road to romantic ruin is paved with practical gifts (by dave barry)

over two years ago, deirdre gave me a copy of chicken soup for the romantic soul. this is one of the stories that i enjoyed immensely. just want to share it, as valentine's is coming up.

read on, guys! ; )

(buy the book too if you can, it's a fun read.)

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the other day my son and i were talking, and the subject of women came up, and i realized that it was time he and i had a Serious Talk. it's a talk every father should have with his son; and yet, far too often, we fathers avoid the subject, because it's so awkward.

the subject i am referring to is: buying gifts for women.

this is an area where many men do not have a clue. exhibit A was my father, who was a very thoughtful man, but who once gave my mother, on their anniversary, the following token of his love, his commitment, and - yes - his passion for her: an electric blanket. he honestly could not understand why, when she opened the box, she gave him that look (you veteran men know the look i mean). after all, this was the deluxe model electric blanket! with an automatic thermostat! what more could any woman WANT?

another example: i once worked with a guy named george who, for christmas, gave his wife, for her big gift - and i am not making this gift up - a chain saw. (as he later explained: "hey, we NEEDED a chain saw.") fortunately, the saw was not operational when his wife unwrapped it.

the mistake that george and my dad made, and that many guys make, was thinking that when you choose a gift for a woman, it should do something useful. wrong! the first rule of buying gifts for women is: THE GIFT SHOULD NOT DO ANYTHING, OR, IF IT DOES, IT SHOULD DO IT BADLY.

for example, let's consider two possible gifts, both of which, theoretically, perform the same function:

GIFT ONE: a state-of-the-art gasoline-powered lantern, with electronic ignition and dual mantles capable of generating twelve hundred lumens of light for ten hours on a single tank of fuel.

GIFT TWO: a scented beeswax candle, containing visible particles of bee poop and providing roughly the same illumination as a lukewarm corn dog.

now to a guy, Gift One is clearly superior, because you could use it to see in the dark. whereas to a woman, Gift Two is MUCH better, because women love to sit around in the gloom with reeking, sputtering candles, and don't ask ME why. i also don't know why a woman would be ticked off if you gave her a fifty-six piece socket-wrench set with a seventy-two-tooth reversible ratchet, but thrilled if you give her a tiny, very expensive vial of liquid with a name like "l'essence de nooquie eau de parfum de cologne de toilette de bidet," which, to the naked male nostril, does not smell any better than a stick of Juicy Fruit. all i'm saying is that this is the kind of thing women want. (that's why the ultimate gift is jewelry; it's totally useless.)

the second rule of buying gifts for women is: YOU ARE NEVER FINISHED. this is the scary part, the part that my son and his friends are just discovering. if you have a girlfriend, she will give you, at MINIMUM, a birthday gift, an anniversary gift, a Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa gift, and a Valentine's Day gift, and every one of these gifts will be nicely wrapped AND accompanied by a thoughtful card. when she gives you this gift, YOU HAVE TO GIVE HER ONE BACK. you can't just open your wallet and say, "here's, let's see...seventeen dollars!"

and, as i told my son, it only gets worse. looming ahead are bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, Mother's Day and other Mandatory Gift Occasions that would not even EXIST if men, as is alleged, really ran the world. women observe ALL of these occasions, and MORE. my wife will buy gifts for NO REASON. she'll go into one of those gift stores at the mall that men never enter, and she'll find something, maybe a tiny cute box that could not hold anything larger than a molecule, and is therefore useless, and she'll buy it, PLUS a thoughtful card, and SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHO THE RECIPIENT IS YET. millions of other women are out doing the same thing, getting farther and farther ahead, while we guys are home watching instant replays. we have no chance of winning this war.

that's what i told my son. it wasn't pleasant, but it was time he knew the truth. some day, when he is older and stronger, we'll tackle an even more difficult issue, namely, what to do when a woman asks: "do these pants make me look fat?" (answer: flee the country.)

ito ang nangyayari kapag nakawala si grace sa book sale

in fairness to my book hunting skills, 540 lang itong lahat. :)

the mermaid chair

" i had thought our lives together were vouchsafed. it was of those unpremeditated facts that i'd live with every single day. like the sun going through its motions - coming and going, an automaton. like the stars fixed in the milky way. who questions these things? they just are".

