Love your grandparents!

Do you know that yesterday was grandparents day?
I heard it from the priest during mass.

I never met my grandfathers. They were gone before I could have any recollection of events and people. I did not get to spend a lot of time with my paternal grandmother since she spent a big part of her life in the province and in the US but I treasure the times we were together… she was a story teller and I love stories! My maternal grandmother, on the other hand, stayed with us for the most part. We practically raised her… I mean raised her hairs and hands due to anger and exasperation since we were really naughty kids!

Lola Bebe took care of us but she nagged a lot and said mean words that it really gets to you! I was her mortal enemy when I was young but as I grew older, I learned to understand her. She was a wounded woman full of bitterness from her past. It was this bitterness that alienated herself from us. Though we know that she took care of us, her mean words overshadowed her works and we could only react to her words.

Among my siblings, she considered me the kindest but there were times that I could not take her mean words too and would get back at her and I know that it hurt her the most!!! I can see how she wanted love but felt that she was not getting any which was a sad thing.

When she was older, she developed parkinson’s and eventually dementia…she was like a living dead during the last years of her life. She could eat—chew but she can’t move nor talk and her eyes were closed almost all the time. It was really painful seeing her that way the first time that I asked God not to take her until she has completely felt our love for her. Lola Bebe deserves to feel our love!

I took care of her for almost two years. It was a difficult time but it was also one of the most creative time in my life! I could never imagine now how I had the strength to carry on during those years but God is truly amazing!

I was beside Lola Bebe when she died and that time, I prayed that she felt our appreciation and love and was ready to go!

Don’t wait till the end to show your affection to your grandparents. Do it now and enjoy each others love!

A rockin' comedy by Mitch Valdes

Last Friday, my friends and I went to watch the extended run of the Mitch Valdes' A rockin' comedy in the Captain's Bar of the Manila Peninsula Hotel. The performance starts at 9:00 pm and as early as 7:30 pm, there were already people there. The show was on a first-come-first-serve basis so you had to come early to get good seats. The place was full when the performance started and you don't really wonder why since it was a great show!

I have never laughed so hard in my entire life! There were some parts that I could not control my laughter that I could not stop my shoulders from moving and my tears from falling! My Chinoy (filipino-chinese) friends say that it is not good to laugh and cry at the same time but I could not help it... it was like my entire body was laughing that I've lost control of my tear glands!

I felt good laughing at her jokes... well many are actually not jokes but her funny experiences... but I also enjoyed her music. She has a good voice and she could sing seriously or play with her voice and she would sound good! I particularly liked it when she sang "I don't know how to love him", Mary Magdelene's song from Jesus Christ Superstar.. what can I say, I am sentimental and I like that song!

Ohh.. what does a serious song have to do with a comedy? It was not really comedy all through out for Mitch told her story as a performer through her music and that was one of the song she sang when she joined The Jesus Christ Superstar show at the Cultural Center early on in her career...She talked about her ups and downs...Maybe that's one of the reason the show is a success for it was a mixture of everything... blended perfectly that it was not boring!

Her band was good too! Like everything else it blended well... the music was loud but not loud to the ears... instead the vibration hits your heart..your chest.. your entire being that you feel the vibration going through your entire body. You can see that they too were enjoying the show and it brings a nice feeling!

I am not really fond of watching live performances but I am glad I went to this one... I really enjoyed it and had a nice time with my friends!

More walks…

Ahh, I noted that I have been walking a lot the past days!

After my walk last Tuesday, Julie, my officemate asked me to walk on Thursday. That means we had to go down the stairs from our office on the 26th floor up to the ground floor then walk around 4 kilometers to our ride. Unlike, in our previous walk, he was able to finish the walk this time… guess he was prepared since he was in rubber shoes. Me.. I am always prepared for walking since I wear comfy flat shoes (it is overused that is why it is more comfy!)

And then yesterday, I walked from Sanctuario de San Antonio (in McKinley, Forbes) to Greenbelt chapel (with a stopover for a mass) then headed to Mandarin Hotel for Mitch Valdes' performance.

