open house snapshots

today at Michael's very new school. after 10 million USD spent and a year and a half later, the new building is done. the American educational system is quite clear in its philosophy that every child born in this country is entitled to primary education, handicap or not. we are lucky to have found this top school for developmentally challenged kids in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Michael's school since he was 5 years old and until he's 26. very capable educational staff and aides, two of these ladies are on top in red, Peggy and Arlene. they work with Ray, mike's teacher, he's in one of these pics but far shot for i was really too shy to ask for his pic, laughs. oh well. J.C. and me was there for its first open house earlier today. neat :) and the flag is on half mast in that pole in remembrance of 9-11...

9-11, a remembrance

the dagger dug
down deep
one distant day
as 2,751 souls died
and now are
just a memory

a silent breeze
floated over the hill
and lingered there
with scent so sweet
then slowly landed
upon blue benches
all empty and bare

why does hate so
powerful and vile
why does hate
can conquer lives
and take our love ones
forever in our eyes...

love always outshines hate

the heart is bleeding constantly
when they remember your name
their blood is boiling with envy
because you understand and care

sticks and stones thrown everywhere
can't hurt thy flesh can't kill thy name
for good hearts with good deeds
can't be ignored it'll always reign

the food for the soul is free and pure
the light of the heart is bright and more
the kiss of the lips is honey sweet
as the words in your book is a joy to read

for love not hate can win a battle
for love not hate can open a bottle
of fragrant perfumes
of savory spices

that fills the heart
that fills the stomach
that makes you smile
a hundred times

without a single buck spent
from your pocket
without a drop of sweat
from you body
without a bitter tear dropping
from your eyes so weary

joy is yours to see
peace follows
most instantly
as hate loses
as love prevails
and sets your heart so free....

the BEST painting in this universe :)

the Crucifixion... brilliantly done by Andrea Mantegna :) pls. CLICK for DETAILED depiction of his painted subjects, with their emotions captured, evoking their real suffering...true genius, sad that this talented man is dead and gone...but with Jesus, we all knew that He had resurrected from the dead :) i wish that in the future i'll see and meet a painter of this guy's caliber for it will be worth my while :> I'm a religious fanatic after all...why my dream trip is Rome and yes, I'll be there someday, God willing :) I LOVE JESUS as most Christians do :)

always there...

it seems like it was just yesterday but no it's my husband's b-day again, laughs. the person who is always there for us comes rain or shine. the light that never dims anytime of year. happy b-day to you...we love you, always :) a pink heart shape flower of mine in my garden that is blooming as i speak err type... God is good and my husband is an example of that, we're very lucky :)

love is life as life is a beach. wish we're in my brother's beach...can't wait to walk in its sandy shore. hope in not that distant future, barefoot without sandals and all, laughs, hope no centepedes...that is a luxury, for me at least and waiting for sundown with its colorful sunset with its mesmerizing and hypnotic effect. and i'm thinking life is a sunrise and a sunset that you hope you will still have that chance to open your eyes after each magical sunsets to enjoy each day...wow! that thought alone is calming and makes me smile :) plus my only brother of course, he is love and makes me smile a lot too, a sagittarian. we get along very well, lending us one of his drivers, one of his mercedes limos, not new, okay? laughs, but it was owned once by madam imelda marcos herself, laughs. so our phil. vacation is always a blast with lots of mangoes and fish, yes fresh fish in his fish pond and the river in his property in the province. i wish i can use a fish rod to catch them but it is done by net by his caretakers and my ilang ilang there is blooming now! :> now that is truly happiness for me. i just bought that one a year ago but it was a big one and ready to bloom so it is doing its job now. my mother is thrilled as well, imagine that :) my mom's smile is very expensive and this flower will let it out for free, so that alone is worth buying this plant, 30 USD, not bad. hey, anything for my mother's smile, okay? and you know what? loud music too makes her pout and i don't want that, laughs. very funny. but really 80 years young, yes that is my mother's age, still up and about and can fly here in the U.S. by herself :) we're lucky for that for my dad died very young...good people, again, it seems like they depart so early in this life, so sad and i miss my dad...just sad that he wasn't able to see how beautiful this country is, the U.S. of A...but my mother did and i did that for her...and my brother... yes, during president Clinton's time, he had this approved tourist visa ever since that until now he wasn't able to use yet bec. he's too busy with his business, while others are being denied to come over here. what an irony. him who had that permission can't even use it for he's too pre-occupied with business. what a bummer. but he went to Hongkong, Palawan and Boracay...but it's different here, laughs, i told him that. so maybe next year? don't know, wish he could come here in my place at last and see my tiny garden and visit canada which is just a river away :) i hope...for work without play makes a man dull and unhappy, laughs. so true, oh well...

colorful produce lying all around...

on to the produce' aisles...sooo many good harvest ready to be bought. pics taken today :) i really miss the roadside stalls en route to Tagaytay with delicious fruits, home made delicacies and shell fish, like oysters, tahoes, crabs and mussels. i have pics then hidden somewhere in the house...going to a batangas beach is a blast, but patar beach up north is also as nice :> memories of my beloved Philippines, that is, put a sadness in my heart. oh well. another thing that we can't have all the things that we wanted in life...I'll just have to be content here and live with that fact.

