Saturday photo(s)



One fine day... may lead to one fine life.

How things in our daily lives affect our being and disposition is all a matter of... uhm, yeah, perspective.  

A few days ago, I was duty-bound to travel about 245 kilometers north of Manila - by bus.  I was reluctant to do it because of terrible stomach upset and the many, many things waiting for my attention at work.  And yet, what awaits me in the North... was more work - bigger ones... well, at least, their implications.  While the mere thought of my 'mission' in the North intimidated me like skydiving above the Pacific Ocean would,  it was comforting to think how accomplishing the tasks ahead would mean great contribution to national progress through excellent Engineering Education.  And so, I braced myself for the onslaught of wild-indigestion-on-the-road, packed a bag of medicine, re-

Life is a beautiful journey... in heartfelt prayer.

charged my iPad's battery and my BB's battery - just in case I'd need to call on emergency, pushed a handful of bravery in my heart's pocket... and 'took the ride'.  

Opening my eyes after praying for a safe travel, I found myself enjoying hours of green fields, blue sky, good road... and the quiet time alone with myself, just with my thoughts, away from the tiring hustle-bustle at the workplace.  The experience was so refreshing after almost nine months of non-stop 'grind' that it made me utter more prayer - of thanks - for the time to be away from the usual concrete walls of my office and the sea of papers on my desk, waiting to be read, signed or replied to.  It made me see how that little office of mine, where a mightily giant beast called work that challenges me to a duel every single day resides, is a part of God's grand and wonderful scheme of things.  And that defeating 'the beast'  is a mission worth setting out for every single day. I paused to thank heavens for that chance to 'fight and defeat the beast' while others could merely dream of the same chance.

When we decide to cease being negative about things, and choose to view things with new and hopeful eyes, God reveals breathtaking beauty... and there's just so much beauty in this life of ours!  

Perspective... it enables us to ignore the prickly little things that don't matter, and concentrate on the big ones that do matter. It enables us to see beauty... and its meaning, even in darkness - through the powerful light of faith and heartfelt prayers.      

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Location:  (1) North Luzon Express Way or NLEX, and (2) Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral or Baguio Cathedral, Baguio City.

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Saturday photo



Sunset... calm and quiet, colorful... beautiful.


Wherever, whatever season, sunset will always be my favorite time of day.  And it always feels wonderful whenever I get the chance to catch it... as the ticking of the clock gets lost in the whirl of incredible work schedule every single day.  And each time the beauty of sunset comes to mesmerize, it also takes away with it the pain that the whip of hard toil inflicts... as it makes one look forward to a restful good night's sleep, experience the bliss of sweet dreams, regain lost energy overnight - to face another day, new beginning, new challenge, new prospects... new hope.

Ah, sunset... it's just beautiful!

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To all the cool Dads out there...



...Happy Father's Day!

Yep, my siblings and I managed to find common time to celebrate Father's Day for our father and the "kids" in the family.  "If there's a will, there's a way," or "if something is important enough, you make the time."  Thank goodness for our favorite "snap vacation" destination - Tagaytay City.  It has everything for family activities:  nice places to stay, good food, cool and fresh air, nice sceneries, beautiful places of worship, pet-friendly restaurants, and venues for adventures.  

These days, my siblings and I are realizing that it gets harder to get everyone together... as "kids" aged.  It's a good thing the "kids" in our family are loving and kind, they still prioritize family and spending time with each other, and with us - their "old folks".  And God is all that generous to always provide us with enough to afford to have food to share as we enjoy one another's company... especially on important family occasions.  I hope our father feels lucky.  :)

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Araw ng Kalayaan 2013



Proud to be a Filipino!

I wear the Philippine colors with love and pride - anywhere, anytime... especially in my proudest moments.  While I enjoyed my journey in many places, fascinated by the uniqueness of each place, and I hold dear in my heart the wonderful moments of experiencing other cultures, meeting great people from different cultural roots, and making new friends from other parts of the world, I'd always longed for home... and I always will.  And I will never get awed enough by my beloved country - Pilipinas kong minumutya! 

Maligayang araw ng kalayaan sa ating lahat, mga minamahal kong kababayan! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!      

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Saturday photo



Life is good... and a life spent in service to others is best.

