to have a lot of use. And now the Virgin coconut oil can be used to cook. I have been trying to use olive oil for a while now. It's suppose to be healthier. I do go for corn oil, canola and vegetable oil.I would usually use them alternately. I do sometimes use butter/margarine, it is good when frying up chicken breasts with garlic. The smell is very aromatic.

As a seafood lover I always eat fish and lately, I have been hooked to tilapia and salmon. Salmon has good essential oils good for the skin. Tilapia, I would deep fry it sometimes, bake or broil it. And of course I love crablegs. J would buy my two pounds of them. I just don't like the salt content. So, I avoid it sometimes. Shrimp too are among my favorites.

I have "bangus" or milkfish in the fridge, together with some bitter gourd and eggplant and kangkong. I would probably make rellenong bangus or whatever recipe I could find. Atleast that way I get to get in touch with my pinoyness aside from eating hopia ube and ampalaya and ensaymada.

Let there be silence and shut up.

2005-06-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Relax, be still
Let your mind take you where the wind blows
Let your body feels nothing but weightlessness
Free your mind, loosen your muscles
Let your breath sway with the blowing wind
Free your soul, let it soar up in the skies
Let it dance with the clouds
Let it chase the kites
Let it ride the clouds and feel nothing,just nothingness
Be calm, just let go of all the heaviness
Keep riding nad gliding among the clouds
As you sway and giggle.
Take a deep breath and look around you
Gather yourself and start a fresh new you.

Tongues, summer, and friends

2005-06-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Traveling is always a great way to experience different ways of life. It opens up your mind to other ways of doing things. You would hear other languages. In my trip I was able to speak different dialects. Once I stepped out of Hongkong airport I had to try my Cantonese a little bit with the locals. I forgot a lot of words that I learned already but I still could understand people talking within my earshot. Maybe not everything, but I did understand some. It was harder to go around and go to the small local stores if you don't speak Cantonese. It was hard for me to buy foods from the small restaurants that has menus written in Chinese. But I was able to get around.

When I was with my family in my hometown I had to speak Ifugao dialect called Tuwali. Of course it's something that I will never forget since it's really my dialect since childhood, my mother tongue. And the very language I speak, when talking to my family.

I find it a great advantage to be able to speak two or more dialects and languages. Going to different regions or provinces in the Philippines, you would be greeted in different dialects. And it's always great to know the dialect. One could always get around speaking Tagalog or even English, but speaking the dialect makes socializing even better and people are delighted that other people would like to learn their own local tongue. Of course if you are in Manila and other surrounding Manila like Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, you would hear a lot of Tagalog languages. As you go down Pangasinan, they speak Pangasinanse, Pampanga, Kapampangan and from Nueva Ecija , Nueva Vizcaya to Isabela and Cagayan, a great portion of people speak Ilocano. Since I grew up around these areas, I learned to speak Ilocano too. Although different towns may have their own accents and intonations, people can communicate. Baguio, they have a Cordilleran Ilocano accent compared to Ilocano from Ilocos or an Ilocano from Isabela. Of course in the Cordillera region, there are a lot of different dialects already. The region of course is composed of about seven provinces, Benguet,Abra,Ifugao, Bontoc, Kalinga, Apayao. And in each provinces the smaller towns may even have their own dialects. It's great learning a lot of dialects and languages. While traveling and going to places especially if one stays for sometime, they could actually assimilate the languages and/or dialects. I have learned so far by going to places.

When in Isabela, I spoke Ilocano, and when I was in Kiangan I spoke Tuwali and when in Manila I spoke Tagalog. It was a bit ackward during the first day, but it all came to me once I warmed up. It' was all stored up within me, I just had to exercise talking the dialect. Of course, I still have to pause and think of some words as my tongue gets rusty when I don't speak that certain dialect. But just like Taglish, I would borrow some words from other dialect mostly in Tagalog and use it if I couldn't remember the words. Ah, don't you hate when you suddenly can't remember the words. Of course I use English words as a remedy whenever I can't think of the word at that very moment.

