Who wants to be a parent?!?

I’ve come across this list for several times and each time I do, I can’t help but laugh while imagining each item. For the ones who are planning to be a parent, read this list and see if you really are ready to become one. For those who presently have little angels, read this list to prepare yourself for the ‘joys’ of your new life as a parent. For those who managed to raise up their kids and hold on to their precious sanity, read this list and give yourself a pat on your shoulder for successfully doing so. For those who don’t have children, read this list and perhaps you’ll think that it is something to thank for. Finally, for those who want to have one but still haven’t found the other parent of their babies..uhh..that’s another story..just read this list and see the truth wrapped in humor. Whoever said that preparation for parenthood is not just a matter of reading books and decorating the nursery is correct. Of course I am not saying this based on my own experience as a parent but somehow I’ve got to feel how it is to take care of those creatures called babies. When my Ate gave birth to my nephew, I told myself that he’s such a handsome and adorable little angel. Now that Jonathan is almost a year and three months old, I dare say that this list makes sense.

1) (Women) To prepare for maternity, put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag chair down the front. Leave it there for nine months. After nine months, remove 10% of the beans.

2) (Men) To prepare for paternity, go to the local drug store, tip the contents of your wallet on the counter, and tell the pharmacist to help himself. Then go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office. Go home. Pick up the paper and read it for the last time.

3) Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels, and how they have allowed their children to run riot. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it--it's the last time in your life that you will have all of the answers.

4) To discover how the nights feel, walk around the living room from 5pm till 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds. At 10pm put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep. Get up at 12am and walk around the living room again with the bag, until 1am. Put the alarm on for 3am. As you can't go back to sleep, get up at 2am and make a drink. Go to bed at 2:45am. Get up again at 3am when the alarm goes off. Sing songs in the dark till 4am. Put the alarm on for 5am. Get up. Make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. LOOK CHEERFUL.

5) Can you stand the mess children make? To find out, smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains. Hide a fish stick behind the stereo and leave it there all summer. Stick your fingers in the flowerbeds then rub them on the clean walls. Cover the stains with crayons. There, how does that look?

6) Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems. First buy an octopus and a string bag. Attempt to put the octopus into the string bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this: all morning.

7) Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a can of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube. Using only scotch tape and a piece of foil, turn it into a Christmas tree. Last, take a milk container, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Coco Puffs and make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower. Congratulations! You have just qualified for a place on the playgroup committee.

8) Forget the Miata and buy the minivan. And don't think you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that. Buy a chocolate ice cream bar and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a quarter. Stick it in the cassette player. Take a family-size bag of chocolate cookies. Mash them down the back seats. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car. There! Perfect!

9) Get ready to go out. Wait outside the toilet for half an hour. Go out the front door. Come in again. Go out. Come back in. Go out again. Walk down the front path. Walk back up it again. Walk down it again. Walk very slowly down the road for 5 minutes. Stop to inspect minutely every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way. Retrace your steps. Scream that you've had as much as you can stand until all of the neighbors come out and stare at you. Give up and go back in the house. You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

10) Always repeat everything you say at least five times. Go to your local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a pre-school child. A fully-grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy. Until you can easily accomplish this do not even contemplate having children.

11) Hollow out a melon. Make a small hole in the side. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side. Now get a bowl of baby food and attempt to spoon it into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane. Continue until half of the baby food are gone. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the floor. You are now ready to feed a 12-month-old child.

12) Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirtsleeve or elbow. Pretend that that is normal. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

13) Pick a day in which you have an important meeting. Put on your finest work attire. Take a cup of cream, and put 1/4 cup lemon juice in it. Stir. Dump it on your nice shirt. Also, saturate a towel with this mixture. Attempt to wipe it off with this towel. Do NOT change. You have no time. Go directly to work.

14) Learn the names of every character from Barney, Sesame Street, Dora, Disneyland and Cartoon Network. Watch nothing else on TV for at least five years. When you find yourself singing, "I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you..." at work, now you finally qualify as a parent!

