The Way We Used To Be - Eric Carmen

I just discovered that Eric Carmen sang this song. Beautiful but sad...

Healing by Deniece Williams

A lot of people need healing...

Now that we have gotten through
One more fall
I can just admit I've got it all
Cause I do
Cause I've got you
We've crossed these battle lines too many times
It passes through the heart
But it never leaves a mark

Cause Your love just keeps on healing me
No matter how I bruise
If I just trust You
Your love just keeps on healing me
One more cure
One more chance that wasn't there before
In your arms
no pain can harm the way im feeling
Lord I know that Your love is healing

I've kicked around those lines in my head
But I never listened to the words that You said
See where it's lead
Well I know I have it now
Cause You showed me how
And all I had to do
Was just to keep my eyes on You

Cause Your love just keeps on healing me
No matter how I bruise
If I just trust You
Your love just keeps on healing me
One more cure
One more chance that wasnt there before
In your arms
no pain can harm the way im feeling
Lord I know that Your love is healing

Cause Your love just keeps on healing me
No matter how I bruise
If I just trust You
Your love just keeps on healing me
One more clue
One more chance that wasnt there before
In your arms
no pain can harm the way im feeling

Lord I know that Your love is healing

Goodbye Lola, I love you.

My grandmother, Luz Lising Domingo, passed away last Friday. She will be cremated today.

On November 7, she was rushed to the hospital due to high fever. It was discovered that she has pneumonia and a high level of UTI. When I visited her Saturday, she looked ok except that she was kinda delusional. A nurse took her temperature, he said it was not high anymore. My Lola stayed there till Wednesday, and was discharged Thursday morning.

I am sad to lose her. I was her favorite but when my nephew was born, I was dethroned. We were expecting her to go around April because she developed bed sores but the sores healed and she was fine again. My Uncle Bob, her first born, even went ahead of her. He had stage 4 cancer and he passed away September 21. Naunahan pa ni Uncle si Lola. She never knew her son died. My Auntie tried to tell her but my lola had some dementia already.

Auntie told her, "Mommy wala na si Bobby." Lola responded, "Diba nasa hospital sya?" Auntie clarified, "Wala na po sya, Nasa heaven na." Then Lola asked, "Kelan sya babalik?"

Apparently, she could not absorb the idea that my Uncle has passed away already. We could not bring her to my Uncle's body (he died at home) kasi we were afraid she would also die that day too.

I was able to visit Lola a few times while she was in the hospital. I am happy to have been able to serve her a few times. Masaya na rin ako kasi she recognized me. That means that she knew I was able to feed her and fix her. I even put lipstick on her because I was afraid her lips would crack since she was breathing through her mouth.

On the last day I saw her, there was a point she was just looking at me as if she was trying to tell me, "My dear apo, it's a pity I won't be spending more time with you anymore." She had that look in her eyes that were kinda sad but loving. I smiled and waved at her and she smiled faintly.

My only regret is that I was not able to tell her I love her. I know she felt my love during the time I was at the hospital with her pero iba pa rin kung nasabi ko sa kanya na mahal ko sya. With my Uncle, I was not able to really serve him but I was able to tell him I love him.

I'm rambling. I'm expressing my thoughts, my sadness. But I know she is now resting and with her Creator.

Goodbye Lola. I love you.

Happy Birthday Handsome!

Happy birthday handsome!

To the prettiest, sweetest and nicest boyfriend any girl could ever have.

You know who you are.

Mr. Santos and his cat

To Blu

Last Sunday's My Favorite Line on Philippine Star caught my eye. It's from The Breakup Diaries by Maya Calica:

"At some point you will learn that no matter how hard you play by the rules, make all the right moves, and try to be the Ms. Perfect, you don't always get the results you hope for."

My cuz and I discussed how we prayed for the right man to come into our lives but we still got duds. I remember asking for signs that would make me realize that he's not the one, but I was blinded by love, there were signs yet I refused to see them. There was one time I prayed that if he and I were not meant to be then the Lord would find a way out for me from the relationship and that He would remove the love that I felt for him. The Lord did find a way out for me but removing the love I felt was hard. I still ended up accepting him inspite of all the things he did to me. Then when he lied to me again I was mad at the Lord for letting him back into my life. I blamed Him for introducing him to me in the first place.

