He's smitten!

My brother in law is smitten -- but not with his wife, but with our neighbor’s daughter.  Just when I thought my sister who married her prince even before they could finish college would have their happily-ever-after, she found out he’s having an affair with a most unlikely mistress:  our neighbor’s daughter.

The affair started when he was complaining about how much my sister has neglected his need for a more frequent communication.  Given that he works abroad, he felt it was only imperative that his wife struggle more to keep their communication lines open -- and healthy.

 

My sister was never the chatterer that he desires.  But she is a doer.  She likes keeping the house tidy and their child prim and proper.  Everything in the household was held in perfect order.  At the end of the day, she is always exhausted and felt that her arduous daily routine was enough to exempt her from writing emails, chatting, or texting her hubby.

Unlike that woman.  She liked being a tease almost always and even thrived upon being a center of attention by strutting her stuff in skimpy clothes whenever, wherever.  She seemed to have bewitched not only those men with whom she spent many late nights rendezvous known to the general public, she also cast her spell upon my brother-in-law.

 

My sister would have perfectly understood.  She admits she has failed to extend her presence to her hubby whenever he’s abroad working. She acknowledges that such failure has deeply severed her marriage ties because in her silence, her hubby felt ignored.

But is he thus justified for choosing to seek comfort and consolation in the arms of another woman?  Or specifically, from someone who lives within the proximity of their matrimonial nest?

 

And as if the discovery of his affair with that woman was not enough, he went on to divulge the specific physical encounters he had had with her…

As of now, I and the rest of my family could not think of any sane reason why he did what he did except to spite his wife, to see to it that she is crushed, and that she would be able to languish atleast until he is satiated with his affair.

I wish none of these is true… If she used a spell to bewitch him, may he awaken very soon…

I pray tomorrow when we awake, he will once again be smitten, not by the woman next door anymore, but by his wife forevermore.

I did these to Him!

Image SOURCE

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If there weren't images, it'd be very hard to imagine 

the kind of suffering that He underwent.

And here I am complaining, griping, 

whinning about how trivial things castigate me.

When ironically, 

the reason why He suffered this much is because of me!

Whose hand will hold Mom's?

I wonder whose hand will hold Mom's when she's seventy,

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When her skin is wrinkled, and her vision is blurry

When she sits by the couch, watching old romance on TV,

Patting her back, cuddling, making her coffee?

For sure when she was young like me

She must've envisioned she'd age happily

She and Daddy stronger and better

Each year as they celebrate their anniversary.

But Mom's hands aren't held by any man now

Since Daddy left, she seriously took a vow

She'd raise her daughters the best way she can

Even if she does it without a partner, a man.

Now with her daughters all grown up,

Each of them to their pursuits tied up, 

Visits to Mom get scarcer and scarcer,

I cannot help but start to ponder...

Who will hold Mom's hands?

No need to wonder,

We've got each other.

..wishing i were a kid again...

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Sometimes I wish I were a kid again

So I can stay in my Mother's arms

She can fight my wars for me

And finish what I began.

the Jinx that is upon UP

...or should it be, "the jinx that is upon me?" =)

I am still jealous of John Gabriel Pelias and of all other UP grads. It is because I have always wanted to go to UP myself.  But there always seemed to be a jinx somewhere...

When I was about to finish elementary, I was the only one from my batch (there's about 200 of us) who passed the UP highschool admission test.  But Mom told me it would be very costly for me to attend UP highschool since we live far from the UP campus.  When I was about to graduate from highschool, I again, took the UPCAT.  And from again, I was the only one who passed (my other classmate was wait-listed).  For the second time, I didn't go on with it for "more practical reasons."  So when I was already teaching, I planned on going to UP again for my Master's... and you can guess again what happened.

But I didn't give up.  When I finished my Master's I went on to study law -- no not at UP of course (for more practical reasons) -- but planned on reviewing at UP again.  For the fourth time, I didn't make it.  My hopes and dreams of going to UP didn't materialize...

