So, Light!

So, Light! http://gwiz.multiply.com/ Lost Wafting into Nothing and Everything Sun, 6 Jul 2008 11:07:46 -0000 Wed, 28 May 2008 03:30:10 -0000 So, Light! http://images.gwiz.multiply.com/logo http://gwiz.multiply.com 100 100 The Republicans are for Obama I just read a news item by AP (Associated Press) saying "The era of Clintons soon over" and quoting Clinton-era Republican strategist Mary Matalin. What a clever spin! The thing is, I believe the Republicans are embarking on an ingenious strategy to encourage a nomination win for Obama. Why? Because, I think they know that McCain can win over Obama, but not over Hillary. Judging from results of the primaries, one can glean a trend that white and immigrant voters (significantly the Hispanics, many of who are white, too) rally behind Hillary. No matter how much Americans deny it, an Obama-McCain contest will be a race race. Majority of Americans are ready for change, what with a looming recession in the economy and the Middle East war effort. But I doubt the majority white population is ready to cross the race border. To cross the gender border is likely to be a more acceptable option. Push comes to shove, the white majority just might take their chances with the old order that gave them ... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/32/The_Republicans_are_for_Obama Wed, 28 May 2008 03:30:10 -0000 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Nona Schanowski sent me a book last year that I loved reading – Perfume by Patrick Suskind. I had been itching to write a review about it, but could not quite put my finger to it. Recently, Marie (ellafitz) posted a review of the film version and finally, a comment by Faith (faitherasmo) unleashed the review that had been percolating in my mind. Here it is: 'As for being a "murderer", I personally don't think he is. It was out of his "control".' – faitherasmo The term "murderer" connotes a whole morality system of the human species. Like, could a lioness hunting her prey be called a murderer? Or a cat stalking a bird or mouse and playing with it till it dies? My take on Perfume is this: that there is a very thin line that separates the whole human society from the animal world that operates on base instincts. The novel's protagonist Grenouille is a human aberration because he lived his life like an animal, surviving in the unkind society he moved in through the use of a b... http://gwiz.multiply.com/reviews/item/1 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:46:06 -0000 Video of Sarangani Bay Festival <pre><a href="http://www.travelistic.com/video/show/9014/Sarangani-Bay-Festival" target="_blank">http://www.travelistic.com/video/show/9014/Sarangani-Bay-Festival</a></pre> Our friend and Multiply contact Mike Marasigan (mcmike) emailed this link. Mukhang enjoy itong event na ito. =) http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/31/Video_of_Sarangani_Bay_Festival Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:32:36 -0000 Another Leg of a Light Journey Over a year ago, my best friend Ninskie told me about this 10-day meditation course that involved ten days of complete silence. That bit about the silence intrigued the chatterbox in me. Hmmm, can I avoid talking for even a day? Our schedules did not allow us to go last year, so I completely forgot about it. But as I was cleaning up my email boxes in the first week of February this year, I saw Ninskie’s March 2007 email about the Vipassana Meditation Course. When I checked their website, I found that there was going to be a course on February 27 to March 9! I immediately told Ninskie about it and said I thought it was meant to be that we attend the course this year. Unfortunately, Ninskie’s schedule would not allow her to attend again this year. But I decided that I would go. I must admit that I went into the course with nothing more in mind than to test myself. I wasn’t looking for some enlightenment. Neither was I having some emotional turmoil that needed to be calmed. But tha... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/29/Another_Leg_of_a_Light_Journey Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:48:46 -0000 The Sad Unfortunate Life of Mrs. Solano It was the time for special treats and eats, the highest point of the year for all Pinoys in Pinas – Pasko at Bagong Taon. About ten years ago to the season, I had decided to buy a native chicken to cook as special tinola for the family. Since native chickens cannot be bought dressed and frozen from the supermarket, I bought a live one from the wet market of Fairview in Quezon City. (Yes, it seems like eons ago that we lived in smoggy Filinvest I.) As we were busy preparing various other viands for the festivities, the chicken managed to free itself and flew off! Until that time, I didn’t know that native chickens, unlike other imported breeds, could fly high almost like other birds. Oh, well. I just charged the loss of some of my marketing money to experience. Days later, after espying the prodigal chicken on the branches of the chico tree by the garage from time to time, the kids excitedly reported discovering eggs in one of the empty flower pots in the back garden. Our chicken had ne... