wishful thinking, dreaming dreams

Letter To Future Self

faith — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 01:27:25 +0000

Dear You,

How many years is it since you wrote this? I bet you’d be laughing at your own silliness writing this letter. I know you’d be laughing not at the letter but the fact that it is address to you yourself! How many people in this world would be doing this I ask you. But it would be presumptuous of me to think that you’d be laughing. I will never ever know what you are feeling at this moment. Who knows you may be crying reading this. Or angry. Or displeased. Or blushing. Or bored. There are no guarantees in life, only hope for the future and courage to pursue one’s dreams.

I’d like to think that you had made some difference for others, for your country or for the world or even just something out for yourself. If that is the case, let me offer you my congratulations. I know you can do it. You started late maybe but as the cliché goes “Better late than never”. You’re more mature now but I do hope that you still nurture the child within you. But don’t settle for only this because the future has many gifts to offer.

If it is on the contrary, which I pray not, I hope it is not late for you. But I know it won’t take long now. The bonds that’s binding you are slowly becoming loose now. Try to breath the air around you – the air of hope and of dreams. You still have a long way to go. Do not brood over the past, instead look to tomorrow for tomorrow has a gift to offer. And when you fall, stand up or if you can’t, crawl but don’t stop.

“Huh! How could this 27-year-old-know-it-all say these things to me?”, you might think. Please forgive my impudence for saying these things to you. You are older than me now and surely more wiser. But sometimes it is good to be reminded of one’s younger self, is it not? I used to read my journal entries God knows how many times but everytime, I discovered something unique about myself and realized I have been unconsciously growing! My thoughts and ideas are more clear and more pronounced than what was written. So if I may be bold as to suggest to consider this as rereading you journal. You might find a gem behind these cheesy words.

Do you still read? Do you still have those books for you mini-library? Have you had you mini-library now? Are your collections increasing? I am picturing it as a roomful now. Right now, I have around a hundred books. Year by year, I add around 10 books. Not bad, is it not? Have you read your “Books To Read Before You Die” list? It was not much of a list but I’m sure it is now a fine must-read list.

Do you still write? Is you blog still active? Is there still such a thing as ‘blog’? If not, then what is it called now? How many journals do you have now? Do you still have all of you journals? I am considering of typing it all and storing it in my laptop so I guess the notebooks were gone now. If you’re not keeping these things now or worse do not now write, I do not blame you nor myself. I know my writings are not even as good as I imagine them to be but all the same I write from my heart and for my soul. I consider writing as a communication of the heart and the soul, strengthening the bonds between them, allowing them to share each others’ passions, their inhibitions, their dreams and in the process making them one.

If, by any chance, you have found your calling and your passions, however much pain and suffering you have to withstand just to realized them, surely, you would understand my ramblings. I know I should not be too hard on myself but you, of all people, know me too well to upbraid me. I write this letter for you that someday you may look back, not with regrets, but with the assurance that you are good, you are brave and you can still be the best that you can be.

Sincerely,

Letter To A Friend In Heaven

faith — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:50:56 +0000

Dear Divine,

You’re home now – without pain, without suffering, without all the worldly tribulations. Although losing you is not unexpected but when it happened, it still feels too painful. I have been blessed with you as a co-volunteer, a companion, but most especially, a friend. I remember our volunteer experiences (SOS/JVP), our conversations about anything and everything, our travels (the with and without permissions). When I tried to look closely the memories in pictures, there was no hint of you going before us. We were so happy and so full of spirits then it seems the world was ours to conquer – and you did! Davao will always be a special place because you were and will always be part of it. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to see you and hug you and talk to you for the last time.

You’re home now – in the loving embrace of our Creator.
You have loved much and been loved in return.
Rest in peace now, Divine.
You will always be loved and remembered.
I will miss you.

happiness is…

faith — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:19:33 +0000

Source: Civil Service Commission

Run for you life!

faith — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:46:57 +0000

UPDATE: I can now carry 10 rounds of running/jogging which totaled 4KM. Yatta! Also, I registered for a 3K fun run this Sunday. Wish me luck!.

I’m taking a healthier route.

I’m going to

…watch what I eat,

…drink lots and lots of water,

…start morning crunches,

…do fitness workouts 3 times a week,

…jog (or run) twice a week,

…swim at least twice every month,

…join a 3K or 5K run (and eventually a half-marathon, perhaps?).

