IN MY DREAMS.....

IN MY DREAMS I'm going back to Gilwell To the joys and the happiness I've found On those grand weekends with my dear old friends And see the training ground Oh, the grass is greener back in Gilwell And I breathe again the Scouting air; And in memory I see BP Who never will be far from here.

I KNOW A PLACE

I KNOW A PLACE where no one ever goes, There's peace and quiet, beauty and repose; It overlooks the bay as it rises to the sky, Where the moonbeams flirt with dewdrops as the breezes sigh; Now I know that you are the best for me. I CAN IMAGINE myself as in a dream, Climbing the mountain beside the falling stream; The beauty of the place always shall stay, With each and every heart I always will pray; God fills the soul, the body and the mind One's life IDEALS are never hard to find... NOW I KNOW that you are the best for me.

WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO?

WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO? Broken hearts do not go anywhere…they stay cool. They may hide their tears and their sorrows away from the prying eyes and ears of people who do not care. One may find solace in one’s own hideaway, be it the comfort of their room, or a deserted place by the sea where they may cry and leak their wounds. They may let time pass away by concentrating on some worthwhile alternative to divert attention from their sorrows of the moment. In time, all will be well, and these broken-hearted ones will rise from the dark pits and soar again into the beauty of the sky and the world… In the midst of all the sorrow, why not pamper yourself and assess your limitations as well? Try to work on your assets and enhance them, and get rid of all the negative aspects of your personality. At the same time, indulge on something and pamper yourself on trivial things such as beautifying your physical appearance to boost your battered ego? Plus, do not forget the beauty INSIDE gives off a special glow. You’ll end up regaining your lost confidence and ready to start anew. I believe in FATE, KISMET, < DESTINY< KAPALARAN, call it whatever you want Perhaps he/she wasn’t really intended for you. There are lots of fish in the ocean. There will be someone intended for you in this lifetime. If it becomes apparent that you were destined to be single, then there is more to life than being married to someone. Discover that, too. In the meantime, BE COOL and BE HAPPY! SMILE!

THE SEVEN THINGS

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- saw this in Jeremy's Diary, and he signified he wants me take this quiz, too. SO....here goes........ THE SEVEN THINGS The SEVEN THINGS that SCARE you: 1. heights =hanging bridge, et cetera.. 2. horror movies 3. night prowlers 4. rats, moles... 5. snatchers! -yaikks!! 6. cockroaches 7. uncouth people The SEVEN THINGS you LIKE most: 1. the MAN in my heart 2. the 'G-Force' 3. Japanese sweet corn 4. my abode in MManila 5. my CD sunglasses 6. walk-in closet [& everything in it!] 7. courtesy The SEVEN IMPORTANT THINGS in your room: 1. My PC 2. My mobile 3. My Handbag & everything in it 4. Big box full of pasalubongs 5. Air cleaner 6. Keys [car/house] 7. small ref Seven random FACTS about you: 1. Loves gardening 2. Loves fine dining 3. Pusong Makabayan 4. cry-baby 5. has soft spot for the down-trodden 6. Crazy about scents[Dior,Chanel Estee L] 7. Can't live without my car! [for mobility] Seven Things you WANT TO DO before you die: 1. Visit Ephesus, Turkey for a pilgrimage 2. See the AURORA BOREALIS in person w/ my loved ones, of course! 3. Build my own house in my hometown 4. Enjoy a world cruise with my Loved ONES 5. See to the completion of the small Parish Church near my abode 6. Build my NIPA HOUSE atop the hill in the island-province where I was born. 7. Establish a FOUNDATION to continue my family's annual projects Seven Things that ATTRACT you to the opposite sex: 1. Honest 2. Strong-willed 3. Strong personality 4. can tame me... [...o hah!] 5. Hindi Orocan [plastik pow...] 6. Have Great and fantastic ideas about almost anything 7. Amoy Mabango Seven Things you SAY THE MOST: 1. OMG! 2. Goodness! 3. nakakasuya! 4. Ano yan?! 5. What?! 6. Hay, naku! 7. Engs, tlg! Seven Celeb CRUSHES: 1. Bruce Lee-his skill & prowess 2. Jackie Chan-for his skill, prowess & comic acts 3. Christopher Reeves-for his physique 4. Kevin Costner-for his depth 5. Sean Connery-for his acting 6. James Earl Jones -for his powerful voice 7. Randy David-for his wits Seven PEOPLE you want to see take this quiz: 1. Jackie Chan 2. Jose Rizal 3. John Kennedy 4. Joan d'Arc 5. mlq3 6.Ferdinand Magellan 7. Einstein -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE END........................

