09/24/06,Sunday
Priests.Music.Entertainment.Friends.
Those were the contents of the package that my wife and I received when we went to St. Patrick High School Auditorium at 5900 W. Belmont Ave. It was a day after autumn
begins(September 23). The affair was Harana sa Kabitoonan, A serenade to the Stars featuring: The Singing Priests of Caseres. I understand this was sponsored by the devotees of Our Lady of Penafrancia.
Garbed in black,white barong tagalog,the 4 singing priets of Caceres thrilled the audience with their ethnic songs and of the Bicolano's favorite- Sarong Banggi, medleys of love songs interspersed with jokes and dancing. Sung were : Maybe tomorrow, Our Love Affair, Misty Eyes in English and Historia de un Amor,Rumba beat, Solamente Una Vez in Spanish. There was the appearance of a group of 14 with 6 males and 8 female blending their notes into the delight of the crowd.
We were greatly enthralled. We were happy to meet new and old friends.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Saturday (09/16/06)
An Afternoon To Remember
Plans have been made. Lots of them. But just that! Only plans. Yet this short-notice plan of a reunion meeting came to a stunning reality. In this epoch, who could believe that a magnificent 7 Florence Nightingales of San Pedro College could be together after over 2 score years? And of all things, they were all euphoric women. They really were in the seventh heaven as their waves of laughter shook the rafters of the joint, so to speak.
They came. They met. They talked. And streams of college joys and tears gushed forth from their eyes as they recalled their yesterdays in the College of Nursing in Davao City, Philippines. Those days were momentous and beyond forgetting.
They are worthy to be in the book of records as they are successful in their own respective fields of endeavor, careers, and marital life. They are in alphabetical order: Connie, Fe, Loida, Polly, Tessie, Thelma, and Vangie.
According to Peter S. Temes in his book, The Power of Purpose," the trick to making a typical marriage work, it seems, is the balance of the good against the bad, the sharing of the whole package. If you can't help but fight over money, but then don't balance that out by sharing the small joys of a life truly shared, you might think that money problems have sunk your marriage, when in fact it's the lack of the good, not the presence of the bad, that makes all the difference. It's the total package that leads to success, the sharing of whole lives. If you give your spouse only part of yourself, if you keep secrets, if you try too hard to put only certain pieces of your personal puzzle into your marriage, you'll make a happy ending harder to find. The best prescription for a marriage is to focus on things that both partners agree on that help build the habits of caring and mutual support. "
The horizons of these Magnificent 7 Florence Nightingales are rosy. They were vibrant and full of vigor. In fact, Connie emailed, that it was a "nice afternoon. Could we meet to have another of that?" And Tess wrote, " Lunch was wonderful. we need to do it again."
That meeting in the Filipiniana Restaurant at Niles was indeed an afternoon to remember.
An Afternoon To Remember
Plans have been made. Lots of them. But just that! Only plans. Yet this short-notice plan of a reunion meeting came to a stunning reality. In this epoch, who could believe that a magnificent 7 Florence Nightingales of San Pedro College could be together after over 2 score years? And of all things, they were all euphoric women. They really were in the seventh heaven as their waves of laughter shook the rafters of the joint, so to speak.
They came. They met. They talked. And streams of college joys and tears gushed forth from their eyes as they recalled their yesterdays in the College of Nursing in Davao City, Philippines. Those days were momentous and beyond forgetting.
They are worthy to be in the book of records as they are successful in their own respective fields of endeavor, careers, and marital life. They are in alphabetical order: Connie, Fe, Loida, Polly, Tessie, Thelma, and Vangie.
According to Peter S. Temes in his book, The Power of Purpose," the trick to making a typical marriage work, it seems, is the balance of the good against the bad, the sharing of the whole package. If you can't help but fight over money, but then don't balance that out by sharing the small joys of a life truly shared, you might think that money problems have sunk your marriage, when in fact it's the lack of the good, not the presence of the bad, that makes all the difference. It's the total package that leads to success, the sharing of whole lives. If you give your spouse only part of yourself, if you keep secrets, if you try too hard to put only certain pieces of your personal puzzle into your marriage, you'll make a happy ending harder to find. The best prescription for a marriage is to focus on things that both partners agree on that help build the habits of caring and mutual support. "
The horizons of these Magnificent 7 Florence Nightingales are rosy. They were vibrant and full of vigor. In fact, Connie emailed, that it was a "nice afternoon. Could we meet to have another of that?" And Tess wrote, " Lunch was wonderful. we need to do it again."
