A Side Story

On the bus going to BART, I saw a billboard ad by Union Bank at a bus stop -

NEARLY 

150 YEARS OF
DOING THINGS RIGHT

I must be dyslexic as I read the ad as -
150 YEARS OF
NEARLY
DOING THINGS RIGHT

I think I need to see a doctor. Up's what, doc?!


On my way back from Fremont, this time riding with Mark and Leonora, (See how things became organized - from a MUNI bus to a Mercedes Benz!), I saw a different billboard ad on the freeway by Prudential Bank -
THE FIRST PERSON TO LIVE UP TO 150 YEARS IS ALIVE TODAY!

How'd they know it's me?!

Funny how both banks have 150 years on their ads! Between the 2 ads, where with the first, I thought something was wrong with me, and the next one, I felt strong, stable, secure onto long long life, I'll take Prudential!

What about you?

But wanna know something? Nothing beats Dubai's ads on banking. It's like, you can put all the banks of the world together, and nothing, no one, can ever compare to Dubai's. Dubai unforgivingly makes the rest of the banks of the world look like a joke! It's the ultimate advertising, I tell ya -

If it doesn't say ARAB, it's not a bank.

Talk About... "Nge Hu?!"

There's this story Fr. Jerry Orbos told us about a man who is mute, who thought to surprise his wife one day, so he quietly sneaks into the bedroom, comes from behind, and suddenly covers his wife's eyes, "Nge hu?!" meaning "Guess who?!"

Of course, he's the only mute in the house!

Fr. Jerry continues the story. The wife remarks,"You're the only mute here so what's all this nge hu?"

How cold, huh. Killjoy! - that's what the word came to mean. 

Thus became our favorite expression during our whole pilgrimage! And everyday we'd sing on our bus rides in Holy Land, Fr. Jerry's song -
God bless you 
Mama Mary loves you
Me, too, 
Nge hu.


I miss our trip, Fr. Jerry Orbos, my co-pilgrims... everything about Holy Land!

Life is Good

It couldn't have been a better day! Sunny, warm, starting in San Francisco on my way to Fremont by BART for Fr. Jerry Orbos' 12 noon mass at St. James Apostle Catholic Church. (Fr. Jerry, as he's fondly called, is in town to say 3 healing masses in the bay area this weekend.)

Then, a funny thing happened on the way to Fremont. I remembered something. I remembered that I forgot something - I left my bus directions to the church at home, and there were several buses that went to St. James'. Darn!

Coming out of the BART stop, I saw an AC Transit guide. Thank God! I asked where the bus stop was for my particular route. She didn't know, "There's a post there. Look for it." (nge hu!)... I went and saw that it was a different schedule than what I read at home, so I went back to the guide to ask about the scheduling. She didn't know. "Look on the post. It's there." ("Nge hu!", Gosh!)... A bus was arriving and stopped right where I was. I asked the driver if she was going to St. James Catholic Church in Fremont Blvd. She didn't know. ("Nge hu!", C'mon!) She said she was stopping at a church which she thought the name was "Holy Spirit". (God, I don't need the Holy Spirit. I mean, I adore the Holy Spirit, hey, remember, I came from College of the Holy Spirit. But I don't need Holy Spirit Church. Fr. Orbos is not there. I need St. James Catholic Church!) Bus driver said I just missed the #99 which left 10 minutes ago and the next one coming is in an hour?!

Needless to say, I missed my bus, all my buses. I took a cab, the driver didn't take credit cards, we stopped by an ATM, seemed like forever... In short, I was late for mass! There were sooooo many people, all the Filipinos of South Bay must have been there! By the time mass was over and I was able to get inside the church, Fr. Jerry was nowhere to be found. I looked and looked, went outside again and all of a sudden, yes, all of a sudden, someone calls my name. Guess who? (no more "Nge hu!") Leonora, my co-pilgrim! Is that a miracle or what?! Who would even expect she'd be there! She and her husband, Mark, already went to the San Francisco mass the night before! Yes, she and Mark went to Fremont the next day just to give Fr. Jerry a bottle of wine! They, too, were looking for Fr. Jerry. And we saw each other amidst all the crowd - How miraculous is that?! We finally found Fr. Jerry. He was swamped! Despite that, he asked to be excused just to have time with us. It was short since everybody wanted to have pictures with him, but he made time just to bless us. How touching is that, how fortunate for us - WOW!!