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Summer heat is here again. I love the spring and fall weather , but when it gets too hot, I don't like to be out there. I tend to wait till it gets cooler to get out into the outdoors. Find a shade or do things in the shade. I would even jog in the shade, opposite to what everyone else is doing which is getting some tan. I already got a great tan and of course if I overdo it, it won't be tan anymore but burned. It's so great to do a lot of outdoor stuff especially when the weather is nice. We had postponed our plan of going camping since it had been pouring the past two weeks. Now that the sun is out, my goodness, it get's up to 95 degrees F. What can I say, it is summer. We did some canoing already which was very enjoyable because the weather was not too hot. Of course we still spend time playing tennis when we get the chance. I would love swimming if we have an access to swimming pools. I went with a friend yesterday, but it was too bad.I didn't have fun at all because all I did was wait and I was the only one in the pool and the people we were waiting for never showed up until I got tired and declared we go home as things were not going as planned. I am trying to revive my gardenning enthusiasm. I got few plants this year. I learned from my past gardens that a lot of the plants die in winter when left outside so I am going for more indoor plants this time. Plants that I could bring in when frost starts.

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What do you look for in a friend? I am not the type that would start a conversation that easy to strangers. I guess it takes a while for me to warm up. I normally don't do very well in a group. I prefer one on one conversations as I am weary about audience. I don't think I have a high standard for friends. I think I am always looking for some kind of satisfaction in a friend relationship. When I say satisfaction it may mean different things like how comfortable I am with that person, how much of me can I disclose to a person without worrying of being judged or critisized. Friends can become close friends in varying degrees. It's how close that matters.There is also the rationality issue, the intellectual side. When I say I want to be satisfied, I would say I would wish we could discuss anything under the sun. I guess two people got to have similar interests which could bring them together. Can and will do things together, if not can exchange interests.

From Here to There and Back

2005-06-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

Visiting my hometown and my province made me more grateful about a lot of things in life. Especially things that I sometimes take for granted or some things that I forget after living in a world of convenience. I even get to appreciate walking, since walking is a part of everyday life in my hometown. They go to work, they walk, go to the stores, they walk, we walked everywhere, well, almost everywhere, if not walking distance we would ride the jeepneys and tricycles. It was so fun to be able to roam around the familiar places, seeing and meeting familiar faces. Well, a lot of changes of course with the places and people and so I didn't recognize some people. I saw new faces, new growing kids. The kids that I use to know have already grown up and even have their own kids now. Time has gone so fast. Changes are truly inevitable. Prices have soared up high since the last time I was there. Fares for public transportation have quadrupled.

Well, being there had a certain familiar feeling to it, but at the same time I felt like a stranger to my own hometown. Years of being away really makes a lot of difference. The people I used to know, have traveled milestones. They have their own lives now. It was almost like getting to know again my very own hometown. New buildings and new houses have been built already. New faces, new neighbors have moved in. The young kids I used to know are the grown ups already and are teaching to the high school where I studied. Others are working in the municipal hall. Others are politicians. Looking back to our younger years, you couldn't tell who's gonna be successful in the future. Meeting my former highschool classmates makes me realize how far we have gone in life. Some of them are now married with kids and are working as cops, as accountants, as professionals. Others, just graduated from law school, others pursuing nursing studies which seems to be the trend. Still, some others still have same lives since the last time I saw them. Meeting these people made me feel like a stranger. They are familiar yet, strangers to me after all these years. It's a different feeling.

I have observed during my short stay in Baguio that they don't follow written signs by the roads especially the sign that says " No loading, No Unloading Zone". Jeepneys stop and unload and load passengers right where the sign is, which I found ridiculous the first time I saw it.They don't take the written signs seriously, not only in baguio but everywhere else. In the province, it's very important to know how much the fare to your destination. They could trick you into paying more than what you should pay. I have noticed that a lot of these tricycles and buses and jeepneys seem to compete for passengers. It's not good to look like a tourist when roaming around since people try to trick you.

It was brutally hot when I was there that handkerchiefs or small towels and umbrellas come in handy. I was there at the peak of the summer heat. In May, it starts raining mostly at later part of the day like in the afternoons. June, the rainy season starts which could last till November. Going to the lowlands, like Isabela and the valleys where it's flat proved to be hotter compared to the elevated parts of the country like Baguio and Ifugao which are about ten degrees cooler.

