when life is like a rainbow or not...

life is like a blinking christmas tree
it is very colorful at times
but when at pause it's dark

life is also like a pretty
rainbow in the sky after the rain
it lights up your face after the fallen tears

but life is mostly like a song in the air
sometimes its harmony is light
other times its theme is sad

so life is a mixture of laughter and pain
you'll just have to have faith in God to help you swim
in life's muddy waters or on its ocean of pearls... 

my cosmos flowers...

my cosmos flowers
blown by the wind
still standing tall
bright as sunshine
and merry full
thunder of words
a spade drawn
still bright as sunshine
not a blood oozed
at sticking thorns...

let's begin...

sunrise meets sunset
thought you've rested
new night, new day
dawn couldn't be better

you're young today
but time can't wait
tomorrow you'll be wrinkled
like everybody else, IF

everyone will have his day
some long, some short and sweet
old folks, old times now cast
in bins of that cruel time machine

you've thought you've won
your journey is just beginning
who knows you'll just stay young
young at heart forever and a day

it meant no old age
can't reach that finish line
no retirement, no staring at the sunset
it wasn't meant to be

life is an enigma
as life is borrowed free
life is ageless and timeless
don't be fooled in disbelief...

so let us never dish the old for we will get there too, if God is kind to us :>

my dream gate project is complete :)

and i designed it myself :) people will buy a piece of art and enjoy it or look at it in their lifetime. maybe in the same amount i donated a gate where numerous kids will pass through in pursuit of their dreams. worth almost 10,000 USD. it is a gate project from the heart. very expensive, yes! but it's definitely worth it :> ...thanks so much to God for the rare opportunity to serve my former elementary school. it is both an honor and a pleasure...

somewhere in time

goodbyes and farewells...

well kept memories
well kept loves
farewells and goodbyes
we'll have a taste of that

days will roll
nights will drop
soon it will be over
one by one for all of us

bitter than a muse's farewell
tasteless as a prince's goodbye
licked by the winner, time
all flushed under the ground

slowly as a funeral march
80, 90 or 100 years past
some even sooner
life goes on like that

no one owns it
no one can hold it
no one will have it forever
for life is only borrowed
and
you'll return it soon enough...

that's the silent message of all saint's day...love will say its farewell and goodbye like false magic that won't last...

somewhere in time
where laughter rides
eagles and falcons fly
propelled by the wind
under the sunlit blue sky

white doves are left behind
can't soar so high, up high
left without the dreams
wings without a flap
doves and falcons won't thrive...

the sound of the waves

it is as calm
as the absence of the wind
in the middle of the night
without the cricket's noise
bothering your thoughts
playing with your mind

it is as loud as a
roaring thunder in the sky
in a typhoon infested land
where trees will bend
where floods will flow
without being tired

the waves of the ocean
the turns of the tides
is like the pages of our life
it is all just a wave
flowing roughly and
flowing calmly at times...

the sound of the waves in reality is the sound of our lives...

the heart is what matters...

a surprise image of a leaf shaped heart on top of this tree i took on my iPhone near a target store. my target were the red beautiful berries for it reminds me of Christmas but a heart popped out of nowhere on top of a tree so a big wonderful surprise for me :)...hearts and smiles remind me of my dad...a donated school gate from me..it's almost done and the design is mine :)...our project when me and percy won the most fund raised in a red cross event in our fiesta then...the heart shaped background was made by my dad :)

we are eaten by time
dwarfed by the rolling years
left to be remembered faintly
erased in the hearts of many
it's soon after midnight
where the sun is slow to rise...

here & there, PINAS & the USA :)

with colds and without colds. it's been a busy life. never had done much recording, but i have a few, too few to mention... but hey for memories' sake, why not ;>...

