here's to summer

someone said that one of nicest things
a parent can give her child is a sibling

thinking it through
thank you, dear parents, for giving me two

runny nose

motherhood is a walk in the park ---
when the bubba is inconsolable
we hit the park til he is asleep

thankful he seems to love
the breeze
the sound the tree leaves make
the sky

great expectations

i guess one just rises to meet expectations
sunday lunch was chicken laksa
devoured with chopsticks
using my left hand

a hard day's night on abbey road

growing up, papa listened to the beatles
today, decided to make the beatles mine

evening delight

silence, a refreshing sound
with the telly off
and cooking done
crickets begin to sing their lullaby

to mona

2 years and 4 months ago
made me pack a brown sling
that one day i would use for my bub
thank you

oj time, not tea

thank you God
for my left hand
which comes to the rescue
when my right is tied

room 12A

6th day
galak's back to the sling
thankful he never seems to lose his feistiness

2 months

a day at a time
thankful i failed the 6th week post-natal depression test

salamat ate cheloy

Huni ng ibon at daloy ng alon
Nagpapaalala sa atin
Ihip ng hangin sa ating damdamin
Ay may nais ipahatid
Ang kalawakan sa katahimikan
Ay may ibig ipabatid
Lupa at langit sabay sa pag-awit
Ng luwalhati

Ating purihin, purihin
Purihin ang Dios
O purihin, purihin
Purihin ang Dios
Sa ‘ting puso at isip
Sa salmo at awit
Purihin, purihin ang Dios

Sikat ng araw tila pumupukaw
Sa atin upang manalangin
Upang ang ating sarili'y limutin
at si Hesus dakilain
Upang sa diwa at katotohanan
Ang Dios ay ating sambahin
At sa ating buhay ay maipamuhay
Kanyang bilin

- Gary Granada

reading magazines

One of the very nicest things about life is
the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing
and devote our attention to eating.
~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright,
Pavarotti, My Own Story

ate long days

funny how 8 days in the hospital make one courageous
i had a slice of apple cinnamon cake
it wasn't so bad

skipping work

blood pressure rising
protein in the urine missing

thankful they didn't go together
just one, not the other

celebrated with lamb pad kee mao
at newtown thai II

basement bookstore

winter energy saving tip:
instead of using a heater
iron clothes ---
warms you up
as you keep your clothes neatly pressed

bihon + ginisang munggo

i am very lazy lately
i get tired quickly

tonight, i actually cooked something
thankful for the egg slicer
my first time to ever use one

spamsilog

Quién puede convencer al mar
para que sea razonable?

Who can convince the sea
to be reasonable?

L, Pablo Neruda
Livro das Perguntas (The Book of Questions)

mango coconut loaf

sir ian mckellen in his interview to promote the play,
waiting for godot,
said we are all waiting for something --- consciously or not

thankful for the exercise of waiting
the wait for the atis to ripen made it sweeter

phone calls

i don't seem to get the same train seat three days in a row
there's always circumstances, like running late,
or a new person

thankful for the train
who takes people in, regardless
then spews them out, time warped

then there's afternoon nap

being up and out early in the morning has its perks
today, it is being in the midst of a thick fog
thankful my job forces me back to being a morning person

train mates

one wears a pair of pink flipflops
even in winter

the other a browned white chuckies

i wonder if they identify me with my shoes
or the orange water bottle i am carrying

a black brollie

time moves backwards
when i watch heavy rain fall

thankful i am not really going anywhere

laundry time

the sun came out on the first day of winter
not so much a promise of lesser cold

thankful a baby succulent has sprouted

almost 4 years old

death comes all of the sudden

not really

somehow you know its coming
and there are tell-tale signs

but grief strikes just the same

thankful for the funny times
paupau never failed to welcome us home

gadget lust

once in a while i give in

i chanced upon a mall launch of dsi xl
held it and played some mario

today was plants vs zombies
on an ipad

thankful for product demos

05:05

standing in the rain
waiting for the train

thankful
for the smell of baking bread

fruit juice-spiked water

En que ventana me quedé
mirando el tiempo sepultado?

