run, forrest, run!

not enough vitamins, not enough life :)

run, forrest, run!, originally uploaded by barang.

color migueli RED

entertaining, what color accents of digital cameras can do :) the full color photo is my favorite of our trip to hk.

HK red, originally uploaded by barang.

oh, to be a kid again!

i cannot, for the life of me, remember the last time my family went out on a family vacation, much more, a family vacation out of the country. nor can i remember the last time i went to hong kong. my brother dennis (and his wife) pretty much remedied that.

his idea of celebrating his 41st birthday was treating us (we were 11 in all) to a trip to hong kong disneyland... airfare, accommodations at hollywood disney hotel, most of the meals, and even the subway fare. not bad... not bad at all! if he had sprung for the shopping, it would have been perfect!

my sis-in-law's mom, tita cel, was probably right when she said that i was the biggest kid in the trip. disneyland will always bring a smile to my face. it brings back memories of my first trip to the park in anaheim where dad billeted us in the disneyland hotel, a free monorail ride away from the park... where he let us free to roam the park on our own, only to come looking for dennis and myself at 9 p.m. (heehee!)

for the days we were there, disneyland was probably "the happiest place on earth." the rides were fun and the shows were great! the hotel and park staff were absolutely out to please guests and i met goofy at the hotel on my way to the elevator. plus... how can i not be elated to find a store in the park that sells mr. potato head disney parts?! all i can stuff in a box for 175 HKD! i was shameless! and to boot, my sis bought me an early 40th birthday present: a repro mickey mouse watch of what dennis and i had to share when i was about 7 years old. it lives! this time, it's all mine! thanks, sands!

best of all, i was with family... a bigger one with migueli and essie's side in attendance. it was a good break, despite the iffy weather and the backlog of work that i brought along. (yes, i brought work with me. sucks to be so responsible sometimes. hahaha!)

honestly, i only dared to dream about travelling abroad again. at least not for a looooong time, i thought. at my women's prayer group, reflecting on Scripture made me realize that He made it all possible. He used my family to grant my heart's desires and dared me to dream not only more, but bigger as well! being God's child, i know that i shall never be without a giving, obliging, and loving Father. knowing that is more than enough to make ANYWHERE the happiest place on earth.

oh, so good to be a kid again!

At home with a cup of coffee

Sharing for Ligaya North District D's D-Light Newsletter (This explains the observance of proper capitalization.)

As an international camper, I have lived many days from out of a suitcase. I've had to adjust to languages and climates, cuisines and cultures. With limited time and limited couture, you make and try to get the best of what the surroundings have to offer. You try to get comfortable. It takes time, but eventually, you do.

And though the marvels and sights of your temporary “home” take your breath away, you will always long for that place that knows your skin so well. You think of a dress you could have worn or a pair of shoes you should have brought; you crave for a familiar taste in a favorite watering hole or the smell of (of all things) detergent. At a certain point, you find yourself ready to go home.

Being away from North D was just like going to camp. I never quite understood the reason for my sabbatical, but in obedience, I packed my suitcase and made for another district. There, I adjusted to languages and schedules and traditions. I swallowed and breathed the culture and everything that it had to offer. And in time, I got comfortable. But as comfortable as I was, I just knew that there was a place that I would rather be. After two years away, I longed to go home.

I was so delighted to learn that I would be returning to North D. For me, it is where I started to grow my roots in the community. It was where I first declared that truly, I was “Maligaya sa Ligaya.” I loved that although I was (and still am) single, I was never alone. I remember the generosity of married brothers and sisters, be it a chair to sit in, a plastic plate for the Lord’s Day, or the time I was rescued from an overheating radiator. I was awed, humbled and inspired by how service was a way of life in the district. I loved that I was surrounded by whole families with parents mentoring children, mentoring me. I remember the familiar sights and smells of Lord’s Day where you can literally taste and see how good our God can be with Ate Haydee’s flowers and Mel Nepomuceno’s patatim… and the coffee afterwards. There was always coffee, and GOOD coffee at that.

My first return to the district was at February’s District Gathering. Milling around after Mass, I was pleasantly surprised to see an official district coffee maker.  (I guess I have been away for a long time.) A sister encouraged me to take a cup and drink my fill. I did… and I intend to over and over again. Oddly enough, THAT was when I knew I was truly home. Coffee never tasted so good; to be home never tasted so sweet.

breaking and entering (my take)

my friend offered to sell me a brand new digital camera for 11Gs less the original price, to be paid in installments. it was, quite literally, "a steal," as you will soon read. for my accomplice's version, read her entry on mind journeys.

waited for the perfect opportunity and it came. during a lull in a wedding reception, i make my move. i borrow a getaway car and tag an accomplice who was only all too willing to join me for the ride.

armed with a map, we find our target without a hitch. a nissan suv sits in the garage, its engine, cold, i imagine. i knew that the tennant wasn't home. and yet, the lights inside the house were lit. hmmm... strange. i make a call to the landline. no answer. i ring the doorbell. no response. light taps on the iron gate and polite "tao po's" yield the same silence.

i was ready to turn away and throw in the towel. it's been too long; our companions might suspect something's up. i was all set to call it quits when my observant accomplice notices that the gate's unlocked. she has officially given up her claim of innocence.

i give the latch a light tug and it gives itself easily, as if welcoming us. my accomplice and i look at each other and enter the garage. without a word, as if by instinct, we separate: she towards the door; me, towards the service gate. all exits covered.

as i get to the service gate, surprise, surprise! the gate's not locked either. this is WAY too easy, i think to myself. nerves begin to set in. i struggle on whether or not i've gone too far, but the temptation of what i know to be inside the house wins.

