Life, Day by Day

Family reunions were never a big deal for me since I really could just barely stand spending time and talking with some of my closest blood relatives (mostly on my dad's side)...don't get me wrong, I care about all of them and in fact, a few are my best friends but there is a bunch that I really have nothing in common with and have a totally different value system so that being around them makes reunions a path to sanctification for me ;) But with the death of the two in-laws (all on my mother's side), family get-togethers were the norm for the past two weeks and I found myself going from one relative to another for lunch or dinner. I have not seen some of these relatives for a long time, others arrived from Canada or the U.S. so that even though I was not one to initiate a reunion, it is during occasions like these that I am more conscious of the importance of family ties especially for those of us who are now in our mid-life. Most families lose touch with their cousins a...

There's a new movie showing right now, starring Aga Muhlach, Maricel Soriano and Angelica Panganiban called A Love Story . It is about an illicit love affair that could question one's belief on marriage and true love. According to its writer, Vanessa Valdez, the story answers a number of "ifs" in marriage — what if one realizes the one they're married to is not the one they want to spend the rest of their life with or what if you meet the woman you want to make your wife only after you've gotten married. Now, that is definitely a problem . A film with the theme of an extra-marital affair is nothing new. In fact, this is an oft-repeated topic since movie-making began. I remember the movies The Philadelphia Story (1940) and it's remake, High Society (1956) and the scenes where the daughter refused to invite her father to her wedding (her second) because he was such a philanderer. I remember the mother telling her daughter very matter-of-factly that her...

And the answer is...no, not really. As I write this, I am saying to myself...why has this question come to my mind, all of a sudden? It's a little embarassing to talk about falling in love at this point in my life but somehow, the events these past few months have made me think about the things I might have missed in my life...and I guess, falling madly deeply crazily in love is on top of that list. It's not that I have not fallen in love ...if you can call being seriously infatuated , love. But there was never anyone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with or someone I could break all the rules for or someone who has left me heart broken. Is it because I never met the right person, or never allowed myself to be totally vulnerable or am I just too hard to please and were my standards impossible to begin with? Hmmm...I think being raised to be independent and self-assured, my needs and wants somehow differed from the other girls of my generation. I never gave marriage a s...

Most of us in our adult life have experienced losing someone we love...family, a friend, a lover...whether the loss is due to separation or death, it really doesn't matter because the pain, the hurt, the loss is almost the same, the difference is in how long you grieve over the loss. This past week, we had 2 deaths in our extended family. Both were in their twilight years and if we were to be pragmatic about it, their passing should really be more of a reward and a celebration of a life well lived. Listening to the short sermons during the daily masses for Tito Doring and the stories and sharings gave me new insights to reflect on about life and death. I wrote about life being short the weekend before he died and this phrase hold more meaning to me now more than ever. The loss brought about by death reminds me not to waste time on the ifs and buts...that opportunity once lost seldom comes back. A close cousin said during the memorial service that most of us spend our lives chasing...

In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older. And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first. The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words! Maya Angelou said this: "I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow." "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights." "I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life." "I've learned that making a "livi...

"Life is short"...this is a statement that I never really gave serious thought before until last weekend when I watched this TV drama and one of the male characters kept on saying this to convince the leading lady that she should not hesitate to take risks especially when it comes to love because life is short... unfortunately, she did not agree with him but instead kept saying, "no, life is long" and so that made the drama more complicated. What struck me was the fact that it never occurred to me before that people should take more chances and not be afraid of failure because life is short. I have always believed that because life is short, we should be responsible and rational and make less mistakes. I never thought of it the other way around...I guess, ignorance is bliss because up until now, I have looked at my life with little regret, precisely because I am a sensible person. I am not a purposeful person or someone who always thinks before she acts but, I am...