back in the day

If I were to describe myself in any way that I cannot do anything about and does not plan to do something about for the rest of my life and will die on being it, is that I'm a true blooded Filipino with NO mix of any other heritage but Filipino .... OK, OK, I'm part Filipino, part caffeine! Which gives me more than a billion other siblings for the caffeine part!

Anyway, my dear half blooded brothers and sisters for the caffeine part ... I've recently joined a facebook group called "Old Philippines" and as you know, I'm not easy to please by just any group or apps, that I have by far meticulously approved only 500 or so ... what??? Don't give me that look! 500 is good.

I found this one very amusing. I'm an old soul, what can I say? I like looking at old photos, imagining what it was like then and if the sky was really brown faded??? ^^ kidding! I just like looking back ... it wont hurt. It makes me feel good being what I am, being who I am and proud to be it... After all, who we are is rooted from the past regardless of how much we change and how far we've gone to divert our interests ... color our hair, bleach our skin, rid of the accent ... who we are is who we are. We cannot undo the part of how we came into this world.

Here's a glimpse of the past ... starting off with of course some OLD FASHION. ^^ These dresses are still worn today for programs and special events but is given a modern twist. The last time I was able to wear one was when I was on the 6th grade! While my sister, because she's a teacher gets to wear one of these for several times in a year!

woman in our national dress

Manila 1899

Filipino Women preparing for a Siesta

Upper class Tagalog girls

Two beautiful Tagalog Sisters

The "butterfly sleeves" as what the elders say is kept straight and stiff when outside the home, for in those times if you wrinkle it, it means that you have been "hugging" someone ... which was a big NO, NO. If you were caught holding hands, it already means marriage!

back on track!

Yesterday was pretty much a good day, I promised myself focus and I had that all throughout the day, I was nothing but work. That's how it's supposed to be isn't it? When you are at work, be at work! ... yeah, what a sad life we all live in this world. Money matters and that's how it's gonna be. We cannot say that it isn't important, because it is. We cannot really live without it in all honesty. If I want to go on a vacation to relax and have that wonderful spa treatment, what does it take to have that? MONEY. Yes. Now I sound like a real gold digger here!!! grr. But, that's the truth ... DESPITE all of the goodness in me, despite all of the wonderful things I appreciate for being free ... I still wish for more "financial blessing". That's not bad to ask, I'm the most frugal person you may know for keeping unspent daily budget in an old ice cream can, so you see what tough time we're all having when a very frugal person like me asks for more money! That when I spent 900+ pesos for a bottle of vitamins yesterday I was already cursing the government! Why on earth did they spent $20,000 for a dinner at Le Cirque in New York?!!! While I wonder how'd that taste?! I paid for my vitamins anyway.

These are the tough times ... and though I know and I understand that we cannot let the President and our representatives who visited Obama last week eat dinner at Mc Donalds, $20,000 or 1 million pesos in our currency be spent that easy. I'd probably choke on that tiny-little serving of "whatever they ate" in that upper east side of Manhattan restaurant! You know how tiny the servings are in those fancy, dim lit restaurants, with names you can't even say properly on the menu but turns out to be a snail dish or something you'd never eat if it wasn't deemed "high-end". ugh.

I bet, if the former lady President we buried last wednesday with such high reverie were alive today? She'd be on the media looking so disappointed and with a gentle motherly voice she'd say " you disgust me" . THAT should make them shiver.

^^

some drama

...and so I'm back from outer space ... na na na na na.... i don't know the rest of the lyrics so leave it! I was really trying to make time but my schedule has been sooo crazy for the past week that I was holding my thoughts up to the brim that it's starting to spill a few that some colleagues have noticed me talking too fast with so many things to say ... arrgh. I know, it's usually either I talk too much or my fingers type fast. I wont pretend to be a quiet, graceful, quiet, gentle, quiet being because I'm not. I get tired too... AND I know, my work has been lousy... I'm slacking off a bit ... a LOT last week... I dunno... I'm burned out. I'm tired, but needs to work. Somehow, inspiration hasn't hit me like it usually does whenever a new project comes up... that I get excited and wants to work on it and see the project through. But this time, I don't know. This is our very first in my country, in the nearby city ... I should take pride on working on it but ... tsk. I literally have to drag my feet to work...

I'm not a good example to live by for now. Because I've misplaced my usual energetic, driven self. sorry.

salamat President Cory

There's nothing yet I can say for the moment is too overwhelming for words. I'm just grateful that a Cory Aquino have touched the lives of the Filipinos.

somethin's cooking!

I've always known that I'm gonna be an entrepreneur, I got my first store when I was 7...but of course that didn't really flourish as I was busy with school besides, I ate much of what I was selling ... so yeah, that wasn't really a serious venture...

