Masarap na kaibigan ang propesyonal na gala

Masarap kaibigan ang mga byahero. Kapag nahuli ka sa takdang kitaan ninyo, alam ng mga byahero na ang pagkaligaw ay natural na pangyayari. Mas mahaba ang pang-unawa at pasensiya nila sapagkat alam nila na ang proseso ng paglalakbay ay mas mahalaga kaysa sa destinasyon.

Masarap kaibigan ang mga manlalakbay. Hindi nila kelangan ng mga mamahaling regalo. Hindi importante ang mga kikay na gamit o mamahaling bag. Tanggap nila ang mga mumurahing byahe o kaya mga praktikal na bagay katulad ng alkohol, mosquito lotions, flashlight o abre lata. Hindi sila maarte.

Future assignment

This is the next place
where I might be doing
some advocacy and leg work
in restorative justice.
I might be helping this place
in creating and implementing
better diversion programs
for children in conflict with the law.

New place. New gaps to resolve.
A pioneering work. That's my cup of tea.

Climbing mountain

It is not just
the physical act of
taking your body
to the peak.
It is the spiritual act
of coming closer to nature,
to God, to other people,
and to your own, inner self.
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Happy prompt:
Go out and climb a mountain with your sibling. In any climb, a great companion is better than sunshine.

Please give me three wounds

“O God,
please give me three wounds:
the wound of contrition
and the wound of compassion
and the wound of longing after God.
This I ask without condition.”

Lady Julian of Norwich.

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Picture taken in Caleruega, Nasugbu, Batangas, a famous place for wedding ceremonies.

Ball, bar and a blessing

I took a risk today and bought a bouncy ball and two bars of chocolate from the last few pesos I had in my coin purse. The ball and bar was to be used for my group therapy session of my clients in the youth detention center. It was really a risk. And a stupid decision really.

Because of unforeseen expenses this week, my tight budget became really, really, REALLY tight. Hence the last few coins left for the next three days of the week.

The ball and bar session went well though. I saw the kilometric long smiles and light weight hearts after the activity. Feedbacks given by clients are beyond my expectations. They wanted to do the session again. In a way, my stupidity paid off. However, my lean coin purse became, errrrr, leaner.

Pandesal

Old-time Filipino favourite breakfast.
Served with scrambled egg, cocojam, peanut butter,
Cheese, or salted butter.

Crusty exterior
Warm, moist and chewy interior.

Best with either plain black kapeng barako
Or tsokolateng mainit at malangis.

Happy prompt: Sharing a paper bag full of pandesal with officemates to begin that long and tough day ahead.

Living with what I know

“Most people are bothered
by those passages of Scripture
they do not understand, but
the passages
that bother me
are those I do understand.”
~ Mark Twain

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Patuloy pa rin ako magkakaroon ng maraming tanong patungkol sa Panginoon, patungkol sa kanyang salita, patungkol sa lawak at lalim ng pagiging isang Kristiyano. Gayunpaman, ang mahalaga sa akin sa mga oras na ito ay hindi ang malaman ang sagot sa mga tanong na binabato ko sa Diyos.

Sa ngayon, ang mahalaga sa akin ay isapamuhay ang mga bagay na ipinakita ng Diyos tungkol sa Kanya at kanyang salita. Hindi upang relihiyosong sundin ang mga batas at utos o para magkamit ng pagpapala. Pero upang mas makilala ko pa ng lubusan ang aking Mangingibig. Ang makilala Siya at mamuhay na may malalim na pagnanasa na patuloy na makilala Siya ay sapat na. Sapat na.

Mountains are tall and life is short

There are
more to learn climbing
the same mountain.


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Yes, this might be a crazy random blog entry that I might soon regret. (But then again I can delete and deny I blog about this.) But as of this moment, I plan to climb Peak 2 Mt Makiling. Again. When? Soon.