In which window did I remain
watching buried time?

O lo que miro desde lejos
es lo que no he vivido aún?

Or is what I see from afar
what I have not yet lived?

LXVII, Pablo Neruda
Livro das Perguntas (The Book of Questions)

seven.eleven

i wait some
i wait more
they should have long opened the doors
after all it is a convenience store

i plan to paint the balcony door
the preparations is taking a lot of time
it almost feel like the painting won't be fun
but it will

black shoes.black socks

easter was usual sunday service
lunch at mandarin centre food court
drive to palm beach
then dinner at la mesa in dee why

la mesa is the first pilipino proper eating place i have been in sydney
proper, meaning it is not a place for a quick take away (aka karinderia)
but for a sit-down, chit chat type meal place
the atmosphere was worth the drive

sundowner

i didn't use to dream
now i do

lately, it is quite difficult to distinguish
living in my dream and in my reality

does one die in dreams?
and if one does, does he die in his reality too?

thankful i am alive
so far

herbs vs spices

i learned that herbs usually come from the leafy part of a plant
while spices can be obtained from seeds, fruits, roots or bark

thankful for packet instructions
my first ever gelatin set

amping

that's "take care" in bisaya

thankful for the friend who left me a message
and reacquainted me with the word
words in a very familiar local dialect can really say what they mean

amping kanunay

pimply

thankful there is no such thing
as too much sleep

carbo loading

thankful for japanese news
it eases the missing-japan pangs

thankful too that autumn is here
right on time

ironing service

cool breeze, good sleep

my succulents look both alive and dying
aren't we all?

thankful for water

so the

moon is wonderful
tonight

what drives you?

phyllis invited us for lunch
chinese new year's eve

her place has a nice garden
i left with the succulents she promised me

today, i bought a bag of potting mix
and i just finished arranging the pots

thankful succulents are green
and that i have a thumb

紀伊國屋書店

Si he muerto y no me he dado cuenta
a quién le pregunto la hora?

If I have died and don't know it
of whom do I ask the time?

Book of Questions, Pablo Neruda

peanut butter sandwich

reading meryl streep
"i look back on my entire career and
realised i've been dependent on the
kindness of strangers and friends and mentors.
that was my luck."

thankful for magazines
especially if i didn't have to pay for them

rainy season

council cleanup means people's trash are placed on the footpath
the weekend before the scheduled pickup

my find was a singer sewing machine
an old portable one
which seems to be working fine
but really wouldn't know unless i learn how to use it

thankful for the treasure hunt
and the walk in the rain

rocKwiz

thankful presumptions can be changed

the rain was absolutely fantastic today
it only stopped to catch its breath

looks like it is resting now, the rain
p.s. or so i thought

Psalm 116:7

Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

dimsum + skewers

sunday lunch was refreshing
met a young filipino couple
who are actually thinking of going back to phils
and wanting just that

thankful
they made me eat my lunch with gusto

henin vs williams

the sound of a tennis ball
hitting the hard court
will be missed

i marvel at the silence
then the uproar
the wince of frustration
the simper of relief
off to the next point

tomorrow's the last day
but there's always next year

partially forgiven

i was talking with tso 2 nights back
about dealing with uncertainties by ignoring it
how possibilities keep things interesting
and his reading "fooled by randomness"

the new motto nowadays is "die broke" you know?
didn't. when is it going to fly?
if it goes smoothly, baka in the next 2-3 months
this is exciting
it's crazy
come to think of it, what isn't?
anything worthwhile is, i guess
hahaha, true

rubber-soled

yesterday the serviette i used to take out a sandwich from a tabletop oven caught fire
good thing the sink was nearby, thankful i didn't really cause any fire

nadal vs murray

"it is better to be safe than sorry"
this has been what's taught since i was young
maybe because it is the most sensible thing to do

then there are some who say
"it is better to be sorry than safe"
following dreams even if it means going broke

choices.

new year

We meet today
To thank Thee for the era done,
And Thee for the opening one.
- John Greenleaf Whittier