let's express it with flowers

 images are blooms from my garden as of this summer. flowers are healers plus they are bringer of smiles. i planted them, nurtured them, smelled them and pictured them for posterity's sakes :)

yes, we said "come on in" :)

this is your dream pet, pls. open the door...sure, why not? :) that was spring of 2008...and these pics were stolen shots by JC while me and him were asleep. we love this cat so much. h. saya is heaven's sent. he's been with us in pinas twice already and counting :)...now he acts like humans and sleeps like humans too :> wow!

shades are fun :)

thanks Fong for the chinese good luck charm bracelet. i was pleasantly surprised :) i love it! thanks that you were thinking of me while you were on vacation in china :) to my relatives and friends, Fong is of chinese descent lady, the nicest lady that you could ever meet here in the U.S. they own the asian grocery where i shop for oriental goodies :) a kissing fishes bracelet, never seen one like it before. a good luck charm. receiving it is really a sign of good luck already for me :) it made me smile for sure...i love those mountain pics vacation that you showed me Fong. wow i am wondering if china and the philippines are just not that far apart scenery wise. but i think china is a colder place with snow as well like here in the U.S...now it reminds me of J.C. dreaming to live in Japan and i am reminded of that kind airline pilot that showed us his passengers, Mount Fuji in japan while en route to the philippines then. seeing this perfect volcano while up in the sky is one memorable thing for me, one very unforgettable experience in other words. our neighbors, japan and china are lovely countries i'm sure :)...hmn, maybe now i can be off of the internet for awhile, i will try...(^&*)...although i think the trick is to just leave, laughs. yes, one of these days, sooner or later :) i dunno, maybe it is not the right time yet. yeah, that is a very good alibi...(^&*)...but if ever "i'll remember you all" :)

let's smile :) plus let's be kind :>

`

now michael and me with the madonna at the sides, then...my sister and me and me plus a puppy, that was then...and now, me :) i know no one cares, laughs. and don't forget to SMILE always for it brings good luck :>

when you're old like me, laughs
to smile is somewhat harder
when you're tired and gray
to smile is quite a struggle
but when you smile in your inside
or off your heart and
treat everybody right
then even without a smile
your life is like a bell
with a Venus wrap around :)

when you seal your lips
with nasty things
and never break your fellow men
or put them out in dark despair
then even without a smile
in your pretty face
the world around you
will be shining in and your
golden heart will be humming out
and singing just the same :)

SMILE even when things are tough :) but most importantly, be kind to strangers. no nasty words from our mouths for the things that we put out there are always the things that we ended up raking in :) it's nice to be beautiful but it is always nicer to be kind at all times and be wonderful to strangers that we've never known nor meet for they are sent by God to test what kind of an inside or an inner quality of a human being we are all made up of :) remember that beauty fades but character lingers on as we become just memories in other people's minds...so smile... be kind and only try to dole out love aka only show love even how hard and painful for us to do that :)... never let hate linger for long, that simple :>

isn't it true that as we navigate our path on this earth we meet people that will shine forever in our minds for the rest of our lives? I've had and her name starts with the same two letters of the alphabet as the name of the mother of Christ. I'm sure it's not only a coincidence for things happen for a reason and i truly believe in that...

top rose is an image i took at the side garden of the shrine of the little flower church here, lovely :) as if this rose is saying with its petals, "i love you"...(^_~)...thank you all for your visits :)...

how did we celebrate the holidays as if you cared ;? my relatives young and old are in pinas, so we texted or e-mailed or talked by the phone :) christmas i was working, but this new year i am off so i cooked pancit, my husband will cook duck and JC will cook beef stroganoff :) our holiday celebration is very simple. it involves family as well, like everyone else...and on new year's eve me and JC watched CNN's anderson cooper and kathy griffin at times square in waiting for the 2014's giant crystal ball drop :) but the best is me watching the yearly new year rose parade at HGTV non commercial that started 11:00 AM and is on going right now :) flowers, roses, floats and bands from all over the U.S. and lo and behold a band from nagoya, japan too, isn't that place is our always lay over place during our vacation trip to pinas :> lovely and music to the max! ...again, happy new year everyone :) ...here's to many happy moments ahead in our lives, CHEERS!!! in spite of the disappointments and tears...

