How many times have I refused asking for help just because I did not want to bother people with my trivial problems? How many times have I turned down help just when I really needed it? Needless to say, I have become too independent without me knowing it. Not until I became dependent on someone that I realized just how important it is to have a friend, a lover, or family to watch your back every time you make mistakes or you encounter difficulties in life. I knew then that to admit that you are weak doesn't mean you're weak...it only means that you acknowledge your own imperfection.
And as I write this, I recall one of my best girl friends who's undergoing difficulties with her personal life. (Yes, it may seem that you never learn from past mistakes but it's there to make you sure that you do the next time a similar problem appears in your life..) Another close friend is undergoing marital problems, a slightly deeper one than the former friend I mentioned. She already lost 15 lbs. just thinking about it. Not a really good way to lose weight though. Anyway, we all decided to meet up one of these days just to talk.
For me, it is important for a woman to have a close set of girl friends to run to each time she is faced with trials or bumps on her road. Much like the celebrated Sex and the City women who seem to have been the shock absorber of each other. Certainly, it's way better than to pay an expensive psychiatrist who treats your problem scientifically rather than to empathize with you.
So I guess to all my girl friends, here's a little note: it's ok to ask for help expecially when you know that what you need is a woman's ear.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
His Wretched Soul
I know a man..
who lost his spirit
who couldn't be
what he wanted to be
who thinks he's less
but in truth,
he was more
His eyes speak of a battered soul
indefinite and swollen
insecurity grips him
his heart, torn apart
alone, he stood
against a life
he wanted to vanish from
his voice,
paved the way to freedom
but left him wounded to the core
I know a man who's like a little child
I know...
Because tonight, I sing to him my greatest lullaby...
It was and still is worth the risk to be with you...
who lost his spirit
who couldn't be
what he wanted to be
who thinks he's less
but in truth,
he was more
His eyes speak of a battered soul
indefinite and swollen
insecurity grips him
his heart, torn apart
alone, he stood
against a life
he wanted to vanish from
his voice,
paved the way to freedom
but left him wounded to the core
I know a man who's like a little child
I know...
Because tonight, I sing to him my greatest lullaby...
It was and still is worth the risk to be with you...
Friday, April 15, 2005
Baby Talk
I've been catching up on my mail lately and I have been inspired by what people have been seending. Normally I would just delete forwarded messages but I really couldn't help but be touched about this one email I got. Here it goes....
What does Love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy -age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." (my personal favorite)
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an imagination)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"
What does Love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy -age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." (my personal favorite)
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an imagination)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Riding the Bus
Love is like waiting for a bus. When the bus comes, you look at it and you say to yourself "eeee...so full....cannot sit down, I'll wait for the next one."So you let the bus go and waited for the second bus. Then the second bus came, you looked at it and you said, "eeee...this bus is so old...so shabby!"
So you let the bus go and again, decided to wait for the next bus. After a while another bus came, it's not crowded,not old but you said, "eeee...not air conditioned...better wait for the next one." So again you let the bus go and decided to wait for the next
bus. Then the sky started to get dark as it was getting late. You panicked and jumped immediately inside the next bus. It is not until much later that you found out that you had boarded the wrong bus!
And you wasted your time and money just to get into the wrong one!
Even if an air conditioned bus comes, you can't ensure that the air conditioned bus won't break down or whether or not the airconditioner will be too cold for you.
Wanting to get what you want is not wrong. But it wouldn't hurt to give other people a chance. If you find that the "bus" doesn't suit you just press the red button and get off the bus! Hey, who
said life is fair??? The best thing to do is be observant and open-minded. If it doesn't suit you, get off.
I'm sure you've had this experience before. You saw a bus coming (the bus you want of course). You flagged it but the driver acted as if he did not see you and zoomed pass you! It just wasn't meant
for you!
The bottom line is, being loved is like waiting for a bus you want. Getting on the bus and appreciating the bus by giving it a chance depends totally on you. If you haven't made any choice, WALK!
Waking is like being single. The good side of it is you can still choose any bus you want...the rest who couldn't afford another ride would just have to be content with the bus they rode on, ugly
or not.
Also, sometimes it is better to choose a bus you are already familiar with rather than to gamble with a bus that is unfamiliar to you. But then again, life wouldn't be complete without the risks involved.But there is one bus that I failed to tell you
about.- the Bus you do not have to wait for, the Bus that will stop on its own and ask you if you wish to come inside, then take you for a joy ride for the rest of your life.
Hope you get to ride on that bus! :)
I got this thing from my bestfriend Yssa...I am happy to tell every one that I got on that bus...and because I chose well..I got the best ride...
So you let the bus go and again, decided to wait for the next bus. After a while another bus came, it's not crowded,not old but you said, "eeee...not air conditioned...better wait for the next one." So again you let the bus go and decided to wait for the next
bus. Then the sky started to get dark as it was getting late. You panicked and jumped immediately inside the next bus. It is not until much later that you found out that you had boarded the wrong bus!
And you wasted your time and money just to get into the wrong one!
Even if an air conditioned bus comes, you can't ensure that the air conditioned bus won't break down or whether or not the airconditioner will be too cold for you.