Funny, when you're in that position, you refuse to see the truth. I knew then that by praying this way, I won't get the right answer. But I kept praying this way, still hoping my prayer would work. You know what's wrong with this prayer? By asking God to give you the "right man" or showing you "signs" or asking Him to do things for you, you are saying "God, I don't want to be responsible for my palpak choices so I leave everything up to You. If something goes wrong, hindi ko kasanalan ok?" We may not say thing verbatim but this is really what we want to happen: we don't want to be responsible for our actions.

Being Godly, or religious or prayerfull or spiritual doesn't make anyone of us better or won't spare us from making the wrong choices or getting hurt by other people. God has given all of us free will, so we would make our own decisions. We have the capacity to make the right choices, to do what's best for us. Of course we are allowed to make mistakes, we are only human. Yun lang, praying or being a good girl doesn't guarantee us a happy life. Specially if we think good things will happen to us by doing good deeds.

We have people around us who support us and give us a different perspective of things, but we don't want to listen to them because we think they don't want us to be happy. When someone gives us a valuable piece of advice, if it doesn't feel good or it doesn't fit the picture we see through our rose colored spectacles, we dismiss it as paninira or unimportant.
How many times have I tried to warn you na duda ako sa kanya? Hindi ba when your sister gave you a piece of advice nagalit ka and you said she doesnt understand you and she doesnt want you to be happy? Natangsit ka gamin. I told you not to get intouch with him anymore but you did. You called him up and what did he do to you? He hung up on you and he kept rejecting your call. I don't want to have to say to you "I told you so..."

You know why the same thing happened to both of us? To teach us a lesson, to open our eyes. Dasal tayo ng dasal pero hindi naman natin binubuksan mga mata natin sa katotohanan at wala naman tayong ginagawa to make things right. There were signs but we refused to accept them since these signs were telling us what we didn't want to know, they were telling us of impending doom that we couldn't accept, so we had to suffer. Sabi ni Lord, "Ayaw mo makinig? Puwes, magdusa ka!" Tough love works for us because we are stubborn. We learn things the hard way.

I hope may natutunan ka sa nangyari sa iyo. I know I sound like making sermon but I just want you to learn this now, I'm afraid he might show up and ask you back tapos tanggapin mo sya. Mahihirapan ka lang. Don't make the same mistakes I made. You might end up tough and bitter.



No Man is worth a womans tears. The only one whos worth her tears is the one who knows he could but would never, ever make her cry.

A Tragic Love Story

They met online, via IRC in the late 90's. What they had is what we call a long distance chat/internet relationship: she was here in the Philippines, he was in Australia. This is the story of Laura and Clancy.
Ilang beses din silang naghiwalay. I heard that he even had other GFs after they split up a few times. I think she also had another BF. One story I heard about their love affair was that when they broke up once and he found another GF, he decided to come here to meet this new GF. The new GF went all the way to the airport to fetch him then she took him to his hotel. At the hotel, Laura arrived. Nagkagulo. How did Laura know he's coming and where he's staying? It's pretty obvious Clancy told Laura the details of his trip. So what happened next? Clancy had to choose, but new GF walked out on him. It's pretty obvious their relationship hasn't really ended and that he will choose his old GF.
Years later, a chatmate of mine, whom I haven't spoken to in a while told me the sad news. She wanted me to read the email of Laura. From her email I saw nagkatuluyan din pala sila after all these years of away-bati. They tied the knot September 2004, then they found out Clancy had liver cancer October. He passed away November. Tragic...
I don't know it this is true, if it is then I feel for Laura.

"Deep inside, I was not sorry he came into my life, I was sorry he had to leave... I realized that God never took him away from me. He never even gave him to me in the first place... The tears will still fall once in awhile. I know I will still think about him, but this time, not with anger or hatred, but with precious thoughts of the things we shared. And the pace and the love that I feel, these are the things that no one can ever measure."

A Happy Valentine's Day

Image(55)
Originally uploaded by fionski.