I guess mine is a case of wanting that which I do not have.  For many Filipinos who come from the lower bracket of the economic hierarchy, going to UP is the only chance of availing a good kind of education.  But to me, such a quest has been as elusive as finding an eligible bachelor interested in marrying me. Sigh!

Many of my friends went to UP.  And I have had relatives who have been there too.  Some have managed to excel in their fields and I am here left wondering if their success can be attributed to the exposure, training, and education that their prestigious Alma Mater has bestowed upon them...

Sigh.  I still wish to wear their sablay. 

Sweet Treat: MANGGAHAN FESTIVAL 2011

Ask any Filipino what his favorite fruit is and you are likely to discover that 10 in every 10 like mangoes!  While apple represents America, mangoes represent the Philippines.  And we're all proud of it.  Speaking of which, this little province which I consider biker's paradise, claims to produce the best and sweetest mangoes -- in the world: Guimaras!

Since one of my classmates hail from the province, my bffs and I decided to spend a little time in this little island get-away.

A quick 10-minutes pump-boat ride was all it took to bring us to Guimaras from Iloilo. 
Fare costs 14pesos from Ortiz to Jordan wharf.

The motor boats are well-equipped.  Thanks to the stricter implementation of maritime rules for safety.  The vessels are never overloaded and life-jackets are prominently placed above the passenger seats.

Normally, nobody wants to have picture taken during a boat ride when one is travelling alone.  But in the company of friends, picture taking becomes imperative. =)

Manggahan is a tourism event of the province to commemorate the independence of the province (since it used to be just a part of the province of Iloilo).  It was our first time to attend the festivity although for my part, I have been to the province a few times already in the past.  They called their celebration "Manggahan" to give tribute the province's foremost product:  mangoes.

The affair also showcases the various agricultural and commercial products of the island. Since the focus of the event was the mango produce of Guimaras which also claims to be the home of the best and the sweetest mangoes in the Philippines, various booths also sold ripe and green mangoes, various mango preserves, even tiny mango seedlings, mango delicacies, and yes, also shirts with mango prints. 

Several booths have been designed into dainty bamboo huts like this one which had a huge mango-shaped paper mache.

No visit to the Manggahan Festival would be complete without having a feast of course, of mangoes!  Eversince the festival was launched, tourists and guests are treated to a bountiful mango feast where one can eat as much mangoes as he wants.

For this year, the Mango-eat-all-you-can costs 40pesos (less than a dollar).  After waiting at a long queue outside the eat-all-you-can area, patrons are ushered inside tables under the shady mango and acacia trees.  They are then served a platter with 3 mangoes each (approx. a kilo).  They also serve Ibus (sticky rice delicacy) for 3pesos a piece, it is the perfect match for the sweet mangoes.

True enough, most guests can only consume 3 mangoes at most considering that those have to be eaten and peeled with bare hands!  Yup. Bare hands.  So if you think of mango-eat-all-you-can, prepare to be messy! Heheheh!

After the hearty lunch we went around checking out the venue again.  This is what my friend calls "Guimaras dessert" -- pertains to that seemingly dessert-y site of a field made of lime and concrete.

We got home tired and satiated and yes, I brought with me some mangoes (and some marcotted calamansi) for Mom. Teheh!

Farewell AJ Perez

Yesterday when a friend told me AJ Perez died in a car accident my reaction was, "AJ who?" Pardon me but I honestly didn't know who he was.  When my friend told me he was the handsome leading man of Sabel at ABS-CBN's recently concluded soap, it was the only time I recognized him.  I always liked him even when I hardly watch TV.  I admired his charm and appeal.  I always found him wholesome..and very young.  So yes, I was saddened by the news of his death. 

Life is short they say..but for AJ, it was shorter.  His dad was qouted as saying,

 "Sana, panaginip lang to, Ogie. Si Aj ang buhay namin ng mami nya, bakit sya pa? Sana, ako na lang." (I wish this is just a dream.  AJ is our [his mom and dad'] life.  Why him?  I wish I were the one instead..)

