The Long Weekend in Orlando

Hubby and I just spent a long, warm, and fun weekend in Orlando. We thankfully left as the temperatures in Boston dropped to freezing. As usual with all our travels, our schedule was so crazy, it was tighter than Joan River's face. We went from seeing family, to getting ready for my cousin Jessica's wedding rehearsal, to the wedding itself, to trying to squeeze in some time to spend the day in the Disney parks to see the newer attractions, and to see M's niece play the role of Jasmine in the show, 'Fantasmic!'

I flew to Orlando a day ahead of M because I needed to rehearse with the pianist the songs I was going to sing in the ceremony. In the plane, I happened to sit in a row with an old snoot of a lady who refused to even acknowledge my presence. I usually get a smile or a nod from the person with whom I share a row, especially if we're both travelling alone. She was sitting by the window and I was by the aisle while the middle seat remained empty. When the flight attendant came to get our used cups, I offered to reach for her cup in order to give it to the flight attendant. She ignored me completely and raised her hand higher to avoid my hand. Later during the flight, I sneezed once and covered my face completely when I did. She quickly covered her nose and mouth, and a few seconds later, reached inside her bag and took out a surgical mask and wore it for the rest of the flight! She even bumped me out of the way with no apologies while I was reaching for my bag in the overhead compartment. I chalked it up to her probably having a bad day but on our way out of the plane, she chirped pleasantries to the flight crew. I guess it was me she did not like. Despite my 'Boston' look of blouse, short wool skirt, tights and knee high boots, she probably saw me as the short-lived stereotype of a diseased, SARS-infested Asian. It was all quite amusing. I was so tempted to fake a sneeze again while we were waiting in the aisle for everyone to disembark just to see her squirm. However, I decided I didn't want to waste my energy even for the pleasure of being mean to someone who is totally rude.

The wedding was beautiful. The only snafu for me was that the pianist played a higher key of 'Ave Maria' than we had rehearsed, and I was already singing a high Celine Dion version. I was caught a bit off-guard and didn't do as well as I hoped. I was thankful that the great acoustics in the St. James Cathedral and the pipe organ mostly hid the strain that I knew my vocal chords were experiencing. The second song 'Grow Old With Me' went much better. The reception afterwards was as well-planned as the ceremony and was a lot of fun. I have been to countless weddings as I have been invited either as a guest or to sing. They ranged from the nice and simple ones to the most lavish. I would rank this one high on my list of favorites. It was well-thought out, simple and classy, quite lavish yet not excessive or gaudy. The family went all-out and spared no expense. The food was nothing short of the best, the filet mignon was cooked, or should I say, undercooked to perfection and the champagne and wine flowed freely. Their only daughter was getting married and she deserved no less, not because she was one of those spoiled brats, but simply because she is this genuinely nice, warm, very wise and pleasant human being, and she was marrying this equally nice boy who was her high school sweetheart and passed all the criteria of my Aunt and Uncle, that is, Filipino, of good family, Catholic and Republican. :) Congratulations Jessica and Joe!

We spent our last day hitting the Disney Parks. We hopped from Animal Kingdom, to Epcot to try Mission Space, and finally to Disney-MGM Studios to watch 'Fantasmic!'. I waxed nostalgic and remembered my days as one of the Mouse's workerbees in the International Exchange Program. I've been to many theme parks and there is no other park that really does it the way Disney does - the cleanliness, the guest service and the way they make everyone's experience as fun and memorable as possible. Just spending the day there made me want to move back to Florida and work for the Mouse again.

Lazy Saturday

Blog-Hopping
Today was pretty much another lazy day. After hubby brought my usual Saturday breakfast-in-bed, I went online and just started blog hopping, while hubby read his PC World beside me on his computer. While he perused geek stuff, I played voyeur, looking through a keyhole into other people's lives.

How varied and different people's views on the world are! And if you read on, you may find a clue or two on how those views were shaped by the circumstances and influences in their lives. You find blogs that are funny or serious commentaries on current events, story-telling, life journals that can match any soap operas or telenovelas, you will find ones that drip with so much hate and anger that it leaves a sick feeling in your stomach, and ones that obviously cry for help it makes you tear up.

It evoked so many kinds of emotions that it left me a bit tired by midday. And I hadn't even stepped out of my bedroom!

