Pursue achievable goals

Keep genuine smiles

Share with others

Help thy neighbors

Maintain a youthful spirit

Get along with the poor, the rich, the beautiful and the ugly

Keep cool under pressure

Lighten the atmosphere with humor

Forgive the annoyance of others

Have a few pals

Cooperate and reap greater rewards

Treasure every moment with your love ones

Have a high confidence in yourself

Respect the disadvantage

Indulge yourself occasionally

Surf the net leisurely

Take calculated risks

Understand that money isn't everything

Well, have you evaluated yourself so far?

From which of the tips above have you practiced most often?

And from which have you practiced the least? Or even haven't even for once in your life?

As for me, I don't think I have to answer. My blogs tell what I do the most.

The least? Argh! That I have to still work on.

By the way, this is courtesy of the many forwarded messages my friends e-mail me everyday. Hope I can post more of like this stuff.

Have a nice day everyone!

There are two seas in Palestine. They are both very different. One is called the Sea of Galilee. It is a lake with clean fresh water from which people can drink. Fish and people swim in it. It is surrounded by green fields and gardens. Many people have built  their homes near to it. Jesus sailed across it many times.

The other big body of water is called the Dead Sea, and it really lives up to its name. Everything about it is dead. The water is so salty that one would get sick from trying to drink it. It has no fish. Nothing grows along its bank. No one wants to live anywhere near its unpleasant smell.

The interesting thing about these bodies of water is that, the same river flows into both of them. So what makes the difference? Just this one: one receives and gives; the other receives and keeps.

The Jordan River flows into the top of the Sea of Galilee and out the bottom. The lake uses the water and then passes it on for other use. The Jordan then flows into the Dead Sea and never gets out again. The Dead Sea selfishly keeps it only for itself. This makes it dead. It gets and never gives.

- Two Seas in Palestine by John Marsabwlla

   in 1000 Stories You Can Use, pages 1-2

   by Fr. Frank Mihalic, SVD

This was the opening story of Ma'am Alma's sharing in our meeting a while back. The topic of our meeting: Connections!

Isn't that amazing? A meeting on bridging the gaps people created within themselves and among themselves?!! This is what makes our Departmental meetings in school unique. We are not much interested in winning the war of the brains people of today are preoccupied with. But we are more concerned in rebuilding human nature which manifests itself in complete and genuine harmony of what Jesus has exemplified.

Now I don't think I can resign from this Institution without crying a river...

Simplicity.

Spontaneity.

Play.

These are the three things that alternately appear in my mind while I was heading home. (There is but just a short distance I have to toddle from the highway to our house.) Last night, the air was cooler than usual. There was a silent breeze sweeping through my face. I could even hear the rustling of dried leaves rolling off the empty street. As well as the tender swishing of leaves cuddled by the trees' branches. The nocturnal insects are also in harmony with the gentle tunes sung by nature.

It was almost nine then. In our little town, this time was already a holy hour. Streetlamps are alight, tricycles are scarce, only a few people walk around the plaza, and silence predominates the sound of opened television sets in houses that usually stood apart from one another. I can hear some murmurs from the unlocked windows I passed by. Some giggles of kids running about their humble dwellings.

I walked slower than my usual pace. I decided to close my eyes and savor the breeze against my skin, the melodious unity of sounds in my ear, the darkness and tint of light getting through my shut eyes, the scent of some smoke from burning leaves I was able to notice a little while later combined with the aroma of the rich vegetation from the nearby field found their way to my nostrils and made my tummy rumble then suddenly, even without any food fed in my mouth, I got to taste some bitter-sweet tang lining my palate, the sensation of my feet, even with my shoes on felt bare with the occasional presence of pebbles crumbling here and there, and the impression I get from walking in the dark, alone with nature made me aware of my existence.

I really am alive. I can feel. I can see. I can hear. I can smell. I can taste. But the most important thing is, I am one with God's creation. And God is with me. I am never alone. Even in the midst of seemingly deserted place, I have company. There is God in all that is there. He is the breeze. He is in the leaves, robust or dried ones. He is in every vegetation that grows, along the streets or in fertile ground.  He is the pebbles, in stones and in rocks. He is in the nocturnal animals that sometimes scare me when I pass by our street in moonless nights. Now even the starless sky tells me He is there. The earth I step on is He. He is the road I travel every night. And all other roads I take. My existence is not coincidental. He created me. I am special.

Simplicity.

Spontaneity.

Play.

Hope these three words would again guide me the next time I let them take full control of me. The next time, I shall discover not just my existence and the God in every entity and within myself, but also the purpose of my being.

Simplicity.

