kuro kuro ng isang binibini

i was reminded of an incident that happened a couple of years ago. my niece jake was probably around 5 years old at that time. i get a kick at being the "know-it-all aunt" -- to my utter self-denigration as it always is i'm afraid. she called me at work and this is how our conversation proceeded: jake: auntie can you please come home now? moi: i was just on my way out. i knew you'd be home. jake: how'd you know? moi: oh, i know because i'm psychic. jake: psychic? what's a psychic? moi: i psychic is someone who sees into the future and can generally sense things before they even happen. jake: ok if you're a psychic what am i wearing? moi: umm...ah -- you're school uniform? the kid got me there -- she got me there good. i didn't even see it coming. she's around 8 in this picture

a friend of mine, who has joined the ever-growing filipino diaspora, sent me this thought for the day: LIFE . I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It's seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It's seeing what other people don't see and pursuing that vision. the things i pick up on are "accepting responsibility for your future" and "pursuing that vision".

my grandmother passed away recently and the refusal of some church officials to allow my lola's last rites and burial mass to be held at the cathedral in laoag embroiled the family in a "battle" with church figures. the family regretably accepted the church's decision but then we were outraged when they went ahead and allowed another's funeral mass to proceed. the turnabout in their decision was allegedly because the deceased was a loyal supporter of the church (generous in monetary terms) and Fr. Jack in general. This prompted my cousin to write a letter to Fr. Jack, the Vicar General of the St. William's Cathedral. Her letter is copied below: 15 August 2004 Fr. Jacinto "Jack" Jose Vicar General St. William’s Cathedral, Laoag City An Expression of Disgust re Herminia A. Pichay-Monroy Funeral Mass Dear Father Jack Jose: This is to express my strong personal disappointment and frustration at the decision of the church council and management, to not al...

I distinctly remember Mr. Rogers. He was this smiling, gentle old guy on Saturday TV. "At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service." - Fred Rogers, Television's "Mister Rogers, 1928-2003 I remember an episode where he was tying his shoelaces. To this day I tie my shoelaces the way he does.

i just finished reading paolo coelho's novel called "eleven minutes". i didn't get it actually -- the title i mean but it is explained on page 86 of the book and i quote: "...the amount of time spent actually having sex is about eleven minutes. eleven minutes. the world revolved around something that only took eleven minutes." my cousin introduced the book to me. i read the first few pages and i was intrigued. this is how it starts: "once upon a time, there was a prostitute called maria." at the first opportunity i went out and bought myself a copy not because it's about a prostitute but because a guy who wrote "the alchemist" can write about something -- well to put it mildly -- sordid. mr. coelho explains why he wrote this book in the dedication, which goes: "...some books make us dream, others bring us face to face with reality, but what matters most to the author is the honesty with which the book is written." i found th...