UNAGI, ANYONE?

WOULD you believe it when I say that as an antidote to sunstroke/heatstroke, the Japanese eat UNAGI [EELS] ??? UNAGI or EELS are delicacies here. Aside from its PROTEIN content, Unagi brings with it all the STAMINA one needs to combat fatigue and more.... Hence, when anyone here feels down and out, they resort to eating Unagi which is a bit more expensive than ordinary fish.BESIDES, UNAGI is soft, buttery juicy heavenly tasting... & feels like it melts in the mouth [huh?!...sounds like I've heard that before, ei? ]. SUMMER days bring intense heat which sometimes go up to 40 degrees C. It makes one dizzy, gasp for breath, and immovable for sometime.WHILE the Chinese eat green mongo boiled tender and eaten cold with milk and sugar, the Japanese eats UNAGYU [ rice with grilled unagi on top, basted with sauce and distinct spice] or just plain UNAGI pre-grilled and sold in supermarkets. The latter comes in package with sauce and spice included and used by most consumers. TODAY is UNAGI DAY. Every year, the Japanese sets aside a day to 'respect' and remember UNAGI as something uniquely Japanese. And, as usual, the restaurants would be full to the brim, with reservations made weeks before.I remember some years back, when my parents and I passed by an Unagi specialty restaurant with people queueing in front of it. He inquired inside if we can be accomodated, and as expected, we were refused since all those who came made their reservations months before. We didn't! Although we wanted to savor the Unagi that day, we settled to drop by another resto for our dinner. LIKE all other technology, China has made leaps as far as Unagi-raising is concerned [in the same light, Taiwan has made exports of BANGUS here, as well!...and I thought BANGUS was ours ONLY! waaahhh!!!]. It now exports Unagi to Japan all-year-round. Not only is it cheaper.. .it also does not taste as good as those raised and bred here. Nothing tops the Unagi meal I had one hot summer day in HAMANAKO, a lake in center Honshu, the biggest and main island of Japan. Hamanako is the nation's leading Unagi center: it boasts of the best Unagi in the Land. AHHH...UNAGI! Got to try it again today...IF I can buy some in the supermarket,,,I guess I better go before all others swarm the Unagi area. If I want some today, I better start early and grab some for myself. BTW, did you know that UNAGI is also found in PIEs? Yeah...THAT Unagi fish was made into a pie...oh, well, actually, not a pie by american standards or by OUR standards. It is like Cebu's OTAP, and packaged neatly and boxed by 12s, 24s.It is a great pasalubong as well. UNAGIs and UNAGI PIE are part of the food specialties of this area

THANK GOD FOR SUMMER!