Vocal Stress
I also spent the afternoon bugging my poor neighbors and rehearsing my songs for my cousin's wedding on Friday. I have been honored with the invitation to sing in her wedding ceremony at the St. James Cathedral in Orlando. I have long neglected to do my vocal exercises since I no longer am an active performing artist, and now my vocal chords are exhausted! What's worse is, I have this mild cold that might just turn worse. I used to have extremely sturdy vocal chords. I never needed much warm up before any concert or musical, and still have my voice intact after a couple of hours of performance. I never followed the "no cold drinks" rule and survived unscathed. Now, I can really feel the stress after a couple of hours of rehearsing, and I feel wary enough to shun anything too hot or too cold for fear of damaging my voice before Friday. With some precautions and a lot of prayers, I hope to be able to render my songs without embarrassing myself.

Habichat
Justin from Habitat for Humanity stumbled across my blog about my volunteer experience. A couple of weeks ago, he emailed me to ask if they could reprint my article in their newsletter. It's a 2-4 page publication that is circulated to their offices in the US and worldwide. I was happy to have the privilege to share my thoughts to help a great cause. Yesterday, they printed it and sent me a copy of their newsletter. :)

PINOYexpats
Soon, the next issue of PINOYexpats will go live. We've cooked up something sumptuous so don't forget to visit the site to check it out!

Bon weekend to all!

Long Nights

The clock fell back an hour on Sunday. I was quite happy to gain an hour but my body clock is still on old time. This, combined with the ALCS and World Series late nights and now the election, I probably have a sleep debt of two days. I've been needing that caffeine kick the past three mornings just to rev me up. It must also be because the nights are now much longer, and that has a way of affecting our psyche.

I'm sure John Kerry, George Bush and their cronies have had a long night too. The final results have been slow to materialize these past two elections. This is new to the United States since they usually have the results of the election by the end of election day with one candidate conceding and another giving a magnanimous and reconciliatory victory speech. I've always found that amazing. Where I come from, the final election results takes weeks to a month. That's because everything is counted manually after everyone has put in their votes in padlocked ballot boxes, which are only to be opened after voting is officially over and the official count starts.

Crowds gather for what they hoped to be a Kerry Victory Rally in Copley Square on election night. (AP Photo)

Anyway, both the Democrats and the Republicans were ready to hold their victory or concession rallies last night. People here in Boston had gathered in Copley Square on what was to be John Kerry's Victory Rally. Morning came but the results did not. At around mid-day, Kerry called Bush to concede. The trends assured Bush of the win, by both popular and electoral votes.

I'm glad the election is over. I can only take so much mud-slinging, political arguments and lies...

...which they call 'spin' these days. Oh, and liars are now 'spin-doctors'...

*Sigh*

A spin is a lie and spin-doctors are liars. We should go back to calling something by its name, rather than using a more 'politically correct' word. Our world will be so much better if we stopped lying to ourselves so much.

Hmmm, must be the caffeine kicking in. :)

Believing Is Seeing!

Happiness in the Hub

If you are a baseball fan, you have surely heard that the Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series after an 86-year wait. And that's not for lack of trying. Some people have actually waited their whole lifetime to see this happen. And last night, at long last, their dream came true.

It's a good time to be in Boston. Everyone's in a celebratory mood although they don't quite know what to do. Red Sox Nation has been so used to 86 years of disappointment that they don't know how to handle their long-awaited triumph. There was an initial spark of revelry right after the game. It lasted until the players flew home in the morning and made an appearance in Fenway Park. After that, it seemed everyone went on 'low-battery'. People have been staying up late to watch the World Series and cheer on the team and now that they've won, there's not much energy left. I have no doubt that people are just trying to catch up on their sleep to prepare for the big celebration on Saturday.

To some, it may just be a sport. To Red Sox fans, it is the realization of a faith they held on to for decades. It is a story that inspires all fans and non-fans alike. It inspires us to never give up our dream or belief, no matter how the odds are seemingly stacked against us. It teaches us to go on, no matter how many times we fail. It just goes to show that we cannot give up, even if we've failed 86 times before. Believing in the impossible made a bunch of self-confessed "idiots" World Series Champions. So never stop believing. Indeed, believing is seeing!