- jessie sullivan in the mermaid chair
by sue monk kidd

the battle of ateneo (harry potter and the deathly hallows - ateneo version)

got this through email. benta, i swear. lalo na si padre ferriols, father dacanay at dr. rosana (the last two were my teachers). mahaba nga lang, but i encourage you to read on. walang mapipikon, ha. ;)

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This was written by Miguel Antonio Lizada and was taken from www.animoateneo.com.

This started as three separate entries in my blog I must be honest and say that this was nothing but a mere product of boredom. I wrote this after re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and after asking myself "What would Ateneo be like if it was attacked by Voldemort and his dark creatures?"

Friends who read my blog forwarded this to their friends who in turn forwarded it to their friends. At the request of my colleagues here in AnimoAteneo. com and people who have enjoyed this, I have edited and polished this story as well as added a few new elements to it.

Just a few pre-reading reminders:

This, in essence is a parody of Ateneo life. Yes, there are of course anti-school and UAAP-based jokes here and there but this mainly satirizes Ateneo life - the people, the language, the culture etc.

This is also a parody of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Its ending resembles the ending of the Harry Potter book. So if you have not yet read the book and you do not wish to be spoiled, I must warn you to read at your own risk.

My thanks to those who have enjoyed what-used-to- be-just-a-time-filler and to those who contributed several suggestions.

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Chapter One: Before the Storm
Fr. Bienvenido Nebres SJ was just finishing the day's work when Harry Potter, a senior of the Ateneo de Manila, burst into his office.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry shouted.

"Harry!" a surprised Nebres said. "I thought you were out of school destroying the horcruxes to kill Lord Voldemort."

"That's what I wanted to tell you. I discovered that there are two horcruxes here in Ateneo itself. Voldemort has enlisted the help of the De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas. They are coming."

"Don't worry, Harry." Nebres said "You know for a fact that Ateneo -- its teachers and students -- are more than capable of defending our Loyola campus. We will hold them off while you search for the horcruxes and destroy them. You will need this." He waved of his wand and out of the air appeared a sword. "The sword of St. Ignatius." Nebres said. "Powerful enough to destroy the two horcruxes."

"Thank you, Father" Harry said. And with that, he sped off to find the last two things which protect Lord Voldemort.

Nebres then waved his wand once more and this time, four people appeared in his office. "Marlu, Rudy, Toby and Joey. The school is in danger."

Nebres then explained the situation to the four Deans of the Ateneo de Manila University. "I want you to assemble all remaining students in the college covered courts. We must evacuate the freshmen through Marikina. The sophomore, junior and senior students may stay and fight if they want to. Next, I need you to assemble all the teachers, both part-time and full-time."

Without a word, the four deans Disapparated and went on with their tasks. Nebres too Disapparated back to the Jesuit Residence and briefed the Society about the impending attack.

Fr. Adolfo Dacanay was the assigned to lead the Jesuits to battle "My team is ready to fight anytime anywhere. We will crush them!"

"Excellent." Nebres said

After a few minutes, Nebres, the four Deans and some members of the faculty and administration gathered in Xavier Hall to discuss the battle plan.

"The School of Humanities can summon mythical creatures to help defend us," Marlu Vilches said. "The English Department professors are summoning creatures from Dante's Inferno and Greek Mythology as we speak. The Filipino Department is summoning all the manananggals and white ladies from the haunted trees on campus.

"The Philosophy Department," interjected Fr. Ferriols "is summoning creatures from Meron pond right now. Those rascals will soon feel the wrath of Meron! Magiging WALA silang lahat! Konsepto lamang yan sila!"

"Now is the time to test the newest chemicals and inventions from our SEC laboratories. " Toby Dayrit said, "The Department of Environmental Science professors are enchanting the trees to life right now. We will purge them with the help of Mother Nature."

"I have just received a call from MVP," Rudy Ang said. "Reinforcements from Makati are coming soon."

"My apples and sunshine are ready to fight as well," Tim Gabuna said. "Go CERSA!"

"I have just finished briefing my school. The Department of History is ready to fight. The Western history professors led by Dave Lozada and JoEd Tirol are summoning the three hundred Spartans and soldiers from the World War II to fight. Fr Bulatao and the Department of Psychology are locked inside the SocSci Conference room right now. They will use their psychic powers to toy with our enemy's mind," said Fr. Joey Cruz.

"I have roused the athletes also," Norman Black beside Ricky Palou said. "They are ready to put up One Big Fight with their super strength."