Now my legs ache a bit, but just a tiny weeny bit! But I sure had a good time!

Lady Charlie wondered if there are places in Manila where one could walk. Actually, there are a lot of places you can walk in my area. I wonder if she is asking if it is safe to walk in Manila…

Sometimes when I do my walk at night in Manila and I am alone, people would ask me if I am not scared. Well, when I walk I do not carry a lot of cash (actually I have so very little cash!) and I usually place my knapsack in my front… plus I am 5’10” with long strides and dressed in denims and flat shoes (sometimes rubber shoes so I could easily run if I want to)… so I would say I am not afraid!

It is very seldom that I get to walk leisurely (I walk a lot going to work but it is always a hurried walk) that I actually enjoy the peace I get from it. An evening walk is also nicer since you get to see the lights plus you don’t see the dirt too much... unless I am walking in a park or in greenbelt which is okay anytime of the day except when the sun is real hot!

When my friends and I went to Sydney and Melbourne in 2000… we got to visit a lot of place just by walking from our hotel. I was thinking that time, how come Manila can’t be that way!

The buildings in Manila actually have good architecture, the post office and the City hall dome have particularly nice designs. I was really amazed when the Manila city government fixed a lot of plazas and parks (of course, I did not like it when they even converted Avenida, a main road into a plaza… I thought of that as too much). I know it is costing the government a lot of money but it sure removes the eyesore plus it actually invites people to walk… even have picnics.

It is good to walk along Roxas Blvd.’s Baywalk… and looking at the sun set in Manila Bay in Luneta is great! I haven’t been to WOW Philippines in Intramuros but there was a time a saw a lot of Taiwanese tourists riding a fleet of calesas from the Post office… I was sure they were going for a joy ride around the city and I actually felt great looking at them… when I get a chance to walk in Binondo and I cross the bridge from Reina Regente going to the post office, I would walk really slow and just marvel at the reflection of light on the water in Jones bridge… and if I am lucky and the Post office building is lighted, I would enjoy the sight even more!

Manila is not really a walker’s haven yet… if you want to walk.. go to Makati! They have great malls and really made the place walkable… from the MRT in EDSA you could go to ShoeMart… then cross a bridge to Glorietta…then to Landmark and a nice bridge going to the greenbelt area… if you are going to offices in Ayala, they made elevated covered pedestrian walks in Dela Rosa Avenue that connects to buildings and parking lots.. they have well lighted underpasses to help you cross to the other street. The interconnection of shopping malls came a bit lit compared to Hongkong which had it for a long time already (Unlike in Makati, you won’t even know what building you are anymore… you just walk and shop and walk. In Makati you know you’re crossing another building because of the security guards that check on you!) Anyway, the end result is great (ahh Lady Charlie come home and visit…Window shopping is fun in Makati… if you want bargain though, then walk the streets in Divisoria and you’ll certainly get your money’s worth!)

I think Quezon City is catching up too… the Gateway mall in Cubao has really lifted the place and now they are landscaping a lot of the streets…but UP is still the best place to walk or jog with its old shady trees and of course there is always the Quezon Circle that you can go to…

Ahh.. this has been a long post… my hands certainly walked… I mean typed a long mile. It is nice to think of nice places to walk around Metro Manila… I feel like walking some more!

Evening walk..

Didn't feel too well the whole day at work but after work I decided to walk...

First I walked from Divisoria to Binondo for my support group and I liked the walk since the weather was good... not cold...not humid and with some wind... just a touch of wind...

I felt lots of energy in me after the support group meeting that I decided to walk some more... first going to the Liwasang Bonifacio thinking I would take my ride there... there was music playing in the Plaza (piano version of Can't help falling in love with you) and not much people and I walked slowly, I felt like dancing BUT I didn't want the people there thinking of me as NUTS so I just imagined myself swaying with the music while walking real slow...really slow with eyes a bit closed (okay just a bit... didn't want any trouble) just walking in rhythm with the music...