The Karate Kids

The Fearsome Threesome came fresh from Karate class the night we dropped by to visit. They were in their kimonos and proudly wearing their karate belts. We asked them to show us their moves and they gladly put on a show. Here are some action shots of the three B kids in their martial arts poses...

B-1 Kenobi and B-3 PO

Notice the Power Ranger influence.

B2-D2

Strutting her stuff (Dig the yellow belt?)

Yankees, So Who's Your 'Papi' Now?

In my four years in Boston, the one thing I can say about New Englanders is that they are the ultimate sports fans. It's quite fascinating to me how loyal they are despite circumstances. All the more fascinating since I am not a sports fan. The only sports I ever played were volleyball and badminton, and both aren't big here. But walking by any sports bar during football and baseball season is quite an experience. The euphoria that unleashes everytime the home team scores radiates into the streets and envelopes any passersby. It makes me smile seeing so many people so happy. And to me, the scene is so 'Americana'.

In my first year here, I was asked what I thought about the possibility of the Patriots going to the Superbowl. "Who?" I asked. The reaction was quite amusing. It would be the same kind of look one would receive if they said they were Republican here in Massachusetts. It didn't help that the girl I was talking to was engaged to someone who worked for the New England Patriots.

So just to see what the hoopla was all about, I watched the Superbowl and saw the Pats, then the underdogs, win. I always enjoy it when underdogs win. I think it makes victory sweeter. It was the same reaction I had when I watched the last four games of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) when the Boston Red Sox faced the NY Yankees to see who goes to the World Series.

The Red Sox had lost the first 3 games in the best of 7. Everyone was saying that the Yankees had it in the bag, especially since the Red Sox had not advanced to the World Series since 1986 and never won it since 1918. It was 3-0. When I heard that, I decided to watch Game 4. The underdog seemed to be in deep trouble, and this I certainly didn't want to miss. Not that I wanted to see them lose, but in case they decided to go against insurmountable odds, and triumph over seemingly certain defeat, I wanted to witness it. There's nothing like witnessing a moment like that as it happens. And it did! They won the next four games, in heart-stopping, nail-biting, history-making fashion. One New York newspaper's headline was "Hell Freezes Over". I think they summed that up pretty well. Haha!

The World Series starts tomorrow. The last couple of weeks, I kept saying that the curse of the Bambino will lift on its 100th anniversary. It just seems more romantic that way. But after seeing all the drama that unfolded in the last few days, I say that now is certainly a good time as any.

Home Improvement

On Saturday afternoon, Hubby decided we were going to do a virtual renovation. All these months, I've borrowed one of Blogger's templates. I wanted to design my own but the last time I attempted html was seven years ago, doing my very first webpage. Knowing how involved it was for a non-expert, I decided to just work with Blogger's freebies in the meantime. M's decision to give my blog a new home was very welcome. He is very comfortable with html and uses it with ease.

M and I put our heads together, brainstorming and designing. He put me to work with Adobe Photoshop creating what we needed, and he worked on the html coding constructing, in virtuality, the blog site's 'floor plan and blueprint.'

So welcome to my blog's new home. I hope you like the new look as much as we do. :) It's still a work-in-progress. It's not perfect and still might undergo some changes. Please make yourself at home. Someone's got to be in the housewarming. :)

Piano Prodigy In The Making

She just turned four last April, yet so early in her life she exhibits such talent. M's adorable little niece has displayed this aptitude to learn just about anything. But above everything else, there seems to be emerging, a remarkable musical ability. It started out at around age two, with her inventing songs about her grandmother, aunt, parents, and her brothers. The songs always expressed either her love for them or a story about them. It never was just the two-note or two-chord songs. It would always have a wide range of notes, complete with pianissimos to crescendos.

About a year ago, her seven-year old brother started piano lessons. Ever since then, we would find her from time to time, sitting in front of the piano trying out the keys. Lately, she has taken to playing with both hands at the same time. It is definitely not the thoughtless pounding that most kids do when their hands are on a piano. Hers is a sweet thoughtful melody with both hands playing, creating music that complement each other.