A voice interrupted them. "I KNOW YOU ARE PREPARING TO FIGHT! You are no match for us! I have allied myself with the La Salle brothers and the Dominicans of UST. You cannot win against me, Jesuits. Push the limit! Animo Spirit! Give us Harry Potter and the sword of St. Ignatius and we will let you live! We will even let you win some of the games."



Chapter Two: More Help
The Ateneans ignored the warning and instead began to prepare for the impending battle. A few minutes later, the voice shouted for a second time:

"I can see you are not listening! It is such a pity. What happened to your Prayer for Generosity? Give me Harry Potter and the Sword of St. Ignatius. Give without counting the cost, you always say! You have until midnight. I also call on all students of La Salle Greenhills and La Salle Zobel. It is not too late. Come and join us. Convert! Repent!"

Fr. Dacanay, interrupting his briefing with his exorcists turned and said "The idiot is taking the prayer out of context. Besides, St. Ignatius also said to fight without fear of being wounded. And we will do just that."

Three figures -- two women and a man -- suddenly appeared. "We are from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology," said the man.

"Ricky Abad!" Fr. Nebres exclaimed.

"I brought with me our Department Chair Bopeep Saloma-Akpedonu. And this is Czarina Medina, one of our newest lecturers. We apologize for being late. We were preparing our I-bombs."

"I-bombs? What are I-bombs?" Nebres asked.

"Ideology bombs. Once they detonate, they will spread false consciousness in the area -- the La Salle brothers and the Tomasians will think they are winning. It is all false really. We will use their pride against them."

"Excellent, excellent," Nebres said. "And here comes Andrew Ty and Mark Escaler for the Department of Communication. "

"Yes!" Escaler said. "We will infiltrate their communication processes by adding "noise" and ambiguity between the message relay of the sender and the receiver so orders can be reversed and thwarted!"

"The creatures from my horror films are coming!" Andrew Ty said. "We will use them to our advantage!"

"Father President! Some people are coming!" somebody shouted.

Some five hundred people then Apparated out of nowhere. Wearing either red or white shirts, they marched towards Nebres. A young man then stepped forward.

"We are from the University of the Philippines," said the young man. "For years, our academic communities have built a strong relationship with each other. We have shared professors. We went to rallies together. We have had our differences, yes. But in the end, our similarities and accomplishments outweigh our differences...We are here to help! We are honored to fight with Ateneo once more!"

Cheers and applause errupted from all sides.

"Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baka! Don't be takot! Let's make baba from the hill," the Ateneans cheered.

Five minutes to midnight.

The School of Humanities stood with their mythical creatures summoned from the Classics, and the haunted trees and the gigantic swamp creatures from the Meron pond.

The John Gokongwei School of Management with their reinforcements from Makati, along with Venus Ibarra, Ricky Pilar and other professors.

The School of Science and Engineering with their mysterious inventions and weapons. The gigantic trees in the campus now walking sluggishly by their side.

The School of Social Sciences with their unique yet powerful defensive weapons; the Psychology Department ready for the psy-war.

The Ateneo Professional Schools ready to defend their Loyola-based counterparts; the two fraternities in the Law School forging a temporary alliance.

The Alumni, the D.A. (Dalandan's Army), led by Benjie Laza and Mon Cualoping.

The statues of Thomas More, Horacio dela Costa, and the Blue Eagle come to life.

The students from U.P.

Two horcruxes left.

Now all is still, where Loyola's colors fly.



Chapter Three: One Big Fight
Midnight.

There was a burst of light emanating from the sky, brighter than the moon and the stars. What seemed like a horde of fireflies turned out to be arrows. Thousands of arrows. Tips on fire.

The arrows struck the Blue Eagle Gym. The oldest building in the University. The symbol of their athletic pride. Now aflame.

Toby Dayrit tossed a beaker of water to the burning building. He pointed his wand at the beaker now mid-air and shouted his spell, "magis." The water transformed into a surf huge enough to douse the fire. The Blue Eagle Gym was safe.

The Archers outside roared their disappointment. But they shot again, this time targeting the Erenchun soccer field where some of the Ateneans were camped. Nebres pointed his wand at the arrows raining from the sky and shouted his incantation, "Cura personalis" and the thousand arrows turned into bubbles.

The Ateneans cheered. The first two attacks of the LaSallians and the Tomasians have been thwarted.

"You have had your fun, Ateneans." a voice boomed. "Now it is time to get serious."

Darkness suddenly enveloped the University. The enemy had sabotaged their electricity. Immediately all the Ateneans took out and flickered their wands, "Lux in Domino" they chanted. Light emanated from all the wands.

