A perfect heart...

One day, there's a competition in the town plaza. They called it, "The man with the perfect heart". Everybody in the crowd wants to join the contest, but of course only few are chosen. They started with the businessman. He opened his heart, it's almost perfect. One thing the judges noticed about his heart, it's full of numbers. The crowd applause the businessman for that. Then the politician's next. The same as the businessman, almost perfect. There's a picture of himself inside his heart. Then came the ordinary person. He showed his heart, so clean, so perfect. Everybody thought, it's the heart that they've been looking for. When the judges about to announce the winner, an old man went up the stage. He opened his heart, to the amazement of the crowd, his heart is full of scars, bloody and some missing pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. He said, "I considered my heart as the perfect one. you see the scars? I got these from the people who hurt me most. Can you see the blood? My heart is crying because all of you don't know the real love. Can you see the jigsaw puzzle in my heart? Every piece is the love I gave away. Some gave it back and some did not. That's why I got some missing pieces. They left my heart broken."

Friend, are you the type of person who got the clean and perfect heart or the kind of person with a heart like a jigsaw puzzle?

Living...Loving...Learning...

As I was writing this, I'm thinking of my favorite book who's written by Leo Buscaglia. It was given to me by my bestfriend in highschool (ALFA). It is really a nice book even my friends and sisters read it over and over again. I remember some lines like, "You said that I was transparent and easily forgotten. But why then did you use my lifetime to prove to yourself who you are?" Isn't that sad? First, you lived your life like there's no tomorrow. You lived like a queen or a king not thinking of other people's need. In short, you lived for your own self. Then you fell in love, you gave up everything to the one you love. You didn't think of yourself anymore, but instead you cared about the person you loved the most. After a while, that person left you brokenhearted and torn into pieces. That's the worst part of being inlove. Then you wanna move on, picking up the pieces, but surely not suicidal. Huh! That's love... You live, you learn. You love, you learn. You live and love, you learn. Maybe I am sourgraping or emotionally stressed or just bored. Am I making any sense? Wala lang magawa, pasensya na...


To hope is to risk failure.
To love is to risk not being love in return.

i miss home...

I'm feeling sad, especially christmas is coming. I feel like going home. It's so sad to spend christmas not knowing what to do. Way back home, I know It's gonna be a happy and enjoyable holiday. I remember that during christmas break, there's our family reunion - oh, how I miss the sky is the limit na inuman at videoke naming magpipinsan sa labas ng bahay namin or sa bahay ng isa sa mga pinsan ko. Miss ko rin yung picnic kahit puyat.
Christmas break din yung alumni or most of the time get together or reunion ng batch. Kung hindi out of town eh bar hopping at picnic rin. Batchmates, miss ko na yung kwentuhan, asaran, at tawanan natin kahit na minsan ay wala tayong pera at boy bawang lang ang pagkain. Syempre, pag nagluto pa si Bads ng sopas with corned beef. O, di ba improvised sopas ang tawag dun. Nakakamiss ang barkada na kahit di na tayo nagkikita, alam natin na anuman ang mangyari ay isa lang ang iisipin natin para maalala ang mga magagandang bagay na nangyari sa ating lahat. Kung saan nagsimula ang lahat. At yun ay ang ating alma mater.
I also miss my friends back there in Manila. Yah, sa SFC nagsimula ang lahat. We were the household heads na pasaway at palaban. sabi nga nila, di daw mabuwag ang grupo natin kasi kung ayaw ng isa, ayaw na rin ng iba. Kahit naman ganun tayo, ginagalang at pinagkakatiwalaan naman tayo ng members. Pero kahit may asawa na ang iba sa atin, nananatili tayong magkakaibigan.
Yung mga elite friends ko sa SFC- Gaie, Beth, Maidz, Lala and Myla, Keep in touch, my friends. Kahit ako lang ang malayo sa inyo eh kasali pa rin ako sa lahat ng lakad nyo at gastos. hehehe! Really, I miss all of you.
Well, wala naman talagang papantay sa saya ng pasko sa Pinas. Kaya nga nakakamiss. Have a Merry Christmas to everyone.

Christmas is coming...