Spontaneity.

Play.

P.S.

Try them. They won't harm you.

God! I almost fell from my swivel when I heard my phone ring. I was as serious as hell writing an entry about my Father. I was about to explode in tears emoting when I clicked on my phone and heard the usual playful voice on the other end of the line. Well, even if I would be seemingly dead, I would recognize Aurora's voice.

I said, "Hey girl, wazzup!"

She demanded an explanation why I did not call her.

"The nerve!", I hissed. "What for?"

"So you could make a good continuation of that entry you posted about my love life. You kept it hanging for sometime, the readers might lose their ganacity to finish my story."

Argh!

"Hello! Then it's my fault?! You must have forgotten that you hanged up on me. It is I, my dear Aurora, whose credibility and reputation that was put to a hook. Just reminding you, in case you have forgotten."

Then she was laughing like some loony that I almost dropped the phone for fear that she must be really out of her mind because of Romualdo. Then I voiced out my fear. The more that she laughed. After some minutes though, her laughter faded (but it seemed echoing in my head).

"You sure, you wanna continue writing your entry about me?", she asked.

I hesitated for a moment, "Sure!", I declared after realizing that this might be a good indication that she is now ready to talk. At least I could have a share in helping her unload some burdens.

So she went on…

"After Romualdo, I met Honorio (with a silent "H" – mabantot pa rin). He was witty, fun to be with, like a combination of Renato and Diomedes but different."

I blurted, "Idiosyncratic!" (Sounds familiar, eh!)

She agreed with the term. Though I was thinking of another working definition (like Research) which means, I mean a shorter term for "Idiot!" (Ain't I creative?) I wish to include "savant" to the term because he is an expert – a real expert manipulator. Why? Read on, dudes!

Aurora simply ignored my side comment. She continued…

"Honorio is such a gentleman. He would feed me good sumptuous meals. He would buy me chocolates and roses and shower me with soft shy kisses."

"Shy? Uh! Really? A real idiot!", I unintentionally uttered in a frisky tone. But now, I don't know for whom the term applies to – is it with Honorio or Aurora?

Because as far as I know, the guy sucks! During those times she was courting Aurora, he was dating some other girls. He dated them in the same places where he brought her to feed those good sumptuous meals. He bought the same chocolates and roses for those others whom he claimed girl-friends. He was sweet to almost every girl in school. He was a gentleman so she admires, but I think he was a scheming wolf. In fact, he gave me that same chocolate and that same rose he bought for Aurora. In fact, he brought me to that same diner where he brought Aurora the following night. I knew it because I followed him after he dropped me off at my apartment. I knew it because he is the same guy my boardmate saw coming out from an apartelle early morning where a same promiscuous young woman lives. I bet my head off, both did not have a good night sleep.

Aurora knew those facts, but I wasn't sure she realized she was falling off his bait. Yes, she did. I just confirmed it, right now.

Honestly, I didn't know what to say because this guy was the reason why Aurora and I had a little misunderstanding that was blown into a full length disagreement that lasted almost a decade. She mistook me flirting with the idiot guy!   

I reminded her. She was apologetic at first but we both felt the rush of laughter at the incident. Those were our childish foolishness. Damn the man! Really… damn him!

Guy number five is Liaracious. Sounds delicious, eh. Indeed he is yummy as Aurora claimed he is. But like Honorio, Ejercito (Irap ba? Liar nga!) is also an expert – expert liar. Sometimes he believes in his lies as his reality that when you try to check and balance his universe, you become the criminal. Duh!

Next guy, please!!!

But Aurora seem not to hear me. She persisted.

"Don't be so hard on the guy, girl. I know he just loved me so much that's why he made up those stories to impress me, my family and other people. He is afraid to lose me because he always tells me I am his life. And that he would die if we would not end up together."

"And you believed him?", I snapped (the real villain that I am), "Aren't you still convinced that the guy has some personality problem? He thinks the whole world admires him. He even thinks I liked him."

"Isn't it true?"   

"Aurora!"

"Okay, well. In some ways…"

"In some ways what? You believe me but in some ways you don't. Is that it? You too are crazy. Don't tell me you're still in love with the guy."

"Hell, no!!!", she almost broke my eardrum with that. "I mean, of course, I did love him. I actually realized that after some time. Even when the moon is round and I feel a little chill he might struck me with his pocket knife each time. Uh! I still loved the guy."

"Now the real lunatic is talking."

Aurora giggled. "I think I'm ready with guy number six."

"So you love him?"

"Sort of… I mean, I almost kinda fell for him."

I gave her my silence.