The illumination came just in time as suddenly a stampede crushed the fences between Gate 2 and Gate 2.5. The Ateneans have realized the magnitude of their danger: it was not just the LaSallians or even just the Tomasians they were confronting; the other schools were there as well. A thousand Green Archers were riding the backs of the giant tigers of UST. Charging with them were the giant tamaraws and a hundred warriors whose bodies were painted red war paint. Above, falcons were soaring in the sky.

"YOU FOUL THINGS, noh?" somebody from the Ateneo crowd shouted, charging at the stampede; it was Tessa Rosana. "How dare you attack us, noh? You don't know who you are dealing with, noh? TAKE THIS, noh?" She hit her gong with all her might. A powerful sound wave spread throughout the area knocking a hundred Archers and animals out.

"HA! noh?" she triumphantly yelled.

And so the other Ateneans started counterattacking as well. David Lozada and his 300 Spartans. The ROTC cadets. The mythical creatures of the School of Humanities. Dalandan's Army.

Ricky Abad and the Department of Sociology soon deployed their Ideology Bombs prompting some of the LaSallians to cheer instead of fighting. "Strawberry shortcake nananananana. " "Recticano! Recticano", allowing some of the Ateneans to easily knock the LaSallians out.

Somewhere near the Covered Courts, Norman Black was briefing his team, "Nonoy. I want you here. Chris, here. Jai, there. Alright? Any questions?"

"Aaaaah! GOD DAMN IT!" a raspy voice screamed. It was Joe Lipa, former coach of the Blue Eagles, who arrived with the contingent from UP. "Just charge! Attack them! Now!" And so they did.

The LaSalle brothers and Francisco of UST were outside, watching the battle, waiting for their turn to strike.

A handful of LaSallians were found trotting back to their base.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" Francisco yelled.

"You told us to retreat!" the Archer said.

"You idiot! That's just Escaler and Bulatao toying with your minds! Go back! That's it! I am joining the battle!"

She then stepped forward lifted her two arms and shouted "Tiger Power! Raar! Tiger Power! Raar!" The LaSalle brothers thought she had lost her mind. But then she suddenly transformed into a giant tigress, twice larger and fiercer than the ordinary tigers. Seeing their comrade ready and willing to fight, the LaSallians cheered.

"HOY!" Goldie the Tiger roared. "NO CHEERING DURING BATTLE! NO CHEERING!" Then she advanced.

Her first target was Fr. Dacanay who was busy exorcising some of the Archers and paralyzing them.

"FATHER! Behind you!"

Quickly, Dacanay whirled and performed his own counterattack "Expellus Inferius" blasting her into the middle of the Erenchun field, knocking her out.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The La Salle brothers shouted upon seeing their comrade down. "It is time we even the score."

The earth began to quake. And out of the night came a gigantic robot. It was DLRT; the LaSallians had transformed and brought the LRT-1 which passed Taft Avenue into a robot.

DLRT was making quick work of the Ateneans and their creatures, crushing the mythical creatures here and there, tossing the trees brought to life by the Department of Environmental Science.

"Let us not lose hope!" Nebres said. "We are after all committed to hope."

"Now is not the time to talk about GK, Father!" somebody said.

"I am not talking about GK. I am talking about SECtor."

He pointed his wand the Science Education Complex. The building shook and assembled itself into a robot. SEC A was the head and the torso. SEC B became the left arm and leg and SEC C became the right.

"Mang Freddie!" Nebres called.

"I am ready, Father!" shouted Freddie, the man in charge of Escaler Hall which has now become the control room SECtor.

"Attack, Freddie! One Big Fight."

DLRT was no match and quickly collapsed under the strength of SECtor.

"Fr Nebres!" Harry Potter appeared. "Two horcruxes have been destroyed and..."

"Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!" "Animo La Salle!"

There were screams of terror. The LaSalle brothers had entered the battle. They were using their most dangerous spell: The Animo LaSalle -- the Killing Curse!



Finale: The Animo Wand
Ateneans were dropping dead left and right. The Animo La Salle curse was unblockable. Some of the more veteran teachers provided extra defense and protection to the students but most of their efforts were futile. Dacanay and his Jesuit team however managed to stun a few Archers.

Victory however seemed far-fetched. Francisco had been revived from the Stunning Spell. Back in human form, she was battling Jai Reyes, Kirk Long and Chris Tiu at the same time. While the players were certainly skillful, Francisco was able to block all spells launched by the Blue Eagles.

