27 things I’d like to experience before I die

1. All bills fully paid. 
2. Sauna session each night for 3 straight weeks. 
3. Visit and experience Amsterdam. 
4. Visit and experience Italy. 
5. Visit and experience Indonesia (Bali) 
6. Speak in an international conference. 
7. Surprise-visit an old friend living in California. 
8. Do yoga poses without so much effort. 
9. See my son's kids. 
10. Photoshoot like a supermodel. 
11. Sing with my idols in a concert. 
12. Join a woodstock event. 
13. Watch 8 movies in a row, in just one day. 
14. Write another book ("that"). 
15. Have "that" book published worldwide. 
16. Have "that" book become a bestseller. 
17. Be an actress in an independent film. 
18. Attend as a special guest to an art exhibit. 
19. Fly. 
20. Win in a marathon. 
21. Sponsor a big party like a High School Reunion. 
22. Paint/ do artwotk like a graffiti artist. 
23. Be photographed dating a famous actor or politician. 
24. Eat "vegetable salad only" for one whole month. 
25. Have lots of money in my pocket. 
26. Go to Japan and sleep under a Sakura tree. 
27. Have a "living funeral". 

she is all there is...

how else will you know that she loves you
how else will you know that she cares
when all she is to most is a worker
for wages, for ages, for cages
to loose...

how else will you know that she wants you
how else will you know what she bears
when all she is to most is a mother
for daughter, for sons, for some
to choose...

how else will you know that she needs you
how else will you know what she dares
when all she is to most is a friend
who advises, who cries, who helps
to bemuse...

how else will she know that you love her
how else will she know that you care
when to most all she is is a worker
for wages, for ages, for cages
to loose...

how else will she know that you want her
how else will she share what she bears
when to most all she is is a mother
for her sons and her daughter
to choose...

how else will she know that you need her
how else will you know how she dares
when to most all she is is a friend
who is there to advise and to help
to bemuse...

to bemuse to help to advise her friends
on their worries and their hurts
to dare look into the problem
as if it is that easy...
perhaps it really is

to choose her daughter or sons over some
over some love she chose to forget
she is a mother most of all
as if it is that easy...
perhaps it really is

to loose herself from the cages by wages
or love or lover whatever ages bring
she cared, she loved, she worked
as if it is that easy...
perhaps it really is

oh! to her perhaps all there is was easy
or perhaps she was left with no choice
but to go on, go on loving living
a year more this november
a year more on and on.

how else will she know she's thought of
thought of and prayed for everyday but
for all her angels and friends who
loves her to now tell her and
wish her a very merry day!

nanay's 59th

“The quicker you let go 

of old cheese, 

the sooner you find new cheese.”

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

for better or for worse.

Mangrove Party - Wowa's Best Birthday!

Mangrove forests are coastal plant communities that are part of a larger coastal ecosystem. In the Philippines, moreso in Mindanao, mangroves are important part of the ecosystem. They are very important habitat for many species of fish and wildlife, primarily serving as nursery habitat. They also serve as coastal protection from  typhoons. Further, mangrove forests help remove pollutants. In spite of these known  ecological functions, mangroves have been dredged and filled for decades to provide other coastal uses, such as housing and ports among others. There's no better time than NOW to save and help create/widen these very important part of our ecosystem.

Realizing the importance of the mangroves and in celebration of the Environment Month, the SoCCSKSarGen Bloggers, with the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of General Santos City, several NGOs,  students from several schools, and other concerned individuals, planted over 2,000 mangrove tree seedling and hardwood at Minanga, Buayan, General Santos City. The area is an estuary in the protected seascape of Sarangani Bay.

Being held the same date (25th) as my son Wowa's 9th birth anniversary, we decided to make the day memorable by forgoing a kid's party (he declared weeks ago that he found it impractical- two thumbs up!) and joining the event. He was so excited, he woke us up at half past 3am and urged us to get ready to 'celebrate mangrove's birthday'.

This tag was confirmed during the actrivity when a CENR Officer explained to him that the seedlings he's planting will be home for baby fishes soon and that he just helped giving birth to it. He braved the above knee-deep mud and he did it better than I. As he planted the seedlings, he kept on saying how happy he is and that he is so thankful that we thought of doing such.

He was doubly surprised seing a local TV news taking a footage of him and asking him the reason for joining. He proudly said he doesn't mind getting dirty and that if there'd be chances, he gladly do so even if it isn't his birthday. May we (our kids and countrymen) continue to save Mother Earth in ways like this and many others.

