Ash Wednesday

"You are Dust, and to Dust You Shall Return." (Genesis 3:19)

According to churchyear.net, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40-day period of fasting before Easter. On this day, ashes are blessed, mixed with either holy oil or water, and imposed on the head with the sign of the cross, or sprinkled on the forehead. The ashes are made from burning palm branches blessed the previous year on Palm Sunday.

When the priest imposes the ashes he says either "remember man you are dust, and to dust you will return" (see Genesis 3:19), or "turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" (Mark 1:15).

The ashes serve a dual purpose. First, as the above words imply, we are reminded of our mortality and humanity as we begin the Lenten Fast. Second, the ashes are a Biblical symbol of repentance, sorrow, and humility.

Today, February 25, 2009, not only marks the beginning of Lent but also the 23rd year of the First EDSA Revolution in the Philippines. I attended Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church (now MCC) at 12:15 noon. The church was packed to the rafters. A lot of people were standing at the back. Some were seated outside. The ceremony already began when I arrived. I quickly made my way at the back. During the sermon, the Bishop apologized for starting the Mass earlier than the usual time, due to the length of the ceremony.

He explained that Lent starts today and ends in the morning of Holy Thursday. Easter starts in the afternoon of that same day. He emphasized that this time is an opportunity for us to reflect and repent on the wrongdoings that we have done and cleanse ourselves from sin by fasting and penance. He also exhorted us to be humble and obedient to God's will.

The imposition of the ashes was done before the offertory. People lined up in all sides of the pews and took their turn as the lay ministers say upon imposition of the ashes, "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." I made my way outside the church as I saw some vacant mono-bloc chairs. I was observing the parishioners as they lined up to have the ashes placed on their forehead. People from all walks of life came. Since it was during lunch beak , most people were from the office and stores around the area. Some were couples and families. Students also attended the Mass. I saw some familiar faces and waved at them. Since it was nearly 1pm, some people did not wait for the Mass to continue but left in order not to be late for work. Some stayed until the communion. While most stayed behind until the end of the Mass.

A thought came into my head. Is having the ashes placed on our forehead enough so as not to stay until the Mass has ended? I grew up in a catholic school and I believe it is but proper to stay until the end of the Mass. But, be that as it may, sometimes I am guilty of leaving just right after communion, and not waiting for the priest to say, "Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord." Which is more important, Faith or Work? I guess it works both ways. "Faith without work is dead." All work and no Faith makes Jane a dull girl...or something like that. We got to have both in order for it to be more effective.

Just as what happened 23 years ago in EDSA, it was the people faith in God and their will to stand up against dictatorship that made EDSA a success, more of a MIRACLE, because it was a bloodless revolution. So, it works both ways. FAITH and WORK should go hand in hand...

Have a holy and peaceful LENTEN SEASON to all...God Bless...

Sweet Reunions

Christmas is that time of the year when you just have to set aside a day for reunions.Last Christmas, I did not expect to have booked not only one day, but lots of days for sweet reunions.

Here is a picture of me with my cousins. At last, they invited me to join them on their night out...Actually, I invited myself...hehehe. It was a Saturday night. I attended our high school alumni homecoming when I saw my brother at the school. He told me that after the homecoming he will join my cousins for some cocktails at Catribo. Since I don't have a ride home, I joined them. Wow...I did not regret my decision. Being the eldest among all cousins present, I relegated myself to being an observer and let them run the show...With our generation gap, I find it strange that they enjoy this kind of entertainment. My brother warned me beforehand, no comment please. I would have nejoyed a more relaxed and quieter ambience. Oh oh..I am getting older...hahaha.

How about this picture, minus me, of my high school classmates during our alumni homecoming. I was the one taking the picture. I like it that way...just a wallflower, a casual observer, taking it all in in my little corner of the world...I can't express the happiness I felt when I spent some time with my high school pals. We will host our alumni homecoming six years from now. We have lots of plans and hopefully we can make it happen when our time comes. Hello to Maxxy who came all the way from Kuwait just to be with us and her family this Christmas season. Thanks for sharing your time with us Mems.

Here's another picture of my high school pals this time at 3rd Cup with Jerico Marcos, who have resided in Davao. He was in town to attend his brother's wedding and we could not pass the chance to meet him. It has been six years since we had been together. Four hours lounging in a relaxing atmosphere is not enough when conversations are full. We can;t seem to run out of topics to talk about. He's planning to migrate abroad with his family. It seems to be the trend these days. Much as we like to do the same, we just don't have the financial edge to go for it.