HS classmates :)

growing older is inevitable. everyone, no exception will go through this life's phase, this if we're blessed and lucky enough to be gifted with old age from our heavenly Father...but being happy in spite of life's challenges is all up to us... time flies but the memories will linger and remain for all eternity esp. if you have a personal blog just like mine, thanks blogger :)... glad that there is that camera invention to capture them :) these pics are shared by my classmates, Jo and Editha for i did not take pictures. i stored the memories in my mind which i thought should be enough. the problem is i can not share these memories without tangible proof so i have to ask for pictures from my HS classmates and friends that i could have taken it myself ;) so it's not a good idea not to be a shutter bug on special occasions, take pictures for everyone does :)

our high school world of fun, camaraderie, sharing and keeping each other's company. we were then oblivious of the dark forces lurking at other humans' minds. we accept each other and each one of us is worthy of love and respect that would last a lifetime. no man is an island. although i prefer to be alone at some other times, i look forward to sharing my life with my old dear high school classmates. time may make us all older, (even you) but time can't take away the happiness that we share when we are all together. looking forward to seeing everyone again, it won't be long from now :>

you would think that the center of my universe is the bible given the fact that i do mention religion quite often here in my blog. religion and the bible are very important to me but the center of my universe really is my family. i work full time for them and go back to work again even if not getting enough rest for i run errands for their benefits if i am not working. yes, i can be called a hypocrite because as much as i want to I'd like to read the whole bible but time is very limited in my world. yes, my waking hours are not spent for any self grandiose schemes that is self serving for i have no time to spare for myself. i am a servant, was a servant and still a servant even to this date, a servant to my family...(^&*)... and i have given religious objects to people that i thought i like who have given me happiness and favors at one point, deserving people. the rosary that i gave them served as my token of thanks for their love and kindness to me :) it is my hope that these objects will steer them clear away from the dark forces and serve as a reminder of the presence of an almighty power that is inexplicable but always there to protect all of us from danger. thanks sister elisa for your rosary :) i knew you are in heaven now... and i gave not one but two rosaries to my benefactor as a thanksgiving to her for sending me to nursing school at UST... inexpensive object but priceless in meaning... Jo put the rosary that i gave her on her mercedes benz car's inside mirror. i am thrilled :)

we dream of more than what we had...

from childhood to adulthood
we dream of more
than what we have
from morning till noon
we hope for spring
and waterfalls

we wait for dawn to come
after a night less
etched with plans
we dream of soaring heights
under the brightest sun
to light our path

we put a wish on those
wishing stars counting them
one by one
that when sunset comes
time to reflect and to
bundle those dreams
that could wait for another day
another time another chance
to be alive

every single day is a hope
for these dreams to come true
to aid a life of not one but more
for dreams are inspirations
to move on and to change course
for dreams make you think of others
than your own...

then and only then that people are not looking after you... you on the other hand are looking at other people as your own... we criticize others for not doing enough, not loving enough but how about us... we missed the sores in our eyes but we noticed the sores on other people's eyes. that's typical...

some are being persecuted because of their faith in the past and even to this day ...(^&*)... but we will endure...

a queen once for a good cause

one heartfelt memory...the heart shaped background was built by my dearly departed dad and company who always reminds me then to smile in spite of life's hardships. we are poor so i worried about how could i ever go to college but God answered and sent us my virgin mary look alike rich spanish benefactor who sent me to UST to study nursing, a miracle in my life, the first of several. second is me living and working in the most powerful and richest country in the world, the U.S.A. and so on and on. miracles come in small and big packages. the third is when my life was spared in an auto accident...