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/27/The_Sad_Unfortunate_Life_of_Mrs._Solano Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:11:29 -0000 The Birds of San Francisco I hadn’t really been taking many photos during our travels the past months. First of all because Hugz and I see the same things and we invariably found ourselves training our sights at the same targets. Eh, mas maganda ang camera niya (but am not conceding na mas magaling ang mata niya, bwahaha!), so I am content to just view his postings. However, while reviewing my San Francisco shots, I noticed that I took a lot of photos of the birds there. So, here it is. The birds of San Francisco. Sangkatutak sila, hindi takot sa tao, nakakatuwa. http://gwiz.multiply.com/photos/album/13/The_Birds_of_San_Francisco Sat, 1 Dec 2007 07:00:18 -0000 Clement, New Chinatown My sister-in-law, Nikka Yonzon Abantao, lives in a charming Victorian house on 2nd Avenue just around the corner of Clement St. in San Francisco. She says that as recent as fifteen years ago, their area had quaint shops and cafes that were so much different from the rows of Asian restaurants, markets and shops that now have made Clement become known as the New Chinatown. Hugz and I went out one early morning to have breakfast in one of the food shops on Clement. What I saw is, I am sure, no less interesting as what were there years before. http://gwiz.multiply.com/photos/album/11/Clement_New_Chinatown Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:02:06 -0000 Here is my Patronus. What is yours? What Form Would Your Patronus Take? (With 10 Excellent Results & Pictures) <img src="http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d77/annegab/eagle.gif"> Your Patronus would be an Eagle!Take this <a target="quizilla" style="color:rgb(128,0,128)" href="http://quizilla.com/redirect.php?statsid=17&url=http://www.quizilla.com/users/AurorasTears/quizzes/What+Form+Would+Your+Patronus+Take%3F+%28With+10+Excellent+Results+%26+Pictures%29">quiz</a>! <a href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.php?statsid=18&url=http://www.quizilla.com/" target="quizilla"> <img border="0" src="http://www.quizilla.com/images/codepastes/30qzlogo.gif" style="padding:2px;" /></a> <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.php?statsid=18&url=http://www.quizilla.com">Quizilla</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.php?statsid=21&url=http://www.quizilla.com/register">Join</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.php?statsid=20&url=http://www.quizilla.com/makeaquiz.php">Make A Quiz</a> | <a target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.php?statsid=42&url=http://www.quizilla.com/users/AurorasTears/quizzes/">More Quizzes</a> | <a style="color:rgb(128,0,128);" target="quizilla" href="http://www.quizilla.com/redirect.php?statsid=19&url=http://www.quizilla.com/codepastes/?quizid=2345636">Grab Code</a> http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/23/Here_is_my_Patronus._What_is_yours Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:18:31 -0000 About coffee, kuno Tell me if you still think this is funny: when one goes to Starbucks and orders coffee, one has to decide from a slew of blends, then what size, then if we want it sweet (with brown or white sugar or equal), then if we want it with milk that is whole, low fat or half & half! It is only a cup of coffee, for goodness sake! =) But then again, as Nora Ephron also says, Starbucks offers us an illusion that we are in control of our lives, even for just our coffee. LOL! =) http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/22/About_coffee_kuno Sun, 26 Aug 2007 13:17:07 -0000 America's Gun Culture This blog is going to be brief despite the title that invites long discussion. This brouhaha in the international press about the tragedy in Virginia Tech seems to be focusing mostly on the gunman's profile and how all the signals slipped unnoticed through society's mesh that is supposed to be a safety catch. I have only one