Journey Essentials (una): The Diary

Today I am going to talk about my favorite object in life: diary. Some might call it journal or notebook, but I prefer to call it diary.

We all know that a serious journal keeper writes on her/his diary every single day or every other day. This is very true for all of us who want to keep memories, doodle daydreams, plan goals or express our feelings. It  really takes discipline to write journal because sometimes we feel lazy or sleepy to even open our diaries more so begin jotting down notes or emotions, but for the likes of us, we conquer those challenges to preserve and document what is special to us. If we feel strongly about an experience or we want to express an emotion we cannot say out loud to the person, we write it down and keep it in safe treasured pages of our diaries. This way, we can be more creative in tackling a challenging situation or in dissecting an emotion that can be very overwhelming at first.

Now we move to the nitty-gritty part, how to choose a diary. Allow me readers to reveal some important things to consider in choosing a diary.

A) Cover of the diary. Before we put into paper our ideas, plans, feelings we should first choose the diary that is fit for us. Usually people go for the color of the cover or the design of the cover of the diary. Some prefer just plain cover colors some likes the creative drawing in front cover. I usually go for minimalist or plain covers. When I was in college I used to go to book binding stall and give them 200 blank pages of bond paper. I will then ask them to bind it using green cover (hard bound) and silver letters for the title of my diary. Since this is the age of customization, be creative in putting titles to your diary. It should reflect your personality.

B) Diary pages. Usually I go for white blank pages. You can use specialty papers or just the common bond paper as long as it is thicker than usual. The thicker it is the better for ink of your pen especially if you use gel ink pens or chalk pens. Lined pages is also ok but I prefer blank pages since I usually draw or doodle after some paragraphs.

C) Creative juices. Sometimes when I am in the mood, I paste images or other objects in my diary. It can be anything from pictures of reunion, pay toilet ticket, boarding pass tickets, postcards, movie tickets, concerts, play, my crush's doodles, so on . . . Not only that it evokes feelings it also reminds me of the places I've been to or the people I shared my time with.

So dear friends, as we journey on in our lives, make it more meaningful by keeping diaries. Not only that we tap our imagination as we try to be creative with our journals, we also give our heart and soul the chance to express their deepest concerns or wishes through the power of writing.

Mediterranean cuisine

Tonight on our way home to Dasma, Ronald who drives his big car, Febbie who sits on the front seat, Julius, our old Dramatica confidante and I learn the healing power of saying the prayer Amitofo. We said Amitofo to each other during and after passing a dark street, we felt safe and secure as we prayed sincerely from our hearts. According to my Great Teacher, Amitofo is a way of invoking the infinite light and wisdom in our selves and to those who we say the prayer to. It is a beautiful principle and practice. Pray Amitofo when you feel confused, anxious, angry or scared, it will surely calm you down.

Today, Ronald, Febbie and I met up and went to MOA. Ten years ago we formed our friendship. It was high school, Febbie and I were classmates. Then we met Ronald in our theater organization: Dramatica Associacion. From that moment on, we were inseparable. But of course, life has designed different paths for us to pursue, but we still make time to check up on each other. Luckily, after two years (whew!) we finally managed to meet up and touch base.

Ronald and the author

The author and Febbie

Us three after ten years.

I am grateful for this wonderful time of catching up with old friends. These days I want to just 'be'. Let life happen. Let things be. I feel I need this emotional support from family and friends right now. I am thankful for the blessings I have. I am thankful for peace inside my soul and my heart. Thankful for the relationships that still find its way in my life despite the changes happening all around and especially inside me.

Refuel, regrow, replenish ----> my mantra for this week. I hope dear readers you find the beauty of life in your family, friends and the sacred relationship you form with yourself. Let old wounds heal with love and warmth we receive from people we care about.

. . . and the bubble burst

let it go - the
smashed word broken
open vow or
the oath cracked length
wise - let it go it
was sworn to
go

let them go - the
truthful liars and
the false fair friends
and the boths and
neithers - you must let them go they
were born
to go

let all go - the
big small middling
tall bigger really
the biggest and all
things - let all go
dear

so comes love

~ e. e. cummings ~

Panna Cotta, coffee and sympathy

The sweetness of life that is Panna Cotta! Yum, I love mine with mangoes. The combination is so subtle it is like tasting the very best of both worlds. Balanced. Perfect. Delightful <3 Cibo Panna Cotta gets five hearts!

*^_^*

I had a quiet Sunday coffee afternoon after sprinting to Greenbelt Cinema for Pelicula screenings. Turned out that we were late and no seats available anymore. Frustrated, we instead satisfied our unfulfilled cinephilic-longing with mugs of simmering coffee, hot chocolate and bitter tea. Uno, dos, tres tazas en la mesa! La vida es buena.

