Moonlight Serenade

I had to leave the office early for an official business and I was with our company driver. He was listening to old songs on the radio and it was making me sleepy… well it was understandable since it was 3:00 pm when we left the office! Anyway, I found myself humming or singing with some of the songs I know… then I heard the Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller and I suddenly could visualize well dressed people dancing in night clubs! I could see women in their dresses with their ultra small waistline and men in their coat and tie. And my vision was in black and white… hehehe…hmmm I guess I got those from watching old movies before.

I felt my eyes were closed while I was visualizing and I was actually smiling while listening feeling the beat in my soul. I think this is the ultimate dance music for couples. The music already stopped playing and there were other songs on the radio but my mind lingered on that music. Maybe if couples take some time and dance with it then there would be better harmony and intimacy between them. They don’t need to talk… no need to be in night clubs (do they still exist? I don’t think night clubs are the same with ballroom dancing) or fancy places or fancy clothes… just listening to the music could easily draw you to close your eyes and dissolve any negative feelings and lead your body to the rhythm.

I wasn’t able to visualize a male partner but instead remembered my Lola Bebe. I remember lifting her body from the wheelchair so she could stand and I could sway her with a music. I remember her smiling and tightening her arms around me while I carry her and sway her. I don’t recall ever hearing this music while I took care of my grandmother but I could imagine how happy she would feel if I swayed her to this music.

I went to look for a nice video from Youtube to ember here but I couldn’t embed the first Youtube video on glenn miller and the music that I had to look for another. I found one from the Glenn Miller band with people dancing but the video owner still would not allow me to embed. Guess they realize how precious the music and their video is that they would want you to come to their site.

I was watching the people dance on the second video. Most were smiling towards their partner. I think it would have been better if they just closed their eyes and felt the rhythm while dancing.
I think next time we have a family affair at home instead of singing in the karaoke I’d ask all my siblings and their spouses to dance to the music. I wonder if they’ll feel the same as I imagine??? I'll also ask mama to dance with me, I wonder what she would think of and how she'd feel?

I can't wait to find out! ;)

Suspicious

After we came from church this afternoon, we walked to a mall nearby. I was with my niece and her 2 children, a cousin and a nephew. We were almost at the mall entrance when I noticed a man and a lady talking. I felt uneasy! The man was talking animatedly (not mad or anything just animated) and the lady was listening and looking passive. I could not hear what they were talking about but I noticed that the man kept looking at the lady’s eyes when he talked... and I stopped. I suddenly remembered an email I recently received of a reporter who went to a mall and was approached by a man holding a bible and kissed her (beso-beso) as if he knew her telling her don’t you remember me etc… he was a sweet talker who was looking her straight in the eyes when he talked. He kept on talking and touching her while he talked making it look like they know each other well. He was talking about a lot of projects and was asking for big donation. She could not recall knowing this person but she talked with him. I forgot what happened on how she came to her senses but she left the person. She said that she felt that she was being hypnotized but that her habit of shifting eyes probably saved her from a budol-budol scam wherin the sweet talker scammer would somehow hypnotize you and tell you to give money, even withdraw from your ATM account. There have been a lot of victims of this scam. I knew of a teacher in our province who was a victim plus an officemate was almost a victim -- gosh he already gave his ATM to the scammers but good thing it had no money yet since the payroll had not been credited.

Anyway, I was concerned that she might be a victim yet I was thinking that if I approach her and she really knew the guy then they might just get mad and think of me as nosey and would tell me to mind my own business. So I asked my brood to just hold on as we just observed the two. If they were fighting it would have been easy to just leave them alone since I’ve seen a lot of people fighting on public areas… that would mean that they knew each other. But their body language was somehow different from people that i have observed in the past. It is the first time that I see a guy animatedly talking so closely to a lady's face with no animated response from the other though she too was looking him in the eyes. The guy seemed to focus on her eyes!

So we stayed on even if my brood wanted to leave already… then the lady began taking something from her bag. I watched and wondered... Is she going to give him her ATM? a lot of money? A celfone? I was watching closely. She pulled out her celfone and I decided to take the risk and approached them. And I talked to the lady saying "excuse me miss but do you know this guy and is everything okay?" She smiled a wan smile and told me that yes she knew him. But she did not get mad though and thanked me for my concern.

So I was wrong… well better safe than sorry, right? After I left them the guy went on one direction heading to the mall while the lady went the other way.