Once again, theirs is a story of a parent burying their child.  The father's words create a very strong impact upon those who can relate to the pain of losing a loved one.  Why him? 

...and why not?  On a different perspective, if we come to evaluate the events in our lives, many of which are unpleasant and painful, we always find ourselves asking a similar question, "Why me?"  But, why not?

AJ's death like that of former young star, Rico Yan, happened at the Holy Week.  Jesus, in His Passion, could have easily daunted His Heavenly Father the same question..."WHY ME?"  But He did not.  Perhaps in the deepest recesses of His being, He knew why.

Things happen to  us not because we truly derserve them.  People who die young like Rico and AJ didn't die because they deserved it.  But it is because things happen for a reason.  So for us who remain living, our tasks will be to understand and accept that the loss of our loved ones, as well as the painful experiences we become subjected to happen for a reason.

Such is the mystery of life without which, living only becomes a senseless journey towards our death.

Whatta Coincidence!

I realized just now that my parents are Joseph and Mary! Dad is Jose Francisco and mom is Mary Sarah. I am amused at the coincidence -- at the same time bewildered. Imagine, after 33years, I found this out just now? Tsk. Tsk. But wait, Mom, Dad, were you always unaware too? heheh... 

On the otherhand, wasn't Jesus crucified when He was 33? None of us was baptized Jesus but I am now 33! Heheh..

Loser

I promised myself sometime ago that I would do everything I can to resist from yielding to unhappy thoughts: thoughts that corrupt, thoughts that castigate, thoughts that rob me of a sense of well-being.  But ever so often, I fall pray. 

It's about time I embrace this truth. 

Right now, I feel as if I have lost my sense of direction.  My spirit is crushed.  My heart is in a wreck.  My mind is in a total quandary.  I'd like to proclaim myself guilty of being completely nasty, of having proved all abominable charges against me, true.

I am a loser. I am a failure.  I was told this state won't last forever.  Whom are they kidding?  At this point in time, I don't find hope anywhere I turn.  I feel numb.  I feel dirty.  I feel ugly.  

Please don't dare try to invalidate my feelings by saying anything right now.  Don't dismiss my lamentations either...

This is but an attempt to ease the pain of scourging...don't push me down further by uttering another word...don't.. else I just might pull this trigger!

Loser.-------->      :p

John Gabriel Pelias - One of UP's Brightests

Pinoy Samut-Sari: John Gabriel Pelias - One of UP's Brightests: "Meet one of the Summa Cum Laudes of the University of the Philippines - Diliman for 2011 who also got one of the highest grades in the histo..."

While watching his interview by Jesica Soho, I cannot help but marvel at the humility of this young man. He would make any mother proud. And the pride he brings does not so much stem from the fact that he is graduating from UP as Summa Cum Laude alongside the honor of holding the highest grade so far after 65 years...although that is a huuge bonus! This bring young man has done his mother proud because he turned out fine notwithstanding the fact that his mother is seemingly out of the picture.

He revealed it was his grandma who raised him since his parents (one of which is now deceased) "now have a life of their own."

If we are to look at the news of incidents involving young people, many would declare that they screwed up their lives because of their parents... In most cases, many of these hapless young people claim that their parents have taken them forgranted, do not love them, owe them so much more than what money could offer, etc. The reasons are various. On the otherhand, here's one man whose story is not very different from the majority of today's youth who notwithstanding the atrocities that beleaguered him, succeeded in channeling those "deprivations" into something worthwhile. Unlike others, he didn't turn to alcohol or drugs to solve his  frustrations. Instead, he turned to his studies.  While others spent time going to bars and discos to propagate their social lives, he chose to remain glued to the pages of his books and notes.  But he says he is still "normal."  He has many friends and enjoyed his social life as well as checking out his Facebook once in a while but his studies remained his top priority. In the end, he reaped his reward.  If he's asked why, he quips, "Simply because I love doing what I do.  If we like what we do, it doesn't become a hassle."

