Blessings

Monday, June 9, 2008

Monday's Birthday Oldie

Today's birthday girl is moi. I'm fairly happy today. Two of my sisters, two old college friends, my three kids, two nieces-in-law, mum, and Betina and Chloe wished me a happy birthday. I cooked pasta in white sauce as it's a Filipino tradition to serve noodles or pasta for one's birthday for long life. Eldest son Bird brought ube {purple yam}flavored cake and daughter Christine brought ice cream called Coffee Crumble. It is coffee flavored and has bits of cashew nuts.

Chloe was specially sweet to me today as she seem to understand that she and I celebrate our birthdays one day apart. Betina did her best to please the Lola by stringing red santan florets to form a bracelet. It was so sweet of her.

I also posted above the pic of the leftover ube cake. I can't figure out how to put captions under them pics as the pics will not appear while I'm composing my pics. Something I clicked sometime ago messed it all up.

Anyways, God is good as always He was, He is and He ever will be. I'm celebrating my birthday with a renewed hope and revived spirit. My life is in His hands and my health in His care. It is sweet.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Sunday's Birthday Gurl

Czarina Chloe, aka Oe is turning five tomorrow Sunday, June 8th. Happy birthday Oe, we-we-we! I luv yah.

First Comment

You will never know how happy I was when I discovered in my mail this morning that one fine Christian lady from Michigan had left a comment on my blog. God bless you, Ellen. :)Ellen was asking for the picture of my mum's finished crocheted curtains which she missed seeing at my January 15th post. I took new pics of them curtains specially for Ellen.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

I had a fun pictorial session with my two grandaughters Betina and Chloe. Here are the pics.

Mother Blue

Today is Mother's Day and I'm feeling blue. I think the old woman who lived in a shoe is more fortunate than I am today. My only daughter who's away in Camiguin did not send me a Mother's Day greeting. It's very unlike her. I miss the time when she's in Baguio, she brought home a bouquet of Egyptian mums for me on Mother's day. I remember how carefully she wrapped the flowers so it will stay fresh after the eight hour trip home from Baguio. It makes me sad to think whether it's I or my daughter who has changed. I even have this fear that we're falling apart from each other. At least my son and his wife with their two daughters came to visit. My granddaughters cheered me up a bit. I took Chloe's measurements as she's asking me to sew her school uniforms. Betina asked me to trim her bangs as she can't see behind it anymore.

Anyways, at church early this morning we had a special Mother's day celeb. The mothers were given one rose each, and a gift (three kitchen towels). As we mothers entered the church the ushers pinned a pink ribbon on our blouse. The pastor gave a passionate sermon about the importance of a praying mother. Some fathers had a funny dance number to amuse the mothers and the youth had a tearjerker presentation.

It's ten pm now and I'm still hoping my daughter will send me a Mother's day greeting.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Mi Patria Adorada

Last week my siblings and I joined Mum on a 6 hour trip by car to Pangasinan, her birth place to sort out her land tax. We were glad to discover that Mum has some land we can inherit someday. Back when we were kids grandfather has shown us his lands. He said his land reaches beyond the coconut trees and the bamboos. Beyond the creek as far as the eyes could see. But now after almost forty years, and grandfather gone, the land he showed us back then is now a vast unfarmed land, the coconuts gone, the creek dried, and only few bamboos left.

I wish I could bring back grandfather's land to life. I want to build a big bamboo house in the middle of it and a big artesian well to water the sorroundings. I want to plant bananas, papayas, chico, mango and all kinds of vegetables. I think I will survive with just the bare necessities like soap and shampoo, dishwashing liquid and Xonrox. I'll have my pc of course and a broadband connection. I'm excited about my plans until I had a discussion with my cousin who lives there. He asked me if I'm brave enough to ward off robbers who might get interested in the fruit trees I'm going to plant, will I be willing to get sunburnt while tending my crops, will I be willing to sleep alone at night and see ghosts? Waaaah...!

There's really a problem with the way my country is managed and goverened. There's a rice crisis here now and no food for the 90 million strong population. And the news says we import rice from Thailand, Vietnam, India and most recently from the US. The rice we import from the US is on credit. We pay in installment. And there was talk that the better tasting rice from the US is genetically modified and is actually surplus rice the Americans don't really eat.

Our opinion is there should not be a rice shortage in a rice planting country like the Philippines. The problem is in the dysfunctional agricultural pogram of the country as in we have no rice because we dont want to plant. The Filipino youth and the best of its work force are abroad trying to earn dolllars to buy imported rice with. They have left the agricultural lands on an exodus to the cities. To Filipinos, to be a farmer and to be in a rural area is to be poor.

The Philippines' most crowded cities have fires everyday during the summer months. Ironically we even have March as our fire pevention month. Tomorow is May first, Labor day and militant labor groups will stage massive potests in the streets of Manila to demand increase in pay, and rollback in gas price and price regulation for prime commodities like rice. They demand the end to the present administration and US imperialism.

Tomorrow I will watch my passionate countrymen on tv. My heart will go out to them. I will be sad and will wonder, what shall we do, had Jesus not died on the cross and lived again to give hope to a dying world and to a country in despair, mi patria adorada.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Goodness Gracious Me

North Luzon Expressway, 7 am

Coastal road, La Union 10 am

Kennon Road, Baguio 11 am

Goodness, gracious me! I dont know how to shake this heaviness, this grey mood (not black), this certain sadness that I always call certain sadness. I tried to have a three day break and joined my siblings on their Baguio vacation. The eight hour trip made me more withdrawn and thoughout the trip I kept to myself, not talking, not listening to the talking. I composed poetry in my mind, one is titled How Does It Feel to Have a Severed Limb and the other The Arduous Trek to Bakakeng Norte. Then I tried to take pictures of the scenery we pass by from inside the moving van to entertain good, gracious me.

Anyways, the reason why I'm trying to blog is so I can shake it, so I can psyche up myself, trick myself perhaps to feel cheerful. Cheer up, cheer up, abrakadabra me.