it was a red cross contest for our fiesta celebration. the one who could raise the most funds will be king and queen and the funds will be used to build our school gate. so we won the honor to build the gate, named percy-aida gate as it stands today. i had renovated it once already and it's time again to do it one more time. when our barrio chapel's roof was blown away by a typhoon about 2 years ago, i spent 30 grand in pesos to have the roof replaced. it is not much money but to be of help to your beloved community meant so much to me. i wish i could do more.

and a little disturbing trivia. i graduated valedictorian and the second, her family built on the sides or corner a bigger but cracking gate, according to my brother and our gate is very strongly built only smaller but cute and i designed it...(^&*)... so what is that all about... just to settle a score? what score? in HS, i graduated top in that honor roll and she is not even in the honor roll so... what people do to irritate you, really. they could not accept the reality of who is smarter, laughs. oh well...

they even have the nerve to ask me if our gate could be rebuilt and transferred on the sides aka on the corner and they will be in the middle, the main gate. what? that's an insult. whatever they are planning to build i can also do it... plus in a much more better, nicer and more durable way. now let's turn the table, if they are the one in my shoes will they give consent to this outrageous plan. really now let's get real here. who is out of their mind to make a request of such unsavory proportion. maybe the dumb ;) ...sorry God, but i am just truly disgusted. but such is life. there are people like these who exist in our world. where in our planet can you see 2 school front gates in this universe? in my beloved place in pinas because there is a dark reason for it. now you know ;)... so i guess, the competition will have to go on and is now focused on gates. God, please...

when summer blooms...

flowers perfumed filled
blooms of nature
joy of earth

mirth brings forth
happy moments
love's image

garden of joy
birds sing
smile bringer...

that's why i do a little gardening :)... love is mostly expressed in flowers. in yellows, purples, reds or in pinks. would it be nice if there are no barriers to love such as employer-employee relationships, financial status, age, standing in society and etc... but love conquers all, right? tune in to the future if that is true... love in secret is sad but i would agree that is better than to never have loved at all...(^&*)...

it never happened

it never happened
that you've crossed that bridge to nowhere
for you're still here with your shoes unlaced

it never happened that you've touched
a smoldering ash for your hands never got burned
never had gotten black

it never happened that you've ride the rainbow
for it disappeared so fast in that rainy sky
with shimmering filtering sunlight

it never happened
that you've sewed a heart to pieces
for there are still blood dripping at the sides

maybe tomorrow when the eagle will fly above
maybe tomorrow before the sun gets down
but you have to act fast

for time is of the essence
you'll never catch it
when it's gone...

frederick law olmstead by john singer sargent, the great painter of the past century... there are things that you thought it happened but the truth is it really didn't happen...but what will happen is after we enjoy this planet earth for sometime, a short while or a long while, we will all then go to that inevitable eternal repose for sure...music is "scenes from my childhood" they're still fresh in my memory...happy days, those were the days of eternal beauty never to be forgotten. the days will roll, life will continue to unfold, people will leave you either by death or by their own volition while still alive...but that is the essence of living, you're here today and gone tomorrow and we do not have any other choice...(^&*)... just live life day by day hoping that we will still be here tomorrow for we really never know what surprise is there for us.. as a new dawn breaks... as a new day begins...

we can never say enough thanks

another year in our lives is almost gone
it came in just a blink of an eye
another year is almost here again
and here we all are...

giving thanks to the life that we share
giving thanks to the moments that we kept dear
giving thanks to the days that filled our lives with
laughter, joy and tears

we say our thanks
to the people that we've met in every way
who filled our days with smiles of ecstasy
we say our thanks to family and friends
who together made our life's journey
quite bearable and quite easy

but most of all we give our thanks
to God above
who is the infinite
source of love and light
and the source
of great guidance

thanks for all the days
that you've smiled at us
thanks for all the days
even with the bad
thanks for every breath
that puts us here alive
thanks for all the love
you've always gave at us

though everyday should be a thanksgiving day
every November we remember
to say our thanks that we are still alive
to live another day, another year and who knows
until we are a century old :)