BUT now, come September I'm ready. I'll be ready with my own line of accessories. I'm now at the stage of sampling out materials for production and processing permits and licenses. I've never told anyone about it at work, that I'm cooking up something big and huge outside my practice ...I think they wouldn't mind anyway that I'm venturing into another field other than just tall buildings and numbers! That I'm being creative on my own without anyone telling me what I should do or what I may be doing wrong according to standards. As I'm pretty much secluded in doing what the company and my job says. Now, I want to be creative in a ... feminine way. You know, how we girls like crafts and pretty things, that I too am entitled to that! I started with the love for make-up and that I have written on my previous post that I'm ready to drop my skyscraper dreams to do make-up! That really freaked my husband out, like seriously? You wanna do make-up for a profession? He is supportive but he is worried too, like what if this is just one of those decisions I make because I'm bored. Well... up until now, I'm still wishing it, so maybe that's already beyond boredom! Maybe my dreams and priorities have already shifted from being a career driven young woman to a wife.

I'm placing my priorities at a level where my husband and our future family life could fit in. That one day, I may have to totally give up that very "structured" career life for a time-friendlier career, like running my own business and owning my time. I don't ever wanna be tied up with deadlines and tight schedules while my babies are waiting at home or in day-care! So while I'm young and babies haven't arrived yet, I'm slowly making moves 'til I can eventually cross over and do it full-time. No one can question a person who wants to be ready for family, or for someone to question a dream?! ... can they?

Because I'm dreaming BIG, like magazine feature BIG! Billboard and TV ads big. I'm getting ready with product photo shoots and print catalogues by September ... soooo .... that isn't too much work, is it? ... hmmnn... the what if's .... what if it becomes a time-consuming monster career??? Then I'll be here all over again, whining about priorities! jeez! ... ^^ Oh well.

'wish me luck.

factory blooms

Some wild, some classic, they are tediously arranged by color. One section are the pinks, the other the reds, the whites, the yellows ... they come in different hues. I love them all. I just couldn't pick one. Anyway, I wasn't really up to it, until my feet has taken me to this side of the mall where my husband and I are supposed to meet for dinner. Now, I'm inlove. I know ... they wont love me back, they wont beam at me like fresh fragile products of the spring, I can touch them all I want, carry them around and swing them side to side, all the way around like a bride once more ... without freaking out the saleslady! YES it was okay with these flowers, the petals wont come off, they are lovely as the REAL deal.

woman in yellow

I'm not into politics but I do know when the government is doing bad or good, as basic as that and since I'm now among those who are in the "work force" and not living by my parents allowance and diligently pays taxes, I take a direct hit when they do stupid-fishy things like stealing and deceit. Yeah well. Who among you can attest that your government is 100% percent clean with excellent service record? Nobody.



But there was a time in our history when we had a glorious moment. As momentous as Obama winning it with his CHANGE slogan. It was a moment when a former school teacher and a plain housewife was thrust into politics to take the country's topmost political rank, as President of the Republic of the Philippines. I was only 6 years old then and in Grade 1 ... what do I know? ... what will be my memoirs of her and the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos from power?



Well, that moment went down to history and watched on TV specials from time to time, her husband the late Ninoy Aquino who was slain at the tarmac of then Manila International Airport in 1983 is a National Hero. I sure know that the Democracy we are enjoying today is because of his ideals and his wife following in his footsteps. She was a grieving widow, she has told her children that their father has given his life for the country and she now understands why by the words of her late husband, "The Filipino is worth dying for" she must take the lead.



The world watched when the young widow came to power, a woman leader. The world was inspired by the people for it's peaceful uprising, when the government of 1986 sent tanks and soldiers, the people brought flowers and food. It was a miracle of miracles that brought the country together in peace, with one voice and prayer. That change should come to the Philippines and it will start with a president elected by the people, who is Cory Aquino.

A woman of simplicity, of prayer and truth, of grace and composure, ... Her campaign color was yellow, she was sworn in as the President of the Republic in a simple yellow dress and is seen most of the time in yellow. Yellow is her color.

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Today August 1, 2009, the La Salle Greenhills gymnasium is filled with people in line and in waiting for her. As she finally arrives, there was a loud, roaring applause as yellow confetti was showered upon her just like it did at the Makati Business Center on her vistory parade...

But this time, she is watching it from heaven. She is gone. The mother of our Democracy is gone ... pictures, videos, news about her, came to light once more that beyond the mourning, we are to realize that her life was well lived, in fact "best" lived for any human in this world.

She will live on, in all of our hearts and with that we are sure that her role in history is safely guarded.