Hmmm… am I getting paranoid? As I said better just make sure that everything was okay and am glad that I was wrong. :)

Quiapo Church

I was on the elevator on my way home from the office when Jun from another department asked me if I was going to church. I told him I already attended mass at noon time. It has been a long day for me and I wanted to go home. However, when I got downstairs I felt like taking a long walk to my ride. I have to take one ride going to where I will take my main ride home and I did not feel like taking a ride in the area so I started walking. I have been walking a lot the past days since I feel a bit down… exhausted and weary and I knew a walk would somehow release some of the bad energies surrounding me…

So I walked… not too fast… not too slow just walk… I wasn’t looking at the places I am passing through just walking towards my main ride and it is actually a long walk. My mind is still bombarded with thoughts, different kinds of thoughts… I shake them away… it stops then other thoughts come in… sometimes I wish I would just stop thinking and just enjoy the present moment but there are just moments when I give in to this thoughts… ahhh…

Anyway, at some point I had a choice whether I would go straight further or walk to the main street. It wasn’t so dark and there were still a lot of people so I walked straight some more thinking of turning left when I finally reach Evangelista St. and when I finally reached there I suddenly decided to turn right instead of left. The road leads to Quiapo church where they have the Black Nazarene. It is Friday, the day where devotees come in droves. I have never really come there on a regular Friday and though I know that there will be lots of people, I was surprised at the volume that was there. I know how many people go there especially on His feast day which I have attended before. This is just a regular Friday yet it was more than the volume you would see on a Sunday masses in most parishes. It wasn’t only the church that was full but even outside the church where they have a big screen that shows the proceeding inside. So many people! The current mass was halfway through when I came and I still did not want to leave. I wanted to stay some more. Maybe it will be the last mass for the day and I could come inside and just spent some quiet time. It is hard to get inside the church because people where standing so close together. However, when it was time for communion, many started moving and I thought it was my chance to move too. So I was finally inside the church. They have huge electric fans so that some areas were cool despite the people. I just stayed there.

Finally when the mass was over, I asked the lady beside me if it was always like that on a Friday and she said yes. I also asked if there were another mass and she was not sure but by the number of people still there I figured there would be. So I stayed further and finished the other mass…

I was thinking on my way home that it was good to be there. There were so many people, there were even some vendors outside BUT the feeling is different. You somehow feel the desire and faith of people there… that nothing could distract you! There is always a blessing at the end of the mass and I got blessed two times :)… People would not only raise their hands during the blessing but they raise religious and other articles they want to be blessed. I noticed on my way out a father and daughter walking together. The daughter raised 2 pencils. I figured that she will be taking the board exam and asking the Lord to bless the pencils she will use for the examination (I uttered a silent prayer for her too wishing she does pass the examination).

So I finally got home. I feel better… I guess sometimes it is good to just follow where your footsteps lead you…

Words

"Words can Heal... Words can Kill... Choose to Heal!"

I have posted those words in my computer monitor as a reminder on the power of words.

Such words kept coming back to me after I had a heated discussion with one of my assistants. I reprimanded him and I knew that my voice got loud that some of the girls had to look our way. I realized that I had embarassed him somehow and I felt bad. I emailed him (though his desk was just in front of me) asking for apology for my behavior. Unlike some people that are almost always calm, sometimes I get carried away with emotion. I wish I am always calm but sometimes I just flare up.

It has been a long time since I printed those words in a sticker and posted in frame of my monitor. I realized that oftentimes I don't even notice it is there but there would be days that my eyes would just focus on it and digest its meaning... and like a mantra I would repeat the words in my thoughts over and over "choose to heal!"

I know how words can hurt. I've hurt some people and some people have hurt me with words too. Yet I also know how much it could comfort!

I wish all the words that would come out from my lips are words of comfort... sigh... how I wish! It is not always so but I know of someone who always comforts me and gives me strength and helps me appreciate the kindness of people.

That will be my favorite cousin Manang Jocelyn.

She was here for a 2 weeks vacation to attend the graduation of her children and finally headed back today for Saudi Arabia where she is working. She is the most thoughtful person I know and she has always something kind to tell about people... even people that hurt her!

We rarely have a chance to talk since she's away in Saudi but she would make it a point to always call on special occasions. Just hearing her voice already puts joy in my heart because I know how sincere her words are no matter how few they are. LOVE certainly flows from her words! and there will always be a big smile on my face when she would say "luv you... luv you... luv you... Inday Beth" at the end of our conversation before hanging up. Ahhh... my sweet Manang Jocelyn!