There it is, plus a lot more! Pero siyemps, part lang naman yan ng joys of parenthood. Pwede rin joys of having an apo (sa mga lolo at lola) or in my case ay pamangkin. Nakaka-aliw na nakakapagod. Masakit sa katawan (lalo na sa braso), lalo na kapag namamasyal kayo at ang gusto lang niya ay magpakarga o kaya magpahabol sa’yo habang naglalakad siya kung saan-saan! Pero oks lang, isang cutie smile lang niya or giggles at hug ayos na..at siyempre alam ko kasing kapag tired na ako pwede ko na siyang ibalik sa mga magulang niya! Hehehehe..

Do All Things Really Work Together for the Good?

We may see nothing good come of misery and disaster in this world, but this world is not all of reality. There is an ‘until’; there is a place beyond the horizon of what our senses can apprehend, and it is more real and more lasting than what we experience in this mortal shell. God is using the present, even the miserable present, to conform us to the image of his Son.  Read more here ->

Remembering How to Forget

I forgot
How it is to forget
How it is to live a day without remembering you

I forgot
How it is to smile
How it is to cry not when I am missing you

If it would help
I will try to remember
How to live my life without you again

If it would help
I will try to forget
How miss you each passing day

If only I could choose to have you faded off my memory
If only I could choose to bring back time
If only I could choose to go on with live as if you were never a part of it

I would.

I want to remember how it is to forget
I want to know how it is not to feel
I want to learn how to move on -- alone

Sen. Raul Roco is gone (+)

          Sen. Roco is gone. The man who brightens up my day with his colorful and fanciful choice of fashion - yes, the gumamela-laden polo. So now, what..ahh..at least Mayor Atienza of Manila is still there to live the fashion. Yeah, I remember him mostly (argh..aside from his strong stand against artificial methods of family planning) for his show "Maynila" where he features areas of the city which the city government has improved, and of course every episode also features his colorful polo, just like Senator Raul Roco's.

          It was in the middle of our CMT session when my seatmate received a message saying he's gone. I texted some friends asking if it's true, and after only a few minutes one of them confirmed that it indeed is true. Died around 9 in the morning due to his prostate cancer at St. Lukes, she said.

          Oh, that was sad. I didn't vote for Roco in the last Presidential election, but I was saddened by his death though everyone know that he is suffering from cancer. Then I remembered that he is the second among the 2004 Presidentiables who died. Actually, I was more shocked with the death of Mr. Fernando Poe, Jr. and though I never did liked him to be President somehow, I felt the gloom in the atmosphere.

          My late bloomer friend quoted Eddie Gil saying that the next one to die among the Presidentiables is a woman (and of course isa lang naman yun)..and my friend wrote, pwede ba silang magsabay? (knock on wood). Well though that Eddie Gil guy is now well known for his antiques, pero hindi naman nakakatawa yun comment niya na yun. Not that I am for gma, hindi ko rin naman yun binoto (hello!?), pero bad naman kasi na i-predict mo na mamamatay yun isang tao (kahit sino pa yun).

          Of course, everyone is already saying their own pieces on the consecutive deaths of 2 presidentiables, like there seems to be a trend..blah..blah..blah.. And Panfilo Lacson has everything to say against gma..and SWS's survey revealed that Filipinos are sort of giving their thumbs up for gma (and her cohorts are predicting that it will continue to rise in the next survey, as if they've been to the future or some sort of have seen the result of future surveys - hello?!)..and Eddie Gil was seen on the news last Friday having problems with some real estate/property in a city..and Bro. Eddie Villanueva held prayer rallies for the principles of truth, justice, freedom and righteousness to reign in the country.

          What's next? I don't know. As my former Prof. in USTe would always say: "only God knows!!" And I still have faith that the Almighty is still in control; and that everything will be exposed, in His own perfect time.