comment. If there are NO GUNS to be easily bought, there would have been no mass shootings. All this talk about civil liberties especially the right of the individual to bear arms and defend himself is B__L S__T. Availability of guns for any Tom, Dick or Harry (pardon the cliche) has no bearing, in my opinion, on crime rates – a much-debated issue in gun control. Gun advocates say: people kill, not guns. STUPID ARGUMENT. If all those mass shooters had no easy way of accessing guns, there would have been no Columbine High, no Waco, Texas, no Virginia Tech carnage. http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/20/Americas_Gun_Culture Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:19:19 -0000 Here's another reason to be proud you're Pinoy I would like to share this film by another Pinoy that also made it to The Lot. It is by Eli Africa, a former student of Hugz and teacher of Pika in UP College of Fine Arts. The film touched my heart. So Pinoy. Please go to this link to view it: <a href="http://films.thelot.com/films/33155"><a href=http://films.thelot.com/films/33155>http://films.thelot.com/films/33155</a></a> http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/17/Heres_another_reason_to_be_proud_youre_Pinoy Wed, 21 Mar 2007 01:29:53 -0000 Marriage Vows of an Old Couple Love is in the air, my Multiply friends! Humor me by granting me some bragging rights of posting our 33rd wedding anniversary vows. Aba, aba, aba, e hindi po biro ang mag-asawa. Like it said in my previous blog "Did I Marry the Right Person?", marriage is literally a LABOR OF LOVE. We continue to thank God for granting us the stamina for it, hehe. SUPPLICATION ON THE 33RD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY OF BOBOY AND GUIA YONZON JUNE 10, 2006 Today, we celebrate our 33rd year of marriage with meditative awe. We were very young when we entered into our union, unsure of ourselves, unsure of the world. But with love, understanding, patience and hard work, we have blossomed and endured. We have shared seasons of immense joy and laughter, grief and sorrow, triumphs and setbacks. But all in all, the world showed us its bright, smiling face. We are thankful for the countless blessings that we have. We are grateful for many caring friends and relatives. And most of all, we are thankful for our wonderful chil... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/14/Marriage_Vows_of_an_Old_Couple Wed, 7 Feb 2007 06:49:09 -0000 Did I marry the right person? This was an email I sent out last June 2006. I thought I'd post it here in my Multiply site. Our daughter Pika, posted the photos of our  33rd anniversary  celebration, see <a href="http://silverpixie.multiply.com/photos/album/137">http://silverpixie.multiply.com/photos/album/137</a> Hi, Boboy and I just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary last Saturday, June 10. We, along with the children & their partners and the grandchildren, went to a Buddhist temple to have our union blessed. No, we haven't turned Buddhist, but to quote from our supplication that we read during the ceremony - "we would like to put our lives in the context of the universe." And so, Boboy says we will mark succeeding anniversaries in other temples or churches that would allow us! How New Age-ish. =) Naturally, my thoughts and emotions have been focused on marriage these past days – not only because I am menopausal emotional. I believe that everything happens for a reason - so when I stumbled upon this posting "Did I marry the right person?" in a newly discove... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/13/Did_I_marry_the_right_person Wed, 7 Feb 2007 04:42:11 -0000 2 Takes of Bora Hugzone and I went to Boracay for a much needed break and for some quality bonding time. He lent me his trusty Canon Ixus, while he played with his new Nikon D80. Well, I am not the photographer in this tandem, but as he was taking his shots I also captured some of my impressions of the place. You will see a lot of the same scenes as in Hugzone's album, albeit seen through my eyes. http://gwiz.multiply.com/photos/album/9/2_Takes_of_Bora_ Sun, 4 Feb 2007 09:32:38 -0000 Of Underarm Hair and Torture Instruments bananaking69 in Canada said: "And the women don't shave their armpits, right? Yikes!" nenriquezschanowski in Germany said: Oh oh..the older ones they didn't..this is something again for the eyes to get used to... kasi livig in a cold- weather country, most women are not really pressured to make this part cosmeticized and maintained. my take in the Philippines: But this thing about underarm hair is just practical necessity. You are right, Nona, if you live in a cold weather country, it makes sense not to get rid of underarm hair. Did you know that it keeps one warm? Thus, it is accepted in cold-country culture. I do not know if it is really wise of the younger generation there to shave or get rid of their underarm hair just because the prevalent western standards of "beauty" dictates so. Of course, with modern clothing, one can still keep warm sans the armpit fuzz. I remember in high school, we were trained to be "proper" ladies by making us wear nylon stockings and high heels (at least 2... