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LOVE and TIME
August 28, 2007
I got this beautiful story in my mailbox as i was cleaning it of my old files. Before I deleted this email, i decided that this deserves to be shared… read on! LOVE AND TIME Once upon a time… there was an island where all the feelings lived; happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the others, including love. One day, it was announced to all of the feelings, that the Island paradise was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all of the individual feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally under water, Love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then, 'Richness' was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness, Can I come with you on your boat?" Richness answered, " I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere." Then Love decided to ask 'Vanity' for help, who was passing in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please." "I can't help you", Vanity said, "You are all wet, and will damage my beautiful boat." Next, Love saw 'Sadness' passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please let me go with you." Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just Need to be alone now." Then, Love saw 'Happiness'. Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with you." But Happiness was so overjoyed, that he didn't hear Love calling to him. Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, "Come Love, I will take you with me." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed, that she forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land the elder went on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder. Love then found 'Knowledge' and asked, "Who was it that helped me?" "It was Time", Knowledge answered. "But why did Time help me — when no one else would?", Love asked. Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity,answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is." ****
Romeo and Juliet
In a perfect world, religion is meant to unite people. Its end goal is the attainment of peace and joy. Oh well… hope is all i ever have. I was cleaning my inbox of old emails and I found this series of correspondence between me and a girl friend… at that time, she was devastated coz she had to part ways with her beloved due to…. right, religious differences. To protect their privacy, i'll name them after Romeo and Juliet. I also omitted the name of their respective religions. Read on: (My email to Juliet):
Hi Juliet— i'm sad, sad, sad Hay…, How I wish, every love affair has a happy ending… But then again, all great love stories in history have sad endings… But I still believe in the power of love… And what the bible says– "… And the greatest of them all is LOVE" will triumph once again… (Juliet's reply):
Sigh! Sad but true. Romeo and I are no longer together but we ended up as good friends. We still communicate and sometimes go out. Well, that's life and we have to move on. Things happen for a reason. We leave everything to God coz we believe He knows what 's best for us. Romeo and I may leave each other as lovers but we will never say good-bye for we value the friendship and treasure the moments we shared each other. Thanks Jo. You saw how our love story bloomed. Kasama ka pa din on how it ended. Gosh! Baka maiyak na ko nyan. hehehehe! Anyway I hope everything is well with you. I miss you guys. Hope to see you around. (My reply):
I'm well Juliet. Thanks! Well, things could be better but have no reason to complain. I have already learned the art of gratefulness I wish you and Romeo well for the different paths you are now treading… I admire you both for standing up and standing firm for what you believe in… And actually fighting for it. Di madali ang ginawa nyo. For that single deed alone, the major beneficiaries will be your respective religion. Religion A and Religion B should really be proud of you! You're both young and nobody knows what the future will be… Who knows di ba? Baka as the two of you age– mag-iiba na din ang pananaw nyo sa buhay-buhay, including beliefs and religions. And may be, and here– I am praying– you'll both see the light, meet half-way, and let love triumph! O di ba??? Talaga namang engrossed ako sa story nyo hahaha But seriously, as you said, everything happens for a reason and whatever the ending will be, I am praying that both of you will have no regrets later on pag matanda na kayo at nagmumuni-muni sa pangyayari sa buhay nyo… God bless you both. (Juliet's concluding reply)
huhuhuhu! kaiyak naman. We'll never know, Romeo might decide later on to convert to my religion. hehehe! Wishful thinking. I just hope am still available. hahahaha! You know am not getting any younger. Already 29 and still single. Gosh! I don't want to be an old maid. Sayang ang beauty ng lola. hahaha! Oh well, am sure God has plans for the both of us. It's just a matter of waiting. It will come at the right time. =) Thanks jo for the inspiring words. Yan yung namimiss ko sa yo eh. hehehe! You take care. God Bless you too! (end of email exchanges) Fast Forward: They are still not together, but they are madly in love with each other. Patuloy na naghihirap ang kanilang mga kalooban but neither of the two will give up their faith.
nakasalubong ko si Romeo, i asked him kumusta na kayo and i was shocked to learn, you broke up. Kaw ha, di mo nakikwento sa kin…
A (Not So Perfect) Love Story
August 27, 2007Joining the bandwagon, my megafriends and I trooped to Robinsons Galeria cinema one rainy night to watch the movie which is getting much hype (thanks to the machinery of ABS-CBN and Star Cinema) these days.
I’m not a movie critic so I won’t dwell on the technical aspects of the film, including the editing and the development of the characters. But for sure, as was in my barkada’s case, most of those who watched the films will comment how yummy (but still pa-cute) the new Aga Muhlach is, how thespic Maricel’s talent is, and how daring Angelica is.
The movie provided us good topic for discussions to cap the night. On the way out of the theater, we also overheard several magbabarkadas insisting their own versions of how the movie should end.
Of course, in a love triangle it is certain that one will eventually get hurt in the process. If you are rooting for the wife, then the movie is a happy ending. But if you were rooting for the other woman, you'll get disappointed.
Funny… we even analyzed the actions/decisions taken by Aga and the other characters, giving the movie endless alternative endings of sort, according to what we prefer of course! Hahahaha 
I say that the movie's ending was predictable. In a society such as ours, it is just expected to end the way it was. After all, it's not an indie or art film. It is a commercial film. Siempre, susundin kung ano ang widely accepted moral standards and give the other woman a chance to redeem herself.