Thanks to Brian Congson, Avel Manansala and Mylene Tayco for the photos...For related stories, see links below.
http://sdumalay.blogspot.com/2011/06/mangroves-saving-mother-earth.html
http://ariellalisan.com/2011/06/25/the-need-to-manage-and-develop-mangroves/
http://www.gensantos.com/2011/06/22/join-the-sox-bloggers-mangrove-tree-planting-party/

loss for words, as usual

whenever i decide to blog about you, i am always at a loss for words.
why is that?
just several days ago, you celebrated your birth anniversary.
a year older, a year wiser, a year stronger.
i wish i was near you then to show you how much i love you...
but that day, i can only thank god he gave me the chance to meet you...
he created a beautiful wonderful forgiving human being that is you.
our life together was not perfect, but it is so much better than the rest.
thank you for keeping us (our family) together.
thank you for trying your best- in not just being the best husband
but the best father as well.
thank you for understanding my sometimes scary playfulness.
thank you for being 'you'.
whenever i decide to blog about you,
i am always at a loss for words.
why is that? maybe, just maybe,  words aren't enough...

birth anniversaries need not be expensive

it's been a month since my boyman wowa turned 8. we weren't able to celebrate it with the usual kid's party with balloons, clown and games, overflowing food (and visitors too) coz 1. we can't afford it this time (it's never good to get a loan just to have a birthday party) and...
 2. we realized (noticed) that during parties it's the parents that have lots of visitors and the kid doesn't enjoy the party that much 'coz he has to smile, bless (a gesture of respect) and do other things (like pose, dance, sing, recite a poem et.cet) that visitors and parents would request. oftentimes, the day (or night) ends so tiring you forget the essence of it all...

flashback: since i (his mama) won't be around during his birth anniversary, we planned to have a sort-of-bday-party days ahead. we bought cookies, chips, nuts and chocolates, made grape juice, deep-fried (meat-looking) tuna crazy cuts and invited his favorite playmates for a pica-pica...

he called each of them by saying 'lika pica-pica party tayo'...and his friends arrived (one by one that beautiful morning)... while having the pica-pica, they played bowling (you know, one of those plastic bowling toys), computer games (the one that needs a one-peso coin for a few minutes of game) nearby, watched re-runs of diego (and dora), played bingo-chess and did an attempt to play scrabble.

my my! they had fun!!! those laughters and giggling (and unguarded munching) were priceless! no need to bring gifts (that's the down side though hehehe). no need to dress up in weird (sweatshirt-like) costumes and all--- just be there to have fun and enjoy the blessing of another year.

33 is just a number

22nd of march, i turned 33, oh well, earth years. i, as usual received lots of greetings (not lots of gifts though: the number of gifts received is inversely proportional to the age of the celebrator). even as i managed to feel well and do some little celebrations, it was nothing compared to the stresses i had. thanks to the finals exams, exit papers and the ever-dreaded (so far) comprehensive exams.

it's been 4 days since then, and only now have the birthday material sank in my thoughts (it's funny how it managed to squeeze in during times of fever and wishing-you-were-numb-moments). i have turned 33, i always feel 13, now i feel 53. it's been 2 years since i decided to pursue a postgrad that's somewhat far from what i intend to www.sakura-withdrawalpangs.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-life-so-far.html . it's been a year since a crying-almost-angry-young lady called and asked me to halt the curse to her father (turned out that this year, she's the sweetest greeter ever) www.sakura-withdrawalpangs.blogspot.com/2009/03/birthday-blast-indeed.html .

what is in store for this year? i have been feeling pains in some parts of my body which the paranoid in me might insist as a sign of cancer or tumor or 'dying soon' disease. i have been hearing the same thing happening to some people who are close to me. apparently, my mind-disease is contagious (that's the punchline, laugh now). i have found "one true friend" and several good others; them, just enough to keep my sanity on hold. my boyman and manboy are managing well without me, so they say and sadly make me feel at times.

okay, this is the time when i have to battle with my inner demons and finish what i have started. it's a long long walk. i'd run if i have to. but for now, i need some peace. may i rest in peace?

in search of alfie girl

i recently celebrated my 32nd birth anniversary (march 22nd). even though i was away from home i tried to have a "happy" birthday. march 21st, i went with friends at bistro 70s (anonas, quezon city) and listen to RJ and noel c sing their version of songs of U2 and the police. there til 2am over tomato pizza, veggie chicharon, sisig sibintis and well, oh, beer... then music 21 til about 5am-whew!...unforgettable eh??? well, yes... but not as unforgettable as the day after.

23rd, i was excited to go home for a short school break. doing the 1st batch of my laundry, i got a call...and text messages...and all...made me so weak and confused. a father is looking for her daughter alfie girl (supposed to be me?) and is about to die of colon cancer and wanting to seek forgiveness for having abandoned me? ayayay! the maudlin, the hysterical, the insane in me was driven crazy!!! why? why me? why now?the recent happening brought too many questions, i resist to seek for the answers.why? i don't know...yet. :(