Yesterday, my employer asked me what do I want for Christmas. I didn't answer her, but after a while she said, "marianne, you want a diamond ring?" Hahaha! I said, "in my dreams"...We laughed together, as if it's a big joke. Today, I received an email from my employer's daughter who lives in England, asking me what are my plans for Christmas. Well, what would I say? Is Christmas really coming? Why can't I hear any Christmas songs? No Christmas trees, Christmas lights and lanterns? I nearly forgot, I'm here in the country with Jews around me. They don't have Christmas, but they have a holiday like chanukka and purim. They celebrate it nearly the same as Christmas. Yah, I remember asking my sister this afternoon what they want for Christmas. The truth is, I can't think of anything else to give myself on Christmas. I got my laptop last week, I also got my gold ring last week, and I'm still paying for my diamond necklace...hehehe! Is that enough for Christmas? Or is it the satisfaction and happiness I'm still looking for myself?

This is my second Christmas here in Israel, I'd like to go to Betlehem, it's one of the busiest place here during Christmas. I'm looking forward for the trip in Betlehem. If not, maybe in Jerusalem, even if I've been there already. It's nice to pray and wish on the wishing wall and attend a mass. It's really hard to plan for a holiday especially that you're not used to spend it alone. Uh-uh, what can I say? It's part of life. Just wish everyone a merry Christmas.

Balikbayan box...

I just send a balikbayan box to the Philippines with some clothes, groceries and some items for my family. At first I thought it's easy to send a box full of different things that I can buy here in Israel. But I was wrong, It's so expensive, time consuming, with lots of headache. I kept on thinking of what to buy, what to send, how many to send...something like that. I also had to consider the needs and wants. Well, it's all finished. They took the box last night and start shipping it this Friday. It's all worth it especially that my family will appreciate everything what's inside the box.

When I was young and some of my cousins received balikbayan box from their family abroad every now and then, I said to myself, If only I can work in other country, I will also send something for my family. And here I am, sending one for them even if it takes me a long time to fill it.

No free meal...

"No free meal" Have you heard of that saying? I always hear that from the sons of my employer. They have their own factory, but they go to work everyday. Mind you, go to work on time just like the regular employee. Well, we all know that there's no free in this world. We cannot lie down all day and expect that someone will give us money and food. We cannot wish upon a star and expect that it's gonna rain with all the stuffs we need for the day. Huh! We all have to work hard and earn a living. I get upset every time I hear that this someone and that someone doesn't have work and stays at home all day. Lucky you, whoever that someone is. You don't have to work to eat at least 3 times a day. I envy those people who were born with what they call, "born with a silver spoon". All they have to do is to spend money, buy things that are not necessary. Yah, maybe I'm only sourgraping, because if I don't work, I won't be able to eat, I won't be able to send money to my family, I won't be able to pay my flat, I won't be able to buy the things I want. I work hard, even when it's my off, I work part time. I work hard because I'm a person with so much dream and ambition in life. I want to have my own house, yah I started paying a house of my own. I want to own a car, I want to have a business, I want my family to have a good life. So much dream, so much effort. Sometimes, I just want to lie down and wait for my salary. But that won't happen, NEVER...How can I have salary if I don't work for it. Again, "no free meal". Yah, that's life. The only thing that is free is to wish and dream. Is anybody can tell me that there is free meal? Well, call me and I'll be there in a minute. Hehehe! Enjoy working for your free meal.

Michelle's bday party...

When you heard about the word birthday, it means food, fun, get together, gifts...something like that. It was Michelle's birthday last night, we celebrate it at Mimi's place, we had a lot of seafoods like shrimps, crabs, squids...whoah! Those kind of food are too expensive here. But, yah, i'ts Michelle's birthday, she promised us the seafoods, pakbet, pansit, leche flan...we also had spaghetti, chocolate and cheesecake and also biko...yummy! We're lucky our employers allowed us to go out in the night that's why we can attend to some parties and sometimes play volleyball. Most of our friends from the moadon were present, some of our playmates in volleyball and some of our friend's friends. I'm sure everybody had a lot of fun especially that Ate Dolor made us laugh by impersonating each one of us. Oh, how I miss the comedy bars we used to go in the Philippines. Oh, well, what can I say? That's the way it has to be. As long as we enjoyed the food and the company of friends, no complain. Happy birthday, Michelle. Mazal Tov!