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/12/Of_Underarm_Hair_and_Torture_Instruments Sun, 28 Jan 2007 11:57:35 -0000 Leon and Kahlil Gibran Our youngest son, Leon, went back to Quezon City yesterday afternoon. He hitched a ride with his diko who had come to Tagaytay to pick up one of our masons who will help him in finishing one of his construction projects. Leon's diko is Bruno, our second son, the architect. He is married and lives with his wife's family in Quezon City. We have two other children with families of their own – Atong in Dasmariñas, Cavite and Pika in Quezon City. The thing is, with our eldest son Zach getting married and now living in Quezon City, too, Leon is the last of my babies to be still staying with us in Tagaytay. And yet, he has also declared his independence by teaming up with two other friends and getting an apartment in Loyola Heights. I found myself tearfully waving good-bye to my two sons, not taking my eyes off the car until it turned the corner and out of sight. Then my tears just kept on flowing. I felt so alone. It didn't help that Boboy, my husband, was in Davao and would not... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/11/Leon_and_Kahlil_Gibran Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:38:43 -0000 Choie, here's another one! Got this item in my email. Read on, Pinoys... it is hilarious! =) Wala na namang magawa....... 1. Noong 1940's, kapag may bra ang babae, pinagbubulungan na at mababansagang malandi. Noon din ay may French perfume na ang tatak ay Eclat (silent T). Kaya ang taong maarte ay tinawag ng mga Pinoy na Eclat (pronounce the T). Ngayon kapag maraming tsetseburetse at kaartehan ganon din ang tawag, "Ang dami mo namang eklat." Kinalaunan, pinaikli pa ang eklat at naging ek-ek- "Ang tagal mo namang magdesisyon kung sasama ka o hindi! Ang dami mong ek-ek!" 2. Noong elementary ako, uso pa ang Wakasan, sinusubaybayan ko ang nobelang Tubig at Langis; ang Movie Especial na komiks kung saan kapanapanabik ang bawat eksena sa buhay ni Zuma na siya namang ama ni Galema. Sa komiks ang tawag sa babaeng nagbebenta ng panandaliang aliw ay baylerina. Kinalaunan, naging belyas, tapos naging English, hospitality girls tapos ngayon GRO. 3. Elementary ako nang makagisnan ko ang batian "Give Me Five." M... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/8/Choie_heres_another_one Sat, 16 Dec 2006 10:03:49 -0000 University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor My sister who is battling cancer is so lucky to be in The U of M Hospital, where they have a state of the art cancer center. She has access to cutting edge chemotherapy and support drugs and therapies. When one goes in for therapy, it is like you have gone into a hotel. There is little of the hospital look. Patient and family waiting areas are spacious. There is a library of cancer resource materials - info on support groups, complementary medicines and supplements, family counseling. There is even a wig bank. There is a pantry where patients and their family can just get food: coffee, tea, hot choco, juices, muffins, bagels, biscuits, butter, jam, cheese. There is even a roaming lady with a cart offering to refill your drink and give more biscuits. There is art everywhere. The hospital complex is also beautiful. Here are some photos I took of http://gwiz.multiply.com/photos/album/7/University_of_Michigan_Hospital_in_Ann_Arbor Mon, 13 Nov 2006 02:39:58 -0000 First Snow! I had always visited the US during summer. So, this is the first time I will ever see snow. The closest I have ever seen it was when I went to Japan in the spring and caught just a thin film of melting frost on the trees and grass. I took this shot from the bedroom window when I woke up to see that it had started to snow in my sister's town. http://gwiz.multiply.com/photos/album/3/First_Snow Sat, 4 Nov 2006 04:54:29 -0000 Autumn in Michigan I arrived in Michigan past the peak of autumn. Rain had caused much of the colorful leaves to fall off. But, from the car, I still took these