My trip to Quezon province was such an experience.Too bad I didn't have a lot time and so, I had to rush. The trip back and forth to Manila was like seven to eight hours total. It was an interesting trip, the pahiyas was well toured by a lot of people so much so that we had a hard time getting from one place to another without having to squeeze in between herds of people and vehicles. It's a very colorful and famous festivity. I didn't get to see the whole event since we had to go back to Manila after a gruelling two hours of walking under the sizzling sun just so we could see the parades of ornamented houses. The ornaments were composed of edible foods and crops like rice grains, pineapples, string beans, coconut's, tomatoes and all farm goods since it's a harvest festival. Farmers give thanks to the patron saint San Isidro Labrador for great harvests. I have noticed that on our way to the pahiyas we passed by a vast plantation of coconuts. So, the along the bus routes and in the public transportations, you'll see a lot of people selling buko pies and other coconut products like macapuno. Something I am already familiar with since they sell them along the roads of Nueva Vizcaya, town one has to pass by when traveling to Manila from Isabela or Ifugao, it's also same route going to Baguio.
While roaming around Lucban, I have noticed that a lot of things are made of coconut leaves like the straw hats, slippers, bags,coin purses, a lot of things.I was able to glimpse at the famous Banahaw mountain. It was such a cool experience although the weather wasn't so cool. My friends sent me home longanisa and suman as take home pasalubong.

I would definitely like to explore other places the next time I go on vacation in the Philippines. One of the places that was on my list was Batad. It is located in my very own province, I just didn't have time to go since one should spend a few days there. It's supposed to be very rural without electricity and of course mountain climbing involved. There are a lot of places that I wanted to see next time but if hubby comes along, my list might have to be shortened since he can't take long hours and days of traveling especially if the weather is not pleasant. We'll see next time. Next time might be a few years, that will give me time to save and plan for the next trip.

Actually my first stop over was Hongkong. I spent three days there roaming around places that I am familiar with. I remember that I felt no longer petite the first time I went out the crowded streets of Hongkong. I honestly felt regular size wise when I looked around, people were smaller, the Asian size like myself. I didn't feel small at all. My only problem was not being able to read Chinese, so I had to go look for places to eat where the menus were written in English. The first place I saw was KFC. Even if I didn't want to eat chicken I had to eat there because the small restaurants menus were all in Chinese. I walked around and went to places, but as I said, a lot of the signs and labels are written in Chinese except some that has the English translations. I went to meet my aunt at Lok Fu where the wet and dry markets are. I had been to this place a lot of times before so I was familiar with the routes. The very common transportation to get around Hongkong is the underground train MTR and buses. All you have to do is to familiarize yourself with the routes, it's best to equip yourself with the maps and got to know the number of the buses and their bus stops. Taxi cabs are also everywhere, you got to know their color codes. Red taxis go to the Kowloon area, other colors have a designated destinations if you are coming from the airport. Most of the time, we went around walking, shopping. It wasn't a very hard for me to walk around by myself since I had been there before. Of course there are changes, but I could get around.

My next stop was my hometown, Kiangan in the Ifugao province. I was able to appreciate the beauty of the town where I spent most of my childhood. Surrounded by mountains and breath taking sceneries that I took for granted before. Like what most people do over there since they see it everyday. Too bad all the photos I took from my town were gone. So, I am left without photogenic,I mean photographic evidences.Except this which I took few years ago, the last time we were there. I have to make sure I will have a lot of pix the next time I go there.

I was able to see a very close friend of mine in her own small town. It was such a very emotional meet up, because she had been a very close friend since our school days. So much things have happened to her life too. She's already married and is on her way while taking care of her sister's son. Her sister is in Dubai working. It was shocking for me to meet her husband. I didn't expect that she would end up marrying this guy. Well, I know him,not personally but in a small town where everybody knows each other, he's not a stranger to me. It's terrible for me to say but I was a bit disappointed to meet the guy she married. I know I'm bad, it's just that I was expecting someone better. Oh well, it's none of my beeswax.

After spending a few days in Baguio, I went to Isabela. But before that, Baguio seemed a lot crowded way back when I was a student. The once empty lot, stands a tall plaza. Even vehicles and taxis have increased in numbers. More people crowded Session Road. And the Baguio mall is attracting a lot of people from neighboring towns like Pangasinan, Benguet, La Union, San Fernando and of course even manila and from the provinces. It was crowded when I went to meet up with friends at Goldilocks. It was a long walk from Harrison Road all the way up Governor Pack Road. So much so that when we got there, I was drenched with sweat. Luckily it was like ten degrees lower compared to the heat in Manila. As usual I went roaming around Burnham park and to the Wagwagan stalls and to the dry market at Hill Top. I didn't stay there longer, I wish I could have since the person I was suppose to meet had other things to do. I didn't go to Q.M. and Quarry, I wanted to go up Lourdes grotto too.Oh, well.