After that, Mark and Leonora had all the time to spend with me. They even offered to bring me home. Can you imagine how I was going back to BART if I didn't see them at church? Mark said I had to call for a cab as there were no cabs there. I wouldn't know what bus to take going back as I never took the bus leaving the station! Plus they only came every hour...

The three of us decided to have lunch and this time, I was going to treat them in gratitude. After all, with the whole incident so serendipitous?! But they treated me instead. Then they brought me back to San Francisco - Wow, what'd I do to deserve all that!

What could I say? What more could I ask? Looking back, yes, it couldn't have been a better day today! With all the inconveniences early on, I was simply gonna take things as they come... and all of a sudden, things turned around. Look what happened - Incredible!

True, life has its challenges, big or small, its ups and downs, hills and valleys, sometimes it can get messy, and so on, but in the end, things do fall into place - Always!! EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE.

Life is good. God is good... GOD IS GREAT!


Thank you, Lord.

Words of Wisdom

50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII's 'Pacem in Terris' Encyclical

While reading the 50th Anniversary of Pope John XXIII's Encyclical Pacem in Terris (April 11, 1963), the following words hit me like a sudden surge of excitement, a burst of inspiration - 
"How great are thy works, O Lord! Thou hast made all things in wisdom."

I can't exactly describe it but something happened. Something! It opened me up to something even greater! It was magical, for want of a better word.  

How great are thy works, O Lord!  INDEED!

Post Script

Lemme start with chocolate. Now that's a joke, okay.

Yeah, right... But dark chocolate is fine.

Back to Healthy Living

After my travels the past 2 months out of the country, where and when I didn't always eat the healthiest food, nor exercise and do yoga, tai chi regularly, how timely that I got this email! Thought I'd put it here as a personal reminder -

Simply make the healthiest, smartest, most positive choices you can right now. Then, do it again and again. Minutes will add up to days and before you know it weeks, creating a healthier pattern of decision-making and even more importantly a healthier you! Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Why Food Cravings? Chocolate. Salt. Sugar. Cravings can sometimes call your name. Try these tips when it's tough to say "no." Watch the Clock Don't go more than five hours without eating something. If it's time for a snack, choose food low in calories and fat. Eat Protein Every meal should include some source of lean protein, such as skinless chicken or turkey, fish, eggs, or low-fat cheese. Foods containing protein help you stay full. Wash Away Food Cravings Dehydration can cause some people to crave salty foods. A glass of refreshing water can also help you feel full. In fact, what you think are food cravings may actually be thirst. Find a Distraction Find an activity that will take your mind off your craving without adding calories. Call a friend, go window shopping, make a virtual visit to your favorite stores online, tune into a game, listen to music, read or workout. Brush Up Floss your teeth and rinse your mouth with a little mouth wash. Once your mouth is feeling clean and fresh, you won't want to spoil it with salty chips or sugary candy. Spring into Action Instead of heading for the freezer, head for the front door and go for a walk around the block. The fresh air and exercise will calm you down and clear your head. 'Refine' Your Palate Eliminate refined foods from your diet. The more you eat, the more you want. Replace them with whole grains and fiber – eat more nuts, beans, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole-wheat foods. Source: Everydayhealth.com

And This Very Very Moment

I'm awake! A brand new day, another day, and my day-off. Except for my allergies, (there's construction going on downstairs), I feel fine. I'm alive! 
And would you believe, I feel no pinch at all as to which I have to do first - paperwork or music and/or a million other things! This, that or which one first? Set priorities, multi-task, what else, I'm lagging behind! BUT it doesn't matter. No pressure, no stress, no guilt! Start anywhere. JUST DO IT!

"There is time for everything in life,"Maharishi says. 

This is miraculous! And this very very moment, I'm feeling glorious!

And This Very Moment

I'm exhausted, no energy, I just wanna sleep. It's past midnight.

Goo' night, goo' mornin'.

This Very Moment

Calmness and peace fill me. I'm at work taking a break and this is wonderful what I'm feeling right now. I'm seizing the moment, enjoying it and writing it down...

This very moment, I'm feeling joyous!

Finally??