People, allow me to gloat and enjoy my VD this year.
Last year I was depressed, my doctor told me I had the classic symptoms of depression. From December to Febuary I was down in the dumps. My favorite past time then was sleeping inside my brother's room during the daytime, keep the lights off, TV on but on mute.
This year, my Christmas and New Year celebration were relatively happier, I had peace of mind and heart. Valentine's Day is even more special. Last time I got flowers on VD was in the mid 90s and from my female students. I don't remember getting anything from any of my past boyfriends. Last time a guy gave me flowers was on my birthday, Dec 2001. I got 12 long stemmed roses, ordered via the internet. Someone from chat sent it to me. Unfortunately, we were never meant to be.
This year is special. Right after chatting with S, I got a call from the flowershop asking for directions. S sent me flowers!!! 1 dozen long stemmed roses with chocolates and a cute teddy bear. The card was simple, only "happy valentine's day" was written there. Kilig ako!
Thanks S! You made my VD very special, you made me feel very special.

Record Breaking Kisses!

I watched Korina Sanchez's TV show last night, she featured Lovapalooza 2. Aliw ako! I saw all kinds of people kissing, even really old people on wheelchairs started to kiss at the stroke of 12 midnight.
I saw all kinds of couples kissing and all kinds of kisses. Some were as simple as a peck or a
smack on the lips that lingered for 10 secs, some were as passionate as tongue rolling kisses! I saw one couple's tongue moving in and out of their mouths as they were kissing. That was a bit unnerving. Some where really into the kissing while others were there just to help break the world record. I think it's cute!

Philippines may have broken the world record! Got this news bit from inq7:

MORE than 5,000 Filipino couples kissed simultaneously for 10 seconds to welcome Valentine's Day and set a new world record, organizers said Saturday.

Organizers of the "Lovapalooza" in Manila, an attempt to break the record for most people kissing simultaneously in one area, said 5,122 smooching couples broke the old record set by 4,500 couples in the Chilean capital Santiago last year.

Atienza had said the kissing event would be restricted to married couples, because of the Philippines' conservative Roman Catholic culture, but a casual check of participants found many of them were not married.

I don't want to be a wet rag but I think it's best to have legit couples at the Lovapalooza kissing. No one wants to see his/her partner kissing someone else on TV!

Who wants to join me at the Lovapalooza 3 next year?

Happy VD everyone!!! May you have more VDs to come!!!

From Meet Joe Black

"I know it's a cornball thing, but love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what areyou going to end up with? I say fall head over heels. Find someone you love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart... Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because the truth is, there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love -- well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived... Stay open. Who knows? Lightning could strike."

My sentiments exactly! Take the risk! You only live once. Love with passion, not with purpose.

Love At Second Sight

Were you expecting me to tell you my love story just because the title of my blog has the word "love" chuchu? Hehehe. Asa pa kayo!
While I was chatting with my cousin and my friend, both are ladies and we were talking about relationships, as usual, this song suddenly started playing in my head. I wasn't even listening to any music kanina, I just "remembered" the song. Maganda sya, magaling si David Foster, very dramatic, cinematic mga songs niya. Gumamit ka ba namang ng orchestra for one song, syempre ganda ng effect! Mag enjoy na lang kayo sa pakikinig, wala kayong choice eh. Hehehe!

If we learn to pace ourselves
it won't seem so dramatic, it won't be so unclear
'cause if we learn to pace ourselves
the ghost up in the attic might just disappear
you may not agree that it could happen here
And in the morning
I think we're gonna laugh somehow
at what we are afraid of now
'cause in the morning
we'll know better than tonight
if it's gonna end up love (at second sight)

And if we learn to trust our hearts
and disregard the voices leading us away
and we can make a better start
we have all the choices, we have all the say
you might not agree, but you can't walk away
And in the morning
I think we're gonna laugh somehow
at what we are afraid of now
'cause in the morning
we'll know better than tonight
if it's gonna end up love (at second sight)

Feng Shui for Love

My friend Paul married a nice and smart Chinese lady named Agnes. She gives feng shui advice for free, part of her "mission" to help other people. A few years ago she gave me feng shui advice, I dunno if I got everything right, because I put a picture of mandarin ducks on my South wall thinking that was my lucky wall. When I talked to her again recently she said my lucky wall is North! I checked my directions and the pic has always been on my North wall pala! Whew! I hope someone would benefit from these tips that were given to me.

