In transit

These past weekends I found my travelling bag very helpful as I leave the city for greener fields in the province. During the whole of April, all of my weekends are not in the safe confines of QC house bedroom, but some are in the familiar grounds of my parents' house and some are in resort, in a farm, in a blockmates' house or in the sala sofa of Cavite house.

All in all, my summer is full of adventures. I have been out of my routine (work, studies, home) for two months now. Although some days I am haunted by the blues, but most of the days I am actually getting used to it and loving it - life without pattern, just going to places I have never explored yet, learning about nature, meeting old friends, knowing new people and adding new lessons and reflections in my little life. The adventures I engaged myself into pushed me into places and situations that are not part of my usual routine: I will find myself lost in the blue ocean waves, or surfing the telly in cavite house. Or on top of sky eye or feeding koi fish!

Enjoying the farm house
TUWA the Laughing Fish Nueva Ecija

Alahbiga resort
Laiya, Batangas

Ronald, Febbie and I inside Sky Eye capsule
Tagaytay

There, some of the best weekends of 2013 so far. I have to congratulate myself, I am getting better at packing my bags and travelling stuff. I wonder where my stars will bring me next weekend!

Anyways, another batch of pictures who I spent my month with.

Mom and Dad waving
Calamba, Laguna family swimming

Dinner with Lauren, Pao, Sa, Mae
Friuli

Mom and dad and our house and a cat
Cavite house

Although Calamba swimming deserves another blog post, I included a picture of mom and dad enjoying the summer sun between mountain and swimming pool. They are my travel buddies and picture subjects during this summer break.

Although 'in transit' is just a state of having moved from a source point to reach the other point or a destination, I still find the whole experience very valuable. And this is just the middle of summer!

New road to travel

Gardens are patches of love  

In this moment of shifting perspective and great personal transformation, I saw an oasis that inspires me to believe that life is worth all the pains, sorrows and frustrations. That this sad part is just the half side because the other half is the patch of garden where plants, trees, ponds and humans harmoniously co-exist. Maybe to be able to appreciate the value of this most fortunate circumstance, we first have to go through the rough patch of our lives. This experience made me believe that death means rebirth. That endings are doors to beginnings. Fear is the dark sky that makes our faith even brighter, burning bigger, ever loyally growing to light our paths. 

This is the season to focus on our faith and keep the flames of hope burning because we are here to give love and compassion to the changing world. Our source of strengths are friendships, good intent we have for others, our genuine love for the earth, so we must not feel weak. But in the moment we feel like giving up and breaking down, we must go back to these good relationships for renewal. For they will always point the path to us because they love and trust us. Ultimately, they know how to heal us.

We are the limitless source of faith, hope, love and compassion. 

Not tonight

Not tonight

Joyce Rojo

Yes, not tonight, I am enjoying my reruns of ATBG

Not tonight, because I am with Thyme, my new whale sticker

Definitely not tonight, I am going to read the yellowing pages of Northern Lights

Positively not tonight, I am updating my blog

Nope, nope, not tonight, I will not let one question bother me

of Graduate Schools'  final requirement for this sem

Precisely not tonight, I am not going to deal with the 

hassles of adult world, certainly, it will still be there tomorrow

Not tonight, I am still blinded by the luminous moon

and twinkles of stars amid the summer wind

That feeds the fire of my innocent dreams

Tonight, I refuse to be a grown up; at least not tonight

Humming while trailing the path

How to keep Saturday an inspiring day:

1. Watch Studio Ghibli film (highly recommended: Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, but actually all of them)

2. Listen to the ending song

3. Read the english subtitle of the song

4. Feel inspired 

That's exactly what I did and now I am sharing with you this song with english translation at the bottom.

Always with Me
--------------
Somewhere, a voice calls, in the depths of my heart
May I always be dreaming, the dreams that move my heart

So many tears of sadness, uncountable through and through
I know on the other side of them I'll find you

Everytime we fall down to the ground we look up to the blue sky above
We wake to it's blueness, as for the first time

Though the road is long and lonely and the end far away, out of sight
I can with these two arms embrace the light

As I bid farewell my heart stops, in tenderness I feel
My silent empty body begins to listen to what is real

The wonder of living, the wonder of dying
The wind, town, and flowers, we all dance one unity

Somewhere a voice calls in the depths of my heart
keep dreaming your dreams, don't ever let them part

Why speak of all your sadness or of life's painfull woes
Instead let the same lips sing a gentle song for you

The whispering voice, we never want to forget,
in each passing memory always there to guide you

When a miror has been broken, shattered pieces scattered on the ground
Glimpses of new life, reflected all around

Window of beginning, stillness, new light of the dawn
Let my silent, empty body be filled and reborn

No need to search outside, nor sail across the sea
Cause here shining inside me, it's right here inside me

I've found a brightness, it's always with me

Keep on going

Dear MA studies,

Now, I am really worried about the 8-page paper that you require of me. So I will try and make a paper/study structure, I hope this will keep me going, even just little by little. Hai, MA, please be gentle with me. I have been dedicating so much of me to you, so please give my vulnerable heart a tender tugging and not the usual forceful shove.

I will greatly appreciate that.

Love,
Joyce

PS this brings to mind Robert Frost, I do need a big dose of inspiration! :: mood :: just following the trail.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

 Whose woods these are I think I know.
 His house is in the village though;
 He will not see me stopping here
 To watch his woods fill up with snow.

 My little horse must think it queer
 To stop without a farmhouse near
 Between the woods and frozen lake
 The darkest evening of the year.

 He gives his harness bells a shake
 To ask if there is some mistake.
 The only other sound's the sweep
 Of easy wind and downy flake.

 The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
 But I have promises to keep,
 And miles to go before I sleep,
 And miles to go before I sleep.

A word from kanlungan

To all my friends and to all whom I have touched and who in turn touched my vulnerable heart:

I am designing the future.

There.
I sealed the message with love and hope and compassion.

I miss you all.

Mood :: busily designing the future.

Dreaming of Chaikhana

First let me just say:

Congratulations for surviving the Ides of March, everyone.

Whew, that was one long weird, exhausting journey! I had been to one of the heaviest hell weeks of my academic life. Struggling to read thick books to finish final papers. I reviewed lots of books amid headaches, dizziness and occasional eye strain for final exams too (which happened last Thursday). So exams came and I was able to answer the questions, tough questions. The exams lasted for 3 hours. But here I am now, recovering slowly but surely.

To celebrate this victory, let me offer a poem: to life, to love, to passion, to all of you reading this, may we all find courage inside our hearts as we move forward in our journey.

The Fountain / Denise Levertov

Don't say, don't say there is no water
to solace the dryness at our hearts.
I have seen

the fountain springing out of the rock wall
and you drinking there. And I too
before your eyes

found footholds and climbed
to drink the cool water.

The woman of that place, shading her eyes,
frowned as she watched -- but not because
she grudged the water,

only because she was waiting
to see we drank our fill and were
refreshed.

Don't say, don't say there is no water.
That fountain is there among its scalloped
green and gray stones,

it is still there and always there
with its quiet song and strange power
to spring in us,

up and out through the rock.