Francisco pointed her wand at Chris Tiu and shouted "Animo La Salle!" But the curse missed him by an inch.

"Not Chris Tiu, you BIATCH!" somebody shouted; it was Achoot Cuyegkeng. "Out of my way! Out of my way! SHE's MINE!"

Francisco laughed. "You are no match for me! I am the greatest servant of the Dominicans! What's gonna happen to your Loyola Schools after I kill you?! What's gonna happen to your Blue Eagles after I kill Chrissy?"

"You will never touch any of our students again!!" Cuyegkeng said.

Francisco laughed. And with her unerring skill as jack-of-all-trades Professor Cuygekeng sent a Stunning Curse at her opponent. The curse hit her squarely on the chest, knocking her out once more.

"Enough!" Harry shouted. "Voldemort! Where are you? You have been using the LaSallians and the other schools to come after me. Where are you?"

"I am here, Potter," a voice hissed. The voice came from Bro. Armin.

"Brother Armin?"

"No! I am Voldemort! Armind is my past, present and future. See?" he wrote the word Armind then with a flicker of his wand the word became Voldemort.

"I don't get it." Harry said

"Ako rin!" an Atenean said.

"Ha? Can you make ulit?" another one shouted.

"How did Armind become Voldemort?"

"Bai, nalibog na ko!" A Cebuano Atenean shouted.

"Bah! Never mind! Anyone knows the LaSallians can't spell. So anyway, I stunned Armind a few days ago and using his name and face I used the school and all the other schools to come and find you!"

"But you are too late. I destroyed all the horcruxes!"

"No, Potter. I win. You see, while I was Bro. Armind. I was able to find the long lost and most powerful wand in the entire world -- the Animo Wand! And you will be its first victim!"

"Are you kidding me, Tom?" Harry said. "Don't you get it? The wand chooses the school. The Animo wand does not belong to La Salle! It belongs to the Ateneo."

"No! You are the fool! The LaSallians have been cheering Animo La Salle for such a long time. The LaSallians truly own the wand and since I am a LaSallian for now, I own it. Die Potter die!"

"But you see, Riddle, you did not review University histories. If you did, you would know that the Ateneans used AnimoAteneo first. And they still use it now. There is even a website right now named AnimoAteneo.com. The Ateneans have reclaimed Animo Ateneo!"

Silence.

"So. It comes down to this, doesn't it?" Harry whispered. "Does your wand know that its original owner still values it? If it does, I AM THE TRUE MASTER OF THE ANIMO WAND!"

Voldemort points his wand at Harry who in turn has prepared for the final duel.

"ANIMO LA SALLE!" Voldemort shouted.

"OH! GET. THAT.WAND!" Harry shouted.

The curse rebounded and hit Voldemort instead of Harry who caught the Animo Wand with his other hand. Cheers from the Ateneans and even some La Sallians, who realized that they were duped were all around.

That morning both Ateneo and La Salle forged a cease fire -- temporary because the next day was the Ateneo-La Salle basketball championship. Francisco, who was revived after hours of being stunned by Dacanay and Cuyegkeng, decided to lift the "No Cheering!" rule during time out. However, she still flinches whenever Dacanay (or any Jesuit for that matter) would approach her.

There were however, a group of La Sallians who disagreed with having a cease fire. They believed that the death and defeat of Voldemort was unfair so they decided to file a protest. This was later junked due to lack of merit.



Epilogue. Nineteen Years Later.
It was the day of the ACET. Harry Potter was accompanying his son Ben.

"Dad! What if I fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Harry looked at his son and said "Bienvenido Adolfo! You were named after two of the most powerful Jesuits in the country. One of them is a good friend of ours. In fact he was the one who officiated our marriage."

"But... but... so what if I DO fail the ACET and end up in DLSU?"

Eh di bobo ka talaga! Harry thought. But he didn't say that. "But we will still love you as our son!" Harry said. "Alright. Your test starts in a few minutes. Make us proud. One Big Fight."

the time traveler's wife

"do you love her?"

"very much," i whisper. we lie silently side by side, watching the swaying trees, the birds, the sky. i hear a muffled sniffling noise and glancing at clare i am astonished to see that tears are streaming across her face toward her ears. i sit up and lean over her. "what's wrong, clare?" she just shakes her head back and forth and presses her lips together. i smooth her hair, and pull her into a sitting position, wrap my arms around her. she's a child, and then again she isn't. "what's wrong?"

it comes out so quietly that i have to ask her to repeat it: "it's just that i thought maybe you were married to me."