Isabela, I stayed in Alicia and helped my sister and brother with their small garden stall. I didn't know that plants and flowers were so famous. Mostly I suffered the heat as I insisted on walking around. I get bored just hanging out and watching people walking by. I enjoyed buko juice so much when I was there. Lots of mangoes too, green as well as ripe mangoes. After a few days of stay there I had to go back to Kiangan and pack my things for my trip to Manila. The bus took off at evening time, so it was a night trip. I tried to sleep in the bus since it wasn't too crowded, but had a hard time getting comfortable. I probably slept for a few hours but that's about it. It was already four in the morning when I got to Manila.

The rest of my travel was spent on planes and airports. The next thing I know I was back here with hubby collecting my lugages and welcoming me back home. And my first complain was that I miss Filipino food. Of course I brought me with me some souveniers from my trip.

Vacation

2005-05-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

Has it been a month already? My goodness, time flies so swift when you are having fun.Lots of fun.Anyways, am back to my old haven on the other side of the world after a month of dillydallying on the other side of the globe. I stayed for three days in Hongkong.Experienced real dimsum and real chinese cuisine, mingled with Cantonese people. Walked the alley-alley,the night markets,ladies' markets and strolled the harbor joining the central and Tsim Sha Tsui. Rode the Star Ferry, joined the Filipino crowds at the World Wide Center at Central.

I promised myself to visit Baguio, and I did, eventhough it was very short, I kinda experienced the life in the city of Pines. I walked, well, if you are in the Philippines,expect a lot of walking and hiking. I walked and dillydallied at Session Road, strolled by Burnham park, used their internet cafe along next to 456 Department Store. And of course went to the Baguio Mall. It has a panoramic view from Burnham Park.

My trip concluded with me joining three of my friends to the "Pahiyas" in Lucban, Quezon province.It was a whole new exciting experience. Got to see coconut plantations along the long and winding roads packed with motorists and tourists making their way to where the festivities are. It was grualling hot summer day and we had to walk most of the time because the tricycles can't squease in, it was jammed with vehicles. There's so much details to mention, mostly my complaint was about the heat.

I am almost back to my normal sleeping habits now.At first I couldn't sleep at night and sleeps at day time. Terribale case of jetlag.

I really am pissed that the photos taken at my hometown wasn't saved in the cd that I gave that lady at the internet cafe. She probably didn't finnished burning it all. Oh, well, there's next time. An excuse for me to plan another trip in the future.

2005-04-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am off for vacation!!!!!wohooooo! I hope this trip will be really full of fun and enjoyable experience. Mean while, I will leave you shots from the beautiful Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island gate

The Atlantic Ocean by the Georgia Coast

Pier Marina

Wow, I am just a speck in this wide wide sky, ocean and earth! Looks infinite.

Got silly about Dinner

2005-04-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yum Yum! Does it look yummy or what? Prawns on a stick, marinated and grilled. Veggies(choi in Chinese) sauted in garlic and olive oil. I don't know about you but to me it looks delectable. That was my dinner by the way. It has been ground to pieces by now as the gastric juices and enzymes break them down to even smaller bits of pieces and goes on the process. From there, you know what happens. But let's not go there. So, just enjoy the visual effect. Too bad it doesn't have smell-o-vision.

And it goes on

2005-04-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
-- Robert Frost

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Talking to Hg, reminded me of a lot of things that happenned to me as a neophyte in this country. It feel so much better now and I could just laugh at it. But I could see myself in her situation now way back years ago. I am, of course tougher now. All I do was laugh and keep telling her "you'll learn, it's always hard at the beginning" which of course a very honest advise. And she's learning fast, in fact, she is doing so well, she just doesn't know it. Work situations seems hard to figure out at the beginning but once you've learned the routine, it would be so much easier. Confidence is also a learned and acquired skill over a course of time. It may sometimes come naturally , sometimes it has to build up. I would say, I have earned mine. It wasn't easy, I probably have been several embarassements before I finally gained a thick skin. J would always say "loosen up." It's one thing that I try to apply in my daily activities. I would condition my mind "okey, got to loosen up, got to relax." It of course works for most of the time. There's something about relaxing and just going with the flow that makes life so much easier. There are days that I try so hard and I feel stuck in the second gear. Like an engine that tries so hard pumping so much gas but not going anywhere. I guess the relaxing method works, you just have to learn how. Otherwise you'll be exhausted and would still be stuck.