In the title of this entry, I inserted “Not SoPerfect.” There is no perfect love story, after all. Only GREAT love stories—and most of them ended in tragedy. Let me cite some, hmmm…. Samson and Delilah, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. Marc Anthony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, and even Titanic’s Jack and Rose. Need I say more?
Indeed, love struck, ill-fated couples make GREAT love stories. If that is so, “A Love Story” is a great one. Bravo!
No religion has the monopoly of Salvation. PERIOD.
August 26, 2007I might be treading on dangerous ground here… as I’ll be expressing my views on religion. I say “dangerous” because I might get the ire of some Catholic priests as well as get flaks from other religious denominations. I am a Catholic, but I have openly embraced the “way of life” of non-Christian religions because the tibdits i learn from them (Buddhism, Hinduism, etc) help me in my journey towards spiritual growth and maturity.
Last night, while I was surfing TV channels, I came across a station that dedicates its programming on discussions about the bible, and making side comments or direct attacks against other faiths. I was aghast, to say the least. I was horrified by the hosts’ claims that unless we join their religion, we will not be saved on the day of judgment. Duh?????
One of the hosts even had the gall to claim that their religion is the true church of God which Jesus Christ Himself has founded. Then, what about the other Christian religions, the Buddhists, Hindus, the Muslims? Who are we to say that they are not entitled to salvation when some of these religions are a lot older than Christianity?
I say—no religion has the monopoly of salvation. PERIOD.
Sadly, the very thing that’s supposed to unite the world has become the source of major conflicts. And that’s even an understatement.
That’s why I have so much respect and admiration for people who try to bridge the gap among different religious faiths. By doing so, they have helped foster unity and greater religious tolerance among peoples. Pope John Paul II reached out to non-Catholics, including the Muslim world and other religious denominations.
Another person is Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk who helped end the suffering of the Vietnam War. Now 81 years old and living in a monastery in France, he was recently named “Asian hero” by Time Magazine.
“Do not,” he said, “be bound to any doctrine, theory or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means, not absolute truth.” AMEN!
The War AiN’T OVER yet!
August 24, 2007What’s with the ever changing seasons?… Hmmmmm…. In the aftermath of heavy downpours, I still have to get my groove back! Hayyy… It’s as if the energy has also left me together with the rains. Arrrgghhhh! I don’t like this.
For almost three weeks now, I’ve been too lazy to go to the gym though I miss the group exercises much, especially my yoga and combat classes.
I used to hit the gym five times a week. There was even a time when I would go there everyday but I had to compromise with myself for at least 5x since there’s hardly a room left for my muscles to rest. But for the past weeks, I only get worked out three times a week!
I should get going before my body adopts to a sedentary lifestyle once again. I don’t like to go back to my poor old self, a couch potato—a pacman-like creature who would devour anything that will fancy his mouth.
I'm seeing the signs– (or am i just being paranoid?)Today, I had spaghetti (carbo!) for brunch. I still have chicken curry and I’m thinking whether or not I should have it for merienda later since I ordered rice from our pantry girl here in the office. And tonight, my amiga invite me to eat at Cyma, a Greek resto in Greenbelt 3, since its grilled pork chop has been tagged as a must-try… gosh, temptations, temptations, fucking temptations!
Funny, I even have a photo on my desk to remind me of how I looked way back in 2003 when I was at my heaviest. I also posted one of my latest photographs at my thinnest which was taken about two months ago, again, to remind me of what I have achieved so far in my never-ending battle with the bulge… and to encourage me to keep goin’… (I used to be 230 lbs in 2003 and I weighed 190lbs in June. I refused to weigh nowadays for I’m pretty sure, I gained some extra pounds!)
The photos have been on my desk for a couple of weeks and so far… nothing… nada…! So, help me dear God!
Tonight, I RESOLVE to hit the gym. There should be no excuses since the building is just across my office. Let’s see if I can make it… I’m betting I’ll win this time!
Does LOVE really last forever?
A dear friend forwarded me this text message: "Love is not forever… Forever is a lie, and if love comes your way, you'll never know when it will end or die, but Love has a rhyme and always has its time, because Love is just between 'i love you' and 'goodbye.'"
Taking a much deserve break (after all it was 3 pm), i decided to engage him and commented on his forwarded text (i usually ignore forwarded text messages…) The highlight of that brief exchange of messages goes:
Warrior: Love is forever sis. We are alive today because of the universal energy which is called LOVE. It's unfortunate that some people (or most of them) put Love in a box and limits its power. Love endures. Love lasts because God is love and He is the source.
My friend: Wow! reminds me of my philo class. Then again, the capacity to love is forever but not the object of love…
Warrior: Yes, but if you are above it all, your love for a person can last forever, even beyond this lifetime… even if you think that the other person is gone or both of you have moved on. That's what we call Unconditional Love or in the words of Paolo Coelho– "Agape."
My friend: So you still love (name of the person)
Warrior: Yes, but no longer in a romantic way. It has evolved into something deeper. I can truly say yes, i still love the person because i really wish him well in his choices. It took time though. But I can say now I support him fully without judgment. Kagaya mo, I support you all the way
My friend: Uyyy…
Warrior: True yan sis. After all, we are accountable for our actions. We can't blame others for what we have become because we always have a choice. As a friend, I can only support you… but you make your choices. It's your life. Ganun din sa kin, i make my choices and decisions and I expect my friends to support me and pray that i made the right one
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