While she was here we had a chance to be together for a day with my sister Terry. The three of us are close since we were near in age and we were together for a long time and we have fun memories. My sister's husband wanted to join us but NO WAY my sister would allow him.... hehehe... it was BONDING time just for the three of us. And it was one of those neat and comforting days when we just talked and be together... understanding each other... comforting each other... laughing at each other... laughing together... savoring each word that is said!

That's the beauty of comforting and loving words. It remains in your soul and in times of distress they get back to you and comfort you.

So, my cousin is back again in Saudi. I know how lonely she'll be there once more... far from her family! But somehow I know that she won't totally be lonely because her kind words will always come back to her. She has a lot of friends there that cherish her and care for her. Her words has touched them and in return they too touch her life.

Words... so powerful! May we always use it well. May I always use it well... choose words that heal... that comfort...that brings joy!

Music in my soul!

On my ride home last night in the FX, the driver played the music “The leader of the band” and I sang along with it. It was just a soft singing-along with the music where almost only I could hear myself, then I heard other voices singing along, there were 10 passengers (plus the driver) in that FX and there were probably 3 or 4 people singing along with the music so it suddenly turned very audible. I had to smile. Filipinos certainly love singing. As my friend who is out of tune always say “ALL Filipinos could sing, it is just that SOME have bad ears not to appreciate her voice!” Hehehe…

Anyway, after singing I was thinking of music. There’s really something to it that gives joy to the heart. Even when singing sad songs when you feel sad, music allows you to release an emotion, sometimes even make you cry and you feel lighthearted afterwards.

One of my friends who is now in Nevada would tell me how she would close their entertainment center room, open the videoke and sing her heart out after a days work and especially if she feels low. I could easily understand her.

I recently found a skypecast where participants sing along with a music. It was a neat group since most of them know each other and they are careful in letting people join the talking (and singing) plus they are courteous. They would tell you to mute your microphone when somebody is going to sing so everybody could listen well and not interrupt with other noises. I had a chance to sing too but I had no background music and the song was just short – “Growing old with you” by Adam Sandler from the movie the Wedding singer. One of the regulars who himself has his own skypecast gave me a link where you could sing along and record your voice. So I immediately visited the link and created an account in www.singsnap.com and I got to sing (actually, I remembered Rolly giving me a similar link before but I never had a chance to use it since my machine was so slow that the music would be stopping and I could not really complete a song… and it was making me feel frustrated. Good thing I have recently upgraded my machine’s RAM and could now sing-along with a music) Anyway, back to my earlier note, I sang and I sang in that new site but did not record since I could still not balance my voice and the background music (still have not been able to fix it up to now). It was very late when I stopped singing and my brother and sister-in-law was laughing at me the next day telling me that I got carried away and that my voice was pretty loud… Yikes, my voice probably reached my neighbors!!! Anyway, I really felt good singing. And it was especially so since I was rather feeling low that time and the singing made me feel really good!

I guess I’ll never really stop singing (mostly just singing softly and humming along with the music) till I die. Music seems to be part of my being… it is part of most of Filipinos lives I should say. You sing with it… you listen to it …it is part you. It is in your soul!

Ahhh what joy it is to be able to sing and listen to music. I am blessed!

Biggest Philippine Volkswagen Gathering!

My sister and I were cruising along Commonwealth Ave yesterday morning when we spotted a lot of Volkswagen, mostly beetles, cruising along with us. I suddenly remembered that they are going to have a parade that day and will try to attempt to make it to the Guinness book of world records. We were both excited! We wondered whether we are going to see our old beetle with the group. She asked me its plate number and I told her. We’ve had it for so long that I knew its plate number! I had my mobile phone with me and tried to catch a video. I was able to take just a short segment since my phone suddenly bonked out on me. Geez, I wanted a souvenir but my sister told me not to worry since there is surely going to be a feature of it in the news or the internet anyway.

I got one from Youtube on its ads for the upcoming event. It is a top view though and not from the ground. There are already a lot of VWs here but this is not the real parade yet:



They also made early invites of course through print and online ads.

But I still have not seen a video for the real event. Ahhh makes me sad a bit since I want to include it here. Another time maybe?

The event was causing traffic. We were going to be late so that we had a mixed feeling being there. We were happy and wanted to stay longer and see some more but we had another important date as we will meet someone important to us also. But just the thought of a Volkswagen parade certainly made the first part of our day exciting and joyful.