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I watched as the southern sky started to swallowed the last ray of light, I stood still. I wondered if the other side of the world has been brightened up. Wherever I am, I have this constant yearning for whatever it is. Between the worlds apart, there's this one piece of the puzzle missing and I wondered if I will ever find it.Probably, one day along the journey, meantime, I would let the mystery of the sunset envelope my being. The sunset that would soon bring up the rising sun, a whole new day.

The other night, I didn't seem to have noticed the boundaries between daylight and night time. I totally engrossed myself to what I was doing. Time passed swiftly as the wisp of the wind. Time crept through me and I haven't noticed.

J woke up this morning with a panic realization that I will be leaving in a few days. He tried to look up things for me like documents and information. I was just laughing and told him I will be fine.

Excitement still eludes me. I guess I have a spark of excitement building up. I better start getting ready and I better go have fun for this is what I have been waiting for for months now.

What's up,World?

2005-04-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

"It is the choices we make that enslave our souls"

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I am back! Bwuhahahaha! Just as you thought I was dead.Sorry for the long vacation, I mean hibernation. Sorry, you must be tired of the same post every time you click this page. I know, I had been dead tired clicking on this page and reads the same old stuff for like months now. But well, I had been away because of reasons unmentionable or let's just say I had been very busy. Perhaps we'll leave it to the privacy of my own world. Or leave it to the reader's imagination. Anyway, I am back and I am happy I am back. But you know what, now that I am back, I am about to go away for a real vacation. Now, this time is a real vacation and I am flying halfway around the globe back to my homeland. I would say that this trip is intended for me to do some kind of soul searching. Perhaps to find myself again out there.

Gosh! don't you have those times when you feel lost. The body is there, but where's the spirit?

I brew me a cup of ginseng coffee with cocoa and gulped it. I hate these days when I totally lack the motivation. I have the clothes and stuff piled up in the guest room and in the bedroom for me to pack and organize but I I did today was watch the freaken tv and lounge around. There are days that I would sleep and zzzzzzzz all day like I haven't slept in days, yet when I get up I still feel tired. I know it, yet I still do it. When you oversleep, it isn't good. You think you would be well rested but sleeping too much will make you even more groggy for the rest of the day. I sometimes want to beat the crap out of myself for doing that and then ending up not accomplishing anything at all for the whole day. Let's see, what have I accomplished today? I transplanted that small orange plant that have grown big during the winter months. The pot has become too small for the orange tree. I raked a few pine cones by the walkway. Trimmed some more of the mondo grass that were still left untrimmed when I trimmed them the last time. I moved the Rosemary to the front yard. I did a few rounds of jumping jack using a jumping rope. I ate one steak taco. I watched "Look Who's Talking Now" for the nth time. And am able to moyivate myself to write all these on this new page. So, I guess I did a little bit of something today! Way to go girl. I hope I will do more than that the rest of the week.

Banging Into Dead Ends

2005-02-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
Dr. Seuss quotes
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In the darkness of a soul, there's an insatiable hunger

just seeking, just searching that which it can never find.

Seaching for the answers, just searching......

We do a lot of things to shake off that uneasiness

We run, we sweat, we curse we do it all

Go up the mountains, go to the doctor and may not find the answers.

I guess there's more than one answers to these questions.

And it's up to all of us to find out on our own.

They say, it's not the destination, but the journey.

Do you think you'll ever come to a point where you can say you have arrived, that you're there?

I think it's a constant arriving and leaving. A constant journey.

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Do you think that what happens to you everyday are mere coincidences, that the moons and the stars are aligned togethere and thatyou are at the intersection?

Do you believe in destiny?

Do you believe that there's a pre-destined plan for all of us even before our conception?

Or do we make our destiny?

Or is there even destiny?

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Irony of it all

2005-01-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever read a blog that seems to exactly tells the story of your emotions and thoughts and your life? It's quite chilling and causes tears to swell within and at the heart of your soul, you wonder if you were living a parallel life with someone in a parallel universe? Do you wonder if they are staring at the same star you're staring at, wherever part of the universe they might be at that moment.

Don't you have those moments when the paradox of life hits you hard? Don't you have those moments when you scream " This can't be happenning to me!" It happens to me, and when it does, I would literally feel the earth spinning at a speed, I try hard to grip on to something.