Mandarin Ducks form a strong attachment to their partners and are said to pine away and die, hence, they are also an emblem of conjugal fidelity. A pair of Mandarin Ducks are excellent symbols for keeping love alive. Always keep in a pair and display them in your Tien yi romance direction in your home to keep your romance alive. All About Feng Shui recommends consulting a professional Feng Shui consultant if you find that you are having problems.

Kaya naman pala palpak yung ex ko kasi I displayed a bunch of mallards on my wall instead of mandarin ducks! Para siyang mallard!

Or you can display a pair of mandarin ducks in the Southwest. Make sure the mandarin ducks are the real mandarin ducks and not mallards, which are often passed off as mandarin ducks. Mallards change partner every season, attracting the wrong kind of guy/girl if you want a steady relationship, whereas the real mandarin ducks with the ruffled feathers round their necks stay with their partner for life. Also, make sure the mandarin ducks you display are made of gemstone (Earth element) and NOT wood; because wood destroys Earth.

Sabi pa ni Agnes I should put peonies in my room but peonies are not available here in the Philippines. Puwede yata yung artificial flowers. Sabi niya gumamelas with lots of petals look like peonies but they are not peonies. Ingat na ako ngayon baka magkamali na naman ako pumalpak na naman mahuka kong guy. If I use artificial flowers, di kaya artificial love din makuha ko? Hahaha!
She also told me to face the North when I'm working, eating, or using my computer, wear white most of the time, wear gold jewelry and sleep with my head pointing North. Mukhang mapaparenovate ang room ko ng di oras. Mukhang isasangla ko na ang aking diamond necklace ah. Hehehe.
I know some of you are skeptical pero what have I got to lose diba? Malalaman niyo kung epektib!
Btw, your lucky direction depends on your birthdate. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

Mahal Mo Ba Siya Talaga?

Message: Para sa mga taong nanliligaw, nagbabalak manligaw, nililigawan, naliligaw, nag-iintay maligawan at nagbabalak lumagay sa magulo...


Ang LOVE ay hindi minamadali...hindi pinipilit..
at lalong hindi kina-career...aray ko!


Unang-una...

PAANO MO BA NASABING MAHAL MO NA SIYA???...

Dahil ba natutuwa ka sa kanya???...
o kaya naman naaaliw ka???...
naswee-sweetan ka ba ng sobra sa kanya???...
kinikilig ka ba pag nakikita mo siya???...
at nahi-high kapag naririnig mo na ang boses niya???...

Eh teka muna...
baka naman infatuated ka lang....
o kaya naman kagaya nga ng sagot mo...
Baka naaaliw ka lang...dahil kakaiba siya...
may spark na hindi mo maintindihan...

tsk!!!...ang saklap nyan!...

Pangalawa...

GAANO MO NA BA SIYA KAKILALA???...

Madali ba siyang mapikon???...
pano ba siya mabadtrip???...
madali bang mahalata na may topak siya???...
ano bang suot niya pag nasa bahay siya???...
shorts ba o pantalon???...
nakasando ba siya o naka-t-shirt lang???...
matagal ba siyang maligo???....
kumakain ba siya ng vegetables???...
tamad ba siya???...
mas gusto ba niyang manood ng tv kaysa magbasa ng libro???...
nagpe-play station ba siya???...
tatlo ba ang pamangkin niyang lalaki???...
makukulit ba yung mga kamag-anak niya???...
green ba ang kulay ng gate ng bahay nila???...
sa village ba siya nakatira???...
may sakayan ba ng jeep na malapit sa kanila???...
nagsisimba ba siya linggo-linggo???...
kasama ba yung pamilya niya???...
at nagdadasal ba siya bago matulog???...

In short...
alam mo na nga ba???...ang mga bagay-bagay...
ang mga simpleng bagay tungkol sa kanya...
na nagdedetermine ng sarili niya...
as in kung sino ba talaga SIYA...

Pangatlo...