That meeting in the Filipiniana Restaurant at Niles was indeed an afternoon to remember.
( By Greg Intas Alcala Caponong Trabanca )
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Reflection
09/13/06, Reflection on a Wednesday
Alone. I am alone. And it's thinking time. Time to look back. Time to separate the good old days from the bad. I turn on the computer.
There's stillness in the house. Not a soul move. I cringed to my left.I saw my figure from my chair on a 3-piece mirror.On the front was another mirror; while immediately in front of me is my PC, an hp pavilion mx70.The 32-inch Sony TV is on the right with the antenna, the artificial flower and the small sony radio and CD player.
I heared a car screeched to a stop as there was a stop sign between Jersey Ave and Ardmore. And another one.
I sat. I gazed at the wall. I saw the number 38. That's 5 weeks & 3 days). A couple of days and it's done. Unbelievable!
I thought of what brought me to the facility, to meet people of wisdom in medical and spiritual fields making this world a wholesome, wonderful, happy place despite its shattered dreams, fraudulence, and drudgery. To them, I said deep in my heart -Thank You Very Much. To All of you and to the new friends I met in that memorable 38 days, may you be at peace with God, whatever you call Him. He is our Hope, our Light, our Guide, our Healer, our ALL. Seek Him anywhere, knock on His door anytime, and of course you have to ask Him on the whys of your seeking and knocking. However, we should not only seek, knock and ask during our trying moments but also on our happy hours.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
In my mental meandering,I found these paragraphs interesting written by Carlos Bulosan (11/24/1913-09/13/1956), well-known Filipino writer writing in the West Coast, who at the age of 17 came to America and spoke little if any English. He never went back to the Philippines.This is from the introduction of Carey McWilliams on Bulosan's book, America Is In The Heart, A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan.
" America is not a land of one race or one class of men. We are all Americans that have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat, from the first Indian that offered peace in Manhattan to the last Filipino peapickers. America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world. America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering. America is a warning to those who would try to falsify the ideals of free men.
America is also the nameless foreigner, the homeless refugee, the hungry boy begging for a job and the black body dangling from a tree. America is the illiterate immigrant who is ashamed that the world of books and intellectual opportunities is closed to him. We are all that nameless foreigner, that homeless refugee, that hungry boy, that illiterate immigrant and that lynched black body. All of us, from the first Adams to the last Filipino, native born or alien, educated or illiterate -
We are America!"
Alone. I am alone. And it's thinking time. Time to look back. Time to separate the good old days from the bad. I turn on the computer.
There's stillness in the house. Not a soul move. I cringed to my left.I saw my figure from my chair on a 3-piece mirror.On the front was another mirror; while immediately in front of me is my PC, an hp pavilion mx70.The 32-inch Sony TV is on the right with the antenna, the artificial flower and the small sony radio and CD player.
I heared a car screeched to a stop as there was a stop sign between Jersey Ave and Ardmore. And another one.
I sat. I gazed at the wall. I saw the number 38. That's 5 weeks & 3 days). A couple of days and it's done. Unbelievable!
I thought of what brought me to the facility, to meet people of wisdom in medical and spiritual fields making this world a wholesome, wonderful, happy place despite its shattered dreams, fraudulence, and drudgery. To them, I said deep in my heart -Thank You Very Much. To All of you and to the new friends I met in that memorable 38 days, may you be at peace with God, whatever you call Him. He is our Hope, our Light, our Guide, our Healer, our ALL. Seek Him anywhere, knock on His door anytime, and of course you have to ask Him on the whys of your seeking and knocking. However, we should not only seek, knock and ask during our trying moments but also on our happy hours.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
In my mental meandering,I found these paragraphs interesting written by Carlos Bulosan (11/24/1913-09/13/1956), well-known Filipino writer writing in the West Coast, who at the age of 17 came to America and spoke little if any English. He never went back to the Philippines.This is from the introduction of Carey McWilliams on Bulosan's book, America Is In The Heart, A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan.
