Adios Mayo!

As every Flores prayer book is closed today, just like the usual emotion every 31st of May, I was struck with nostalgia knowing that they would be kept in a dusty old cabinet or inserted in between some of the other prayer and novena books, and will patiently wait to be opened again next year .

This Hiligaynon poem written by P. Amado Panes, a true-blue Passinhon, is an apt utterance of those who have known the joys brought about by the month of May and of those who have countless stories to tell about their Flores experiences.

Nalaya ang kabulakan

Ang kahumut nawala

Adios Rosas nga bulahan

Adios lugpay sang duta

Kon ang tiempo nagahalad

Nga daw kilat kadali

Ang Mayo sa aton nagaladlad

Handumanan nga pinili

Ang kalipayan daw hangin

Ang kasingkasing kag buot

Batuna ining ginaalila---bulak sang Mayo nga bulan

Balus sa imo kag tanda

Adios! Adios! Sampagita

Adios! Ako nagahakos

Dumduma kami, Maria

Sa gihapon, Adios! Adios!

P. Amado Panes

Passi, 1917

I may have had my share of  being part of the Ave Maria or the Siete Virtudes and I  may have outgrown going to our barangay chapel every 3 o'clock in the afternoon to take part in the Flores and wait for a piece of pan de leche or a small pack of ugoy-ugoy but I am certain that the time will come when I'll be too old enough and go back to that afternoon routine again. You see--- "Once a Florista, always a Florista." :)

Life, Take It On! ;)

Exactly this day, two years ago I have experienced one of the crushing points in life. It was like being handed unexpectedly with an unpacked gift knowing that what's inside is something which you fervently prayed for and just when you are about to open it, it was taken back from you for reasons which you could never understand----it might be it was handed wrongly to you, it wasn't the right gift, or it wasn't yet time to open it. But whatever the reasons were, at that time, I would definitely have refused to acknowledge it.

Hey! Enough with the drama. That was like a looooooong time ago! A lot can happen in two years that had made me realize God's unfathomable plans and wisdom. So after crying my eyes and heart out 'till my face looked like two overfilled packs of eyebags (As painful as it may be, this is not an exaggeration! >cringe<), I forced myself to stomp my feet and go about-----back to the old me  but carrying with me some tidbits of life lessons which would definitely come in handy in the future. *wink* :)

If there are things which I've learned from this day, two years ago, it's that:

• I should always follow my instincts. I may not be able to explain why and it may be unreasonable most of the time. Still, I'll follow it unreasonably then.

• Always be open to life's surprises.

• No matter how you plan your life carefully, God has it already planned for you. Your plan and His plan might not coincide but in the end, God's plans are unquestionably perfect.

• Even though failure is inevitable, you just have to try and see. 

• You cannot escape from the pain of what people might say to ridicule your beliefs and dreams in order to twist your mind to believe theirs. Have an open mind while keeping a steady heart.

• Remember during our younger years when we despised going home? There will come a time when you would yearn to go home above all else in the world and you will welcome its familiar comfort like a balm to a weary spirit. Believe me.

• Unexpected friendship may form during trying moments. This is one of God's way to comfort you.

• Your family and old friends are always there, no matter what.

• Despite the bulging eye bags and the puffy face from too much crying, your mother would always think that you are beautiful.

• A dream that escapes from your grasps should not always be labeled as a "broken dream".

• Healing takes time but with faith and positivism, it will eventually be granted.

And to the person who told me, "Only cowards grab every opportunities that come their way."----THANK YOU. 

I hated you perhaps too much at one point but I've been and am blessed with too much to continue feeling that way. There's only one thing that I wish I could've done, though. If I can go back to the time when you said those words to me, I should have said, "No.Only cowards do not grab every opportunities that come their way for fear of failure." instead of being mum at that time. In addition, it wasn't just an opportunity that I let go, it was my dream. 

But then again, I may have not claimed my dream at that time but God has a way of blessing and surprising you with opportunities that are truly meant to shape you as a person. Plus, trying moments like this would make you do things that you cannot imagine to be capable of----like standing up for myself and for all that I believe in the moment I felt I was emotionally stable and was ready to do so by  going back to this person and telling him with conviction, " I believe Sir, that I don't deserve the words which you pointed at me the other day. I may not have the same beliefs as you have and my life principles and goals are not in line with yours but that doesn't make me less as a person than you are." 

So, way to go Au!  And life, TAKE IT ON! :)

Bangkok Stopover

Bangkok is definitely one of the top tourist hot spots in Asia. It's like a shopping Mecca especially to the tawad and on sale queens (ahem! ahem!). Once the sun sets, almost every corner and street called soi is transformed into one large market that features every imaginable items at SUUUUUUUUPPPPPER low prices.

Though we didn't get to really go around Bangkok to our hearts' content, but spending the whole day and one night there is enough to be infected with the energy of this big, bustling city. :)

The BTS is the perfect transport system if you want to go from one point of the city to another stress free from the traffic jam. It is very much like our MRT and LRT so, buying the tickets is never a problem. (Check out my "solitude on the train" photos. Poor guy at my back----wasn't able to be included in the frame! Ahaha! :)

Though we have been staying in Thailand for almost a year, we couldn't help but act very much like the true tourists that we seem to be on the photos. And how can you identify the tourist from the locals? The picture-taking-in-every-imaginable-corner-of the-place scenes, what else?

And when our poor, tired feet were screaming from nonstop walking, the very perfect respite was to grab something to eat, as in LAMON! :)

I am not a big fan of designer labels (Ahahaha! I'm just sour graping, just because I don't have the money to buy.), but when photo opportunities come to take pictures on their big insignia, even the designer label snob that I am couldn't resist to pose. And just in case my modeling poses look awkward and way out of the line, just bear in mind that I tried, I really tried. Ahahaha!

You Have Everything a Real Princess Would Envy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BESSY!

I wouldn't make this greeting sentimental because this day is supposed to be filled with everything that is HAPPY!

Never dampen your spirit with the fact that you are miles away from home. You have more than too much of good and happy memories to last with you not only for the coming months ahead but for the possible lifetime of staying away from home for most of time. And thinking about it, that's the good thing about home and old friends-----you couldn't shake them away even if you try and it's a great comfort knowing that despite all odds, you can always go back to them again and again.

You (Actually, we. Hahaha!) might be growing old but the fact is that despite the years and the experiences that we had, we are unsure about so many things in life. But if there's one thing that I'm definitely certain about, is that we will be making more happy and good memories together, definitely not now, but in the coming years.

It is such a rare gift to find people whom you can grow up and grow old with despite the distance---people who know the best and worst about you but accept you just the same. Aren't we so lucky to have found such group of people? Despite the differences, we're fitting in just perfectly.

Telling you that you're such a blessing to us would definitely be considered a cliche, but I'll say it just the same. YOU ARE A BLESSING----in a world full of superficiality and complexity, your simplicity is something that makes you rare. You are such a simple person and what makes you truly happy are simple things in life------family, friends, new adventures, new places to visit, a new movie or series to get hooked to, and even a 10-peso worth of fishballs shared over laughter and stories on a dusty city plaza.

I admire your passion over things that interest you. Once you set your mind on something, you make sure that you follow it through to the end. Your loyalty and your unwavering support are things that endear you to people who know you.

Enjoy your day Bessy!!! Smile, and eat, and share laughter and stories with the people whom you are with at the moment, and then smile again until your jaw hurts. Those are what matter most, and you perfectly know it!

You may not have a tiara on but with your loyalty, optimism, and positive views about life, you are and would always be, in every sense of the word, a PRINCESS.