KAYA MO BA SIYANG TANGGAPIN???...

as in TANGGAPIN ng buong-buo...

sa lahat ng trip niya sa buhay...
sa lahat ng katopakan niya...
sa lahat ng pag-iinarte at pag-dadrama niya...
sa lahat ng kasalanang nagawa, ginawa, at
gagawin pa lang niya...
sa lahat ng naiisip niya... sa lahat ng sasabihin niya... sa kilos niya..
sa pananamit pa pala niya... sa pagsasalita...
sa pananaw niya sa buhay...
sa pagtrato niya sa tao...
sa lifestyle niya...
sa uri ng pamilyang meron siya...
sa uri ng kaibigang kasa-kasama niya...
sa style niya pagdating sa love...
sa kasweetan niyang natural...
sa paglalambing niya...
sa tawa niyang pagkalakas-lakas...
sa manners niya...
sa bisyo niya kung meron man...
sa mga pang-aasar niya sayo...
sa style niya pagdating sa pagsolve ng problema...
sa problemang maaari ka ring masama...

Pang-apat...

KAYA MO BANG MAGING TOTOO???...

kaya mo bang makita yung sarili mo...
na kasama pa rin siya ha...
sa isang sitwasyong pag naisip mo eh...
mapapaiyak ka na lang sa sakit...
nang dahil din sa kanya???...

kaya mo bang magmukhang tanga...
as in umiyak ng dahil sa kababawan...
ibuhos ang mga nararamdaman mo...
kahit na puro kababawan nga lang naman...
as in kahit sa harapan niya???...

kaya mo bang maging barubal pag kasama mo siya???...
yung tipo bang wala ka ng pakielam...
mawala man ang manners mo...
na wala ka naman talaga...

In short...

KAYA MO BANG MAGING IKAW KAPAG KASAMA MO NA SIYA???...

yung tipong hindi ka nahihiyang ipakita kung sino ka talaga...

dahil alam mong...

HINDI MO LANG SIYA TANGGAP...

TANGGAP KA RIN NIYA...

BUONG-BUO RIN...

MGA PEOPLE!!!...
tama na kasi ang trip...
tama na ang pagmamadali...
Oo, masarap ngang ma-involve sa isang tao...
pero di ba mas masarap yun...

LALO NA KUNG ALAM MONG TOTOO YUNG NARARAMDAMAN MO....

kaya dapat, hinde tayo nagpapa-bulag sa akala nating LOVE....
mag antay na lang tayo....
wag natin unahan....

For all we know, nde pa pala cya ang para sa atin......

Pero pag nasagot mo lahat ng nasa taas....
Baka nga... MAHAL mo na siya!

Should You Give an Ex a Second Chance?

By Laura Synder

Every player in the dating game has the tale of the one that got away. But sometimes we get a second chance to reel that catch in for good. But should you?

If you're hooked on starting over with an ex, consider the following:

How bad was the break-up?

It's not just a matter of who dumped who, but what the reasons behind the split were. Was it just a circumstance (like too far a distance or too demanding jobs) or was there bigger reason behind the split, like infidelity? All relationships deserve to start on a clean slate, but some old hurts are much, much harder to erase.

How have things changed?

Maybe it's as simple as your long-distance ex moving back to your zip code, but most likely a reconciliation requires a change in behavior on both sides. Has your cheating girlfriend proven that her wandering eye is finally focused on you? Or are you sure your jealous boyfriend is really ready to trust you? Make a little time for self-reflection here, too. Chances are, you have your own burden of fault in the end of your relationship. Have those conditions changed?

How long has it been since you broke up?

After the break-up, give yourself enough time and distance to gain a little perspective. Break off all contact with your ex, if possible, until you've recovered enough from the pain to honestly decide if ending your relationship was really the wrong thing to do.

Why do you want to get back together?

The most important question is often the hardest to answer. Neither of you should be on the rebound from another break-up, nor want to get together just to escape the sometimes lonely life of a singleton. Are you feeling particularly vulnerable or nostalgic? It's a challenge to pick up the pieces of a relationship that's already failed once; you'd better have a good reason for taking the risk again.

LETTING GO…

There are people who can walk away from you. And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk.

I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]

People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay. Let them go. And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead. You've got to know when it's dead.

You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it take too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay. Let them go!!

If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to ...LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains ...LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you ... LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge .. LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction .. LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents ... LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude...LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better... LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him... LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship....LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves...LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed .... LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to... LET IT GO!!!