Jandrea...so far

Walking back to where I would spend the night, after dinner in a nearby restaurant, the mist-filled night suddenly seemed to bring on all the memories I have of Tagaytay. I was suddenly overcome with emotion, holding back the tears. This place is a repository of good, happy moments. Where great loves were born. Where children played in abandon. Food relished in the company of people who made me happy.  Of growing up. Of getting smart. Of knowing I can do something great. Of getting old and wise. It also whispers of days and nights of regret, of hopes for what can never be.  Where many good-byes have been said. One, on her way to heaven. Many, with resignation to what cannot be changed.  Always with much, much sadness. This is where solitude is most welcome, where looking inside onself is inevitable. Where my feet were washed by another. Where hurts were and are mended. Where I forgive myself for not being what I hope to be.   Tears have ...

Photo by Summer Parcon      Wishing everyone God's light in this world we have re-created in our fashion. In our quest to make lives better, we have succeeded in creating mind-boggling technology, new-fangled machines, and jaw-dropping know-how to control nature. We have learned to make use of the earth's resources to such extent that it is now gasping for breath, singing a plaintive woe to its impending demise.       Our hearts go out to the victims of the recent Typhoon Sendong. We scamper around trying to save their Present in hope of giving them a Future. Beyond that, the fury of the storm served to warn us of the devastation waiting to happen in other parts of the world if we don't get our acts together. The darkness slowly enveloping our planet and our country may be dispelled only if remember to bring back our lands, air and waters to their pristine state. It is our moral mandate to bring them back to the state when God first ga...

  Being in Europe transports you into a different world. And inside that world lies still another world... that's what it feels like when you're in Venice!  You step back into another century, when beauty was a requirement for living. Your eyes are filled with amazement at the works of art around you. The water surrounding the city wakes up your imagination, creating stories of romance and adventure that might have transpired and still come alive in this magical place. Oh, to be back here again very soon!

Loose & polite translation:             "Do not relieve yourself here. People eat the vegetables planted here.              I swear those who don't heed this warning will be stricken with leprosy." Saw this sign on our street while walking home from church one Sunday. I figure the owner of the little roadside garden had had too many encounters with people who ignore warnings of the verbal kind. Kaya, eto ang sa inyo! (Sfx: Evil laughter with accompanying thunder and lightning!)

Badjao Restaurant, Palawan FMM convent, Tagaytay      Anything worth having has to be pursued through many roads, many of them bumpy. A few of them may provide interesting sights along the way. Sometimes, one thinks, the journey is just as, if not more important, than the destination. A good friend of mine said, "Victory is in the struggle and not in reaching the goal. Failure is when I don't struggle anymore."  Wise words coming from someone in a very difficult journey of fighting for his life. Moon Garden, Tagaytay      Many times, we trudge along wearily, not realizing all that we gain by our tenacity. We move forward, little by little, each step a little cause for celebration. Each accomplishment strengthens our spirit, increases our resolve to reach our goal.      The end is not always in sight. Sometimes, we think it is impossible to reach it. At times, it seems not worth all the effort we put into ach...

Kara's celebration in Bangkok      Most of today's young ladies in the Philippines dream of a grand celebration when they turn 18 - a "debut" in a 5-star hotel with hundreds of guests welcoming them to society. Because not too many can afford such a lavish feast which can run into quarter of a million pesos for some families, some are just happy holding a party in their homes. But they make sure that all the trappings of the event are still there, no matter  how simple. The debutante is usually in a very fancy outfit. There are rituals of coming of age like dancing with the father and 17 other special males in her life. Then there is the 18 candles, 18 wishes, and so many other 18 somethings that can make the night very loooooooong! Of course, there is special fare that includes the  customary tall and frilly debutante's cake.       But this was not the case when Kara, my daughter, turned 18. While entertaining the idea of ...

 09/20/2010 04:37 pm Rode the San Agustin bus to Tagaytay last Saturday. Wanted to have one day all to myself before the family joined me a day later. That would give me time to finish all sorts of papers with deadlines I had already missed. I caught the trip leaving the terminal a few minutes past 10 AM. The bus seemed road-worthy and the interiors were neat and clean. The thinly-cushioned seats covered in thick plastic were comfy even if a bit narrow for my generous behind. But that wasn't much of a problem as I had 3 empty seats all to myself. I settled in for what I imagined would be a pleasant and comfortable ride. By noontime, I should be taking lunch in Tagaytay, I predicted. From Cubao to Roxas Blvd, the ride was uneventful. After that, the colorful balloons in my unrealistic mind started to pop one by one. I had to eventually give up the luxury of the 2 seats beside me. No problem, I thought, it's just less a little over an hour to my destination any...

09/29/2007 04:09 pm              View from "Oh My Gulay" The cold mist enveloping the distance. Miles, heights and depths away. I can see them but cannot reach them without falling. Do I fly to them? Do I close my eyes until the mist lifts , then plot my way up to the heavens? But I do not relish an arduous climb! So do I just stay by the window entranced by the unreachable , unquenchable beauty of my dreams?

09/26/2007 04:16 pm   The light is what keeps me going In the darkness of this soul, there is that elusive glimmer. Someday, no longer just the view but...There.

  03/11/2007 02:28 pm Our childhood memories of this beautiful lake, cold and rushing through every bit of my being. Once again, a picture of a carefree youth when wild hair would not have mattered. When effortless smiles were easy to come by. Alas, they are no more. But with the lake behind us, my sister and I, we will always be young!

11/03/2006 12:50 pm   They talk about her as if she were a lady. A beautiful lady threatening for the longest time now to throw a tantrum. They say that she has always been perfectly cone-shaped but one side of her no longer is. Thus, this latest eruption may be her attempt to fill up the gaps and imperfections on her slopes. Therefore, achieving perfection again! This is a view of her from Lignon Hill in Legazpi City. I was there Last August to administer the 2006 UPCAT and spent the late afternoon of our first day there ogling her beauty. She flirted with us, hiding behind some clouds. But later, she would show her splendor adorned with fiery, lava flows along her side!