..........................THANK GOD FOR SUMMER............................... IT IS HOT: ...sweat all over me [despite the cooler] as I maneuvered a curve out of town. AS I watch the scenery before me, I realized that the hot summer day's scorching heat is manifested everywhere: . the small green frogs come a-leaping even if the rain has just left;. the multi-colored butterflies merrily hopping from one flower to another; the sudden proliferation of red dragonflies, green grasshoppers, ants, and...you've got it! :::>>>my fiend: the mosquitoes!. ......the cheapest watermelon [the price skyrockets during winter as they are produced from vynil houses], plums, melons [which is also a by-product and raised in glass houses];. the excellent produce of 'summer veggies' from the garden: bitter gourd [ampalaya], pumpkins [kalabasa] tomatoes, eggplants, okra and more..... ..... the presence of AYU [ SWEETFISH] in rivers [which requires a license in order to fish, mind you!];. the never-ending mirage of steamy-hot hot roads ahead of me as I travel along the outskirts of the city where I live. SUMMER! Sometimes I love it, sometimes, I don't. I LOVE IT because it makes me wear anything light. My movement is not confined and I can even wear tank tops inside and out of the house. I sweat a lot and it makes me feel good. No need to use moisturizers since my 'natural oils' come out as if on cue! ...and I love the AYU fish grilled to perfection with salt, or mizo...eaten beside that little house in a forested area by the river. Ahhh...how I love to visit that restaurant again! I HATE IT because of the melanin Mr. Sun brings to my skin: I have to put up with that SPF 25 sunscreen lotion everytime! I have to wear hats or what-have-you just to cover my face...and my arms [while driving]. The cooler works overtime because I can't work inside the house and the car without using them. OVERALL, I'd say the GOOD things overshadow the bad effects; and I can always make that 'extra-mile' to deter the sun's rays from doing harm to my skin. So I decided to just ENJOY SUMMER the best way I could...just like any other day of my life. FRIENDS use to tease me: "NANGOKU NO HITO DESU YO?" [literally:AREN'T YOU A PERSON FROM THE SOUTHERN COUNTRY?////==== actual meaning: YOU'RE FROM A HOT COUNTRY, AREN'T YOU?/YOU'RE USED TO HOT WEATHERS, AREN'T YOU?"]. But I answer back, "MY country may be from the South [The Tropics/near the equator] but NOT THIS HUMID!" Summer in Manila and the rest of the country is limited to 2-3 months only, don't you agree? From late February to early May; the rest of the year is between RAINY [late May to early November] and the "COLD" months of December to January.SUMMER here sometimes get into people's nerves. NOT only is it humid, it soars up to a level where people: old and young alike suffer HEATSTROKEs, SUNSTROKEs....and are often rushed to hospitals and clinics. People who get angry are common, and they often blame the heat for that. It makes me wonder, though...is it the reason why Jose Rizal also made excuses for Pinoys' "INDOLENCIA" [sloth/or =the inclination to laziness][in LA INDOLENCIA DE LOS FILIPINOS]? ...That Pinoys are so 'tamad" because we live in the TROPICS and the weather makes one lazy? I am inclined to believe the contrary. DESPITE the heat, people here continue to till the land, work on fields, go to work, visit supermarkets, malls, and department stores. Parents with kids on tow visit PARKS [Safari Park, Disney Sea, Disneyland, etc.], AICHI Expo2005, ONSEN[s][HOT SPRINGS], Family Restos, Camping sites, and more.....>>>>> AT LONG LAST: THE SUMMER HOLIDAY IS ON. Time to get a respite from it all: away from my class, away from my lessons, away from my wards....even just for a few days... THANK GOD FOR SUMMERS! ..... it gives me some days off ALONE.... ALL BY MYSELF......

IF I LIVE TO BE A HUNDRED.....

......................................IF I LIVE TO BE A HUNDRED........................................ + I surely would want to spend it with the LOVES of my life. I want my apos and my children to come and visit me whenever they can spare their precious time with me. I want to spend my remaining years with that person with whom I have given my all: my heart, my love, my whole being. I would want to take long walks hand-in-hand or spend my days in his loving arms, or visit places which have made impacts on our lives, and re-live the days gone past. Spending time with dear friends would be an added bonus. + I would share what I know iwith the community where I live. I have been so blessed by the Lord that it is imperative to give back even a little of what I have. I need to share more time with people who need to learn to think, and help them do something productive. I hope this can be replicated in so many ways. + I would want to continue as many projects as I can... After all, I do not intend to sit on a wheelchair all my days and be pushed by some helper or kamag-anak. I intend to be active as long as there is breath remaining in my system. As I have no intention of being a pushover [which, btw, I am not, nor ever will be!], I intend to run my life and not depend on my kids nor with anyone, as far as running my household 0r my LIFE is concerned. + I would write down my memoirs and the good things GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH..... May it serve as inspiration for others and learn from it. Love and LIFE is not all roses, my dears... sometimes, we have to pour heartaches, blood, sweat and tears in order to accomplish what others try so hard in their lifetime. PRAISE BE THE LORD....NOW AND FOREVER! MAY MY WISHES COME TRUE!

NO MORE HIROSHIMA!