Tuwing Umuulan

Minsan, nagsasawa na rin akong magsulat ng tungkol sa feelings ko kapag umuulan. Kadalasan kasi, puro malulungkot na bagay ang naiisip at naisusulat ko. Ewan ko ba, masarap yatang magpakasenti kapag umuulan, napaka perfect nun gloomy na atmosphere. Pero nakakasawa naman magpakasenti lagi noh! Kaya, para maiba naman, iba naman ang inisip ko.

Ilang araw na rin kasing umuulan kaya inisip ko yun top ten masasayang bagay na ginagawa ko noon kapag umuulan..mga bagay na nami-miss ko ngayon at sana pwede ko ulit gawin sa mga darating na araw..

(1) Siyempre, ang maligo sa ulan (pwede siguro, dun lang ako sa loob ng bakuran at isasarado ko yun gate)

(2) Punuin ng tubig ulan yun drum para magswimming sa loob nito (hindi na masaya ito kasi lagpas bewang ko na lang yun drum eh dati kasi hanggang leeg ko yun!)

(3) Makipagbatuhan ng plastik na may tubig - a la water grenade (wala na kong kabatuhan ngayon)

(4) Gumawa at maglaro ng bangkang papel (yep, why not?!)

(5) Maglaro ng putik (yoko na nito kasi pangit yun lupa sa bakuran namin ngayon, di tulad nun sa dati na parang clay)

(6) Magduyan sa ilalim ng patak ng ulan (wala na kaming swing eh..pero last time kong nagawa ito June last year..sa isang park..sarap ulitin kung may pagkakataon)

(7) Mamitas at kumain ng bayabas pagkatapos ng ulan - hindi ko alam kung bakit nahihinog ang bunga ng bayabas kapag umuulan (sayang, wala na kaming puno ng bayabas)

(8) Umakyat sa puno para manghuli ng salagubang - pero takot akong magapangan ng salagubang (hindi ko alam kung marunong pa akong umakyat ng puno..tagal ko na palang hindi nagawa ang umakyat sa puno!)

(9) Paanurin na parang bangka yun tsinelas ko sa gilid ng kalsada (ngyek! Yoko na nito..marami na kasing nakatira sa amin eh, dati kasi bukod sa bata lang naman ako eh kaunti pa lang nakatira sa lugar namin at kilala namin mga tao. Ngayon, ewan..dami-dami na nila..)

(10) Manood lang ng pagbuhos ng ulan habang nakadungaw sa bintana (this I almost always do)

.search.for.truth.peace.unity.rule.of.law.scribbles.from.a.notebook.foolish.ideas.

My friends are voicing their comments..kung anu-ano raw nilalagay ko sa blog ko..hmmm..sa bagay, entitled naman sila mag-comment, pero it’s up to me pa rin kung ano gusto ko i-post! Now here’s something different. Something, which many may not enjoy the content. Truth is always grueling for those who want to be left in the darkness of shallow existence.

This young mind is searching for the truth. Where is the truth? Isn’t truth a basic element to live a peaceful and harmonious life in a just society? Restlessness abounds where the truth is being suppressed in the guise of technicalities and legal jargons which ordinary people are tired of hearing from one public figure after another. I don’t belong to those people with the superior intelligence of twisting and bending and going around the law to make it appear that they’re right, but I am no moron either.

Rule of law. Which law? The bright part of my mind recalls that there are two general divisions of law: law in strict legal sense (state law); and law in non-legal sense, which includes divine law (philosophical theology), natural law (meta-physics), moral law (ethics), and physical law (physics). I found some notes scribbled in one of my college notebooks.  [Can you believe it..almost a month ago, I found 3 of my college notebooks! hahaha...] Hmm..save for some hieroglyphic-like scribbling, my notebooks were actually full of doodles and blank pages. I’m not really the type of person who creates those long and neatly written notes. You know, the ones who get famous in school because almost a third of the class got a photocopy of their notes. Yeah, at least some people (the photocopier owners) were able to make a living out of the laziness of others. BUT I don’t consider myself lazy (uhh..at least in the area of taking down notes), I just have this foolish belief that I can process and stock everything inside my not so little brain. Yep! And I don’t usually review for exams..heehe..I depend on my so-called stocked knowledge. Oh, my classmates and friends..you may have seen me lingering around the library or under a tree while thoughtfully reading a textbook, a notebook or those photocopied handouts from the Prof. Perhaps I have deceived you into believing that I am one of those geek creatures who love nothing but books and books. Hehe..this gal’s far from that. You might have seen me like contemplating deeply onto a book but mostly, my mind is drifting somewhere else. Okay, back to the scribbled notes; it said: “state law – the mass of obligatory rules established for the purpose of governing the relations of person in society; a rule of conduct, just, obligatory, promulgated by legitimate authority, and of common observance and benefit.” Common observance and common benefit seem to be an elusive dream for a society where the “kakilala, kamag-anak, ka-brod/sis sa fraternity/sorority, etc.” system rules.

