Oh My!

Nate while leaving the cemetery: “Goodbye dead people. I’ll see you later!”

Gosh, what did he just say?

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My TBR List

It’s been a while since I posted my reading materials here. I was cleaning one of  our cabinets then discovered all my journals, some are still blank waiting to be filled and  some of my brand new books still unread.  A couple of years ago, I took a photo of them.  They are now wrapped in plastic covers.

Except for the small volume  of Breakfast at  Tiffany’s, a glimpse of Helen Steiner Rice’s poems and reading Mary Oliver’s book from cover to cover,  my other books remain unread.  Would love to start on Haruki Murakami’s Kafka On The Shore pretty soon. That’s Oscar Wilde collected works is a treasure. I have previously bought a small volume (paperback edition) and that’s what I’ve been reading in fits and starts. The words are pretty small so I am finding it hard to read. I got used to e-books where you can enlarge the prints or even change the background color to your liking. I have read  Thomas Merton’s  Thoughts on Solitude before but it is really so nice to finally have my copy.  I used to have almost all books by Diana Gabaldon, trade paperback editions but I somehow lost them all during the flood in 2009.  John Green’s five-volume books are still in their original cartoon cover. I enjoyed reading A Fault In Our Stars before so maybe these books are good too.

As I am done with my 2017 reading challenge in Goodreads, I am presently trying new authors, thrillers and historical fiction.

What’s on your to-be-read list? Anything interesting?

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Truly Amazing

I am excited.

Who would not be?

Finally, this is another milestone in blogging. And I thought  it would take me until December to rich these numbers.  500,006.  Truly amazing.

When  I started blogging, I ‘d be lucky if I have 50 visits to my blog posts in a day.  I don’t mind how many followers I have, not all of them read my blog anyway.  No offense meant but some are just promoting their own blog. Just yesterday, there was  someone who posted her comments in five of my blog posts but there was really nothing there except her website. Not even a hi or hello.  I really got annoyed,  allowed one of her comments then I politely commented back.  If she is promoting her blog which is practically new she should have a least left a nice comment in one of those  posts. I have to put them all in my trash file then deleted them.  The last time I checked, she deleted  her comment which I approved just to answer her.  That was the first time I encountered  spam comments approved by  WordPress. Maybe it’s because she has a legit site at WordPress. The last time I checked, Akismet has protected me from 54,456 spam comments  and  I have deleted them all.

Half a million views but not that many visitors. Maybe when they visit my blog, they read earlier blog posts that I wrote over the years.   For me, having many views means that someone out there is reading what you write and it’s kind  of inspiring in the process.

Thank you so much my blogger friends for the support. Thank you WordPress for the nice numbers.

 

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Turning 61

I know, I know. I should be writing  about how my day went yesterday celebrating my 61st birthday.  I went out for a while to see our street all aglow with  red  Christmas lights in each electric post in front of each house.  I just love it. This is what Santa says:

Right now, there are 57 days until Christmas 2017

And yes, I am quite distracted by the songs playing on Josef’s Bose SoundLink  Mini. It’s a Bluetooth speaker  which was Nissa’s gift to him last Christmas.   It’s the sound of the  70’s this time. I don’t know why but I was looking for another song by Frank Sinatra called  Something Stupid  and he has it too. Oh, what a thrill!  Jumping with joy listening to well-selected songs he downloaded on his phone the past few days.

Let’s see, Josef went on vacation leave yesterday so we could celebrate my birthday. We were out the whole day. Nissa brought Nate to their office to have  a Halloween party so we had lunch together at Tokyo Tonteki  in Greenbelt 5, Makati. Yes, it’s Japanese cuisine and I simply loved it. Then we went to BGC (Bonifacio Global City) to shop for a while. I’m impressed with their  JP Morgan office, it’s so tall and so big. I watched their ad at the ground floor lobby featuring the services of JP Morgan Chase Bank worldwide.  Next before we went home, we had dinner at SM East Ortigas mall. That completes the day for me. Food and more food.  I had fun reading all the greetings on Facebook.  Six of my priest friends also sent their greetings and one offered his mass intention for me. These photos stand out:

A photo collage from a friend who greeted me “Happy New  Year”.

Taken yesterday at Tokyo Tonteki.

 

 

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Some Thoughts Before I Say Hello To A New Year

Have you ever thought of birthdays being new years in your life? Fresh start, a new chapter, a new beginning and another year of bountiful blessings. Another three hundred sixty-five days to look forward to, another forty-eight weeks or maybe 52 weeks of challenges and possibilities, another twelve months to learn more about life and its beauty. And it’s another year of making memories and searching for old dreams, chasing rainbows and reminiscing.

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Listen To The Beat

I grew up in the sixties so I could really relate.

I was in grade school when I first heard of The Beatles. My high school years were all about the 60’s music and early 70’s too.  Last night after dinner while I was in front of my PC reading blog posts, Josef entered the room and said “you will surely enjoy this Ma”  placing his cellphone near me.  Then I heard those lovely tunes of the 60’s.  Various artists, so many songs. They took me back to  my early childhood. I listened for more than an hour to lovely songs  of old. I asked him if he downloaded them from YouTube. He said he didn’t.  Think of The Animals, The Hollies, The Monkees, Simon and Garfunkel, Frankie Valli, Dave Clark Five,The Fifth Dimension, Roy Orbison   to name a few. There are so many of them, I could not remember all the groups but the songs  are so familiar. I remember the cassette tape I had before about the British Invasion and those CDs I used to buy on soul music of the 70’s. Now I only listen on YouTube while using the computer.