Well, this is a sum of my reunions with my family and friends. No matter how short the time that we spent together, it's much better than not having spent time at all. To my family and friends, thanks for making this Christmas season one of the most memorable time in my life.

the perfect job #1 : Mental Block...

so many things to do...but so little time...

my things to do list is getting longer and longer as the days go by...it's crunch time...we have to finish our interim report by september 30...the documents we've requested are slowly coming in...working papers remain half-finished, if at all...and my mind goes blank as i stare at the wall to decide on my next move...if there is a next move...hahaha

so, i laugh it off...bwahahaha...after this i am going on a loooooong deserved vacation...and take advantage of my five day force leave and force myself to forget about work and recharge my mind...i can do tons of things...but let me think about that later...now, time is precious...every second counts...tick tock tick tock...oh no, i can hear the clock ticking...in my head...oh great!!!

focus your eyes on something green...to refresh your eyes and your mind...are you kidding??? the curtains in our office is green but i don't even notice it...hahaha...

so i hope against hope with my fingers crossed that i can come up with something concrete (like an AOM...hehehe) to present before our conference on Sept. 17-18...so back to the drawing board...be critical...be analytical...consider all red flags...and DELIVER!!! (pizza???)

sorry if i sound greek to you...but to my fellow cluster four teammates...these are meaningful, powerful words...see you at the conference guys...and may HIS WILL BE DONE!!!

take care and Godbless...

(due to my continued mental hiatus...i am reposting some blog entries from my friendster blog...)

Cebu Adventures Part 1

I have been to Cebu last July. It's my first real vacation for a long, long time. Actually, it was a business trip. The first food trip that I wanted to do was eat dimsum and pasta. We arrived in Cebu at around 5:30 p.m. It took us nearly an hour to get to out hotel at Colon Street. We were tired from the flight so going to the mall was out of the question. After dinner, we went to see the bustle of activities at the Colon Night Market. I did not take any picture for fear of snatchers. They are known to snatch your celfone away...hehehe.

The road was filled with makeshift shops selling everything from clothing to accessories, from kitchenwares to all kinds of food stuff. I saw a vendor selling qwek qwek, quail eggs coated with orange colored coating. wow sarap...my two companions did not dare eat it. Oh well, they missed this delicious street food delicacy. A few years back, when my whole family was vacationing here, we bought qwek qwek from a vendor in the middle of the road. At the same time, the traffic enforcers were rounding up illegal vendors. The vendor ran, along with our purchase. We ran after the vendor and got our precious qwek qwek. Hahaha...what a happy memory. After that, we went to Gaisano and window shopped. I made a mental note of what I will buy there in case we would go back the next day. Then we headed back to the hotel and rested.

During my second day in Cebu, we attended the opening program of the conference and then headed off to Chong Hua Hospital, where my boss looked for an Eye doctor to have his eyes checked. We did not know anybody and so we asked around. The hospital staff were courteous enough to make suggestions. We decided to return in the afternoon. Then we went to Ayala Mall and ate lunch there. These are photos of several food stores at the food court. I ordered rice toppings at Dimdum Break and my boss ordered lechone and dinuguan at C n T Lechon. Mmmmm...delicious. C n T Lechon serves the best lechon in Cebu. I even saw Koreans and other foreigners sampling their delicious lechon and rice wrapped in coconut leaves.

Then we went around the mall. I bought a few things for pasalubong. We headed back to Chong Hua Hospital. I waited while he had his eye checked. The check up lasted for two hours. My butt was numbed from sitting and my back was aching from the air conditioned environment. The hospital has first class amenities, just like a five star hotel. My boss had eight kinds of equipment check his eyes. And he paid P1,000 for all the tests. After that, we headed to SM Mall. We troured the mall first before eating dinner. Time is just too short to enjoy a leisurely tour around the mall. Maybe tomorrow we can have the time.

blur...

happy 35th birthday...this was what's left of my birthday cake from red ribbons, a gift from my mom. next to the cake is a number five candle which i saved from my son's 5th birthday last april 20. it took me this long to write about what happened during my birthday. it was a birthday celebrated with mixed feelings. i celebrated my birthday with my extended family the day before my actual birthday, which was a holiday since the independence day was moved to this day, because of the holiday economics proclaimed by the president. my brother was leaving for Pagadian City the next day, that's why we decided to celebrate it a day before. For my actual birthday, I filed a privilege leave from work and spent the day with my husband and children.