Wanting to get what you want is not wrong. But it wouldn't hurt to give other people a chance. If you find that the "bus" doesn't suit you just press the red button and get off the bus! Hey, who
said life is fair??? The best thing to do is be observant and open-minded. If it doesn't suit you, get off.
I'm sure you've had this experience before. You saw a bus coming (the bus you want of course). You flagged it but the driver acted as if he did not see you and zoomed pass you! It just wasn't meant
for you!
The bottom line is, being loved is like waiting for a bus you want. Getting on the bus and appreciating the bus by giving it a chance depends totally on you. If you haven't made any choice, WALK!
Waking is like being single. The good side of it is you can still choose any bus you want...the rest who couldn't afford another ride would just have to be content with the bus they rode on, ugly
or not.
Also, sometimes it is better to choose a bus you are already familiar with rather than to gamble with a bus that is unfamiliar to you. But then again, life wouldn't be complete without the risks involved.But there is one bus that I failed to tell you
about.- the Bus you do not have to wait for, the Bus that will stop on its own and ask you if you wish to come inside, then take you for a joy ride for the rest of your life.
Hope you get to ride on that bus! :)
I got this thing from my bestfriend Yssa...I am happy to tell every one that I got on that bus...and because I chose well..I got the best ride...
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Harmonica
Music flowing
Through sun-scorched lips
The melody,
Almost in tune with the wind
Almost in chorus with the sound of the busy street
The Rhythm
Seemingly melancholic
Strange yet familiar
Soothing yet disturbing
With memories so vivid
It was almost surreal
His eyes no longer see
The wonder of the world
His arms no longer hold
The face of a nameless child
His legs no longer tread
The path of the mighty
The air from his mouth
Speak of a forgotten past
Breathing into the harmonica
And out to the empty space
Where the living dwell
With lives as bleak as his
Jen
2004
was written for and inspired by the man with no name...
Through sun-scorched lips
The melody,
Almost in tune with the wind
Almost in chorus with the sound of the busy street
The Rhythm
Seemingly melancholic
Strange yet familiar
Soothing yet disturbing
With memories so vivid
It was almost surreal
His eyes no longer see
The wonder of the world
His arms no longer hold
The face of a nameless child
His legs no longer tread
The path of the mighty
The air from his mouth
Speak of a forgotten past
Breathing into the harmonica
And out to the empty space
Where the living dwell
With lives as bleak as his
Jen
2004
was written for and inspired by the man with no name...
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
When Hari ng Sablay Falls
Yesterday my brother got into a minor car accident that left him with a nasty lip bruise all because he chose to ride with his classmate all the way from Mamplasan to Makati. Apparently his friend had a history of over speeding and a couple of hit and runs.
My initial reaction was concern over my brother who has been accident prone ever since he was a kid. He would normally fall from a double deck bed or drop a glass of water so it wasn't really much of a surprise anymore when he got into this accident. Yet, I have to admit that this was different because he could have been seriously hurt or we could have lost him.
Among the four us, we all know that Jared is the most special sibling from the time he was born. He was a premature baby and he was able to fit into a shoe box. Every one thought he was not going to make it. In fact, he even had his baptism right there in Manila Sanitarium. When he was growing up, we noticed a lot of his quirky ways and mannerism. Almost always he would normally forget stuff even when you just mentioned it to him a couple of seconds ago. He would get bumps and bruises from being too hyper. One time, he even fell of a tricycle which left him with blood clots in his head. Inspite of his ways, Jared was very loving and sociable. He was able to mingle with people from all walks of life. He was also mature in dealing with his own problems. Moreover, he is one of the most popular and smart guys in his batch.
In his lifetime, my brother has probably endured a lot of pain that he already developed a high tolerance for it. Sometimes we would tease him and call him "hari ng sablay" (as in Sugarfree's current hit.) Inspite of this, I am proud that he is my brother. He is my ally and my friend and I wouldn't want to lose him over some freaking careless driver. Sometimes I worry about him but I guess I would have to leave him be to learn his lessons well.
Bro, take care of yourself ayt?
My initial reaction was concern over my brother who has been accident prone ever since he was a kid. He would normally fall from a double deck bed or drop a glass of water so it wasn't really much of a surprise anymore when he got into this accident. Yet, I have to admit that this was different because he could have been seriously hurt or we could have lost him.
Among the four us, we all know that Jared is the most special sibling from the time he was born. He was a premature baby and he was able to fit into a shoe box. Every one thought he was not going to make it. In fact, he even had his baptism right there in Manila Sanitarium. When he was growing up, we noticed a lot of his quirky ways and mannerism. Almost always he would normally forget stuff even when you just mentioned it to him a couple of seconds ago. He would get bumps and bruises from being too hyper. One time, he even fell of a tricycle which left him with blood clots in his head. Inspite of his ways, Jared was very loving and sociable. He was able to mingle with people from all walks of life. He was also mature in dealing with his own problems. Moreover, he is one of the most popular and smart guys in his batch.
In his lifetime, my brother has probably endured a lot of pain that he already developed a high tolerance for it. Sometimes we would tease him and call him "hari ng sablay" (as in Sugarfree's current hit.) Inspite of this, I am proud that he is my brother. He is my ally and my friend and I wouldn't want to lose him over some freaking careless driver. Sometimes I worry about him but I guess I would have to leave him be to learn his lessons well.
Bro, take care of yourself ayt?
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