My former professor told us to keep in mind this basic doctrine in law: what is not prohibited by the law is allowed by the law. No, not one of my Law Profs, but my Prof in Marriage and the Family. [Yep..I took that subject...a three unit subject in USTe. hehehe...] Back to the doctrine, the same line of thought is followed when we say that what is extra-constitutional is also constitutional. Of course there’s always the provided that blah..blah..blah..clause; but in essence, those people who seem to belittle those who are seeking for extra-constitutional means of doing things by saying that they don’t seem to understand the constitution which says clear that blah..blah..blah.. are actually putting themselves in complete shame for boasting about their delusion of brilliance. Funny how these people are pushing for the establishment of a body to search the truth (alas! A body to search what I’ve been waiting for..but would I then rest, assured that I would not wait in vain?). Yep a body to search the truth, to be created by the ones who are being questioned  (WHAT?). The creation of said body might also be legally questionable since there are already provisions for proper venues or proper institutions to handle the cases. And how about that partylist representative who wouldn’t want other reps to touch a complaint, which he filed? Don’t I have a logical mind to doubt his intentions of filing such? (heard he’s one of the “rightists”).

As each chapter of the story unfolds right under my nose, I can’t help but start to think about seeking greener pastures in some far away land. I would at times joke “magpapastol na lang ako ng tupa at mag-aalaga ng baka habang nagpapahinga sa damuhan.” BUT on the second thought, I don’t want to because of three things: faith, hope and love. Faith, not in the Filipino people; it’s really hard to trust anyone now save for the Almighty. I still have confidence that God is controlling everything. I still believe that in due time, everything will be exposed, truth will be revealed, heaven’s justice will be served, and abundance will flourish throughout the nation. I do not know when, but I have faith that the day will come. Perhaps never in my lifetime, but I would be more than content to have remained steadfast in continuously asking for truth rather than compromising. Hope that things will get better. It may worsen of course, depending on the stubbornness of people but I still hope that better days are yet to come. Love. No, not the so-called love life for I’m a stranger to that, but love for my country (I cannot say land because I don’t own a parcel of land). Call me whatever, but I really have those unexplainable Goosebumps over some of the recent events. Sad to say, there are people who seem to have lost this love. They’ve become indifferent. As long as they were able to breath and feed themselves, that’s all right. They no longer care what happens in the government. They lost trust. They lost hope. That’s a worse form of divisiveness--when a portion of the population isolates themselves from the rest of the nation. Sad but true.

Now, which law must rule? The State law of course one would say and so be it. I only wonder why they cut it at that. The very preamble of the Constitution which they implore to uphold and use against those who resort to extra-constitutional means states that the government must promote the common good and secure the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and the regime of TRUTH, JUSTICE, FREEDOM, EQUALITY and PEACE. These are all elusive dreams in a society where “connections” is the name of the game. With the recent SONA, impeachment complaints, etc., things may either worsen or get better; but I still hold on to faith, hope and love. Just always keep an open mind. The book of Hosea in the Old Testament said, “my people perish because of lack of knowledge.” Listen, ponder, understand, and search for what is truthful and just. I may still end up as poor as a pauper at the end of the day, but what the heck? We can’t bring treasures in heaven anyway.