the two days seem like a blur, just like the photo of my birthday cake. the day before my birthday, i had a vertigo attack. i had these attacks before but this one was worse. i felt my head spinning and losing my balance. i went to store to buy my son a bag for school. the good thing was my father was in the same store. he took me to my cousin, who is a doctor. after a thorough check up, she concluded that i had benign positional vertigo and i had to see an EENT doctor for further test. in the afternoon, my husband was free, so we went to a specialist. after the check up, he gave the same conclusion and prescribed SERC for two weeks. since we didn't have time to cook, we just ordered take out for the party.

it was a simple party. we had beef with broccoli, seafood roll, buttered chicken, pansit canton, fruit salad and the birthday cake from my mom. my mom was not able to attend because she was not feeling well. my father, sister, brother and cousin were there. we took pictures from my father's digicam and ate the simple feast. i forgot to take a picture of the food. all i had was the picture of the cake.

it seems that the cake symbolized what i felt that day. i can't believe that i've reach 35 years. i thank God that I'm given another year to celebrate life, to share my blessings and love to my family and friends.

on the day of my actual birthday, i wen to to mass at the Cathedral and spent some time at the Blessed Sacrament. in the evening, my family had a simple dinner. i started writing in my journal, but up to now i only have two entries since that day. it seems i just can't make myself to write in my journal often because of the hustle and bustle of everyday life...

i just hope that everything will be clear in God's time...and with God's grace, the truth shall set me free...

xxxoooxxooxoxo

yummy seafood

On a recent trip to Dipolog City for an official travel, our team was fortunate enough to dine for lunch at Ann's Seafoods. We were actually planning to eat at Grandma's, another cozy resto that serves continental fare such as pasta and sandwiches. Upon the insistence of our teammates and hosts, they took us to Ann's. The place at the ground floor was full, as it was past 12 noon when we arrived. We headed upstairs to their conference room.

Our group ordered grilled blue marlin, kinilaw, calamares, chopsuey, and fish tinola. It took a while before our orders arrived but it was worth the wait. I even forgot to take pictures before we devoured the food. Boy, were we hungry. I can see by the look on my friends' faces that we were more than contented. Thanks Mam Evelyn for bringing us here. Thanks, also, Mam Meriam for the libre.Hehehe...

For all you travellers out there who will pass by Dipolog City, do try Ann's Seafood. It's the best tasting, freshest seafood dishes I have ever tasted. Bon Appetit.

happy birthday...no rice?

happy birthday placido...hehehe. last april 21, my eldest son doldy celebrated his 4th birthday. my mom and i planned the occasion weeks ahead. placido is an endearment we gave him since he was born through ceasarion section due to placenta previa totalis. his birthday is actually the day before. we attended mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral after having lunch at McDonald's. he asked me to buy him the teenage mutant ninja turtle toy.

since the party was set at 4 p.m., we had plenty of time to prepare. i helped my mom prepare the ingredients while she cooked the dinuguan, indulsao (humba type of cooking pork), and fried the fish for the fish fillet. then i went home and prepared the utensils, tables and chairs. i headed back to my parent's house, since it was just walking distance from us. my mom then cooked the spaghetti, fish fillet, friedn chicken and squid balls. i went back home to finish arranging the tables and chairs, and utensils. since i thought there was plenty of time left, i fried the hotdogs and cheese sticks.

the menu was simple : spaghetti, fried chicken, hotdogs on stick, squidballs, cheese sticks, chocolate cake for the kids, and dinuguan, fish fillet, indulsao, rice, fruit salad for the adults. we invited around fifty people composed of his playmates from our neighborhood, his ninongs and ninangs, a few of our officemates, and our family. i prepared assorted candies for the kids and some balloons.

it was nearly 4 p.m. and i was still frying the cheese sticks. my brother helped me finish the rest as i rush to dress doldy and his little brother, kyle, with their new tshirt courtesy of their papa don, my brother. some guests started to arrive and i was waiting or my mom to help me plate the dishes. she was so exhausted, so i had to do it myself. my sister in law, angging, helped me. lo and behold, as i was putting the food in their serving platters, there was no rice. aarrgghhh...we forgot the rice!!! hahaha...i instructed my father in law to cook rice and told my husband to buy some at the nearest restaurant. as i completed the buffet table with all the food, i mingled with the guests. it was nearly 5 p.m. when the party started. so far, so good.

i entertained the guests while refilling the serving platters. the children got their bag of goodies and balloons. my husband was watching over them. he said that the children were chanting, 'vote doldy for vice-president.' they gave candies to the other children who were playing outside. the party mellowed down at around 8 p.m. although very tired, i was so happy since the party was a success and my child was happy...well, time to prepare for the next party.