This is the first time in a million nights that I finally -

1. Slept right away
2. Slept well
3. Slept long

Is my mind/body finally realigning itself? Wow! I can't believe it! It used to be that neither one nor all three would happen at the same time. Or perhaps, one would but it's been rare. But this time, all in one night?

Unbelievable!! If this is a dream, please don't wake me up... Not yet. I'm enjoying it.

Re: SF 49ers

Looking back to my old posts, I saw this and I thought, "The 49s did it?"

Well, not quite, at the Super Bowl! Norman and I were in MNL then for my school's CHS Centennial Celebration and we requested for a late check out to be able to watch the Super Bowl live at the Microtel Hotel last Feb.7. And yes, we were quite disappointed that the Niners, not only did they lose, but they broke the San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl winning streak! Disheartened? No, as they say, Colin Kaepernick is the new era football quarterback, and I believe he has great potential. He was so close to winning, but...

Fear the Niners? Well, let's not give up, guys, let's give them another chance... I really believe in Keapernick!

Wow, the Sun!

San Francisco sun! And warm, too, in this cold and windy city. Doing tai chi again at the deck on a warm sunny day!

Just wanna capture the moment and moments like this is what I enjoy blogging about. Just being in the moment, living it, and writing about it. Someday when I look back, I'll remember what when where things happened. They put a smile on my face.

Mmmmm...

Talk About.... Dubai

Our group from Holy Land had a 6-hour layover at Dubai international Airport but didn't have a chance to go around the city since we arrived very late at night. So we just stayed inside, hanging out, shopping, eating, chatting, resting, whatever. Dubai Int'l Airport is magnificent! Yet, the Filipinos who work there said that the airport is old and that the new one is humongous!

One particular advertisement on billboards highly visible at Dubai International Airport says -
IF IT DOESN'T SAY ARAB, IT'S NOT A BANK.

WHOA!! Witty, ostentatious, and definitely Dubai, ultimately Arab - love it!

My nephew, Mon, said that Dubai has a new 7-star hotel?! I thought the highest rating was a 5-star! Now, is that hotel made of gold?! There's a 6-star hotel in Manila, MAXIM, at the World Resorts by the bay. From the outside, honestly, I don't see much difference between that and the 5-star Marriott Hotel right beside it. It must be the rooms.

Well, someday I'll go to Dubai and see for myself the splendor of the city! I tell ya, it's one freaking oily, filthy rich hell of a place, it's scary! And that 7- or 8-star hotel, it better be super-luxurious 'cause I was born to be served!

Let's see if that scares 'em, too... you know that's a joke, right.

Aaah, Starbucks and You!

My first complete Starbucks treat - tall, non-fat hot chocolate, no whipped cream, and chocolate chip cookie since I came back home from MNL and the Holy Land!

Actually, the first Starbucks I saw after Holy Land was at Dubai International Airport on our way back to MNL. There is NO Starbucks in Jerusalem (or is it all of Israel?) It was a "miracle" when I saw Starbucks at Dubai! (Starbucks is my only guilty pleasure in life... or one of them, anyway.) Tita, one of my co-pilgrims, must have seen the excitement in me that she treated me to a hot chocolate drink - my tall, non-fat hot chocolate, no whipped cream! (I was a little too shy to ask for a chocolate chip cookie to make a complete meal! I had no more cash!... but thanks, Tita. It's my fault I didn't speak up!)


Hello, everyone! I'm back from a 2-month vacation and hiatus from my blog, which I missed so much! I purposedly brought my i-Pad with me on this long trip home to be able to blog but just never had the chance. Well, I did, a word or two here and there, but nothing to keep you up to date with my whereabouts. Wasn't easy getting wi-fi. So sorry, but hey, I'm back now. I will make up for it. I miss my blog. I miss blogging, I miss being spontaneous, being creative, being expressive of myself, my thoughts, my feelings - everything! Unfortunately, at the moment, just when I'm up to it, sleepiness is winning me over which I need so desperately, anyway, being so jet-lagged. So bear with me, my dears. I miss you all, I have so much to say, especially about the Holy Land. What a pilgrimage! That needs a special journal to write about as it was a special journey. I will talk about that separately. Join me. I wanna take you there... where Jesus walked.

Let me get some sleep or rest first. Home sweet home... I missed ya'll... and Starbucks!