And I still wanted to walk so I walked going the City Hall then to Shoemart-Manila. I have not been to that place in a long time and I noted that they were converting more of the vacant places to a park. they were placing paver tiles and have planted old shady trees (or maybe they were there before but I just did not notice... just seemd like there were lots of trees in that area now)... maybe in a few more weeks and the place would be lovely...

The desire to walk was strong that I could easily make it walking to Luneta or the bay view but I would be inviting trouble walking alone so just decided to go to SM and eat... My mouth has been clamoring for soup the whole day that I decided to eat Vietnamese noodles, okay added springroll to complete my menu... then I walked again... I surveyed a bit of the finished area in the park or is it a plaza... there's a small open resto-grill there with a videoke... there were lots of couples in benches and there was another Nipa building but I was not really sure if it was an office or a restaurant (disadvantage of not wearing my glasses)... and I walked back to Lawton... actually I wanted to walk further to Quiapo Bridge... I was looking if there was someone going in that direction but since there was none and that bridge is taller and bigger... I just decided to stay put and wait for my ride... which took a long time and I really could not stay put so I would just move to and fro while waiting for an FX which I could not even see the sign board... Arghh (again the disadvantage of not wearing my glasses)... anyway I heard someone going in my direction so I just stood nearby, when I saw him flag down an FX, I motioned too... there was just one vacant spot and he told me to go ahead... good, a gentleman!

The trip home was fast since it was late. Still have some time for my computer while waiting to digest my food... but now my eyes are waiting to walk in my dreams... yeah I feel them shutting already. I had a good evening walking... I think it will be a good night's rest too!

Teleporting -Beaming to the place you want to be!

I just came across this article on teleportation and fondly recalled Star Trek.

How I wish it is really possible to just beam into the place you want to be.

Imagine -- No traffic... no pollution... no body aching because of long travel and you don't really have to wake up that early to go to your office that's so far from your home!

Imagine some more--- you could be chatting with somebody on the internet or talking over the phone and in one instant you'll be meeting face to face with the person...

Okay some more--- You could easily visit family and friends from outside the country or tour the world in less than 80 days without having a jet lag and without the need to get a visa...

Ah great... imagine further--- you are looking forward to beam to somebody you have been dying to meet and have prepared for the occasion when suddenly something goes wrong and you arrived in your destinaton minus your eye, ear and nose...yikes...

... or a cockroach (yuk) also got into the machine and you are beamed and merged together into your destination... double yikes!

Don't wanna be part cockroach!!!

I've often wondered about teleportation but maybe it is better if I am already gone by the time they finally have a teleporting machine!

Balanced Philippines!

A long time ago I received an email about God creating balance in the world. It was a funny email and I wanted to post it at this time when the political situation in our country is really bad! Unfortunately I could not find that email and I am not really good in telling jokes (hmmm… but is it really a joke?) but i'll try telling it anyway...

In that email, God was talking to an angel (I forgot who!) and He was bragging that He created balance in the world. So as they were looking down at the different continents and countries, he would tell the good points and the bad points in each one of them and the angel could easily see the balance in place…(Drats this brain… I wanted to give examples but I could not recall… Tsk Tsk Tsk, hirap talaga ng tumatanda!!! Hehehe)…

Anyway…the angel pointed to a group of islands and asked what it was?
And God said, that is the Philippines!
See it is like paradise there and the people are great!
The angel got confused and asked Him, I thought You created balance? It is all good there… so where’s the balance???
Then God smiled and said...
Ahh, wait till you see their politicians! :-)

So, our politicians are something that we can’t really be proud of but that doesn’t mean we stop being proud as Filipinos. Maybe our politicians are the cross we have to bear? But maybe if we lift them up to God in prayer, He'll forgo of the balance and bless us with good politicians?

Hmmm.. But He could still justify balance to his angel by saying that Yes Filipinos are great...but they are humble too!