Life, Day by Day

Today is Christmas Day ...a few more hours and it will be a day of the past. I went to hear mass at 11 AM, having overslept after our noche buena celebration which ended at about 2 AM. As I listened to the sermon, the words of the priest struck a note because he talked about something which I needed to hear.

The last time I saw them was in 1984 just before they left to immigrate in the US with their parents. They were children then and so much has happened and changed since then. Last week, they came to visit...our US based first cousins, children of my mom's youngest brother. They came with their mother, my uncle's first wife and also, the 4 year old daughter of my cousin, the first grandchild in their family. It was good to see them all grown up and leading relatively responsible lives. It would have been really wonderful if their dad was with them but, he passed away 2 years ago and part of his ashes is buried here with his parents. But, like what his daughter said, she was sure that their papa was with them in spirit and happy to see them connecting with his family here. I think so too...and my mom after we brought them to the airport and saw them off...said aloud, " Raul, are you happy now? "

Two years ago in July 2003, I wrote this in my first blog... The unexpected happened over the weekend. Some battle-scarred officers and soldiers decided to launch a mutiny during the early hours of Saturday morning. I was suddenly awakened by my mom at 4 am, ending my restful weekend plans. Let me explain something here. The Philippines is an archipelago made up of many islands...so that whatever happens in Manila does not mean it is happening everywhere else. Of course, the tension isn't any less. I think the government handled it very well. Now all they have to do is to pay attention to the issues and accusations of these soldiers and then maybe we can now go forward in our quest for a stable economy. You'd think that the rebels who call themselves Magdalo would have learned their lesson but no, they did it again. This time by forcing their way into The Manila Peninsula , one of the country's premier hotel last November 29, 2007. That morning, I was on the plane coming...

HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... Don't waste them on exercise . Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake? A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, tha...

Before anything else, I just want to say that what I wrote about goodbye doesn't mean forever is not a confession of someone "in love"...lest I be misunderstood. I am not talking about love in the context of being in love. Yet, there is a special regard...something akin to filial love. It's the feeling you get when you miss a close friend and would like to be with that friend...it is feeling disappointed when you realize that you are not as important to your friend as he is to you...it is feeling bad when your friend doesn't find time for you...and because of all these feelings, sadness and uncertainty happens causing you to be afraid that you are slowly losing a friend. If all these feelings mean I love my friend, then I guess I do. After listening to the song My Goodbye Girl, I wanted to believe that the lyrics applied to me and my friend, that's why I posted it here. But as an afterthought, I now believe that our kind of friendship is pretty superficia...

"The Goodbye Girl" is a single released by David Gates, lead singer of the group Bread, in 1977 following the premiere of the hit movie by the same title (based on a book by Neil Simon). The lyrics says so many of the things I want to say, but am afraid to say...to the someone I thought was my friend... All your life you've waited For love to come and stay And now that I have found you You must not slip away I know it's hard believin' The words you've heard before But darlin' you must trust them just once more 'Cause baby, goodbye doesn't mean forever Let me tell you Goodbye doesn't mean We'll never be together again If you wake up and I'm not there I won't be long away 'Cause the things you do my goodbye girl Will bring me back to you I know you've been taken Afraid to hurt again You fight the love you feel for me Instead of givin' in But I can wait forever Helping you to see That I was meant for you and you for me S...

For me (and probably for most others too) the internet is not only a source of information but also an avenue for networking and meeting people from all over the world. Sites like Facebook, Friendster, My Space, Multiply, Youtube among many others have brought people together (whether in a good or bad way, will not be discussed here). I continue to be amazed with the virtual world and how this has made it possible for me to find old friends, family I never knew existed and meet new, interesting people. Through the years I have developed friendships online, some are still going strong while others are in limbo or just faded away. It is those lost friendships that I still think about… why did it end and when did it end ? It is a fact that the friendships that begin online is not the same as those that we develop through face to face interaction. It is something similar to the kind of friendships that we made with our pen-pals in elementary and high school (although a few of mine extende...