"Okay! Okay! I'm deeply in love with the guy. I think this is what they call real love."

Again, my silence.

"Fine. I know this is wrong. All of my relationships are wrong. The more that this is wrong. I mean, Husbandtolitis is pretty much like the others…"

I burst out laughing with the name she branded guy number six. It sounds like some kind of bacterial infection.

Aurora agreed. "He really is like an infection consuming my system."

"God, you're serious."

"Yes I am. But I know this would lead me nowhere."

"Like the others."

"Yeah, like the others."

Now, it was Aurora's turn to be silent.

"Are you still on the line?"

"Yeah."

Again… silence.

"Maria?"

"Yeah."

"I think tomorrow I'm going to Ruth's house. Can you come with me?"

A little doubt embraced me. But God knows I felt a tinge of hope. And hesitation. "Why?"

"It's time for me to settle things with my wife… once and for all."

The older sister’s question

 
When her brother was born, Sa-chi Gabriel begged her parents to leave her alone with the baby. They refused, fearing that, as with many four-year-olds, she was jealous and wanted to mistreat him.

 
But Sa-chi showed no signs of jealousy. And since she was always extremely affectionate towards her little brother, her parents decided to carry out an experiment. They left Sa-chi alone with their new-born baby, but kept the bedroom door ajar so that they could watch what she did.

 
Delighted to have her wish granted, little Sa-chi tiptoed over to the cradle, leaned over the baby and said:

 
‘Tell me what God is like. I’m beginning to forget.’

I find today's message very applicable to my sense of being since Gabrielle just celebrated her birthday yesterday. Beatrice was almost four when I gave birth to her sister. I thought things would be very difficult for us especially explaining to Beatrice the presence of Gabrielle and how we could teach her to love her sister as much as we do. Then we realized, we underestimated our daughter's innate ability to love. She would make Gabrielle milk and would lull her to sleep even when she wakes her up in the middle of the night. Indeed, God's gift of children is one of the best blessings one could ever have. And I am very thankful to have found the happiness of such blessing amidst life's struggles. Children too are God's way (in my experience) of manifesting Himself to remind us that He is ever present in our lives. Jesus himself was endeared in the presence of children. He let them come to him despite his tiredness. Their simplicity, innocence and spontaneity make them special. And I'm glad I share in this kind of happiness with my kids.

I spent the whole morning cursing that man in white cloak who claimed disrespect when he himself was on the phone when such is banned, I mean, the mere possession of it is banned in the vicinity of my blah... blah... blah...

Difficult for me to say things but indeed, i am bothered by such immature behavior.

Anyway, after a half day of trying to pacify my anger and calming my senses, I started encoding my assignment and target workload for the day, and this is what I have done so far:

Chapter VII

GUIDANCE

The Guidance

The Grade School and High School Guidance program is aimed at helping the individual by his/her own effort as far as possible, to achieve up to the level of his/her own capacity to gain personal satisfaction, in as many aspects of his/her life as possible, and to make his/her maximum contribution to the society... blah... blah... blah... blah...

-- Very reproductive, eh! And another thing I am proud of is that, I have settled one major issue that has long been overdue. As a matter of fact, I should have done this before. But I have kept my silence since I know in my heart the truth behind every single pain I received from someone I loved way back then. I felt that nobody deserved my explanation... as long as my hubby believes in me, that's enough for me. And I'm glad I did remain silent.

Nobody knew the real feelings I had. And it pained me more to hear careless, insensitive comments from people who do not know me personally and was not there when things happened. Moreso, the person who got all things messed up can no longer stand for me.

BUT... I am fortunate enough to have met a person amidst all these, who is very truthful, frank, but sensible and does not judge by word and stories she has heard. I am hoping, we would be able to nourish the friendship we have started. The past is no longer here... though that is what connects us both.

To my newfound friend, thank you too for the trust. Remember this, too:

Indeed, happiness is happiness when it is there... but it is the same happiness that causes pain when the fangs of betrayal and lies hit the soul.

I know your unconditional love for the man would shield you from those fangs.

Be happy! I wish you well...

When the Son of God descended to Earth, he brought love to us. But since people identified love with suffering and sacrifice, they felt that they have to crucify Jesus. Had they not done so, no one would have believed in the love that Jesus brought, since people were so used to suffering everyday with their own problems.

Do you know what Barabbas means? Bar means son and abba means father.

The intentions of the divine glory were so wise. When Pontius Pilate made the people choose, he actually gave them no choice at all. He presented them with one man who had been whipped and was falling apart, and he presented them with another man who held his head high -- Barabbas, the revolutionary. God knew that the people would put the weaker one to death so that he could prove his love.