Last weekend, she had made a song that she had entitled, "Missing Building". :) She had a whole prologue explaining the story behind the title which I hadn't heard because I was preoccupied with something else. We asked her to perform it, so she sits herself in front of the piano and starts playing. We were surprised at what was flowing out of the fingers of a musically untrained four-year-old. It had a sad and melancholic feel to it. She ends it quite dramatically on the lowest note and lets her finger stay there until the sound faded. She then turns to us with a smile, and basks in our praise and applause. M, wanting to record the song, asks her to repeat the last part. She gamely turns around, repeats the ending down to the last note and finishes with flourish. We were stunned as it confirmed to us that it was not some random hitting of the piano keys, but an actual thought-out composition.

At the moment, she is enrolled in jazz, tap and karate. She is also supposed to start guitar lessons with the guitar that M & I bought her. However, I believe that my sister-in-law has a piano prodigy in the making. She knows she needs to hone that raw talent and bring her before a piano teacher soon!

Mang Duliong

I was walking home today and I passed a construction site. The smell of sawdust brought back a fond memory. A memory of a man who used to come and work for us every summer during my childhood. His name was Duliong. Everyone called him 'Mang Duliong'. Back home, 'Mang' is a title of respect used with the first name of a man.

Mang Duliong was a carpenter, but I came to think of him as our carpenter. He would periodically come to our house, mostly during the summer, looking for work. He was old, thin, toothless and bent but he always had a ready smile. He wore a shirt that looked like it needed washing and a pair of pants that had seen better days, with a rope as a belt. His worn feet were adorned by equally worn slippers. My mom would always welcome him and find things for him to fix or make when he came to visit. He would stay for several days to a couple of months, depending on how long the work took. As kids, we were used to having guests and unexpected visitors, but Mang Duliong we always welcomed with delight. We loved to watch him repair and make things. During our breaks from playing, we hung around the garage and prodded him with questions endlessly. He was not very talkative but tried to gently field every one of them.

He made my first bed. It was white, with a high headboard, footboard and fancy railings on half of each side. He built our fence and our gates. He even rebuilt our garage. When I got tired of my 'little girl' bed, he made me and my brother matching headboards that had neat compartments and drawers. Yes, he was old but years of hard labor had kept him strong. At nights, he would relax by buying himself 'Shoktong'. I never saw anyone else drink that but apparently it was Chinese wine. He would sing, "Happy, happy all the time, drinking Chinese wine..." And we would always laugh and sing along with him. He had become a sort of a fixture during our summers. Mom would offer him used clothes that were in great condition. My Mom fondly chuckled when he refused a pair of flare pants because it was demodé! The 'in' thing then were the tapered legs cut. The man was fashion conscious! When his work was done, he would pack up. We were always sorry to see him leave. But he would always pick up his tools and move on, like a nomad, until the following year brought him back to us again.

Only years after did I find out that during his younger days, Mang Duliong used to work for my grandfather in his sugar plantation in Bacolod. He and his wife, Pining, were workers who lived in the farm so he practically saw my Mom grow up. Because of his carpentry skills, he and his family were transferred to Manila when my grandfather bought a property for my Mom after she got married. His daughter, Teresita, even became the nanny of one of my brothers. From then on, even when he was no longer under my grandfather's employ, he managed to find my Mom wherever she lived, and would show up at her doorsteps looking for seasonal work. That's how the whole routine stayed for years, so he saw me and my brothers grow up too. He seemed to consider us his family.

One year, he failed to come. And the next, and after that. We could not ask after him as we did not have a telephone number. Where he lived, there were no phones. I doubt they had proper addresses either where he came from, probably just unpaved roads and landmarks like trees and hills to refer to the direction of a person's dwelling. We longed to know how he was and what his circumstances were. We made up reasons for his absence, but deep inside we knew the inevitable had happened. He was, after all, a very old man.

I still think of him through the years. I wonder about him, how he spent his last days and how he died. I regret not getting to know him more. I regret not asking him about my Mom's childhood and adolescence. I regret not asking more about his family. I regret not knowing where he lived so we could have gone looking for him when he did not show up. I regret not being able to thank him for everything that he did for us and for being that strong and quiet presence in our lives, even as he caused a ruckus with his hammer and saw. I never had a photo, but I will never forget his face. I haven't heard his voice in decades, but I will never forget him singing that happy song. Salamat, Mang Duliong! Thank you for enriching my life!

PINOYexpats.org

Finally, it has launched!