truth is here to stay

blue when you
see the shining sun
where giant eagles
soar so high
as planes and
other birds drift by

dark when a
storm lives in the sky
as thunder lightning
and rain command
as trees sway fast
and roof tops dance

truth is up there
and here to see
just look up or feel it
and hear its wings
pass by your ear
pass by your house
pass by your tree

for truth is
like the sun
it'll light up
when the time comes
when the time is right
when the time is ripe

as truth is in our mouth
instinctively we speak it
so finally it's out there
and could be
fully understand
at last

for truth is
like a stinking
garbage
or a dead rat
with its smell
you can never
put a lid on
you can never
cover up
you can never
try to hide

it soaks the air
it permeates the air
it fills the air
until nothing
can be truly denied

a liberation for you
and for others
living in illusions
that you've created
but now
they can go on
living their lives

and for them
finally
happiness is
here to stay
as truth now
will reign
all their lives
all their days

no more games
no more tales
no more tears
no more heartaches
no more make believes
these lies had woven
these lies had created
these lies had lived so free

so now
goodbye lies
for truth is
here to take
your place
and truth
is here to live
is here to stay
is here forever
until eternity
until the end of time
until the end of day...

memory of a lily...

called stargazers... in my garden, somewhere in time...thanks so much for your visit, intentionally or not :)

and to you my dear Indian Lady... my priced visitor...a heartfelt thanks to you as well :) i love you...you've put me in your favorite list. i hope i did give you some light, a smile or simply joy every time you clicked on me :)...and to you my dear 51 y/o Canadian visitor, so you are the one from Canada :) yes, i love my son, Michael, my happiness and my reason for being on this planet. thanks for your kind words as well :) for not many like you are out there in this world. i love you too and God bless to you...

the truth is hard to tell

the sky was bright yesterday
today it's dark and gray
the full moon shone
the stars twinkled
while the planets
turned and spun

the octopus' arm is ready
to plunge, to coil
at your body
hugging you so tightly
until your breathe is gone
with black ink
permeating
engulfing
your world
your light
as the sun
slowly left
gone

did you sleep with someone
and did not tell them
that you were sick
did you lie to your love one
that you were the one causing
havoc in cyberspace
a person with breeding
but so low in self respect
with your tongue so sharp
full of bile spewing lies
into the air

did you tell us
the truth
did you with held it
making stories
making illusions
in your head

but the truth with its wings
it's flying
it's moving
and it will land
and it will shine
above us
setting the score
letting the truth
sparkle and dazzle
the unbelievers
the skeptics
of this universe

the truth will shine on you
the truth will shine on us
no one escapes justice
no one can put a lid
to the truth
to the light
with its mighty arm
with its mighty power
for the truth is backed
by God...

just watched the majestic duet of John Shillington and Ruby Brown, "America the Beautiful" at the republican convention, these two are friends of the McCains'. the duet is so mesmerizing, very powerful that some people there became misty eyed. never seen and heard a duet that is sooo good and beautiful like this one. I'll wait for it to come in you tube and post it :) i wish one talented Pinoy could write a similar song about the Philippines and two powerful singers could sing it as well, some sort of a project i mean for i love these two countries. both are beautiful and both are my life and happiness :) ironic though, the republicans love America, but the rich are moving its manufacturing corporations out of the country leaving middle class America hard on its knees, losing jobs, with houses in foreclosures and still slamming us with high gas prices for these big oils are big republican backers, so sad. no cares for their own country men. yes, i like Hillary than Obama but when i think about these people being affected by the transfer of jobs overseas although it helps my pinoy countrymen as well due to these outsourced jobs are their bread and butter, this outsourcing should only be in a reasonable amount, leave some jobs here in the U.S. too for the consequences will be that America's economy will be down in the drain. this is what is happening now, for spending triggers the economy, but without jobs how can an American person spend? they don't even have the money to pay for their mortgage. yes, the fight between the rich which holds the GOP and the middle class, the democrats, has been going on for years and sad to say the rich is winning, the rich is laughing out loud now. yes we can change this? can Obama do it? i dunno, my guess is not, with his roots and meager experience in governing and all. if not for Oprah's millions that had fired up his campaign defeating the Clintons. Hillary might have a greater chance of changing this trend of oppressive politics played by the republican rich for i don't think that the greater American people in general wants a black president to govern them and Obama will be the one to shoulder the blame of this loss. only my take and i could be wrong. but in two months i will know the answer for certain :)

"Somewhere in Time" the music and the movie plus the place it was filmed, my place now....my all time favorite...the late superman, Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour's movie, the classic movie that i watch over and over again when I'm happy and sad but more so when I'm sad, laughs. a winner, totally!

and what an excellent speech rendered by this lady VP nominee chosen by McCain. well crafted and delivered with passion. i won't be mad if they win for Michael will be helped tremendously and all special needs kids like my son, for her little boy is with down syndrome. a no nonsense lady, the kind that i like second to Hillary. i wish that she is a democrat though, but that's life. we can't have everything that we truly wanted. we'll just have to let go and understand that :)