- by audrey niffenegger

thinking out loud (or in print, as the case may be)

i went to the family renewal movement's (the community i've been part of since february) corporate worship tonight. i'm really glad & grateful that i did, as it helped me to take stock of all the good things that have been coming my way lately.

since i started in my new position, i've been feeling so much lighter. it is a cliche, but i actually feel as if a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. i am able to go home a lot earlier than before. on days that i go home quite late, it's usually because i went out with a friend or did some shopping. if i do decide to stay late to work, i don't feel burdened about it at all. i am also home on saturdays (i used to work around 2 saturdays per month, by choice), so i have plenty of time to devote to alternating between sleeping & reading.

i am happy that i not only feel the change - a couple of people have already commented on how much more relaxed & calm i look, & how i smile a lot more. their comments make me feel even better, & a lot prettier. haha! ; )

i am grateful that things happened the way they did - that i was able to decide for myself, that I was able to muster the courage to talk to my bosses, & that God guided me all throughout. in hindsight, i know that i couldn't have done it with divine intervention. i could have chickened out. my bosses could have been horrible to me about it by not acting on my request for transfer. it's also possible that no position suitable for me was available.

a million other things could have gone wrong. i shudder at the thought that things could have been very bad for me. but they weren't, so i feel so blessed.

thank you, Lord. : )

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i just finished the devil wears prada. believe it or not, miranda priestly was even more horrible in print than on screen. i didn't think that was possible! hehe. : )

i was also able to finish the 7th harry potter book last saturday (despite going home at 6 am, after spending the night with embryo). i must be the only one who didn't go gaga over it. for me, it was plain okay, nothing spectacular. definitely overrated. book 7 fans, please do not use avada kedavra on me. i am entitled to my own opinion, as you no doubt are to yours. : )

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speaking of embryo, we were able to get together friday last week. we met first in ATC, then went to bobby's house, where a couple of us ended up spending the night.

it was worth not sleeping at all, as i was able to talk to them a lot. we reminisced about high school. we bitched about our horrible teachers. we talked about each others' problems, & gave advice. we ate a bit, & drank a bit also (at least, they did).

= = = = = = = = = =

as i was saying, i feel so grateful about the developments in my life lately. even my tickle happiness test says so:

As you now know, your relationships have a positive effect on your overall happiness. However, your greatest source of happiness is your gratitude. Gratitude is a feeling of deep thankfulness for what your life offers you in both good times and bad. When you're grateful, you view life as deep and rich with meaning and feel thankful for the whole experience of living. You may cultivate this awareness on a regular basis through reflection or prayer.

Your strong sense of appreciation for life's blessings is where your happiness springs from most. It's also the place where your happiness gains the most power and stability. Because gratitude appears to be the natural anchor point for your happiness, know that you can always tap into this quality when times get rough.

i sure hope that i keep on feeling this way for some time. : )

serving crazy with curry

"some love deeply, some love forever. my love for her is beyond tomorrow, beyond today, beyond forever. i will always remember her, always mark the day she came and the day she left. she will forever be inside of me, along with regret, which will not be as heavy because she will be there as well, easing this heavy load inside of me."

- devi veturi in serving crazy with curry
by amulya malladi

back, after a two-week hiatus

holler!

natawa ako, may comment na si chi na "update!" sa chatbox ko. first time ko atang nakatanggap ng ganoong comment. busy kasi ako during the past two weeks, kaya hindi na ako nakapag-update. tinatamad din. hehe! ; )

i went to a retreat last last week (feb. 23-25). buti na lang talaga, nakapunta ako. it was sponsored by the family renewal movement, a community that deirdre belongs to. actually, siya ang nag-invite sa amin. i went there with rica and rocel, two embryo classmates. there, i met jacqui & em, two of deirdre's college friends. we hit it right off. as in. we got to the BLD covenant house at 4:42 (sakto ang estimate ni manong driver!) but were already laughing our heads off at each other's stories before sunset. grabe kasi ang kwentong fitness first nina em at rica! i bet nagsisi si deirdre na kami ang pingsabay niya sa isang batch. hehe!