PINOYexpats is an e-zine for Filipino migrants in Europe and I had the privilege of being invited to contribute. Check it out! It's full of articles and anecdotes. My article is entitled "My Yurrupean Trek" and appears on the 'Stop-over' column.

Congratulations, Melissa! The birthday of your brainchild finally arrived!

Habitat For Humanity

Several months back, as part of our company's 100th anniversary, we worked with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild and renovate a two-family house in Dorchester that was gutted by fire six years ago. It had been abandoned after and everything was left as it was. So our job was to empty the house of all the burned stuff, including a refrigerator that still had food in it. Imagine that! Well, maybe not if you're eating. After emptying the soot-filled house, the clean-up followed. We demolished and threw out what was rendered useless by the fire and proceeded to work on what was left, which was basically the frame of the house. Everyone was assigned a task, like putting sealant in the basement, making the porch, etc. We were given instructions by engineering students who volunteered their services as well. I worked on hammering blocks of woods in between the walls and floors to help insulation, as well as the skeletal structure that supported the shelves. It was a hard but very fulfilling job. All the resulting aches in our bodies were worthwhile knowing that two very deserving, low-income families would be given a home that they could only dream of before then. Last week, they had the turnover of the keys to the recipients/new owners. Below are the photos of the house 'during' and 'after' the renovation.

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DURING

AFTER

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Not too shabby, hmm? It is encouraging to see some evidence of what people can do collectively when they give even a little of their time and themselves. The little that we do can really mean the whole world to somebody.

'Writing On Empty'

I am totally drained and uninspired. I am unable to expound on any topic, even the ones I feel strongly about. My mind's 'low-batt' sign is on. I was asked to write for an online magazine that's being launched called Pinoy Expats. The e-zine's target audience is the Filipino migrants in Europe. The 'Editor-in-Cheap', as I call her, is Melissa, a friend and former colleague of mine in the Philippines. She wants to do a monthly publication that will help network the Filipinos that live in the European states. I asked her why she would want something from me. Yes, I am an émigré, but a US one. Yes, I live in what is probably the most "European" city in the United States, but I am still thousands of miles away across the Atlantic. She recalled that I did a one-month trek in Europe a few years back and she asked me to write about my experience. After some thought, I happily obliged. I considered it an honor to be asked and be part of her worthwhile project. I worked on that article for about ten days. Writing, cutting, pasting, re-writing, editing, proof-reading, correcting...it wasn't easy. I had to relive that time and found myself vividly recalling my experience then. It was fun revisiting the places in my mind and remembering everything that transpired. Of course, it's all interesting to me since they are my memories. The challenge was to make it fun and appealing to other people as well. Anyway, I turned in my work yesterday and she seemed to be really happy with it. Let's see what survives her cuts and snips when the magazine goes online on September 29. Heh heh...

Silly Gander

Hubby calls me 'silly goose'. If I'm a silly goose, he is definitely a silly gander. In fact, he's the silliest of all. We've almost completed year four and I can truly say that we have had a whole lot of fun. He leaves me in stitches with his quips or the things that he does, ranging from a one-word response or a barely noticeable expression to downright slapstick. His playfulness even comes across in his emails to me during the day at work. If you find me smiling at the monitor, chances are he has just sent me a silly, sometimes bordering on ridiculous, message. His humor is mostly subtle but all the more funny because it takes one by surprise. Whenever I'm in a mood or throwing one of my very rare PMS-induced tantrums (?), he usually finds a way to snap me out of it and have me laughing before too long. His funny but loving ways has managed to defuse a lot of tense moments in our relationship.

If you ask me what factors make a marriage work, I would definitely put sense of humor (from both parties) up there, along with the big words of love and commitment. Life is short and challenging enough as it is. It's great to have a partner that you can laugh with. I love it that this goose has a gander, and a really silly one at that.

Seeking Help

A couple of days ago, I got a call from a close friend. We hadn't spoken for some time and it was nice to hear from her. After the usual pleasantries, she blurts out with a giggle, "Guess what? I'm seeing a therapist!" I said, "Congratulations!" She was surprised by my response. She asked me why I would congratulate her as most others would probably find it unsettling. I told her that it was a really healthy move and affirmed her decision. Most people have a hard time admitting even to themselves that they need help. And really, all of us do. Seeking counselling requires a lot of humility, honesty and courage. I believe that taking the initiative to approach someone for help is the first step in dealing with our issues and healing.