------------NO MORE HIROSHIMA!!!!.............. The date:August 6,1945: Target:HIROSHIMA............................ SIXTY-YEARS YEARS AGO TODAY, HIROSHIMA WAS BOMBED BY ENOLA GAY, an American bomber at the instruction of then US President Truman. And that started endless sufferings which continue to this day.... The horror began at 8:15 A.M. on a hot summer day in HIROSHIMA, a busy port with two rivers converging in-between the vastly populated city. The bomb exploded several kilometers= IN MID-AIR= BEFORE IT REACHED THE EPICENTER and THAT >>> made the devastation even more horrendous. The bomb was seen hundreds of kilometers away, and its effects covered a radius hundreds of kilometers WIDE and more... .It incinerated the entire city and killed instantly almost all who were nearby. By some miracle, those who survived walked the street stripped of clothing, skin parts dripping away, faces burned, blood spluttered all over... the air smelt of burnt human corpses, burnt hair, and more. These people lived to tell the horror to the next generation, ... and vowed that NEVER AGAIN WILL THERE BE A repeat of what happened in HIROSHIMA. THE bomb instantly killed hundreds of thousands...and has wrecked havoc on the lives of its citizens sixty years hence. The survivors developed MULTIPLE CANCER as a result of that bombing. Each year, the list of victims grow as new names are added. The survivors, their children...and their children's children continue to suffer from the effects of that tons of TNT. I KNOW. I have been to Hiroshima several years back. My family went to a prefecture south of Kyushu and on the way back, we stopped by Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Am I grateful we did! I SAW the pictures taken BEFORE and AFTER the bombing; the remnants of the day of horror, the old kid bike, the young boy's torn uniform, the wall where the black rain fell, the nail that slipped off from a boy's fingers, the pictures taken by the people from Enola Gay, and those taken by a fellow victim, the children crawling for water, the bodies piled up, burnt and dead...and more.... I READ the inscriptions, the labels...and the stories; I HEARD the tales of horror, the handwritings of survivors;I FELT the chaos, the scorching heat[more than 100 degrees C], the grief of the people, the loss it incurred,the devastation it caused...and the lives it has to pay. I CRIED....AS I WALKED PAST THE EXHIBITS... AND I CRY, EVEN NOW...AS I REMEMBER THE EXPERIENCE THAT WAS HIROSHIMA. I SHED TEARS..... I SHED TEARS because there was TOTAL CARNAGE in BOMBINGS AND KILLINGS AND THESE HAVE NOT STOPPED...EVEN TODAY. "WARS MAKE BEASTS OF MEN."- so says a big car company Executive when we talked about the last war. Indeed! AT THE CENTER of the Park is a VAULT where names of victims are kept.On it is an epitaph which says: "SLEEP WELL AND REST IN PEACE; WE WILL NEVER MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN." The message is for the world, as it is for the people who died there. The message is for these power-hungry leaders to stop and think.. .And I pray that PEACE DESCEND UPON THE HEARTS OF THESE MEN WHO PREY ON INNOCENT CIVILIANS AND PEACE-LOVING PEOPLE. Today, Hiroshima is a CENTER FOR PEACE ACTIVISTS.There is an eternal flame on one side that will only be extinguished when the last nuclear power is destroyed. HIROSHIMA left an impact in the deepest recesses of my mind and heart. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIROSHIMA and the memories of that short visit. IT changed my outlook in life. IT changed the way I look at the "SUPERPOWERS." PEACE remains an impossible dream for us who are supposed to be enjoying the free world.... AHHH!!!! PEACE! WHAT price must mankind pay for that elusive dream? NO MORE HIROSHIMA! and PEACE TO ALL MEN OF GOOD WILL!!!

LEST I NEVER PASS THIS WAY AGAIN....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This one I met in my youth, while with people who were committed to the same cause.... and it has helped me a lot in what I am NOW. ----------------------->>>>> I'LL GIVE MY HAND I'LL GIVE MY HAND to those who cannot see the sunrise or the falling rain; I'LL SING MY SONG to cheer the weary along for I may never pass this way again; I'LL SHARE MY FAITHwith every troubled heart so I shall not have lived in vain. I'LL GIVE MY HAND I'LL SING MY SONG I'LL SHARE MY FAITH BECAUSE I KNOW..... THAT THE TIME HAS COME to fulfill each vow for I may never pass this way again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EACH WORD PRICKS THE HEART........................... and pulls every muscle to to do more.... I KNOW....I SHALL....I WILL....