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So, what do you do to steam off? What do you do to uload your daily baggage? I think that each and everyone of us has this accumulation of bad stuff within us and we need to unhload thyem sometimes otherwise we would explode. We do need to pour out our hearts sometimes. I try to do some kind of cleansing everytime I get the chance. Sometimes, all we need is a quiet time just for ourselves. Get away from the crowed and think. Sometimes, we need to get out, have some fresh air. Nature sometimes has therapuetic effect to the tired soul.

I would run, jog for miles until I don't feel anything. Till I don't feel a thing. Run to beat the wind, run till my feet don't touch the ground. Run till I'm one with the ground, almost floating.

How can one escape his/her own mind? It's a torture sometimes battling with what the heart feels and what the brain is screaming. It's a struggle.(sigh) I can't sigh enough.

Dilemna

2005-01-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

I decided to birighten up a little bit and think of the many blessings I got for the past year. I haven't been emotionally well the past weeks for some unmentionable reasons. I could mention them, it's just that it's very personal and I would definitely feel vulnerable which I am right now. I can assure you, I will be alright. I am a very strong person, and I am gonna go through this and overcome it and grow a stronger heart afterwards. I guess I just needed someone to talk to, to pour out my heart. You know, not everything is for public consumption, especially for a very private person like me.

Well, I would like to pour out my greatfulness to all that sent me greetings and greeting cards, I know it's a bit late but, I guess it's never too late to give thanks.

Gifts poured during the holidays, thanks a bunch to all those who thoughtfully included me/us in their list. Thanks everyone.(Big hugs)

Ok, one of my favorites of all the gifts that I gotis a laptop that my luvofmine gave me. Thanks sweetie! You are really really sweet. Well, he said that he would get me one if I lost about ten pounds. I started being a (fatloser) at the beginning of December and I have lost five pounds so far. But when christmas came, he shocked me when I openned my gifts.That was really a big surprise. I guess I was just too tired that I didn't have enough excitement for my new toy. But now, I am loving it. He even got a wirless router. It is really cool.

Another toy that he gave me is an MP3 player. I didn't even know what it was when I got it, now I'm loving it because I can jog with it, weightless plus I can use it to store a lot of my stuff. Luv it! Thanks a bunch!

New Year Challenge!

2005-01-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

The holidays have come and passed by. The new year is here and I am still the old me. I hadn't time really to think of my new year's resolution. For some reason there's this melancholia seeping through me right at this very moment.But I know moments like this will soon vanish. Now, there's the spirit. Even if all I want to do is to lay my head on the table and let my tears just drip on the wooden desk. I also want to shout, because I am sick of it, just so full of it and I want to explode. Gosh! somtimes life can be so chaotic. Gosh, I want to hit my head hard on the wall and see what happens, it might clear my mind that has been in limbo for days now.It can be so difficult or am I just making it hard on myself. Ok I am being torn apart. I guess it's getting heavy on me. Sometimes I would say to myself "what's your problem woman?" When I don't even know what's wrong. I try to clear my mind and it gets foggier. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!help! At other times I would scream to myself "suck it up"! and appear to be the perfectly normal happy person. But when nobody's looking, there I go with my demented thoughts.But who doesn't have their moments? Aha, I guess I am normal after all. I think my only problem is that I let people get into my skin.Ok, I think I did a lot of damage, I mean drama. Do you somtimes feel like a loser, some days? That's just how I feel today for some reason only God knows.

Isn't that great? My new year started with a lot of challenges. I don't know if it's a good thing or not. But hopefully it will push me to do things that I have postponed for a long time. I guess it's high time to boldy go and pursue and somehow there's got to be a driving force behind.

2004-12-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Looks like we are making it........4 years and counting. Ok, this is a very late post, but I just want to share our anniversary pix taken December 11. It looks so romantic and it really was very special.Time has gone by so quick and look at where we are now.

Dinner table

We are not country fans, but this happens to be our team song
Mm, mm, mm
Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come, my baby
We might have took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday

1-They said, "I'll bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding now
We're still together still going strong

2-You're still the one I run to, the one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life, still the one
You're still the one that I love, the only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight

Ain't nothin' better we beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen, look at what we would be missin'
(repeat 1, 2)

You're still the one, oh, baby
(rpt 2)

I'm so glad we made it
Look how far we've come my baby

Happy Holidays!