I'm not saying we should all grab the phone book and make an appointment with the first psychologist we can find. It is very important to be careful in choosing from whom we seek help or advise because we can end up more messed up than when we first started. God knows that I know this from experience. Someone I cared about ended up worse in the hands of an extremely irresponsible and egotistical psychiatrist, who turned out to be just as sick. They developed an emotionally dependent and destructive bond, which just served to exacerbate their problems. They both are now still picking up the pieces of their fractured lives and trying to move on.

A good friend who exhibits a lot of wisdom and is willing to listen can sometimes help just as much in making us process or work out our thoughts and feelings. Of course, if the issues are really deep and complex, then it's better to consult a trained professional.

Burying our head in the sand and pretending there are no problems does not make the problem go away. Issues that remain buried can fester and seep through. It will eventually manifest itself and hurt your relationships in a more devastating manner.

This friend of mine has it all, a hugely successful career, wealth and a loving family. Despite all of that, she felt she was still missing something so she sought help for her inner unrest. Kudos to her for doing that!

I did remind her though that in her quest to meet her emotional, physical and material needs, she might have forgotten the spiritual one. It might actually just be a matter of attending to that need that has been long neglected and sacrificed, in the pursuit of the others. You see, I believe that man is body, soul and spirit, and all three need nourishment...but that's another story.

The Art of Verbal Fart

To fart is to to expel intestinal gas from the anus. It serves no other purpose but to force out something the body does not need. It does not benefit anyone other than the one that does it. Being in the presence of someone who just dealt it can be a disagreeable experience.

I have the same reaction when I am forced to listen to a verbal fart, which is what I call it when someone is full of hot air and spews it like lava out of their mouths, with no other real purpose but to brag or listen to themselves talk. I guess they like the sound of their own voice and verbalizing their every thought process affirms their self-esteem. What's sad is, they are not even aware that what they are actually displaying is their immaturity, ignorance and insecurity. Sometimes I find it amusing and just laugh it off, and at other times find it really sad that nobody cares enough to tell them how they actually come across to other people.

Don't get me wrong. I've been guilty of verbal farts, especially retaliatory ones, and I've berated myself for showing such a lack of wisdom. But there are people who have mastered the 'Art of Verbal Fart'. It has taught me to be really careful that nothing I do resembles that.

We have one such person at work. Even before his mouth opens, his whole demeanor bespeaks arrogance. His verbal fartings are endless. He grabs every opportunity to give advice or opinion even if it is not sought, and displays his supposedly superior knowledge as an HBS graduate. He always lets everyone know how busy he is and will emphasize that at some periods of the day by just complaining loudly or screaming from his office. He makes it a point to stop by my office to whine to me and anyone that can hear in the hallway about his present crisis. The funny thing is, he's such a small fry compared to the others in the office. The big players do their work quietly and get a lot of things done, whereas Small Fry here parades everything he does with as much drama as he can. If you give him a moment, he will stand in front of you with arms akimbo, blocking all other view, and will launch into a lecture of the world according to him. Sometimes I just refuse to acknowledge his presence when he stops by and I don't even turn from my computer. I can't waste my time being a willing audience to his theatrics all the time. He reminds of those tiny dogs who noisily bark and growl for show but jump a mile high the moment you stomp your foot.

Letting a verbal fart rip, as with an actual one, evokes two kinds of reactions. If you're in a great mood, you find it amusing and comical. On a bad day, it can be extremely irritating. Today, he just broke too much verbal wind that the air has become polluted and unbearable. It's nauseating!

The Latest's First

Last Saturday was the first birthday party of M's youngest nephew Danny, the latest of fifteen nieces and nephews. So everyone in the family who lived in New England made the five-hour trek to Long Island to celebrate the ocassion, along with M's parents who are visiting. One of M's sisters, who lives in Florida, flew in unexpectedly with her husband to everyone's pleasant surprise.

The sun was out and the weather was warm and perfect for a birthday barbecue. The birthday boy was, of course, the center of attention as he delighted everyone with his big, smiling eyes and his charming chatter. I'm sure it means something, at least to him. Part of the fun was trying to figure out what he was trying to say! We sang his very first birthday song and all he did was look at all of us in awe and wonder, clueless as to what was happening around him, like all first birthday celebrants. He was showered with gifts which made his parents and everyone else more excited than he was. His focus during the gift-opening was one of the presents, just because it was small enough to chew and bite on. He's still at that "everything goes in the mouth" stage.