A few days ago, I had to struggle to keep it together, and not break down in tears as a young lady broke down in front of me, after trying - very hard - to hold back tears.  It was most unfortunate that she was born to an extremely impoverished family.  She had to scrape her way through Elementary and High School - in a very good school, on hard-earned scholarship, as her parents, who could not even obtain High School education, tried to make both ends meet by working as househelps.  None of her hardships though could sway her sight away from her dream to get a College degree, and help her family out of the rut of poverty.  "With hardwork and faith in God, there is always hope," she said. 

After finishing high school, she had to stop attending school for a year, not having enough money to pay for her graduation fees and other fees in high school not covered by her scholarship. Therefore, she was not able to graduate officially even when she was able to fulfil all the academic requirements. And, anyway, even if she was able to get her high school diploma, her family did not have enough money to get her into College.  For a year, she worked as househelp for a relative, living on strict budget and setting aside money, hoping she'd have enough in a couple of years or so to get to College... until a priest in her Parish gave her the idea to look into the possibility of studying in this University he knew about - on scholarship.  She worked to earn enough money to pay her debts in high school and to pay for her University Entrance Examination fee.  She studied hard to make sure she'd pass the Exam... and she did.  After that, she had to work harder to pay the initial fees to enrol in the University.  Once in, she worked very hard, setting aside the temerity that she acquired from being underprivilleged all her life, to find scholarship in the University.  Luckily, she found her way through the process of getting a scholarship. 

I was very lucky to have been given the task to speak with this girl regarding her scholarship application.  I was beginning to despair about how hard I had to work - day in and day out - to fulfil my (many, many) tasks at work.  It took a conversation with this girl to remind myself how lucky I am to be in this position where I am able to serve and help wonderful people like her to fulfil their precious dreams.  And the harder I work, the more people, like this young lady, benefit from the fruits of my labor. 

I guess it helps to always remind ourselves how beautiful this life that we're living truly is... by making it our goal to put a smile on the lips of the people around us, especially those we serve - of course, without compromising the principles and high standard of the Institution that sustains the platform on which we dispense of our service. 

To be put in a position that enables us to serve others is in itself a great blessing from God, and serving well is the best way to show our appreciation for this blessing.  Therefore, let's serve well.

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Location:  Stilts Beach Resort in Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines

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Saturday photo



Life's a beach....


"Life's a beach... and then we die." Hopefully, not in vain. :)

We swim and struggle to stay afloat, we spend our 'time in the beach' doing that - and nothing else. Sometimes, we fail to pay attention of how beautiful our surrounding really is... how fascinatingly clear and refreshing the water is, how lovely that blue sky can be, how crisp and fragrant the air is, how so much fun people around us are having. We concentrate so much on our struggles that we forget to sit back and enjoy - the beach. It's only when it's time to leave that we, all of a sudden, realize that we did manage to stay afloat alright, but we didn't really 'experience' the beach. It's only when the sky turns dark that we begin to regret why we didn't pause to admire its lovely blue color and the air-brushed cottony white clouds that only daylight can reveal.

Therefore, let's not wait for the sunset to enjoy the beach... let's run around, feel the fine sand between our toes, the sweet breeze on our faces, and let the giggly waves sweep us back and forth as we admire the sky above us, the green mountains around... and the laughter of our jolly company - by laughing along in wholehearted glee. And as we do, let's give thanks to God who is almighty and good, and from whose love and generosity, all this beauty come from.

Yes, life's a beach... let's live it up!

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Location: Stilts Beach Resort in Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines

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Saturday photo

Perspective... to know what is most important
is to know how to put things in perspective.

 
To me, it's always been family... that, which is most important.  However, in this journey called life, the choices we make along the way come with a 'price tag', and they sometimes strain our true priorities in life.  Sometimes, out of loyalty, idealism and love (and foolishness, too), we accept responsibilities that demand more than what we are usually willing to give, more than we are capable of giving without hurting really badly.  As we do, we hope for the very best and prepare ourselves for the worst.  Of course, as most of us who give ourselves fully to our commitments know very well, the worst scenario we prepare ourselves for is never really the 'worst' but rather a mere underestimation of the negative forces around us, and so things can actually go worse than our worst-case scenario! :)  Should we turn away from our responsibility when reality bites?  No, we shouldn't... at least, we should do our best and finish the task we agreed to accomplish, without compromising our values, without giving in to the selfish motives of the many vultures around us whose vision is distorted by greed, anger, vanity, insecurity, insatiable hunger for power, and the reluctance to put things in perspective. 