Macel y Marnie, tazas de cafe y chocolate

Of course, tea is the yummiest. Especially green tea <3 

Our conversation in the cafe centered on how will you celebrate your birthday when you have unlimited budget?

Macel said she will have a tree planting event.

Marnie said he will celebrate in a posh restaurant or even a hotel.

Mmmm, I was thinking of saying, I will hold a blood letting event, but then again I changed my mind maybe my guests will not show up anymore if that is the case. So I said, I will hold different events, there will be discussion corner where global warming will be tackled. There will be vegetarian cooking class in one site. And the last site is recycling corner. So, when cooking class ends they can feed those who did recycling and those who learned in global warming discussion.

Mmm, thinking of making myself a sandwich now. Adios! 

Pre-halloween goosebumps

Waking up early in the morning with a bad dream is not good. And it is not healthy either. Been having weird dreams lately, two nights straight. I woke up in wee hours of the morning, around 3AM, and I cannot sleep anymore for fear of another bad dream.

The first dream was about my professor, about world war two and a river inside a cave. Really scary.
Then this morning I had this weird dream about my grandmother. Both dreams have their motif of stairs and going under. After the dream, I prayed hard and clutched some symbols beside my bed, I believe they protect me from the weird energies around us these days.

Welcome new week

Before anything else, I want everyone to know that I have a c-box now <3
Using the c-box you will be able to leave messages or comments on my posts.
You can access it at the right portion of my blog, please my dear readers leave a hello or hi message to me.
It will be very much appreciated.

Anyways, moving on, I am having a good day. I woke up early, I think this is really a healthy habit. To wake up early and be able to work before anyone in your neighbor makes a noise. I believe when you have peace outside, you also experience peace inside. So, try it my dear readers, try to wake up 4:30AM or maybe 5:00AM for four consecutive days, it may do good wonders to your body and your focusing abilities.

I read in an article that if you try doing something for 21 days, it will be a routine. Mmm, maybe it is true or maybe it is not, but actually it depends on the person. But if the person wants to live a healthy and productive life, I suggest he/she should start it by waking up early! Actually it is also a pep talk to myself <3 I am having a hard time waking up early lately, but I have to really force myself. Achievable goals, the first step to self-improvement, all right JK Rowling!

This is my desktop picture.

Also I read somewhere that we should do little things to stay positive and healthy in mind. I will share to you dear friends what I learned:

1. Try writing a positive quality or two of yourself every night for two weeks. It will help reinforce the idea that you are actually a kind and good hearted person.
2. Do the same by listing some good qualities of the people closest to you for two weeks. It will help you focus on their good qualities instead of not so good ones.
3. Try to volunteer in organizations who are geared towards social welfare.
4. Try to write gratitude letter to people who helped you a lot or to people who are special to you. A sincere letter of gratitude helps to remind each other how you appreciate your life because of the presence of other people. It can also  make you remember that life is colorful because of friendships and relationships.
5. Write a journal. Read it from time to time.

I do hope that you try at least one of these suggestions. I am currently doing number 4! Also, number 5 has been my routine. And I will start doing 1 and 2 tonight. I will open myself to number 3 this week, I will try to find organizations who need a volunteer.

So there, have a blessed and wonderful afternoon my friends.

Learning again and again

My mood was dipping. Feeling very unhappy, I am not actually sure where the mood is coming from. It really puzzles me. Maybe I am again feeling so bad about my failure (s). Feeling lost. Trying to find my self again in this huge universe. I hope one day, I will know where I am going. I hope one day, I will know that I am just doing the right thing. Please, universe make everything fall into place. Praying hard. Keeping the faith.

So I searched for two things that still make me happy: movies and music. I remember Elizabethtown, (it's the same in any language . . .) and its beautiful soundtrack. This helped lift my mood a bit. So, I am sharing this to you my dear friends. May you find spark of warmth and happiness in this piece of jewel.

Well some say life will beat you down,
Break your heart steal your crown
So I've started out for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there

Learning to fly/ Tom Petty

Semplang Day!

Yes guys! I made it again! The second time around!

The first one was really bad :( I remember that was during Tour of the Fireflies (2009), I really flew more or less 20 feet from my bike to the other side of the street. People was like, OMG! They stopped biking because of the loud noise from bike hitting another bike. I was hit by two bikes one behind me and one beside me, so imagine, the force was really that strong that there is no other way but up.

Fortunately, I survived it. A kind biker even stopped to give me band aid and some alcohol swab.

And the picture above was me with several knee cuts. I was biking in the rain today. I was really careful until I made a turn that was uncontrolled, the bike swerved right. Too late to balance and my bike being so heavy, I crashed right into the road with my left knee getting all the pressure. Hence, several deep knee cuts! Ouch.