with my old, tired and creepy face looking at you, pls. don't puke, laughs. i thank you all for being a part of my days, somewhere in time. aging gracefully ;? you are too kind :) this pic is old now, about 3-5 years old but kidding aside i must be doing something right. everyone tells me that i look younger than my age. i'm not on smokeville nor in margaritaville, plus i try to forget and ignore anyone that persecutes me for the practice of my religion and those who calls me hypocrite without basis nor knowing me personally...so now you know my secret...(^&*)... and to you who owns this rose art, thanks for sharing your beautiful work :)



and nature painted at its best...plus the best portrait and all around painter ever and his complete works of ART... john singer sargent :) after looking at these magical ART pieces, life should be complete... and EUREKA!



i found it! finally the poetry of ice cream..."ode to flavor" by haagendazs :) nice, really nice...(^_~)...i can now improve my pathetic string of words while enjoying a serving of a natural butter pecan ice cream :)

spring, summer, autumn and winter...

the turns of the weather
makes me sleep
it's cold, it's hot
the climate is not enough

the rain, the sun
the clouds
the wind, the season
is just not enough

to plot
what life is all about
to compute
what's worth is life to all of us

we swim, we walk, we run
the sweat, the dripping sweat
of life's baggage, the trip
of hiking life's mountains

makes us tired step by step
but all in all life is worth it
in spite of the pains
in spite of the aching feet

what a wonderful world
it's very nice to be a part of it
even with all the struggles
even with all the aches

our planet earth is just worth it
our beautiful planet earth
with all the people, our loves
our friends, our relatives

life after all is the interactions
the exchanges until we sleep in the years
as we are packed
in these time machines

left to be forgotten
left as mere memories gone by
as no one will care about
because of the passing of years...

serenity

gentler, calmer skies
peaceful waves
flat sea

birds enjoying
a flyover
wings still

silent breeze
no sound
peace...

it's time for the moon to smile. serenity. art is from the www, artist unknown.

soon after midnight

working all night
bridging sickness to health
absence of ebola or not
nurses, nurses nurse
life at stake, loves aside
soon after midnight
when darkness dance
heartbreaking silence
it's after midnight
while all eyes closed
nurses never and do not...

it is really tiring to work after midnight but that is happiness that will last...let's pray for the 2 nurses who is now infected with the ebola virus acquired in the process of doing their job caring for an ebola patient who was from west africa who unfortunately died. our prayers go to his family as well..."soon after midnight" bob dylan...

glad that nina pham is getting better. she received a plasma transfusion from the MD that also recovered from this ebola viral infection, he worked treating ebola patients in africa and had taken that experimental drug when he had gotten sick that he had to be airlifted here in the US for treatment...

used, vintage and second hands...in salvation army, a charity work entity, they used hands me down or second hands to help people in need...to the filthy rich, used or second hands are frowned upon but they are blessings to the poor and the have nots.

in love, divorces and deaths pave a way to second loves. what really matter is the presence of love, respect and appreciation...used, vintage, second hands or second loves...or simply said to each is his own :) i say, what makes you happy, follow that path, laughs. as no one can ever really dictate on us our wants, either that be used things or the likes :)

the rides of life

some have it good with mansions and all
some have it rough just lying on the ground
sleeping like a rat, no roof, no beds, no flat

why is life like that, why is waking up so hard
some are in the streets begging for mercy
that you can throw them a small change or a penny

where is justice, where is hope, where is change
so far in between, so many moons, so many sunrises
where there is no light, always darkness, always sighs

what could have been, where could have been
so many lives in limbo, so many lives without love
without mercy, without compassion, without empathy

so much suffering without stop, without an end
not unless our prayers will be heard that one day
God will be there for them in our own person

extending help, changing their lives forever
let's do it...

let's keep on dreaming...

maybe when we dream...