Emphatic listener

Most
of the time,
I don't need friends
who give solutions
to problems when
I tell them my situation.
I
just need companions
who will listen.

Prayer

Prayer is a meeting place.
A meeting
to behold
and
be held
by Jesus.

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Heard this from a friend.

If Christianity is a relationship and prayer is talking to a Person you have a relationship with, this definition is by all means suitable.

Selecta surpresa

After logging out from the manual bundy clock (yes, a manual bundy clock exists in the Philippines, and yes in Quezon City) of the detention center, I had to bus travel for an hour to do another "work", a one-on one tutorial with a third grade kid. And I had a surprise gift from him when I came to their house. He gave me this Selecta keso sorbetes. I love keso sorbetes. It was like a tap in the back for a job well done in the detention center. Mababaw ang kaligayahan ko ngayon.

Just sharing it with you because I feel loved and appreciated at this very moment.

Happy prompt: That Selecta Keso Sorbetes is a real deal to surprise a person who just "got out" of the detention center.

Natural isotonic drink from Mt. Makiling

After more than an hour of walking to Mt. Makiling, I had a good refreshing short rest while sipping buko (coconut) juice.

The manang vendor told me, "I got curious myself why students go to the top of Mt. Makiling. So I decided to hike, together with my my amigas of course." Amigas refer to other buko vendors.

Food to eat after the day's climb

Happy prompt: After a long day of dragging your ass off to do excellent works, pamper yourself with Japanese food. They are good for the body and soul!

I had this eel maki after climbing Peak 2 of Mt. Makiling. Ahh, the joy after that horrible activity. Haha!

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Flavor symphony
Best shared with friends and lovers,
Touching tongues and hearts.
Charlene Turner

Going up Mt. Makiling

My sister invited me to hike the Peak 2 of Mt. Makiling. The day was cloudy with a threat of slight rainfall. The night before, it rained in Makiling. Snce, I am an idiot on hiking, I agreed to go without thinking what I'll be going through.

The way up took us about five hours. I almost die thinking of having coke float halfway up the peak. Remembering it now, I realize that it is always not good to look for things that are non-existent. Float in the forest? Good luck Palaboy!

Urban area soul pampering

Happy prompt: Take a long walk. A really looooong walk.

While others are rushing their way, I take my time.I remember having a difficult, long day in my work place a couple of years ago. At the end of my office hour, I decided to walk. Alone.

It usually takes me three jeepneys to go home from the office. But during that time, I felt like walking. So I did.

Despite the fumes of the city transportation vehicles, I enjoyed taking my own pace of travel. Because office hour has just ended, I saw people trying to squeeze in lunch box type buses, eager to go home early. I was just happy I was not one of them during those time. I was just walking.It took me around 2 hours of walk. I went to streets that I havent passed through going home. Thinking about it, it wasn't a waste of time really. It's a pamper to the soul.

By the way, the picture is from Quezon City Circle which I took during my walk.

Bookshelf of an ex-collector

This is where it all started. I blame this bookshelf for thinking I can buy all the good books possible.

My mom had this made when I was five years old. She paid cheap labor, bought some cheap plywood and voila, this bookshelf, which is around 8 feet in height and 5 feet long.

Initially, it was shelf for all the encyclopedias my mom bought us. She thought that my brother, sister and I will be awesome people in the government and science labs someday. And that in order to prepare us well for that "bright" future, we need to know all the facts the world has to know. Haha. When she asked the carpenters to do that shelf, she was also thinking of a place to put her very, very, very old collections of English romance novels. I tried reading one when I was nine. I got headache for that. I quit the romance paperback and just decided to memorize the Greek alphabets found in encyclopedias and tried journaling using them. I quit after three days.

Solitude

University of the Philippines College of Music. One of the retreat places I run to when I need to back off for a bit. It's one of those few places where I feel invisible. And free from eyes that scrutinize and judge.

Less people. Oh yes, dim lights! Less distraction.

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My motto for today: Go forward, retreat!