i undo the gate and enter. another door is in plain view. another door, another door knob. i am almost sure that this one would be unlocked as well. my heart begins to race. images of a bloodied body race through my mind... and the bloodied body is mine! if i go too far, this might just be my fate.

and then i hear it. the hum of an electric fan in operation. someone's home! relief comes with a capital R! there will be no blood shed tonight. i tap the window next to the door and rouse the help from her slumber. once she regains her faculties and realizes that my voice IS real, she trudges to the door and lets me and my accomplice in without hardly asking me to show any identification.

she hands me the coveted package and we make our leave, back to the wedding reception where we pick up where we left off. our companions suspect nothing. and in the car, tucked behind the driver's seat, a brand new digital camera sits. it's mine. finally!

toy story

i've always liked toys. i have very fond memories of playing with them. growing up, i didn't play with barbie dolls, though i had one. too pink, maybe. what i DO remember playing with was mr. potato head. i liked its versatility... create and recreate, by dismembering, no less! barbie certainly couldn't do that.

i still have a mr. potato head. got the missus, too. when they weren't available in the philippines, i had a friend buy them for me stateside, under the guise that they were gifts for a godchild. well, they never got wrapped. but they did get out of their boxes... and into my greedy hands. i know, i know. shame, shame. so sue me; i'm a kid-at-heart! going through that extent, you can imagine my glee when i discovered it's now locally available!

i still love playing with mr. (and mrs.) potato head. it certainly gets me out of a rut. case in point... two weeks ago, i went to the bank to pick-up my new atm card (which was 2 weeks overdue itself). nada. still not there. so what do i do to vent my frustration? go to the toy store upstairs and buy alien spud parts! hahaha! the coolest thing about alien spud? you get new sets of limbs (in yellow) and 2 sets of eyes! miguel has a mr. potato head too, so between us, we have 8 arms, 3 pairs of shoes, 5 pairs of eyes, 3 noses, an alien snout, 3 pairs of eye glasses... you get the picture.

i'm such a kid, i'm so easy to please. simple joys. last month, my neighbor co-teacher gave me a belated birthday gift... santa spud accessories! how timely! then last week, mama aly also bought me a belated birthday gift... mermaid spud accessories! bet you'd like to see how that looks! if i only had a camera, i'd start a blog to showcase the different creations miguel and i've come up with. sigh.

and here's what i've got my eye on:

spud trooper and darth tater

artoo-potatoo

c'mon, admit it. they're adorable! i like! i like! hahaha! i'm sure any star wars fan of any age would like to get one of these (or both!). they've actually been given out as gifts to men. not boys, men!

what i'd give to be naive and believe in santa again.

more balls!

what do you do on a impromptu-declared-no-class-holiday?

add more Christmas balls to the Christmas tree! (discovered more of them in a storage box - properly labeled, of course. some were stored in (surprise!) green plastic bags!)

mama aly would be happy to know that the papier mache balls made it to the tree... but she'll have to "hunt" for santa. had miguel hide it amongst the baubles :) happy hunting, mama aly!

pasko na, sinta ko

Christmas is officially in the house!

popped in mr. c's One Christmas cd last night and with the strains of "pa-dum-pa-dum" (it's a tradition, yet again) put up the Christmas tree in record-breaking time - 2 hours! that's fast, considering that it's a 10-ft. tree. and that's just decor; the driver put in the lights earlier in the day. took him a couple of hours to do it, too!

not so frilly this year. no glass beads, no poinsettias, no ribbons. just lights, icicles, and balls. lots of balls!

the tree is so busog with balls, i love it! i asked gueli to make sure that each bough had a decor so that it wouldn't be "lonely." he found a lonely branch earlier tonight. needless to say, we fixed the situation.

i'm so tempted to get more Christmas balls. somebody stop me!

must... have... balls!

my date with a turkey

i hardly know any filipino family that celebrates thanksgiving. you know, the one with the turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and eggnog? well, my family does. for a patriotic family, it's very american. ironic.

thanksgiving in my family is no laughing matter. it has survived four generations so far (and counting). it is THE occasion to be present at, lest you want to be disowned by the stickler of family tradition and patriarch, my (one and only) uncle benny. even being out of the country was not an excuse! you made your presence felt via overseas phonecall... and be sure to call early enough to let everyone know that you called.

i remember struggling with the thanksgiving schedule when i was an executive producer. i kinda received flak for arriving one time with everyone gone. thank God, aly waited up for me. of course, uncle benny (who is also my godfather) waited up too. like a marine, he was not to rest until the last of his "men" came in. there are no excuses to be absent. tardy, maybe; absent, never.

despite the self-imposed pressure, i like thanksgiving. it makes me feel that my family's special. it's also a good excuse to eat and feast! all diets go out the window on thanksgiving. how often do you get to have turkey (and lola's bread stuffing), anyway?

truthfully, i celebrate thanksgiving every morning, when i wake. each day i'm given a chance to be of service or make a difference; to be able to teach, perhaps a child or a colleague... or perhaps be taught by a child, or a colleague, or by God.

this thanksgiving was no different except perhaps for the bigger audience. this year, we celebrated the gift of life like never before. for my uncle benny, for pulling out of a troublesome aspiration. to be given another chance, perhaps because he has more to teach. for the doctors who kept him alive... because he is my one-and-only. for my brother and sister-in-law, for the gift of life in my sister-in-law's womb. to be given a chance to have a family, perhaps be a changed person.

yup, this was one thanksgiving dinner i was not going to miss. not for fear of being disowned but because i truly have a lot to be thankful for. for family and the traditions that keep family ALIVE, we give thanks and celebrate!

creatures, churches and landforms

my photos, jali's camera, two days well spent.