to my beloved husband...

 

"God's Garden"

God looked around his garden
And found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth,
And saw your tired face.

He put His arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering,
He knew that you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So He closed your weary eyelids
And whispered “Peace be thine.”

It broke our hearts to lose you
But you did not go alone…
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.

Author: unknown 

we will always love you...

the problem with goodbye

exits, heartbreaks and goodbyes
partings are when you cry
memories will only be at your side
when all of us will leave and die

we are all terminal cases
why do we still live, i do sometime ask
if at the end we will only leave our love ones
with gaping hearts to nurture and to mend...

it is a struggle and with much heavy heart to see my husband in a comatose and unresponsive state after his 3rd stroke. i am forever grateful to God and him for his dedication in taking care of our special need, autistic boy Michael. it is in God's hands now. we don't want him to go but if it's God's will there is really nothing that we can do than to cry our hearts out...now i realized that JC is a lot stronger than me...

our mother of perpetual help...

our faith in God means everything. miracles do happen, God will always provide...at our back are the images of our virgin mother, also known as our lady of fatima, our lady of the immaculate conception, our lady of lourdes in france, our mother of perpetual help in baclaran and here in our place... and other various venerated names...

may pope francis' visit bring inspiration and hope to my native land...thank God for the hope and the miracles...our faith in God always sees us through in our lives' difficult moments...

 "Aid A Life" always...

life as we know it

life as we know it is full of surprises
sometimes we like them
and sometimes we complain

life is like a rainbow that appears after the rain
when the sky was filled with bolts of lightning
and clasps of thunder that's frightening

but always life is a puzzle that can't be solved
not unless tomorrow is there knocking at our door
life after all is God's design filled with mystery and awe

we don't own it and only it's borrowed
we can't enjoy it forever but for a few
few years of love, hate and mysteries full

so life is a gift from up above that will last
not for eternity but for a number of sunsets and sunrises
and to the wise life is enjoyed to the max until it last

for life is precious and you could only grasp it
in the palm of your hands for a time until it's gone
never to return again for it only happens once...

beautiful lifelike art by the great amorsolo... only a few have the gifted talent to paint life as it is...another one is john singer sargent who lived more than a century ago... here are some of his fabulous works of art :) ...indescribable, only true to life :>

art imitates life...the beach, the flowers and the kids and my husband on a cane after his stroke, hope God will give him more years to live. now 68 years old but he could be 80 to 90 something, that's what we're aiming for...but God is the final decider, God has the final say...

music is an emotional journey like life

the homecoming by newell oler...our homecoming vacation was cancelled because my husband had a stroke the day after christmas... like art, music imitates life as life inspires music and art.

it could have been a second HS reunion. it could have been a lazy walk as i dream on patar beach. it could have been lots of churches visited. it could have been a taste of exotic fruits and veggies. it could have been days filled with joyful relative banters...lots of it could have beens.

very nice music. thanks to the late newell oler. people die but their legacy lives forever...

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...(^&*)...