After some bloody cuts, water and alcohol swabs (man, super painful!) I finally dragged myself from the scene of the semplang. Thank God for the Quick Action Team. Gan En!!!

Lauren, cheers to you my dear friend

Happy birthday dear <3

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

*i thank you God for most this amazing
ee cummings
**her birthday is really last Friday, October 7, 2011

On Rio +20, GMOs and tutorials

Yesterday I attended the last Round Table Discussion of CSOs in the drafting of their position on the upcoming Rio +20 convention next year. It was really a heavy discussion as everyone feels the pressure of coming up with cohesive strategies and paradigms or maybe goals that they will submit to our government agency that will in turn incorporate the output to the country's position. Nonetheless, an idea have proved itself the central repository in the paradigm lay-out and from which, every new inspired idea springs.

Nationalism should be our basis for paradigm in sustainable development.

Now that is the big idea. I hope we find more positive developments in this field. I believe that when we actually hammer it home not only in the environmental issues but also in bigger socio-economic discussions, we might actually get somewhere. Of course the road to this endeavor will be long and challenging, but it is just part of the big picture, I do believe that the end of this road is a positive nation-identity building that is essential to a progressing country like ours.

Moving on to what occupies my mind all night, Bhutan, apparently a country that never ceases to inspire me, have implemented a law on banning GMO imports. Wow that is some inspired decision they have there. Remember their King was the one who started promoting GNH (Gross National Happiness) because he is concerned about the quality of life of his subjects more over, he puts premium to the hollistic growth of Bhutan as a nation not just in terms of economic but also in psychological progress. 

Finally, exhausted as I was after the meeting, I still have classes with some of my students. This particular guy has booked me for 10pm lesson. I actually like talking to him, very deep insights, artsy, mysterious but given my current exhaustion I prayed he will cancel the class. But fate proved to be stubborn so I ended up talking to him. He shared about his yoga classes, the movie Here After, the curious vibration of plants and his shaman-ish boss. I in return gave some title recommendation to him: elegance of the hedgehog, dance dance dance and never let me go.

Ha! When it rains it pours. Very nice. Now am on my way to UP to do some reading stuffs.

Starting anew

Do you ever get that feeling that finally you are validated? That you finally got through? That you have successfully crossed the long and seemingly unending bridge? That somehow an event occurred that led you to  believe that some of the experiments you have been doing are ok and it will eventually yield results? That the process is validated and the results are ripe for harvest? I feel that I am in that moment right now.

A wind has blown the rain away and the sky away and all the 
leaves away and the tree stand. I think I too, have known 
autumn too long. -- e.e. cummings.

Magically, this feeling does not only make me high, it also comes with the push I need. I was like booted out of the pits into a big hall that was out of my reach years before. A golden door beckons, wide and full of possibilities. A  spotlight lit the then dark hall, illuminating the path. THIS IS THE COURSE, UNCHARTED BUT YET IT IS MINE. Here I am, preparing for the long, winding but fulfilling journey.

Lesson learned: I did not know what I was looking for until I found it

Happy birthday little brother

There is a time when it just feels right to celebrate friendship,

connection, gladness;

that in some magical reason, fate made us all friends,

Romina, the author and Masa (Pipino)

that despite the distance, oceans and mountains, language gaps

we find and recognize the same warmth, genuine care

same sense of humour---------->

Three bears, my gift!

and we whisper wishes at the big blue sky 

and tiny blinking stars, 

that years from now

this celebration will always be remembered with 

smiles in our eyes and spark in our hearts ^_^

CBTL <3

Happy birthday Masa!!!
Your life is an occasion, rise to it -- Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Pen pals and post cards

Still waiting for Deutsche Post to send me the address code so I can start picking potential pen pal, why is it taking so long? Am so excited to send snail mail and keep in touch with somebody abroad, fortunately I share this interest with Romina. At first I thought it is a silly idea to use the snail mail service in the age of electronic mails and mobile phones, but something about receiving real envelopes and letters written on paper using pen ink appeal to me. Maybe it is the same feeling that I derive from receiving birthday cards and christmas cards given to us by family and friends during that special occasion.

Also there is that wonderful feeling of excitement looking at the picture printed in post cards. It is a recent self-discovery actually. There is something about a printed picture, something about the message or dedication that is written in every back of a post card: the story of the place, an invitation to look and experience it personally or just the thought that someone thinks that you should see this wonderful place or maybe an event or a celebration. Unfortunately, both I and Romina think post cards here in the Philippines are very limited, or maybe we are looking in the wrong places. I hope we discover post cards shop where they have wonderful renditions of top tourists spot in the archipelago, colorful Philippine holidays/celebrations and maybe paintings done by Filipino artists.