one saturday of my life [tb080810]

i was terrified.
i don't know you.
you don't know me.
earth swallow me.
i was AMBITIOUS.
i better go around the world --
and take it from there.

sleeping was a challenge
this time i cried.
but yes, i'm fine.

goodbye march 2011.

what's with swimming [tb072710]

swimming has become wowa's  form of exercise. he started swimming as summer recreation course then he later shifted to advanced (more like competitive to me) course. reading about swimming, i found out that swimming (due to its low impact nature of the workout) is considered by many as a terrific exercise choice for not only healthy people, but also for those who face health challenges. wowa had recurring asthma attacks, since he started swimming regularly, we noticed that the frequency of attacks have went down a significant figure (2 in a month to 1 or even 0).

children like him enjoy the water (oh well, they were surrounded by water in our wombs for 9 months remember?). it provides gentle muscle training and  strengthens the heart and the lungs. and even if it is often an individual sport, kid swimmers can also join competitive swim teams (in gensan, they call the famous swim team -TORPEDO), making swimming a sport your kids can enjoy wether alone or as part of the team. and yes, not to overemphasize, wowa was somewhat overweight but since he found swimming to be a pleasure, he lost some of his baby fats without feeling weary and without compromising his diet.

but of course, parents should always be on guard and be aware of 'safety swimming' - give the kids proper coaching (lessons from a pro) to orient them on the swimming  gadgets (goggles, flippers, swim cap among others) and proper swimming techniques. parents too should be aware of the possible risks of swimming to kids like the possibility of an ear infection, (see related blogpost here-- http://sakura-withdrawalpangs.blogspot.com/2010/07/wishing-hed-say-goodbye-to-swimming.html ) which may be both painful and inconvenient to your swimming kid. this specific infection however may be treated with antibiotics and there are ways of preventing it such as the one given here --http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childrens-health/CC00003 . so there you go. swimming may be one of the best options for kids' health and fitness there is, worked for my wowa.

ok ka lang mama??? [tb070110]

being a temporarily-miles-away mama, we have to content ourselves with calls and exchange of short messages (sms) using a mobile phone (cp)...in 2 years time, i noticed that as my wowa grew older, his smss have become way shorter as well...

lately,he has to bring the cp to school so he can contact his papa during break and dismissal time (to be fetched or to be assured that he would be fetched - he has become somewhat clingy these days).

here's a run-through of his cute - smss:

06/29/10 558pm   : thank you sa cellphone
06/29/10 830pm   : mama ok ka lang
06/29/10 852pm   : ok ka lang mama?
mama thank you talaga dito ha
06/29/10 903pm   : ma bakit hindi maka text
06/30/10 731am   : mama are you there
06/30/10 732am   : haha miss kita mama
06/30/10 815am   : mama ok ka lang
06/30/10 819am   : mama hug ko si lola
06/30/10 1159am : hello mama
06/30/10 1212pm : san ka banda mama
kay noynoy. panoorin ka namin. makita ka
07/01/10 542am  : ma nabigyan mo na ako load
07/01/10 955am  : ok ka lang jan mama
07/02/10 645am  : ok ka lang mama
07/02/10 738am  : mama ok ka lang jan

you noticed something too? hahaha.
ok nga lang ba ako? (am i really okay?)
as long as he will keep on wanting to know
if i am okay then i will be. :)

good byes are necessary for us to meet again

they are my friends, i talk and listen (read: read) to them almost every night, topics range from believing in myself to journeys of a confused to learning a thing or two about other culture...i depend on them when my mind is tired...when my heart is aching...when my body can not seem to take the pressures my mind and heart are subjecting themselves into. in short, they are my savior- my bedside books.

but there came a time that i used them as an escape, they send me far from where i am, and there i go hoping and wishing that i'd never go back to what i should be doing (reading-scholarly journals, writing-scholarly articles)... they are good friends, they shield me from hurts, they take me as far as i want them to, they hide me from my monsters and make me feel alright for a time. soon, i was seeing more of them than what is needed, i had to re-think and rethinking i did. hurting as it may seem, i tied them (all 25 of them- see list below) using my favorite red ribbon, placed them in  a good bag and had them sent to my old study area 2-hour plane ride away from where i am now.