it's not that we dream
of past loves gone by
it's not that we dream
of the hot summer sun in the sky

it's a wish of solitude
where the sea is calm
and the waves are low

it's a wish of peace
where all mankind wakes up
everyday and they're free

it's a wish of commune
with the rolling hills
and the mountains beyond

it's a wish of bathing nude
in a cold, distant, abandoned
and hidden waterfall

where the water is clear
where the water is pure
where the water is unspoiled

so that our spirits will soar
and may we dream some more
that God may hear it
and miracles may bloom...

art is by ms. cummings... "galileo's dream schooner"...

on happiness

If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap
If you want happiness for a day — go fishing
If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune
If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else...

Chinese Proverb

in other words... aid a life...

of daisies and poppies...

by vincent van gogh... very expensive art as it is exquisitely beautiful... thanks to the www for this image :)...in spite of his eye problems, still he delivered and created stunning masterpieces worth in staggering millions and admired to this day...

gentle brush strokes
in pastel colors
paper trail of hope
wondrous beauty
done in color
faded memory
etched in timeless
eternal flame of glory...

stand by me, playing for change...the best song ever!...when musicians unite their created song is divine :)

false hopes

when a crook knocks at your door
can you tell, can you tell

when a robber steals your heart
whose to blame, whose to blame

is it you or it is them
whose fault, whose the culprit here

i say it is false love
it's not true, it's not real

for a love to be true
there's no cloud to cover it

it is there for you always, sunshine or rain
no raincoats, nor smoky mirrors even

no illusions, no falsehoods
it won't hide, it won't run, no cover

so ladies and gents never ever believe
do not rely on false hopes for now you're to blame

if a man or a lady is there for you
he'll, she'll stand there for you

raining bullets, or raining hell
if you are the love to conquer :)

our life's journey...

 you raise me up...

as nobody can :) ...

we all have struggles in life
we all have hard decisions to make
we all have certain roads to follow
like we all have heavy crosses to bare

but if the divine will carry us through
if the holy one will always be there
there won't be any problems unsolved
as there won't be hard steps to take

all days will be easy and smooth
all dawns will open to high noons
as we are guided by the highest most
life will take us where we should

where the sun will be sunny and bright
where the moon will be filled with delight
and the stars will be the decor of the night
where life is a beach and won't ever miss a beat...

the future or what we will become in the end is out of reach in our minds if we are young. similar to we will cross that bridge when we get into it...our life is composed or divided into 3 to 4 quarters in a century and when we reach or near into that final quarter if we are lucky enough and with God's grace that we did not die prematurely... we are into the final leg of our journey. true manong that at this time old age is treated like a contagious disease that no one would want to be associated with or be close to...

this piece makes you pause and think about life, thanks manong. my former grade 2 teacher, madam amparing died at age 94, last 5-1st, so close to that century mark. the mother of my 73 y/o co-worker, irene, yes she is still working with us as a nurse, her mom is 99 y/o this year, she is still very lucid and still lives alone...

an eye doctor, EENT specialist like you has done a lot even in retirement. charity missions all through out here and there so i don't think it will take a song to make the young pause to notice you :)

my brother's tenure as the president of a manila branch rotary club is almost over. i'm sure he made contributions that had uplifted lives, that i am very proud :) i teased him and told him that maybe the mayor of our town will be the next quest, laughs. yes, he said if i contribute 10 million. hmn, yes if i am rich, but unfortunately i'm not ;)

on a hill faraway...

lies an old rugged cross at the city of skulls called Golgotha...

without mercy
without pity

without respect
irreverent, a blasphemy

they crucified you Lord
you were nailed on a cross

so we sinners
will have a living soul

so we sinners
could see the sun once more...

above sacred art is by Andrea Mantegna... 1457-1459... we were in grade 6 when we depicted the stations of the cross, i played the virgin mary the mother of God as i heard this song for the first time. it never left my memory since. so many songs, so many tunes that our ears may have listened to but there is always one that is close to your heart...