Life, Day by Day

The name, Amanpulo derived from the Sanskrit word aman , meaning peaceful and the Pilipino word pulo , meaning island, literally means Peaceful Island. When 2011 began, I felt it was going to be a positive year but I never would have dreamed that I would be going to this beautiful beach resort.  Why? Well, first and foremost, I would not be able to afford it, and  secondly, only the rich and famous went there, the likes of the late JFK, Jr  who went there with Darryl Hannah (this was before he got married) and more recently if grapevine is to be believed, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. And so, as much as I love going to beaches, Amanpulo or other similar places was never in my wish list (uhmmm, on second thought, maybe it was in my fantasy list) or things-to-do in the future list.  Therefore, when I was invited early this year by good friends, I did not take it seriously and promptly forgot about it.  Then they reminded me in March but then again, I was very busy with work that I wasn

I had it all figured out.  I was going to have a forgettable birthday, so quiet that not even I would remember.  But events have a way of conspiring against the best laid plans and so, what better way for people to know that it is my birthday than to renew a driver's license and passport.  To beat the crowd, I decided to leave the house early.  After bringing my son to the university (summer classes), I proceeded to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) hoping to find a good parking space (finding a space in this area is like looking for a needle in a haystack) and I did (after calling all the angels for help)!  I stood in line only to be told that licensing renewals were now processed only at their Robinson's Place satellite office.   Whaaaattt??? If I knew that then I would not have driven all the way down here...big sigh!  So off I hurriedly went since parking in that mall is even worse because of the renovation going on but like I said, my angels found me one right in front

Frankly I don't remember talking what I wanted to be when I grew up.  It was always the adults around me who would answer..."a doctor!"...every time someone asked. And like a good mimic...I would say the same thing.  Of course, as the years went by the idea of becoming a doctor took root and when college came, I just went along for the ride.  But what did I really want to be?  What were my dreams? Well for one, I wanted to be a princess.  I don't remember who brought me to see Forever My Love (1962), a condensed version of Sissi, a 1955-57 film trilogy loosely based on the life of  Elizabeth, Empress of Austria .  What I remember after that is the fact that I was so taken by the idea that maybe I could be a princess.  I think I was around age 6 then, and later I was able to see the sequel (?) to the film which further fueled my imagination and dream of becoming one.  I would convert my bed into a castle, my blankets into long skirts and play pretend for hours on en

If you want to be healthy.....This is great advice!

I've been busy...that's why I haven't had any entry since the end of January.  That plus the fact that the world seems to be out of sync...weather continues to be bad and it's March now but there are no signs of summer.  All these has added to my somewhat out of focus and disorganized days which I conveniently point out as a main reason for my busyness.  The restlessness I have felt since late last year, I attributed to another mid-life occurrence but now with all these events happening around the world, I am beginning to think like some people that there is some form of re-birth or a shift going on in the world.  There is this post by Anne Thomas that talks about an enormous cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world.  But for me it is more than that. I agree with the idea that there is a "wave of birthing" but I also strongly believe that God has a hand in all these.  The world has changed so much...everything is relative now-a-days. The

I have more than 2000 unopened e-mails in my different accounts, a lot of which are those forwarded by friends...I usually first open emails for work or work-related matters and set aside the rest but, I also don't delete e-mails from people I know if I have not read them yet, so you can imagine the clutter in my in-boxes. Oh well, in real life and in the virtual world, I am the same...a rat packer or a borderline hoarder.  When I finally find the time, like now of cleaning up my e-mail, I finally read this quiz sent in September about personality....hmmm.  The instruction was for me to choose a picture which appealed to me most.  Frankly, all the pictures were not my type but it said... appealed to you most , so I chose two...numbers 1 and 9.  Again, that's me...I can be many people depending on the situation :)   Picture No. 1 says... I am Introspective     Sensitive    Reflective You come to grips more frequently and thoroughly with yourself and your environment t

I spoke too soon....I think.  January 2011 started on a very positive note...and then...uh,oh... First, how could so many people I know or know of die in one week's time?  There was the mother of a fellow doctor and a staff nurse, all within 24 hours of each other...then 2 of our neighbors just dropped dead, also in a span of 1 or 2 days from each other!  And before I could even give my respects, last 01-11-2011...it rained! It rained so much from evening until the next day, that it caused flooding all over the city (as well as 3 other neighboring cities and one town), causing mass evacuation of people in several barangays, stranded passengers in stalled vehicles and trapped employees who could not get out of their work place because of the rising flood waters. You can see people getting off buses and walking home in knee high waters...my son walked for about 2 and a half kilometer in the dark (there was a blackout to avoid electrical accidents) in order to get home. My nephew