Sigh!  I wish more young people learn from him... 

Bless his grandma for having raised him well... Bless his mom for bringing forth such an adorable son. 

I pray he remains steadfast in his commitment of making this world a so much better place for all of us. =)

And They Will Continue to Live Happily Ever After (a true story)

I haven't been always cynical about love.  I grew up to fairy tales and like many girls, I did yearn to one day be found by a Prince who would 'rescue' me and change my world forever.  But after Dad left Mom… I started to assume a different perspective.  Several more heartbreaks later, my heart has somewhat become frozen and my mind, skeptical.  I was most especially distrustful of guys whom I suspected of using their charm to win me – or my sisters.’ Which is why, I was always prompt in shooing prospective suitors intending to woo any of us.



their first picture as a couple..



So when my sister T, introduced the dashing, city boy, C, I was of course, apprehensive.  I tried my very best to daunt him but only to the extent that he will not be discouraged if his intention towards T was truly unadulterated.  And true to my sister’s intuition, C, proved to be a real gentleman.  He first talked with Mom to ask for only one thing:  that he be allowed to love my sister.  He says, if she falls for him, he will have fulfilled a dream, if she does not, he will keep trying to win her heart.  Being the big sister that I was, I advised T to take caution but she would hear none of it. Apparently, love was more potent than me.

She fell in love. Oh, rapidly in fact, because it only took him two weeks to earn her “yes”! 

She loved him and was convinced beyond anything that he was the man who was destined to be with her forever.  And T couldn’t be more right.  Every day, we began to see a new facet of their personalities unfold, each complimenting the other perfectly.  While T was adamant, C was acquiescent.  While T was resolute, C was persevering.  They both shared modest dreams – their vision of a happy ending.  And surprisingly, I was privy to everything.  Afterall, I am my sister’s bestfriend.

On April 8, 2006, two years, one month, and eight days after they met, he took her as his wife.

To this day, we all look back to the memories of April 8^th, 2006 as among the happiest days of our lives. It’s all because it was on this day, when my sister T, married her prince.  He made a Queen out of her, and an ally out of us..  

April 8, 2006....

Six gals with Mom on T's wedding day.. 

Mr. and Mrs. C&T Jaena on their first day of happy-ever-after. 

Happy endings do come true!

Here's a proof that they do!

(C&T with their children)

Bloom Where You are Planted

It's amazing how nature could inspire us in ways we never thought was possible. 

   Today was an ordinary day when I chanced upon the sight of this wonder....

A tiny flower -- from nowhere --

sprung from our old concrete water tank..

    

A closer look revealed that nothing much holds it
except for some dried moss
which never gets moist
unless it rains.



Four feet above the ground, upon a solid concrete structure

of the abandoned water tank..

the beautiful flower has found its space in this big wide world...

There it thrived.  There it clung.
There it flourished.
There it sprang.



 

The tiny plant blossomed, mindless of its circumstance
It was meant to be like that
A beautiful plant.

It exists.
And the world is so much happier.



   

If we could be like this tiny plant.. 

If we could just bloom where we are planted

Unmindful of the gloom,

of bereft circumstance

that makes thriving survival less ideal,

then perhaps this world

would become so much better.

We'd definitely be seeing a happier,

stronger, saner reason

to exist live,

and remain. 

 













"What happens if I say Damn You God?" and other questions..

Years ago I stumbled upon a delightful book by a medical doctor turned seminarian, Dr. Charles Victor Arokiasamy.  Its a 123-page work which reveals the author's "love letters" to God -- mainly questions and questions involving his "licit affair" with the Almighty.  Below, are some of my favorite excerpts from the book..

"..you know God has always wanted to be in relationship with people. I mean real relationships you know, the heavy duty love kind -- not just some wimpy acquaintanceship. That is why I came into the world and became a human being, to try to establish relationships. That was my whole mating ritual, you know, my pick-up routine. And I was sure looking to score. But I don't mean a one-night stand kind of score. I wanted to establish strong personal relationships with people; with each and every person of the six billion something human race...