So, yes, while many undesirable things (and some people... perhaps, including us) usually never change, we should put things into perspective, get the job done the best way possible, always clinging to our values and the vision we share with the persons who really matter - the important persons.  We need to keep our trust in them who inspired and convinced us with the same passion that beats within our souls to accept and commit to the responsibility in front of us no matter how daunting it is.  We need to keep the faith in their wisdom... and hope that we are able to mirror theirs in ours.  We need to see the big picture, and learn to focus on the many positive things - important things, rather than the few negative ones - unimportant ones, around us.  Of course, we musn't turn a blind eye to the ugliness around us, especially if our own mistakes add to this ugliness.  We need to admit that we committed these mistakes, and try to make amends wholeheartedly.  Sure, this ain't easy, but we need to do it just the same.  Furthermore, we need to focus on the happiness of the many persons who benefit from our efforts to make things work rather than the few who despise and hurt us just because they cannot sway us to their derelict ways.  Yes, we need to put things into perspective.

And then, once the job is done, we move on... move on to where our true happiness is - and never look back. 

Perspective... it allows us to see how beautiful life truly is, and enables us to live a happy life, regardless of the specks of ugliness around.  It reminds us that God is indeed good - all the time!

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Location: Villa Agustina Private Beach House in Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines.

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(B)Ending it like Beckham - gooooaal!

And with sadness, too.
=============================================================
by FBC

"I want to go out on top.
It's the right time.  I believe it's the right time."



Yeah, PAM is busy with 'serious stuff' (her words, not mine), but we can't just let this important moment in the "ballin' world" pass us by without a word just because she is busy with 'important things' (once again, her words, not mine... not that I don't believe that what she does in her 'day job' is really important. :)  OK, I know, if I didn't get an 'honorable mention' in her next post here, it would be a miracle. Haha...). Therefore, yours truly just had to step up to the plate even without the Boss' request. I'm a good "lieutenant", y'see. :)     

Anyway, PAM had to grab the TV's remote control last night to up the volume when CNN's Don Riddell - PAM's fave sports news presenter - came on to report that the world-famous football and pop culture

Bend it, and bend it good - like Beckham!

 icon, David Beckham, is retiring from the ballin' world.  This means that next season, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is going to have to rely on Zlatan Ibrahimovic to draw oohs and aahs from football fans around the world during their matches.  Of course, as to the possible reasons for the oohs and aahs that Ibra could be drawing from the crowd in Becks' absence... well, that remains to be seen.  While it will be fun to find out, I'm sure the world will understand if PSG's 'biggies' would decline to comment later regarding what other things Ibra is capable of on (and off) the pitch aside from making goals.  But I digress....

Going back to Becks, even PSG's current head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, had to grope for words to make a comment on the 38-year old Beck's impending retirement.  Are we sad about it?  Boy, do vampires suck blood?  Of course, they do!  So, of course, we are - sad!  In fact, I imagine PAM is just making an excuse about being busy with 'serious stuff' and all that to escape having to write about Beck's retirement.  The old girl is in denial, and I'm quite sure she's bent like Beckham - in sadness - right now.

Twenty years of 'bending it', garnering League Championship trophies in four countries (with Manchester United in England, with Real Madrid in Spain, with LA Galaxy in the US, 

Role Model: The 'Baller is a good family man.

and now, with PSG in France), a treble with his boyhood Club, Man United, and the first to earn 100 caps for England - the home of football - and serving as England's Three Lions Captain for six years, too, plus constantly in the Top 10 of biggest earners in the Sporting World.  Why, his face is almost equivalent to that round leather thing!  Only, no one dares kick it around - it's too beautiful of a metrosexual face!  And the owner of the face is also a certified nice guy apparently, and you may go ahead and ask Prince William if you'd like.  In fact, Becks is a role model for most sportsmen in that, in 1999, he married, and still is married to, a thin 'spicy woman' who doesn't smile with whom he has a picture perfect family.  I bet PAM is subscribed to a site where Beck's family pictures are posted regularly.  In fact, her iPad is full of Becks fam pics.  :)   

So, are we going to miss Becks bending it on the pitch?  Hell, yeah!  Good thing he has life outside football, and we'll be seeing him often enough - that's for sure.

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Hello, Pep!

Speaking of 'going out on top', here's one who knows the art involved in doing that.  He is one of the winningest coaches in the history of the 'beautiful game'.  He left the team he built, which was hailed by football fans and sports analysts alike as one of the best football squads ever put together, while the world was at their feet. 