And regardless of which choice they made, it was the Son of God who was going to be crucified.

- Petrus, The Pilgrimage

I was about to give up in giving my blogsite a taint of interaction because it has been a week since I posted an entry about HAPPINESS and I received no comment or message whatsoever from my readers (a few good souls). But before closing my doors to such thought, a friend e-mailed me with a three page confession about her encounter with Happiness. I have summarized her info (with her permission of course) and chose to spice it with some laughable stuff and sprinkled a bit of saucy side-comments – pun intended, to make our learning with life lighter and juicier. Whoa! Actually, she rolled off her chair laughing at her silliness after she read this entry (she edited the names of the guys in respect to them even those bastards deserve not a pint of such). I hope too, that you'll like this as much as my friend did. And so I write: Six Men and a Lady.

It was June of 1991 when Aurora (of course, this isn't my friend's real name, I'll protect her identity too, baka sugurin siya ng mga diyaskeng lalaking naka-ulayaw niya – her term) felt the fangs of the so called love bit her innocence and squeezed her sanity and be fooled by this cute angel-looking guy her age. Renato (of course, this isn't the guy's real name, too) didn't know Aurora loved him from a distance, though she would initiate brief conversations to attract his attention. But sad to say, Aurora was plain-looking that time and not a single guy could take to even just look at her with all her pimplets (small pimples, not actually pimples, but some sort of a skin disease she managed to have acquired from her ancestors, so she claims) and display some kind of affection or even wanting to be her friend.

Poor Aurora, she just contented herself loving Renato at a distance. One day, the guy seemed to have noticed the lass' intellectual prowess that he, for the first time, talked to her… really talked to her. So they say, too, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." We may call it magic (to me I thought of it as witchcraft), that Renato started wooing Aurora. He followed her everywhere. Attended parties with her. Gimmicked with her and her girl-friends. Until he disclosed his undying love for her. Promised her everything under the sun including every single entity in the heavens and the galaxies.

Indeed poor Aurora, she believed the sweet lies of Renato. She gave her the kind of love she thought she is not capable of sharing with someone other than her parents. She was happy. Very, very happy. Almost felt bliss. Ecstasy. Her moments with her seemed to last a lifetime. But it didn't. A trivial incident, so she thought, ended her happiness with Renato. An act of concern to another ended the happiness she has encountered with Renato. He left without hearing an explanation or asking her for a line or two. The next instant she knew, he was with somebody else. The promises? They are now all part of the heavens and the galaxies Aurora said, that which she can never reach in this life. And I add: Sana nagpatiwakal ka na lang para nakarating ka sa heavens and galaxies na promise ni Papa one sa iyo. (Kung doon nga ang patutunguhan mo!)

Then I asked: After sixteen years, what do you feel for him?

Aurora answered: Stupid guy! She fooled the wrong woman.

I retorted: But you believed his promises?

Her answer: Of course not! The stars he must have mentioned he would give me might be the craters (meteors) he saw all over my face when he once stared at me blankly under the acacia tree. I'm intelligent you know! I can read whether the guy loves me or just playing off with me.

So I asked back: Then why did you engage in a mutual understanding with him?

She snapped: Just for experience! His promises? Well, it hardened like kidney stones in my memory…

And so I concluded: Let's call Guy number 1, Renato – Promisecalises.

Happiness… when it left, it became her source of sorrow, she must admit.

But life must go on. She met Guy number 2, Diomedes – Dedmatolagious.

Why so? Guess you have to read on. But I think you don't need an ounce of gray matter to presume.

Well hell! The guy needs some bludgeoning. Aurora took her (again) for experience. Funny though, she fell in love with the guy without her noticing it. She just woke up one day, ready to take the kamikaze drive and plunge herself in the pits of no return which she again called love.

Aurora reminisced in her letter that the Pontius Pilate was a real funny guy and she found comfort in his laughter.

I replied angrily (somehow): So laughter can allure women like you to get into a relationship when in the first and second place you knew you weren't (aren't) compatible (well, so I concluded because of the difference in their mental abilities)!?

She answered with equal intensity: Yup! Aren't you?

(God! I feel guilty some ways because I was one of those trusted friends of Aurora who took the initiative to get the guy's leg going. I mean, nanulsol para ligawan siya. Promise! I didn't know the guy was dumb as hell! A girl-friend just said he got a "0" in Philo class. Argh! And it was too late then. Forgive me Aurora! But I have seen her happiness (quite a pull) with Diomedes. The name I chose really stinks, eh!)

At this extent, Aurora claimed: If only I were near you, Maria, I can squeeze your veins off your flabby neck!