at some points, ang hirap ngang tandaan na retreat pala iyon. ang kulit kasi namin! 2 o'clock na kami natulog nung friday night (este, saturday morning) kasi puro kwentuhan. ang hirap tumahimik! pero kailangan, baka magising ang mga kasama namin sa "morgue" (mukhang morgue kasi ang kwarto namin, puro nakatalukbong ng puting kumot ang mga kasama namin).

kaya ayun, inaantok ako nang todo habang may nagsasalita. buti na lang, may kape.

nung saturday night (actually, sunday morning), 2 ulit ang tulog. ang masaya nito, ginising pa kami ng 5! as in! hinarana kasi kami ng sponsoring class. in fairness, na-enjoy ko yung songs kahit na single na ako. : )

buti na lang, balik sa tulog afterwards. then gising ulit ng 7.

teka, retreat nga pala iyon. haha!

maganda naman ang talks. i appreciated the one given by tita rose & tito paulo pabalan most. it was about traditional versus progressive beliefs. napaisip talaga ako sa discussion. a couple of times, napaiyak din ako sa reflections (as expected). natuwa rin ako nung nakita ko yung envelope na puro palanca letters from my family & friends. thank you. : ) & in fairness, i left BLD feeling a lot lighter & more optimistic. thank you, Lord. : )

kagagaling ko nga lang pala sa southmall dahil may 3-day sale. i was able to buy a bag, & two blouses today. nung friday naman, 1 business attire (na kailangan ko pang ipa-alter!) at amy tan's "the bonesetter's daughter". tapos ko na, kanina pa. bumili nga rin pala ako ng desk organizer nung friday. kung nakita mo na ang mesa ko sa office, obvious na kailangan ko. hehe! well, sobrang nice nung organizer! ican't wait to bring it to the office! yay! : )

oo nga pala, bumili rin ako ng walang-kamatayang stockings. : )

o siya, eto lang muna. may pasok pa ako bukas. balak ko pang pumasok nang maaga para ayusin yung mesa ko. career! : )

sweet dreams, friends. : )

bridget jones: the edge of reason

"the room started to go blotchy. hate this thing about dating. one minute you're closer to someone than anyone in the whole world, next minute they only need to say the words "time apart," "serious talk" or "maybe you..." and you're never going to see them again and will have to spend the next six months having imaginary conversations in which they beg to come back, and bursting into tears at the sight of their toothbrush."

- bridget in bridget jones: the edge of reason
by helen fielding

pride & prejudice

"you are too generous to trifle with me. if your feelings are still what they were last april, tell me so at once. my affections & wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever."

mr. darcy in pride & prejudice
by jane austen

first day of vacation!

i'm finally pushing through with my mandatory, consecutive five-day vacation leave next week, from december 4 to 8. but since today is a holiday, my vacation has started. yehey! i slept through most of the day, but somehow managed to finish two books:



my other accomplishments for the day:
1. bought a whole chicken for lunch, and shared it with everyone.
2. ate at least 5 nestle milky bars.
3. ate a handful of grapes that i bought from our building's "fruit man" yesterday.
4. ate two minute burger cheeseburgers.

in other words, i accomplished nothing. haha! what a day!

the undomestic goddess

sophie kinsella just veered away from becky bloomwood's world of sandals, bags and astronomical credit card bills. in "the undomestic goddess", we are teleported to a new scenario, one of constant deadlines and of days divided into neat six-minute chunks. we get a glimpse of it through the eyes of samantha sweeting, a top city lawyer whose current life has nearly driven her past the border of sanity and into insanity.

she rides a train to escape her pressure-filled london life, and finds herself in an unfamiliar place in the country. she knocks at a door, meaning to ask for a glass of water and a place to stay for the night. just minutes later, she is seated in front of a couple, answering interview questions for a housekeeper position.

enough of the synopsis. what struck me in the book was this excerpt, where trish talks to samantha, now her housekeeper:

"Here we are..." Trish puts a cup of tea down and scrutinizes me. "Are you homesick?" She sounds triumphant, as though she may have cracked the mystery. "Our girl from the Philippines did get rather blue from time to time...but I used to say to her, cheer up, Manuela!" Trish pauses thoughtfully. "Then I found out her name was Paula. Extraordinary."

it seems that despite the large number of filipinas who hold professional and technical positions in countless parts of the globe, we could still not escape the brand of being domestic helpers. so much for our gains in education and culture. makes me suddenly wish that i did not shell out 315 bucks to buy the book.

...