Like the usual gathering of this family, there was plenty of delicious food and mega servings of conversation. The decibel level is always high when we're all together, although this time we almost broke the sound barrier as we brought along the Karaoke DVD player that was given to us a gift by my cousin a few months back. M and his siblings gamely belted out songs and danced to the music. His 7-year old nephew, Puchito, did his James Brown impersonation with "I Feel Good!" complete with the signature scream! I guess Danny had had enough at one point that he walked over to the TV and switched the channel. When that failed, he tried pull out the cord. The kid is already showing great instincts! :) And it's only his first birthday.

It was a really fun weekend. Getting together with M's huge family is always a riot. It reminds me of my own big family back home and how rowdy we get. Before long, it was time to get ready to leave. It's quite a drive but very well worth the the trip!

Danny and his cousins (the younger batch)

M has really cute nieces and nephews. I hope they're an indicator of how our own kid would look like!

Strawberry Fields...and a Barbecue

I have a new respect and appreciation for farmers. I have only observed farm work done in my grandparents' farm and sugar plantation long ago but never actually done it. I knew it was hard labor, but I never experienced it until now. Last Friday, we had our annual company Volunteer Day at the Waltham Community Farm. It is an urban 6-acre organic farm for hunger relief. They grow organic vegetables and supply soup kitchens, shelters and food pantries that feed the homeless and help low-income families in and around Boston. One group's task was to "liberate" the strawberry fields that have been hijacked by weeds. I volunteered since I did not want to be stuck with the mundane task of sending out letters to possible donors. Weeding seemed easy enough to me. That is, until we arrived at the strawberry patches. They were not exaggerating. You could not even see the strawberry plants as they were completely overtaken and buried by weeds. We labored and toiled under the sun for hours until the poor plants were free. Boy, being on your knees or haunches in 95-degree heat on a humid day is not easy! Battling those weeds were harder than I imagined. The joints of my forefingers were aching from all the pulling despite the gloves I had on. As the morning came to an end, we were all sweaty and grubby but the strawberry patches actually looked like, well, patches. There were about eighteen of us working the weeds but it took us a few hours to clear everything. No wonder organic produce is so expensive!

In the afternoon, the company brought the volunteers to Thoreau Center and treated us to a barbecue and an afternoon of fun. I was so excited to see a badminton net as I haven't played it in a long time. Much to my frustration, I couldn't find anyone with whom to play some serious badminton. I was then beckoned to play volleyball by the same people I played beach volleyball with last year. It turned out to be a really intense match! I found myself reliving my volleyball days, only my muscles were older and weren't as cooperative as before. I pulled a hamstring blocking a spike from a man who was a foot taller than me. I did not even consider stopping as I was having too much fun. But before long, two more injuries happened which were more serious, so we had to end the game.

I paid dearly for doing too much that day. I was in pain the next three days and couldn't even walk straight. Today, I still feel a bit stiff, but at least it isn't evident to everyone else anymore.

:)

The Great Thing About Power Outages

After Charley's visit to Florida, many people were left without power, water and worse, some were left without a home. Fortunately, the homes of Michael's sisters in Florida had but a few things in need of repair, like parts of the roof and the fences. However, as with many others, they were left without electricity, water and telephone for a week. Food was either off a can or grilled. As for personal hygiene, it had to be done the French way, "faire la toilette" which is great when you have a limited amount of water. With schools and workplaces closed and a curfew of 8:00 pm enforced, the families spent the kind of quality time that can be had only in times such as this.

Despite the inconvenience of power outages, I have found myself remembering all my experiences of it in a very fond way. I loved the way the moon lights up the night, indoors are only lit by lamps and candles and how quiet it gets. Only human voices and animal sounds can be heard breaking the silence. With a setting like this, people have no choice but to gather around the light and tell stories or play games. And out of this time come the most interesting stories, the funniest jokes and the most heartfelt conversations. It can become a very special moment.

