LP2: tulay

Madaling maka-appreciate ng gusali, ng istraktura, ng estatwa, o ng hardin. Pero bihirang mabigyan ng pansin ang mga tulay.

Ang tulay ay nag-uugnay ng maraming bagay, lugar, pangyayari, o maging tao! Isipin na lang natin ang importansya ng mga tulay!

Ang una kong litrato na ibabahagi  ay isa sa mga paborito kong tulay. Ito ay matatagpuan sa Avilon Zoo. Mahilig ako sa ganitong uri ng mga tulay…yung parang may pagka-environmentalist ang dating. Ang maganda pa dito na gustong gusto ko ay ang kalikasan na pumapalibot dito. Ang ganda diba?

Ang tulay na susunod, parang sa ibang bansa ano? Pero hindi! Alam nyo ba kung saan ito?

Ito ay ang San Juanico Bridge, na nag-uugnay sa Samar at Leyte. Maraming naging kwento ang tulay na ito…kesyo daw may mga buto ng bata na inilagay dito o di kaya’y dugo ng mga bata! Haay, ayokong isipin na ganito nga. Basta, hindi man ito world-class, natutuwa parin ako at meron din tayong ganito sa ating bansa.

Halina’t tingnan ang iba’t ibang tulay ngayong linggo sa Litratong Pinoy!

LP1: gusali

Matagal tagal ko na ring binibisita ang mga litrato dito sa Litratong Pinoy…at matagal ko na ring iniisip kung sasali ako. Nang nalaman ko na ang tema sa linggong ito ay gusali, naisip ko na ito na ang panahon upang magsumite ng aking unang lahok dahil sa dami ng kuha kong gusali.

Kaya heto ang aking unang mga litrato.

  Central Station: Amsterdam

 Town Hall, Grand Place, Belgium

Yan ay mga gusali sa Amsterdam at Belgium. Nang una kong nakita ang mga yan, sa totoo lang, lumuwa ang mata ko at matagal bago ko naisara ang bibig ko. Talaga namang manghang-mangha ako sa ganda ng mga gusali. Wala akong nasabi kung hindi “WOW!” Makikita mo na hindi lang basta gusali kung hindi work of art na rin. Tingan nyo na lang kung gaano kabusisi ang mga disenyo. Yung Central Station, stasyon ng tren yan ha pero mukhang kastilyo! Talaga namang nabusog ang mata ko sa mga gusali sa Europa!

Gusto mo pa ng ibang gusali? Tara na at tumingin ng iba pang lahok  sa Litratong Pinoy!

Why I love kids

You know why I love kids and to be around them?

Because you’ll know that it’s okay to…

• Eat ice cream while the melted part flows into your hands [and onto your clothes]
• Jump up and down on the bed [despite the fact that you have Ikea beds and Sferra sheets] and throw the pillows around
  
• Dance to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face
• Make silly faces when you feel like it
• Get dirty while playing with them
• Bend the rules at times
• Experiment with mud, soaps, water, and anything your parents told you not to mess with
  
• Run toward every character you see at Disneyland and have your picture taken with them
• Chase butterflies, frogs, and even bugs
• Give [and recieve] lots of kisses and hugs

In short, kids are a constant reminder that it’s okay [and  healthier] for us adults to be young-at-heart. It’s a better disposition than being the mature, grumpy adult, don’t you think?

So take the time to go to the playground and play on the swing and seesaw. Believe me, it will do wonders for you.

Let’s make tusok-tusok the fishball!

One day, while preparing to bake cupcakes, I noticed some ants on the table we were to use.

KG: Okay Wendy and Cherub, the first thing we will do is take the langgam off the table.

Wendy: Mama, if you’re going to speak in English, speak in English. If you’re going to speak in Tagalog, speak in Tagalog!

Now I’m seriously thinking of getting one of those PDAs so I won’t forget this very basic rule of speaking!

Beauty queen in the making?

Remember Charlene Gonzalez in the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, when she was asked how many islands the Philppines has? You might have watched it on your lcd monitor and know very well that she wittingly asked back, “High tide or low tide?”

Well, we had our own version just days ago…

Tita: Wendy, how many days are there in a year?

Wendy: Regular year or leap year?

Of Easter and colored eggs

Happy Easter everyone!

So how was your Holy week? I hope you had a fruitful one, after all, in case you haven’t noticed, this is the only time of the year when when malls are closed, industrial products are turned off, work is minimal, and police officers are lenient! How’s that for a quiet time for respite?

Anyway, just in case you’re wondering what the rationale is behind egg hunts during Easter Sunday, simply put, on the basis that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, similarly, the egg is widely used as a symbol of the start of new life, just as new life emerges from an egg when the chick hatches out.

Break

Just like we spend a lot on life or car insurance, I believe we should also take measures to insure our spiritual lives.

So I’m taking a very brief break from computers and blogging for the next 2 days a way of sacrifice. Yes, nowadays, sacrifice may take as little as not opening your computer or not using your cell phone. And honestly, I believe that these are enough. Thus, no e-mails, no blog hopping, no Internet!

Let us bring ourselves back to the basics and forget about all the “noise” in the world as we celebrate Good Friday and Black Saturday.

I’ll see you all again on Easter Sunday!

What Lent means

We are now in the middle of the Holy Week, well into the “core,” beginning on Thursday. Remember that this week is not all about vacations and holidays. Let us all not forget what Jesus Christ went through to save us, and it is through Him we are saved.

Let us remember the most important message that the Holy Week has for us: For God so loved the world, He gave us His only son. And let us also remember that He is always with us. His number is toll free: it doesn’t cost a thing, and more importantly, we can call anytime.

Have a blessed and meaningful Lenten season to everyone.

Happy anniversary to me

Time flies by too fast…she was once  baby, and now she’s 8 years old. Ten years from now, she’ll be celebrating her debut! Gosh!

This celebration also marks the 8th year anniversary of my being a mother. I can’t believe that it has been 8 years since I entered a whole new world!

The past 8 years of being a mom has led me to new experiences of diaper changing, bottle feeding, walking lessons, cold compress during sick days, check-ups with pediatricians, kulitans, full camera memory sticks, chikahan with friends about being a mother, candid kid moments, playground days, enrollments, school-project making, recognition days, and much, much, more! And I have no complaints!

And with all honesty, I am looking forward to more years of being a mother!

Happy 8th birthday to Wendy, and happy 8th anniversary of being a mother to me!

A cut above the rest

Malu Fernandez belittling the OFWs, Boyet Fajardo humiliating a Duty Free cashier [who, I might add, was just doing his job], and the latest, Chip Tsao calling the Phlippines a “nation of servants” — different ages, different genders, different nationalitites, different personalities. But these people all represent a fact that will always be present in our world: There will always be people, regardless of gender, age, social status, or nationality, who will think that they are a cut above the rest.

What makes a person better than someone else? Is it socioeconomic status: the poor will always be under the rich? Is it educational background: the educated will always be better than the uneducated? Will the fashionistas carrying the latest Louis Vuitton bag or wearing the latest breeches always get better seats in the restaurant? Or, God forbid, will women never break the glass ceiling?

It’s really very disheartening to see people who think they are a step above others just because they have more money, or they are popular, or they have the master’s or doctorate degree, or they have the power.

And what is more painful is that they actually think that they have the right not to respect other people because of whatever they have.

I guess the bottom line here is respect. If you respect others, no matter how educated, or rich, or popular you are, whomever you meet, even if it is a beggar or an undergrad, you will always treat that person in a considerate manner, as we should treat ALL our fellow human beings.