This is a challenge. Let’s see how I progress.

Mango Pandan Sunday

faith — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:38:41 +0000

Butch and I, with the help of Rivir (who bought the lacking ingredients without complaints) made this last Sunday. We are no cooks but I think we made a decent afternoon dessert.

Ingredients

pandan leaves

4 ripe mangoes, cut in cubes

3 packs of gulaman

1 can condensed milk

2 pack all-purpose cream

1.5L water

Instructions

1. Boil pandan leaves. Remove the leaves and add the gulaman powder stirring constantly until it boils. Pour into a container and let it cool for 1 hour. Cut into cubes.

2. Cut mangoes into cubes.

3. Mix condensed milk and all-purpose cream. Add the mango and gulaman cubes. Let cool and serve.

exhausted

faith — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:05:39 +0000

“What have I done to deserve this?”

dad to daughter

faith — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:40:34 +0000

Below is a letter written by a father to his 17-year-old daughter. He tries to answer the questions his daughter might have about love, life and family.

Dearest Nicole,

Terminal, chronic presumptuousness is an ailment that is very hard to recover from, as the name of the condition implies, and especially as regards your unica hija….Continue reading

the binary 143

faith — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:28:49 +0000

01001001 01001100 01001111 01010110 01000101 01011001 01001111 01010101

childhood dream

faith — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:06:25 +0000

What is this feeling when a childhood dream is fulfilled so many years after?

the city like any other city

faith — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:56:23 +0000

In today’s warrior of the light online issue (Edition – nº 216), Paulo wrote about something he read in a magazine during his flight to Bulgaria. The article in the magazine describes what Sofia looks like and lists down practical things a tourist should do while roaming the streets. Sofia, by the way, is a place somewhere in Bulgaria. I’ve never been to Bulgaria nor have any imagination what the country looks like but Sofia could be any city in the Philippines especially about mad drivers! In fact, I thought I was reading about Manila or Cebu. True, I have never stayed in Manila to long to experience it fully but what the media is feeding us gives me an idea about the place. Cebu is different altogether. I live in and with it. It’s been four years since I left home to find a “greener pasture” (although I think, Bukidnon is a lot, lot more greener than Cebu, literally and figuratively!). I think Cebu could be much, much better. How? Start with doing something about sidewalks and traffic lights and jeepneys (including drivers) and garbage and blah blah blah. I could go on and on but I’ll save the trouble. Below is the excerpt of Paulo’s article.

A] Walking through the center of Sofia means having to confront cars parked on the sidewalk, people hooting their horns in your ears, dogs straying loose on the street, and holes that appear without any notice to warn pedestrians.

B] If you want to take a bus, remember that the doors are small, so there is a good chance that you will hurt yourself while boarding. Toss a one-lev coin (the local currency) in the driver’s lap, shout where you want to get off, and be aware that the buses do not always respect bus stops. Don’t let that put you in a bad mood.

C] If you’re driving, take all the following items into account: a driver’s license, passport, stainless-steel nerves, eyes that must not blink for an instant, traffic lights that look like hieroglyphics (Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet), and mad drivers.

E] When you stop at a traffic light, be prepared to see your car surrounded by a crowd of children ready to clean your windshields: be firm, don’t accept!

F] Traffic policemen are “prodigiously venal” and are watching out for you. Behave like a saint, do not stress out, not unless you want to pay an “on-the-spot fine”, which is simply a bribe.

G] Bulgaria has a high crime rate, but please relax! You will be as safe or unsafe here as in New York, London, Paris or any other big city.

H] The lighting is awful during the night.

I] Shopkeepers never have change. Ask at your hotel for low-value bills, otherwise you run the risk of waiting for twenty minutes while the salesperson goes to the neighbor or to the closest bank to get change.

J] To get back to the buses: some of them have a terrifying machine at the door, and you have to discover fast how to extract your ticket from there. Remember that public transportation is paid everywhere in the world. Of course, chances are great that during your journey you will see inspectors boarding the bus and asking the passengers for their tickets, but most of them won’t have tickets, so there will be an argument and they will all end up having to pay a fine. Since you have overcome all these problems by already buying a ticket, you can watch all these arguments without any fear.

I thought things like these exists ‘onli in da pilipins’ but we’re not alone after all. How fascinating the human character is!