2004-12-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

This has been a very busy Decemberrrrrrrrr for me. I even don't have time to peek at my blog or even write anything. My mind is just busy and time seems to be going so fast for me lately. But I promise I will get back to all of you when I have the time. In case you are also busy, may you all have a wonderful christmas holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

Did you know that a mature turkey has 3,499 feathers. Wow, who had the time to count every single feathers? I don't know if there's anybody who would actually butcher their own turkey live. Mostly, they come already without feathers and ready to be cooked.

Too bad, some people would be spending their Thansknsgiving cleaning up after the tornado that hit Texas to Alabama. We had some rains yesterday and we were lucky not to be on the route of the tornado.

And of course the holiday fever is very high, the Thanksgiving and the pre-christmas shopping. The media and commercials are pumped up with sales and shopping and more shopping for the upcoming holidays. Of course the day after thanksgiving would be the day when a lot of people eat their left overs and go shopping, so, malls and shopping areas would be expected to be packed with people from all walks of life shopping for what's on sale.

I am not one of those who would be hosting the big dinner, so I am still taking my time. I am still in my jammies when a lot of people are too busy cooking this and that. But I would probably cook something to bring for the family dinner in the evening.

I don't know if this happens to you. Food would so abundant, and I guess, with all the abundance and bounty we have, we should be thankful.

Well, don't eat too much now.Or you will become like this.....

One sexy mama.

Dilly dallying

2004-11-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of explanation for my long absence.I sort of wandered off a little bit and submerged myself to diferent things; work, arts and crafts, home making responsibilities. Let's just say I just had to go out there and experience and fill myself with ideas and thoughts and exposure to live by.

We were able to Climb up Stone Mountain up in Atlanta a few days before hallows eve. It looked fantastic at the top at night. You just feel like you are on top of the world looking at the towns below. Just panoramic especially when all the lights are glowing.It was a pretty sight. We just sat there and dreamt, looking straight to the stars above. The air was also cooler up there. We didn't stay that long there since we didn't have any flashlight and it was dark. We made it down quicker than going up. That was a very nice exercise.

Halloween was such fun. It wasn't planned I just happenned to be there when we didn't even plan on celebrating halloween.Here's one of the funniest customes that night.

That's not all. J had organized a bowling team that evening before coming down to Macon. We went bowling at a bowling alley that's close to my brother-in-law. I had such luck that evening, I started not so good. My ball going to the gutter. But then as I went along my shots were getting straight hitting the pins. The guys were even worried I might beat them. Eventually, when we tallied the scores I was placed 3rd among 6 people. So they congratulated me. That was the best yet, compared to the other times we went bowling. Of course after that long weekend spent at H, house I was ready to get back home.

The next day, we decided we would go for a walk by the woods. We followed a trail just by the back of our place. It wasn't our first time. We have been to this trail before, so we know our way over there. We walked all the way, coming across a lot of leaves falling, sometimes it would rain with leaves that it would sound like it was really raining. We finally came up to a lake, beautiful view from the nature trail.

Woods at the back yard.

The Filtered sun through the trees.

Great view of the Lake:

The Scary

2004-11-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

Halloween is such a colorful holiday. Lots of orange, lots of pumpkins. It wqas a blast when a friend invited me to go with her to a halloween party. It was a lot of fun. Lots of wierd food. Bats wings, chocolate eye balls, blood drinks, green eggs.

Pumpkins Rolling!

Hah, the wicked witch and her sweetie!

Him taking a picture of me taking a taking a photo of him.

Fun Stuff

2004-11-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

FAIR
I know, I had a long break. Nope, I didn't go campaigning for any of the candidates. Just took a long break from the virtual world. I had a lot of things to talk about but I am kind'a tongue tied. You know when things are swimming in your head and you can't seem to put them to words. But the last weeks I had the ups and downs and even roller coaster and I mean litterally during the Georgia National Fair when some of my friends invited us to join them over there. I really wanted to ride the sky lift or cable but we ended up buying too many tickets that were not valid for that ride. So instead we rode the merry-go-round, ferries Wheel, the sled wagon, and the egyptian boat. I really had a rush riding the egyptian boat. I thought it would just be a slow ride, and it was,except we would go up in the air almost up side down. That was scary.
Panoramic view of the carnival rides at night

Waterfront, awesome in the evening

Do You wonder how they milk cows? They exhibitted how they milk cows at the fair.

What kind of girl are you?

2004-10-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

I tried to find out what kind of girl I am and this is what I have found out.