photos of the remaining beautiful foliage as Nina and I were going to pick up our sister Gina from the hospital. http://gwiz.multiply.com/photos/album/2/Autumn_in_Michigan Sat, 4 Nov 2006 01:22:29 -0000 The Power of Forgiveness I got this piece in my email. I hope it touches all of you as it has touched me. I believe that the act of forgiveness is one of the most (if not the most) difficult acts to genuinely achieve. Yet true forgiveness (especially of one's self) is, I think, the most powerful healing energy. Light in your hearts! Here goes: <pre>In the final analysis, the questions of why bad things happen to good people transmutes itself into some very different questions, no longer asking why something happened, but asking how we will respond, what we intend to do now that it happened. - Harold S. Kushner Like you, I was shocked at the events in Lancaster County. It seems impossible to understand how or why this happened. It is even more difficult to imagine what the Amish community is experiencing. And I am in awe at their response. Would I be able to forgive someone who injured my pet, let alone traumatized and killed my child? Would you? Perhaps in months... or years... But days after? DAYS? Yesterday, a representativ... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/7/The_Power_of_Forgiveness Mon, 16 Oct 2006 01:31:28 -0000 Tarot I'm reading Tarot now every Tuesday 4 to 7 pm at Da Seekers Cove in Robinson's Galleria in Ortigas. My friend Shinette, a psychologist, who owns the place taught me and Ninskie how to read this mystical deck of cards. Ninskie reads every Tuesday and Friday 10 am to 5 pm. Now, don't freak out that we two seemingly level-headed 50-something professionals have gone cuckoo. Far from it. But as Shinette stresses to anyone who comes to the Cove for a reading – "We are not fortune-tellers. We use the cards as a tool to help people understand what is happening to them, in their lives. And hopefully be able to give some good counsel." The Tarot is but an entry point to self-awareness that we readers are only too happy to facilitate. It is very interesting how Shinette taught us how to read. We were forbidden to read or memorize the cards' meanings at first. We were only given the names and general characteristics of the 22 major arcanas and the four suits or minor arcanas. Then she made us read ... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/4/Tarot Thu, 3 Aug 2006 14:26:17 -0000 Opposites Attract Got this from a horoscope site, hehe: Heard the old adage that opposites attract but don't stay together? It's true that most of us choose friends and colleagues that share our basic personality traits, finding it easy to understand and interact with them, so you'd think it would be natural that we'd also choose romantic mates who are just like our fabulous selves. Often though, when it comes to a life-long coupling, many happily marrieds will tell you their surprising formula for success was to choose someone more their opposite or complement. A life-long, loving partnership is a team sport, and it's important for the "teammates" to have skills and talents that are complementary to the strengths and limitations of the other, in order to make it to the "championships of love" and get that "happily ever after" trophy we all long for. While research shows that people in successful unions have similar values and priorities, combining the differe... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/3/Opposites_Attract Tue, 11 Jul 2006 06:28:23 -0000 EFT I was browsing the net last Saturday for natural ways to manage high blood pressure. I have stopped taking my meds and had been managing my high blood pressure for months now, actually. But in recent times, I have been having elevated readings. E ayaw ko naman bumalik sa pag-take ng meds. I found this site EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques (www.emofree.com). It is somewhat similar to Reiki (the healing modality that Tita Ninskie is a Master already, and I a novice). It operates on the principle that "the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system". EFT works by tapping on the body's energy meridians in order to unblock or ease the energy flow. Para bang acupuncture/acupressure method, kaya lang applied to emotional/psychological issues. But how does it relate to my high blood pressure? Simply that they say "unresolved emotional issues are the main cause of 85% of all illnesses." Wow. So, I downloaded their manual. Guys, for free! The more I thought that t... http://gwiz.multiply.com/journal/item/2/EFT Thu, 22 Jun 2006 07:46:21 -0000