Unfortunately, you know how relationships go. I mean, that stuff never goes down smoothly. There are ups and downs, love and frustration, joy and sadness, hurt and forgiveness, kicking and kissing, fighting and making up. As they say of Prego sauce, "It's all in there." Those ups and downs are all part of a real relationship, the kind I was looking for. But for the most part, what do you think I got?

...People put me off as some kind of plastic or marble image, far away and unapproachable. I am this scary guy who is going to zap them everytime they do something wrong, like an eternal policeman. They see me as this ever watchful Big Brother, just waiting for them to mess up. Or sometimes they treat me like a cigarette machine that they run to whenever they need a nicotine fix. You call that a relationship__? Would you go out with a girl who keeps you at a distance or comes to you only when she needs help? Worse yet, some people even manage to convince themselves that I don't exist! But I keep trying..." (pp.3-4)

One Special Nail



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I met a special nail

I know not where it’s from

It fell in the middle of the road one time

And waited for me to come.

Then I did.

My rear tire found it.

And unto it, it clung and was buried deep.

Making sure I'd pause and notice it,

And my so-so journey, halted.

In life, there'd be special nails waiting for us to trip on.  A few nails would succeed in wounding us superficially.  A few would be tolerable.  And one or too, can hurt us very badly.

Those nails are special because we aren’t the only ones journeying in this life.  And yet, by some sheer chance, that one nail reserved for us, finds us.  Then we are changed – if not forever, at least momentarily.

I have had my share of nails in life.  But I realized none of those nails can compare to the nail that was intentionally made to be used to fasten the limbs of God’s own Son upon the cross – that was especially built also for Him.

I whine about my “crosses” and “nails” when the life I now live is far from being “miserable” compared to the life of that one man – who wasn’t even supposed to live like a man because He is God’s Only Begotten Son.

Lord, thank you for stopping me to remind me I have much to thank you for in my life – nails and crosses included.

My Own Fair-Weather-Friend

Its been weeks.  But I still hate myself whenever I remember my failure.  I was told its normal to feel this way but why do I feel so neglected, so ashamed, and so hopeless still?  My friends and classmates seemed to have move-on already and have even managed to pick themselves up so they've started reviewing again.  Why can't I after all the encouragement I receive (and give)?

This failure has taught me so much about myself.  While I detest fair weather friends, I realized that I happen to be my own fair-weather-friend myself.  I like it when I know I did a great job.  But I end up abhorring myself when things don't turn out the way I expect them to be.

Some friends and relatives have remained mum all this while.  And yes, their coldness make me sick.  While I try my very best to convince myself that things are not as bad as they seem, I still remain very suspicious.  At the back of my mind, the nagging thought remains:  they're laughing at my failure.

I do not see myself being something else but an attorney.  But why does that seem sooo absurd? 

Dear God please hold my hand.  I am about to crumble..

My Sister's Hubby

He cleans the toilet with  bare hands,
And leaves everything spick and span.
He wakes up everyday at 3am
And sleep only after everything is done.

These are what my sister's hubby,
Yes, my nephew's amazing Daddy,
does aboard a ship somewhere,
To support the family he left here.

My heart aches at his sacrifice
But insists that he does this for his beloved
He can stay here at home alright
But their future would not seem very bright.

The plight he takes isn't unique
If we take time to listen, to believe
There is more than those pictures we see
Of OFWs smiling to appease their family.

Their real stories might remain untold
Of the many struggles and pains they hold
Yet through these all they try to endure,
By risking themselves at such a foreign venture.

Oh I wish no more kids would be left home
Coz their parents have to work elsewhere soon,
And miss on each other's lives
By struggling each day in order to survive.

I salute my young brother-in-law 
For the sacrifices he makes, for J and Yo
I hope and pray everythings turns alright,
A bright, rewarding future: for him, for Yo, and J, his wife.