I said: Back off girl! My flabs are quite an investment. They attract Virgin Coconut Oil buyers dahil naubusan na ng coconut sa buong Pilipinas sa dami ng gustong mag-invest sa fad na ito. Kaya ayos na ang Cocobutt Oil! Jeeerrsss!

To cut the short story shorter, Aurora broke up with him when one day, she requested to fix her comforter carelessly spread through her bed.

"Why? What the hell can that instigate?", you may ask.

Because my readers, Diomedes, a.k.a. Dedmatolagious is like a living dead walking around town without his brains dictating some logic and a bit of knowledge and common sense. What he did? (Suspense ba?) He got the whole computer unit all fixed on top of Aurora's bed and exclaimed proudly, "I carried with me too the mouse and the keyboard, Sweetheart. Aren't you thankful?"

Diddums!

Believe me, he did that.

If you don't. Well, I'm not in the position to force you to.          

And so Guy number 3 came into the picture. Too late than Aurora could have wished he would have. We decided to name him nothing because in essence, he was almost nothing (so she thought, again… and again… and again… na parang ako na rin). Kasi naman po itong si Romualdo ay walang bay--! Namputsa! Aurora almost bared herself infront of him and he only said one word, "Ginaw!"

Di ka man mabato, aba'y nagbalot-balot na si Mareng Auring sabay talikod kay Romualdo na kung gaano ka-masculine ang kanyang appeal lalo ang pangalan ay siya namang tiyope ni kulukoy.

Life is a big joke. Really it is! When Aurora was no longer entertaining in her thoughts the image of Romualdo that was when he called her up. She was surprised to receive his call after almost four years. And she felt sheer excitement, too. She thought that maybe, Romualdo has matured a bit and gained some confidence (guts) to eventually ask her out for some cup of coffee. After a few minutes of chit-chat, the line went blank. Some whooshy-whishy sound at first then went dead. She waited for a couple of minutes. Then an hour. Then a day. A week. A month. Until a year. And ultimately, she resigned to the hope that he is still interested with her.

Time flowed like living water, finding some place to rest for some moments and in due time would rush through the sea and join with the gyration of the waves.

That happened with Aurora. Like a living water, she purified herself immensely, have grown more beautiful (so she claimed after she spent some million in leveling the craters on her face and pouring some acid all over her body to make it white as snow… ugh!). And after almost nine years, she saw him climb the bus she was into. Their eyes met. Some spark aglow. He passed through her. Brushed his warm skin daintily against hers. Then he spoke, "Hi!"

My reaction: THAT WAS IT? After so many years, that was all he had to say? After having kept you waiting, that was all he said? By golly! That jerk!!!

I sensed some tremble in Aurora's voice on the other line. There were no letters appearing on my screen, too. She went blank.

And I don't think I can go on with my story just yet because our editing ended with Guy number 3. Hope you understand. The girl needs some time to think it over. And I guess, Romualdo still has a part in my friend's heart.

What do you think?

And hey, before I forget. I guess by now you could assume (as safe as one could) why we called Romualdo nothing.

Hell yes! The guy says NOTHING!!!!

I'm a bit surprised to see myself infront of the mirror looking so awfully tired while packing my things at five today. The whole day was such a blur that I went on my counseling routine as I was chewing a gum. Kids can be soooooo squeezingly delicious sometimes. Teens? They have achieved my level of tolerance. Er... well, almost there. You see, when you're a counselor, you can't just yell even your damn client is pushing you to your let's say peak of no return... I mean anger spurts. But hey, I'm good at hiding my real emotions behind my tweetums-diddums smile that paints "I fully understand you, kid!"

Geeezzzzz!!! Patience-patience... P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E!!! My virtue? Hope it is. Because when work gets in you and being tired eats your system to bits, home is not a home but just some cheap motel to rest your body.

But to me, when I get my hands turn the knob to my home, I smell cinnamon rolls calming my senses. Bea hugs me and kisses me and massages my feet while Gaby turns over me with all the saliva all over my face when she showers me with butterfly kisses... I mean licks me like a pup and my hubby has cooked my favorite dinner, adobong okra! Hhmmmm... that'll make my day!

Tired, eh?

I'm tired no more...

This entry is interactive. I want to know your opinion about the following lines:

"Happiness... these moments, as good as they are... they are evil when they are gone."

Is this true?

Or is not?

Leave me your reactions. Either you post it in my Comments box or tick on the "Contact Me" tab and leave your messages and it will go directly to my inbox.

But, hey! Don't forget to leave your names and e-mail ads so I can thank you personally for your time.

Ciao!!!