See, when a door closes just because someone said 'goodbye', another door opens because someone is about to say 'hello'.  In this case it's 'hello again'.  Yes, Pep Guardiola will be  back next season.  Nope, not in Barcelona, but with Bayern Munich in Germany's

Munich bound... Pep is, and we're excited!

Bundesliga.  Of course, it would've been a perfect 'love story' if he was returning to Barcelona, but for as long as the beautiful (as PAM puts it frequently) 'Bald and Bearded One' returns to the ballin' world, especially now that there will be a deficit of talents, passion and good looks as the Becks say 'bye, bye' to us, Pep's return to the scene is most welcome!  The only problem is I'm not sure how PAM's sked in her day job would be 'messed up' by Pep's return.  I guess there's going to be some limit of time allotted to these 'serious stuffs' 'cause our old girl has been dedicating at least 18 hours of her time per day on her day job.  While Becks and Pep are all about passion and commitment to what they do, they dislike this sort of 'enslaving dedication'.  Variety - that's what Becks recommends, old girl!  Pep had to stay away from football for a year to recuperate from the enslaving dedication to FC Barcelona that made him 'sick' in the end.  It would be a good idea to bend it and listen to these midfielder's wisdom, old girl.  :) 

Anyway, yes, we are looking forward to seeing more of those Pep moves at the touchline, in his trademark suits, complete with deep worry lines on his forehead, and the coolness that he exudes during pre-match and post-match interviews.  Man, I thought we won't be seeing those in a while.  We're glad that he's back.  Of course, we're excited to see, too, how he'd deal with Mario Gomez and his shirtlessness-related antics.  Then again, Pep kept Dani Alves's penchant for drama under control back in his Camp Nou days, making the Brazilian defender actually really productive in the process, and his role vital in FC Barcelona's tremendous success under Pep's guidance.  So, nope, we're not worried about the impending Pep-Mario tandem.  In fact, we are looking forward to seeing it unfold among the Bavarian crowd.  So, bring it!               

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Video credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

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Mother's Day: Looking through the eyes...

...of Mama.
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by PAM

"Now I can take the time, I can see my life as it comes up shining now...

...looking through the eyes of love."

I remember watching this movie, "Ice Castles", starring Robby Benson and Lynn-Holly Johnson, and with its beautiful theme, "Looking through the eyes of love"  by Melissa Manchester.  I saw it with my Mother and siblings - in black and white - many years ago.  It was such a touching movie with a truly powerful message... the kind that makes one swear to never take love for granted... to always keep its meaning true no matter what.  For some (like myself, perhaps) it "messes up" everything related to romance, because these sort of films can influence some to have a 'very high standard' in love and romance.  :)  Hmm, ahem, nah, I'm not just making an excuse here for being single even when I am ultra-romantic like this. =)  But I admit that, after my mother passed away, whenever a question on love and

To all the wonderful mothers out there...
...Happy Mother's Day!

romance comes up, I tend to rummage through my love and romance-related interactions with her, such as watching this movie, and somehow, I feel (or imagined maybe?) her whispering words of wisdom.  So, yeah, I do look at many things through my mother's eyes.  :)

Anyway, this movie is a '70's classic... it came out around the time when "Superman 1", "Kramer vs. Kramer", "Love Story", "The Way We Were", "Terms of Endearment" and the likes hit the box office... late '70s to the '80s.  Those were some of the movies I saw with my mother and siblings... aside from the Sharon Cuneta teenage days classics, of course. :)  "Ice Castles" made us cry then... it makes us cry now, whenever we re-watch it... this time, without our mother anymore.  Our mother passed away 25 years ago, and yet, whenever I see this movie or hear this beautiful song, the feeling of togetherness with her is so real... as real as it was more than two decades ago.  Such is the love that binds one with his/her mother... it transcends time and life's boundaries.  I miss her... I miss the bonding moments... the ups and downs in our relationship that made me strong and strong-willed - like her, hopefully - and the dependable wisdom that always punctuated her words and advices.  She's an incredible woman, and she's irreplaceable.

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Saturday photo

To be nimble, to be quick:  four little shoes for four little feet.

Somebody are starting to be acutely vain and demanding these days, aside from being ultra diva-ish.  They just don't 'demand' regular grooming now, they also 'wail' for nice looking shoes for their regular stroll.  Imagine that?  Before we know it, they'd want a gym of their own.  Hmmm... and we thought these guys are the "low-maintenance" type.  Obviously, we're mistaken.  Oh, well... at least they are lovable.  :)

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