"wala nga kaya akong karapatan sa iyo? ang mahalin kita ang siya kong karapatan. hindi ko maipipilit ang aking sarili. mamahalin kita nang may paghahamon. inihanda ko na ang aking sarili sa anumang pag-uusig, at ang pag-uusig man ng aking sarili, balang araw, kung mangyari man, ay pinaghandaan ko na rin."

- alma fuertes
mula sa ang tundo man may langit din
ni andres cristobal cruz

= = = = = = = = =

kailan ko kaya matatagpuan ang langit ko?

books before boys...

these are some of the books i've read in the past 12 months or so. there are still a few more, either i just couldn't get pics (from various websites) or i can't remember these anymore. the idea to do a collage of sorts just hit me last night. the next thing i knew, i had my pc connected to the net, and i was going from one site to another, looking for pics.

with the exception of the inspirational books, i seem to have read nothing of substance in the past year. quite normal actually since during college, i considered reading books out of class as a form of recreation. considering that i was already drowning in kant, ricouer, heraclitos, aristotle, and in works of other philosophers, theologians and psychologists whose names i can't even summon to mind now, could you blame me? it was just logical to limit reading for the purpose of widening my intellectual horizons within the confines of the classroom, if i was to keep my sanity.

but hey, that doesn't mean that i'll forever be reading romance novels or chick litt. give me some more time to adjust to work, and i'll soon be welcoming my first love - classics - with arms wide open. (i currently have my eye on the anne of green gables series that comes in a box of its own. my birthday's on may 23. hint, hint!)

i think that i deserve this treat...

because of the way things have been going lately. i feel, among other emotions, shocked, mad, irritated, confused, sad, & lost.

nothing, i swear that nothing, gave me an indication that what happened yesterday was really going to happen. it's so unfair.

i guess that all we can do now is pray, cross our fingers, & hope for the best.


ps. this book was subsidized by my laking national card e-purse points. yey! :)

courtesy of the year-end tax refund :)

lately, i've been in the habit (again) of buying books for myself. just two weeks ago, i bought lipstick jungle by candace bushnell (same girl who wrote sex & the city). last friday, i bought small miracles: extraordinary coincidences from everyday life by yitta halberstam & judith leventhal.

one of the ways by which they described coincidence is that it is a "random conjoining of inexplicable events that defies our sense of the reasonable". the stories in the book support this definition. indeed, how would you explain siblings reuniting after over thirty years, in the post office where they both ended up working? how would you explain a woman finding her lost house key in a train station she didn't even come near to during the day? & what do you make of the blind date that reunited two friends who were separated from each other fifteen years ago in a concentration camp?

a lot of us would probably say that these things are nothing but flukes of nature. the ones among us who are more spiritual in thinking would probably say that God had planned these all along. cheesy as it may sound, i subscribe to the latter opinion. it has often amazed me how some of the things i need come to me at the precise moment that i need them, not long after i have prayed for them.

it is my wish that now that i have finished reading the book, i will be more sensitive to the "small miracles" that unfold in my life. i find it so lonely that most of us (i, included) only notice things that are grandiose in scale, & overlook the little things that make each day slightly less typical & slightly more magical.

(in hindsight, what a fitting way to start the new year. :) )

ps. thank you Lord for the tax refund that liquidated me enough to buy this book without guilt. :)

must love dogs

"...are just so different. who we are, what we want. i never knew how important that would be. i thought you just had to find someone to love, & then the rest would fall into place."

- michael hurlihy in must love dogs
by claire cook

blogger once more!

yup, i have decided to blog again (that is if my first attempt which resulted into two posts counts). i sure hope that i can actually maintain this blog, considering that i am working already. busy, busy, busy!

well, it's been three months since i started working as a management trainee for a commercial bank. thankfully, i think and feel that i have made the right decision in choosing where to work. the people are very nice. most of them go out of their way to teach us the ropes of the profession. they explain to us the concepts, give us exercises (some of their work, actually), and take us with them to client calls whenever possible. hence, i have already learned a lot. nevertheless, i have a long way to go. i have yet to learn many of the basics, not to mention prove to my officemates that i deserve to be an officer after eight months. easier said than done, but that's the challenge for me, and for my fellow MT's.

on the lighter side of things, it's nice to earn money! it feels good to have something that you know you worked for. being frugal by nature, i'm setting aside most of my salary for savings. my mom has been on my case lately, as i don't contribute to our household budget. BUT i did buy a new refrigerator last july, and i'm buying a waffle maker for my sister later. :)