HEARTS CAN CRY BUT SHED NO TEARS....

MAIDEN, maiden...tell me true What can grow without the dew? What can burn for years and years? What can cry and shed no tears? SILLY LAD, my answer is true, Stones can grow without the dew; Love can burn for years and years.... Hearts can cry and shed no tears. -------------- QUITE TRUE. STONES GROW. It doesn't need the rain nor the morning dew for it to grow as big as boulders, rocks, and be part of that great mountain ....or those we step upon as we wade near the sea. Is it any wonder why this is so? LOVE CAN BURN FOR YEARS AND YEARS.... Some LOVE even transcend the ethereal and the natural. Some search for their soulmates for generations and generations and find rest only when they finally meet them somewhere....someday...sometime... now, in the future or beyond. HEARTS CAN CRY BUT SHED NO TEARS; But you know deep inside you cry... You ache for the love that was... Sages say "Don't cry because it's over;Smile...because it happened." Maybe.........I don't know... .What I know is that I am one loyal being. It takes time before I open up to someone; It takes more time to analyze the other person's character. But once I decide, I stand by my decision, no matter what happens. And I stand by that person come what may. HAVE I CRIED ABOUT ANYTHING? Hmmm ...I must say: A LOT! I cry my heart out...alone...in own corner; I do not want others see me weak, for I have been seen by friends and relatives as awfully "strong"...so they say................. ........................If they only knew! .

SUMMER AND OTHER LITTLE THINGS

I WOKE UP to the sound of CICADAS [any of a family (Cicadidae) of homopterous insects which have a stout body, wide blunt head, and large transparent wings and the males of which produce a loud buzzing noise usually by stridulation] in the air. Indeed, THE SOUND OF SUMMER!I NOTICED that everytime daylight seeps into the horizon, the cicadas start to be busy, too. They are everywhere: in our garden, from my nearest neighbor's, in the trees that line the streets while I drive to a certain destination...PRACTICALLY EVERYWHERE! TREES line most Japanese homes. And where there are trees, plants and gardens [forests, too!], there cicadas thrive also. Not that it bothers my sleep, my whole being or anything like that.... NO...it's not that...but that it certainly brings that very "summery" sound with it. CICADAS do not seem to stop giving out that sound...or is it any wonder why it is continuous? Perhaps there are thousands of 'em circling around and frolicking in the hot summer day like today. Ahhh...summer! NOT ONLY CICADAS make summer fun. The local folks, especially the young... are quite gaga over KABUTOMUSHI [KABUTO=helmet;/MUSHI=insect] or what is referred to as RHINOCEROS BEETLE in the western world. They sure sell quite well here. Collectors of all ages grab them for keeps. Kids, however make do with the small ones which sells fast in Home Centers, Pet Shops, and even in Department Stores. Some fanatics even bet money as they propel these BEETLES in contests in some local community centers. Whichever Beetle can push the other out of the circle, is declared the winner. Hah! ME? I started a small aquarium here.... to while away my time, and ease the loneliness [which creeps in...at times]. I saw some in a flower shop, and they were selling em...so I thought, why not? I now have a companion: a pair of fish. SUMMER: CICADAS, BEETLES, PET FISH.... AHHHH.....SMALL THINGS IN LIFE =CAN= MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY, DON'T YOU THINK?

HELLO WORLD!

HELLO WORLD! TODAY, I embark on a new endeavour. Finally [!] I have started to blog my thoughts, ideas and whatchamaccalit as each day passes... I HAVE always longed to start my own since blogging became the 'in' thing in the net. I WANTED to put into print all I have experienced, and felt as days pass by. LIVING AWAY from family and true friends is one difficult decision I have made in my life. I find some time free that I have nothing better to do. HERE I can post anything: ideas [as if I have!] and wandering thoughts of a rather lonely heart. HOPE you enjoy reading them as much I enjoy putting them in print!