i had to say goodbye to them...and yes, as the old savior's manual would say--- goodbyes are necessary for friends to meet again. i know i'd see them again. i'd be able to talk to them again. i'd have them beside me again, just ever-near when i need them. but for now, i had to let go of them so they won't be used as an escape- 'coz it's becoming unfair to them to be treated that way. goodbye dear friends.

jonathan livingston seagull - running from safety - illusions, the adventures of the reluctant messiah - a gift of wings - biplane - nothing by chance - one - bridge across forever - hypnotizing maria - the prophet - punchlines - loving each other - humor for a women's heart - the 12th angel - sula - eat pray love - stainless longganisa - silas marner - mr. blue - songs of solomon - oliver twist -  trivia of the silver screen - to kill a mockingbird - memoirs  of a geisha - best of a lady - robinson crusoe (audio)

june. fathers' day. what's that?

and so,
the father's day fever will soon die out.
on some occasions I wish I had one near...
but more often,
I see it (having none) as better
than having one who only teaches you
the meaning of broken promises,
shattered dreams even.
bitter as this may sound but
that's the truth
and that's the magic of acceptance.
in the end
I won't depend on anyone
to remind me that a good sense
(being sensible yet not overly sensitive)
will help me survive,
that being kind isn't synonymous
to being weak and
that my true boss is the Jewish carpenter...
and that I have to rest/sleep and
somehow be thankful
there's always something to live/look forward to...

shrek havin midlife crisis??? [tb051910]

the 4th installment in the shrek-franchise is a 'must-see'. while the movie is in-the-making, i was already cooking something on what the theme of the story will be (i, a self-confessed movie addict and yes- shrek fan). after almost a decade, one might ask, 'will this last installment attract audience for reasons apart from it being the last installment?' . that- i have found out yesterday... thanks to azrael, the prince-ever of manila bloggers (in the pic, he was with shrek on SM Imax).

4pm, 19th of may 2010, as eastwood mall unveils its 3d cinema, my much-awaited movie was screened specially for media (including bloggers) and VIPs. with shrek for photo-ops and a cocktail (both of which i was too sleepy to enjoy), i entered the room and stolen some minutes of sleep (read the alibi: i was mentally preparing for the show). crowds came in batches and with few messages (check out other blog entries for full coverage), we were asked to put our 3d glasses on and voila! shrek it is!

have you imagined puss lookin soft-and-fluffy like garfield? ... fiona acting like an amazona? ...donkey singing whitney's greatest love of all? enya's sail away on an seeming-imaginarium scene?...an ogre in an oliver twist material?...those and much much more suddenly came alive! right then i realized that it's not just shrek giving us laughs- it's shrek reminding us of our dear little problems of living such as the dreaded "midlife crisis". there is something very important that this animated movie is telling us: at times, you'd realize and only get to appreciate what you have  when it's gone.

i left the cinema with goodies (chocolates!),  fliers from sponsors and with a hazy vision of the philippine's first-sister kris aquino (winks) and her son james being interviewed. later in the evening, i overheard her saying (in a talk show) that she 'loved the movie so much'. don't take her word for it...even mine. shrek forever after will be shown worldwide and in philippine cinemas tomorrow (20th). see for yourself,  or better yet, see it with your spouse (or a special someone)- you'd know what i mean afterwards.

(pictures courtesy of azraelcodilla.com & poptower.com)

found this some-where...some-time... felt some-thing...some-how.

few lines from...

FRACTURES
by Cathy Denny

           

Hearts and souls heal slowly
Silently recalling fractures of long ago.
Weighing the risk of letting anyone know
What lies deep in his heart, what he's buried in his soul.

Patiently waiting for the one to help him see
How good it feels to set his heart free.
To trust her enough, and so completely,
He tells her those things he was once afraid she would see.

Mending his heart one fracture at a time.
As he comes closer to this I find;
Mending that fracture in his heart,
Is the key to mending mine.

[from http://www.exiledmothers.com/speaking_out/fractures.html]