It makes me think, the 60’s  were  the most productive years  when it comes to this type of music.  Feel the beat.  Listen to the music.

 

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When It Comes Near

I was doing a little gardening this afternoon when I heard  the doorbell ring. A Cainta van was in front of our gate.  The two employees of the municipal hall asked me when my birthday is. One even sang a happy birthday. I was surprised.  They gave me this  bag of groceries and a big umbrella from the Mayor’s office.

One of our neighbors said months ago that they give birthday gifts to senior citizens every year.  This is my first time to receive one.  I truly appreciate this, it’s the thought that counts, right?

Have I told you that  recently our town  was given recognition of excellence, a well-managed town among all the towns in the Philippines?  It is the richest town among all towns outside Metro Manila.  I think  we received the awards for three straight years. Mayor Kit is the best, I must agree.  He has a Facebook page and he gives us updates every day.  You can even drop by his office and he will entertain you. I send messages to him sometimes when our garbage collector is  not on schedule and he immediately responds.

I’ll be turning 60  61 in two days  and this is a lovely gift for my birthday.

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How Old A Soul Are You?

“When the winds of change blow, you sense the outcome ahead of others, having seen so much before. Surprises come in smaller forms to you, as in the unexpected experiences of the senses, deepening your appreciation of the physical. You want life to last so you can explore your mature understanding of existence. You have become patient with the younger souls, understanding their paths and of the challenges they face. You forgive much, often acting as mentor without pushing your beliefs upon others. You give without great expectations of receiving. Love has become the most valued concept in your universe – this life may be your quest to perfect your ability to express and receive perfect love. Thoughts of dying do not fill you with dread, as you understand death is a part of life, and life is a process of becoming… so death is a graduation, not an end. At rest, you feel at one with the universe and are grateful for your current home, Earth. You have a heartfelt affinity for history – the connections to various periods throughout time are undeniable. Very old souls are adept at recognizing other old souls… mutual respect forms naturally between them”.

I wonder how true is this. In some instances I do agree. 

Took this quiz at FB, some days back. It was saved on my notes. I love history and I love to read historical books.  I sometimes dream of  places in my childhood . Soulmates ?  Yes, I  think  so too. Who knows, our  family members and close friends might have been close to us in earlier life.  And death certainly is, and should not be something to be afraid of.

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Yes Virginia, The Flowers Are Edible

I haven’t tasted this for quite sometime, and I mean the last time I had it was decades ago. Seldom do I see such flowers here in the city. I remember my lola (grandmother), who used to have this as a regular fare in the family dishes that she used to cook. She was hypertensive and it was through her that I learned of the curative effect of this medicinal plant.

Locally we call these flowers Katuray.

Locally  known as katuray, it has white and pinkish red flowers and are usually grown from seed.  It is also called Sesbania grandiflora or hummingbird tree and West Indian Pea. The flowers are best used in salads and are excellent source of calcium, iron and Vitamin B.

Escabeche is a wonderful dish.  I used slices of  fried mackerel. The tangy, slightly sweet sauce compliments the taste of these flowers.  Escabeche is cooked using vinegar, ginger, onions, garlic, a little sugar and salt and of course katuray flowers.

We call this Escabeche.

Give this a try, I promise it is delish.

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Tayo Na Sa Antipolo

We left the house  before 6am.

Too early for some but it was a nice drive from our place to the Antipolo Cathedral, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good  Voyage.  There was no traffic along the way. I’ve missed the cool winds of Antipolo City. It is higher than Metro Manila and the weather is a bit colder. It attracts millions of pilgrims every year.

We had the new car blessed and we attended the 7am mass while waiting in line for the hundreds of   cars and motorcycles blessed by the priests and lay ministers.  An older seatmate told me that Sunday is  usually when people troop to  Antipolo  to have their new cars blessed, attend masses  and pray for special petitions on their scheduled trips outside the country.  The church was full despite the hourly mass schedules. There was a big screen at the right side of the church so one can participate in the mass without having to squeeze  inside the cathedral.

A bit blurred image of the Shrine taken on a CP this morning.

We bought  kasuy, some sweets and suman, a glutinous rice cake wrapped in coconut leaves and cooked  in coconut cream.  The  side streets outside the cathedral teem with vendors  selling Filipino delicacies.

Stores galore in Antipolo

On the way back, we traversed Ortigas Avenue  Ext. Horrendous traffic on a  Sunday at that. It took us close to two hours before reaching our place.  I am no longer used encountering the mad rush of cars outside because I seldom go out.  Maybe that’s why, several cars every day pass by our subdivision to avoid the heavy traffic at Ortigas Ext.  Cainta is Rizal’s gateway to the various cities in Metro Manila.

Gonna come back to the Shrine, one of these days just to hear mass.

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