But am still wondering if our old beetle made it there… will the new owners be as excited as us to join a parade? I hope they were excited and I hope they joined. Am crossing my finger!

Muning!

There was a male stray cat that has been coming to our home for the past months and we would feed him… I’m not really particularly fond of dogs or cats but I would feed him too when I had a chance. The his coming became more frequent… my mom would get mad but he still comes… and I started getting used to him being around…then he brought a girlfriend and her kittens but the kittens eventually moved out but the girlfriend would still be coming and eating with him… then he brought another girlfriend! Geez this cat was a playboy!!! (hmmm shouldn’t that be playcat? Hehehe) Sometimes the 3 of them would be sharing the plate we would place outside our kitchen or he would be looking around while the two shared. Then we noticed that only one of the girlfriend was frequenting the visit. The cat became comfy earlier and he would start coming inside our home. Geez, he could be dirty at times (well most times actually) and have scratches all over and sometimes wound in his eyes… guess he likes fighting with other cats. He was a big cat and he would sometimes come near me and just rub his body on my legs… sometimes he would even put his paw (is it the same as dog? Cat’s have paws too, right?) in my thigh and his nails would be painful! But I kinda like the cat and was talking to my mother about looking for a veterinarian who’ll take care of him and maybe clean him up! Ahhh but my mom would raise her eyebrows and get mad, it is a stray cat after all and goes everywhere. My sister was describing the cat to someone from our prayer community and she said that she knew the cat since he goes to their place also… oh my, but their place is far from us!!!

Anyway, the other day I found out that the cat was gone. My mom told my cousin and my brother to bring him along the car when they gas up. So they brought him and forced him to get out in the service center which is really a far distance from our home. I was sad when I got home that night… even the way he was, I sort of got used to him. My mom was not sad though and keeps complaining since the cat went to the table and got food and she definitely does not like it plus there are a lot of ants from the litters they have when they eat and she hates that the more… So it was goodbye Muning…no more meowing from Muning, our stray cat. I don’t like the lady cats that still hang around our yard… I missed Muning!

Well, that was the other night. Last night my brother’s help mentioned that she saw Muning on our yard but he immediately left when he saw her. Mama said that it was probably another cat. Well it can’t be because just now I saw him! He is sleeping in the white plastic chair in our front yard…. He is back!!!

Ah my mother can’t do anything…hehehe… he is back and he is still as comfy as ever! He knows his home… he may wander all over but he likes our home… he was probably meowing Homeward bound while walking from far away back to our home… :)

South Pacific - the lost horizon!

I saw a headline title of the South Pacific revival in Yahoo today and immediately brought back childhood memories that I had to click on it to read. It was a review of the musical revival of the South Pacific and I found another review with a story on it theater mania.

Geez, I remember seeing a lot of movies when I was a child and I had different experiences when watching. South Pacific was one of the musicals I saw when I was a child. I also watched lots of Bruce Lee and other karate films! Ah and not to forget the very long film the Ten Commandments where we actually had to hide from our grandmother –Lola Bebe since she wanted to go home half way through the movie and we wanted to finish the film. Anyway, I could not remember anymore whom I was with when I saw the movie version of South Pacific a long time ago or remember the details of the film but to date I find myself singing or humming some of the music there. I was so young when I saw that movie and not even good in English (ahh definitely not good in English!) but it actually stuck with me -- that movie and The Lost Horizon (funny I checked and this movie did not do well in the US but I actually loved this film too). I might have been in my elementary or early high school when I saw the films but all through out these years I’d sing or hum some of the melodies there… sometimes just from out of the blue I’d find myself singing one of the songs there but I think the song I sang most often was Happy Talk from the South Pacific and The world is a circle without a beginning from The lost horizon (hmmm am not really sure if that is title). Ah yes I could also remember the scene from South Pacific when they sung Honey bun and the actor (forgot his name but he is also the star in my Favorite Martian which I used to watch on TV) dressed liked a woman in grass skirt (well sort of mocked up woman) was moving his stomach pretty much like what belly dancers do except his was a muscular stomach!

I searched for some film clips in Youtube and thought I’d post the Honey Bun clips (part 1 and 2) which is cute:





I enjoyed the clips and am humming and going over some more... ahh old movies!
I suddenly realized that i haven't watched a movie in a long time...