I have been busy whining about a missing thing that I have neglected to see the bigger blessings that surround me... for a number of years already.

Like the apostles in this weekend's gospel, I have been deeply troubled by the storms outside me, not respecting the fact that Jesus is taking his rest.

Hush, hush.

He says.

I may not be able to calm all the storms that surround you, but I can assure you as long as you have faith in me, I can put away all the storms within your heart.

Jasmin to Julian of soap MY GIRL: Hindi ka dapat maging mabait sa'kin... isipin mo na lang, pano kung ma-inlove ako sayo!?

Hmmm... makahanap nga ng magagamitan! Wehehe! :p

I now know how to make bubbles!..and how to paddle! I'm starting to feel comfortable of the temperature of the water too. :) Yes, few times I'd still get water into my nose, this I would not deny, but it's been four months after the dive. I need to start learning the strokes too.

The Strokes. Various styles.

Scary.

More possibilities of water getting into my nose.

Scary, Making it more challenging. Making it more exciting.

Adjah!

My tita went to Singapore for a few days, at eto ang hiningi ko sa kanyang pasalubong - to take a picture with the building of where I'm working (kunyari ako ang nakapunta, after all they all say I so look like her, hehe).

Keanna Reeves on being accused of "lumalaki ang ulo" because of her newest movie with an all-star cast (Eddie Garcia, Gloria Romero, Joey Marquez):

"Di pa naman ako big star, ano lang, star na may movie with the big people... andami ko pang kakaining bigas!"

Oo nga, bakit nga ba?

Ewan ko.

Ikaw, alam mo kung bakit?

To Mang Pepit(o), our friendly building plumber/maintenance staff - maraming salamat sa extraordinary customer service!  May libre pang tips on how to maintain a unit.Ü

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.

-Neil Gaiman

Finally, I'm learning to be comfortable that I make mistakes.  In school, success for me was bringing home quiz/exam papers with as less mistake as possible.  The province was also a small place for stories to easily go around. Nakakahiya magkamali, maging mali.

I do make mistakes.  I sometimes make not so intelligent decisions. My instincts do fail me at times.

And it's okay.

"it's time to remind myself that life is not a beauty contest - i don't need to have all the right answers." - Sheila