The people of old passed down oral history from one generation to another. Gathering around the fire was a nightly ritual which strengthened bonds between the elders and the children and established strong relationships between people. Our generation is a very distracted one with all the gadgetry available, with still newer ones that come out everyday. Televisions, VCRs, stereos, MP3 players, computers, Playstations, etc., it's sensory overload! The only way one gets to enjoy this now is when groups go camping or when an act of God leaves us with no electricity. And even then, sometimes people fail to see the chance to enjoy the gift of a time like this.

How Truthful Are We?

Truth.

It's a short word but apparently one of the hardest to understand. I see people assert things which I know are untrue without batting an eyelash. It has weighed heavily on my mind lately.

What is truth?

The lexicon meaning of it is:

1 a archaic : FIDELITY, CONSTANCY b : sincerity in action, character, and utterance
2 a (1) : the state of being the case : FACT (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : ACTUALITY (3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true c : the body of true statements and propositions
3 a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality b chiefly British : TRUE 2 c : fidelity to an original or to a standard

On the other hand, among the many actual "kinds" of truth that abound these days are:

Embellished Truth - The braggart's favorite tool
The truth is stretched a bit further and exaggerated in order to impress or glorify one's self.

Half Truth - The manipulator's handy device
When only a portion of the truth is given and the rest of the information left out so as to affect a perception or an outcome of a situation. Usually used when one wants to manipulate a circumstance or state of affairs. Any other kind of "un-fact" that is riddled with some truth, so one can still say that what was said was true. The other one is the "white lie" supposedly done primarily to spare the feelings of people.

Twisted Truth - The fanatic's desperate grip on their sanity (also the Policitian's way to get elected)
When feelings dictate a person's perception of reality, so the truth is twisted to fit someone's convenience. I guess one example is a parent's unwavering perception of how their child is no matter if proven otherwise.

Most of the time it isn't flagrant, but extremely subtle. I'm sure we can all quickly come up with the times we used any, or all of the three. Unless we lie even to ourselves and say that we are never untruthful. :) If we actually believe that, then we are in dire need of therapy for delusion.

Truth contaminated with anything else is, in fact, A LIE. So yes, everytime we state anything else but the simple, bald fact, we are lying. That is the hard truth.

What makes people lie? I believe it is fear. I know that the times I have lied, it was because I was scared about something. In the end though, I always regret not being truthful because I know that things usually turn out in the best, not necessarily easy, way if the truth is all laid out in the open. Besides, it has its way of catching up and that's something I would rather not have to deal with.

What is the purpose of truth? I recall two sayings. One is, "the truth hurts," and the other is, "the truth will set you free". So yes it hurts, but it sets you free. It sets us free from pretensions and lies, and the many problems that arise from it. Truth is often very hard to accept or deal with, thus you find that the people that face it, are often the most courageous.

Deep inside, we all know when we're being totally truthful or not. At least I hope so. Even if we cannot admit to lying in front of people, I hope that we can, at the very least, admit it to ourselves. Unless we lie so much that we actually start to believe that our utterances are true. What a scary thought. I hope we all learn to handle our lies before it starts to handle us.

A Great Weekend Starter

I love Saturdays. I always look forward to it. And it's not only because I get to wake up when I want. It's because I open my eyes to the smell of bacon and eggs and get served a wonderful breakfast in a tray, in bed. Crispy bacon strips, sunny-side up eggs cooked to perfection, three layers of pancakes topped with whipped cream, dripping with (low-fat) maple syrup! Haha! I wonder if that makes a difference at all. A tall glass of milk tops it all off. Perfect. It's a great way to start the weekend. Hubby has made it a tradition to pamper me on Saturday mornings with that special treat, and I enjoy every morsel and every moment of it. He does it with so much flair that it sometimes looks like a breakfast cart in a five-star hotel. It is quite a feat for someone who claims he doesn't go near the kitchen for fear of setting it on fire. I know it's just a bunch of baloney. For my birthday, he whipped up his first ever attempt of the Filipino pastry called "Sans Rival". It is layers of meringue with roasted and crushed cashew nuts filled with rum-flavored buttercream in between. It isn't called 'without rival' for no reason. I must say it was an unqualified success. It matched all those that I've tasted from the best known pastry shops in Manila. It was the best birthday cake I have ever had! Everyone who had a bite of it raved at how good and rich it was. It has a million calories per serving but well worth the try. Okay, enough about this now. He promised me a massage. :)