" America is not a land of one race or one class of men. We are all Americans that have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat, from the first Indian that offered peace in Manhattan to the last Filipino peapickers. America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world. America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering. America is a warning to those who would try to falsify the ideals of free men.
America is also the nameless foreigner, the homeless refugee, the hungry boy begging for a job and the black body dangling from a tree. America is the illiterate immigrant who is ashamed that the world of books and intellectual opportunities is closed to him. We are all that nameless foreigner, that homeless refugee, that hungry boy, that illiterate immigrant and that lynched black body. All of us, from the first Adams to the last Filipino, native born or alien, educated or illiterate -
We are America!"
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Stumbled on this from AARP Magazine (Sept& Oct.2006)
5 Foods That Can Add Years to Your Life:
1. Spirulina (blue-green algae)
Spirulina contains not only the anti-oxidant phycocyanin but also a bundle of protein, plus omega fatty acids. Once a mainstay food of the Aztecs, spirulina additionally works as an ibuprofinlike nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory. Add one teaspoon to one tablespoon of spirulina a day to smoothies or yogurt, or take it in capsule form. Caution: for some people, Spirulina can be overstimulating (kind like too much coffee), so experiment to find the right balance.
2. Cranberries, blueberries, blackberries. These are jam-packed with anti-oxidants called anthocyanins and polyphenols, which also have anti-inflamatory qualities. Try to work in a cup of berries a day.
3.Leafy greens (such as kale or spinach). They're full of lutein, another super-anti-oxidant; it's been proven to protect against macular degeneration of the optic nerves, thus protecting eyesight. Scientists recommend eating a cup of cooked kale or one to two cups of raw spinach each day.
4. Almonds and walnuts. these nuts are a fantastic source of omega-6 fatty acids, as well as phytosterols (plant sterols) and vitamin E (tocopherols). People who regularly consume nuts tend to have both a lowered risk of Parkinson's and lower cholesterol.Try to eat a quarter cup of these nuts a day whenever you can.
5. Flaxseed. It contains fiber and omega-3 fatty acids that help to clear plaque and bad fats from the cardiovascular system. The fiber also protects against colon cancer. For best results, buy flaxseed ground ( or grind it yourself) and throw one teaspoon to one tablespoon a day into everything from meat loaf to muffins.
Finally, don't forget to add these superfoods into a diet rich with lean meat, fish, and whole grains.-D.J.N.
5 Foods That Can Add Years to Your Life:
1. Spirulina (blue-green algae)
Spirulina contains not only the anti-oxidant phycocyanin but also a bundle of protein, plus omega fatty acids. Once a mainstay food of the Aztecs, spirulina additionally works as an ibuprofinlike nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory. Add one teaspoon to one tablespoon of spirulina a day to smoothies or yogurt, or take it in capsule form. Caution: for some people, Spirulina can be overstimulating (kind like too much coffee), so experiment to find the right balance.
2. Cranberries, blueberries, blackberries. These are jam-packed with anti-oxidants called anthocyanins and polyphenols, which also have anti-inflamatory qualities. Try to work in a cup of berries a day.
3.Leafy greens (such as kale or spinach). They're full of lutein, another super-anti-oxidant; it's been proven to protect against macular degeneration of the optic nerves, thus protecting eyesight. Scientists recommend eating a cup of cooked kale or one to two cups of raw spinach each day.
4. Almonds and walnuts. these nuts are a fantastic source of omega-6 fatty acids, as well as phytosterols (plant sterols) and vitamin E (tocopherols). People who regularly consume nuts tend to have both a lowered risk of Parkinson's and lower cholesterol.Try to eat a quarter cup of these nuts a day whenever you can.
5. Flaxseed. It contains fiber and omega-3 fatty acids that help to clear plaque and bad fats from the cardiovascular system. The fiber also protects against colon cancer. For best results, buy flaxseed ground ( or grind it yourself) and throw one teaspoon to one tablespoon a day into everything from meat loaf to muffins.
Finally, don't forget to add these superfoods into a diet rich with lean meat, fish, and whole grains.-D.J.N.
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