I am a hybrid of:
Academic Girl
Progressive Girl
Click on the pictures below to read more:
Take the 'What Kind of Girl Are You?' quiz at CookingToHookup.com

THINGS THAT MAY BE TRUE ABOUT ME:

1. A lifelong learner, eternally seeking knowledge and culture and asnwers to the BIG questions.

2. No, I don't really like lectures but I can stand sitting in a class and lieten
to other people's opinions about things and dispute it with mine.

3. I love going to libraries and book sales, aside from the books that surround me
at the library, I love the quiet,deep thinking ambience.

4.I do read Cosmo

5. No, I don't even talk about thesis.

6. I don't drive a Volvo, Saab nor a Toyota, just happen to have Mitsubishi.

7.And yes, I might like an SUV, more spacious.

8. I like to talk about anything under the sun. I can go off topic a few times
depending on where my mind goes.

9. No, i don't begin my sentence with "Susan Sarandon" but I do watch Lifetime Television Network, one of those channels that hubby would classify as one of the estrogen yak.

10. I would never pass the chance for a new experience. True that, I like the array
of adventures. I have learned that it's another way to know more about things is
to do it firsthand experience or atleast try it and feel it in the bones.

11. No,I don't own a water filter but I would probably want one. And I don't own an
acre of forest but I love the greenery and nature and jungle.

Catdogs

2004-10-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes. -- Lewis Grizzard

I have never seen animals like dogs and cats and other pets being pampered even better than humans are. My co-worker Gwennypooh, well, that's not her real name but I'd like to call her that,as I have heard some kids like to call her that.Anyway, she's got a dog named Binkywinky,well,that's not his real name either but that's how I would liketo call him. He never goes out, he's an indoor dog as Gwennypooh trained himto do so for 12 years. Yes, he's that old. Atleast while he's was with Gwenny's household circle. Binkywinky is one such lucky dog for 12 years now. As much as possible his paws wouldn't touch the ground if he's outside. He's that precious. When we were about to go see the fair, mommy Gwenny rushed to Wal-mart to buy a stroller for him. It took them almost two hours to get back. I find it funny and told her why not get one of those baby pouch and carry him around and not worry about who's gonna walk or hold him. But yes, he does not potty outside, thus, no need to walk him outside. He stays in a play pen and watches movies in the room and goes potty to some hospital pads in the bathroom.
he would cry when his mommy is not in sight. He wears a red or blue bow on his head. When we got to the fair grounds we tried to see if Binkywinky would ride the stroller. He was kinda scared, so we put a blanket around his front to prevent him from jumping off the stroller. It worked fine. He had a very pampered life, but I am wondering whether his being a dog was taken away from him will all these babying. I mean he doesn't even bark. He doesn't even play ball, but that's understandable since Gwenny's very busy and probably doesn't have time to be playing ball with him. I think, sometimes people are pampering their pets too much. And I have never seen dogs and cats that are overweight as their owners. It's only here that they have diet foods for pets or pets being put on a diet. That is really too much to hear on the news huge dogs weighing even heavier than their owners and may become as big as a lion. It's been a while but I have seen a pet dog and owner causing traffic jam while walking by the side of the road because people stop and stared at this remarkably huge dog crossing the street. And when the owner was interviewed, he said that his dog would eat a more than a bucketful of dog food. Amazing! but is that healthy?

2004-10-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

Macon had their anual local fair. We brought the kids to Central City Park with glee even if the director said that we shouldn't have fun. I didn't attend the Friday meeting but my co-worker passed on what they talked about, that we are there to supervise them and not to have fun. And I was like, why would we even go if we are not to have fun. So, even if i didn't realy ride on any of the rides, I enjoyed the walking around watching taking photos and having fun, watching the array of color displays and rides.

Ring of Fire, how would you like to ride round and round this giant ring?

2004-10-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

Although we were not in Ausie, we were able to see real kangaroos for the first time.

2004-10-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

An aquarium full of iguanas. Play their gameof popping ballons, or knocking off three rings to the ground and you can bring home one of these green lizards.

2004-10-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

Interpretative dancing, accompanied by songs.

2004-10-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ferries wheel and carousel, with some of the kids riding and some of them standing hanging out.

2004-10-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Oriental Express Train, where you ride at the back of a dragon and the dragon will take you up in the air and back down.

2004-10-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

How would you like to be the tea to contain these beautiful tea cups and whirl around this gigantic yellow tea pot?

2004-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Colorful stuffed fish hanging on display.