The Benefits of Oregano
Oregano (Scientific name: Origanum vulgare) is also known as Wild Marjoram, Mountain Mint, Origanum, Wintersweet and Winter Marjoram.
Hand of Hope: Samuel Alexander Armas
A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the paper, you probably will never see it.
Tracey Connelley, Baby P's Evil Mom, Shows NO Remorse
I have never been affected by any story as much as Baby P's story has affected me. Yesterday evening, I found myself sobbing twice! I just can't get over the sheer horror of the story.
Baby P's Murderers -- Why Are They Being Protected?
In my country, it has never happened before that the media and the people have been forbidden to actually reveal the names and faces of TC and SB, the murderers of Baby P.
That Winter The Wind Blows Finale: Did Oh Soo Die?
Over the holy week break, I spent the entire four days just watching the 15 episodes of this Korean show. Yes, I am a self-confessed Korean drama addict. I already have my favorite actors and actresses; albeit, I don’t know their names.
Jan 26, 2012
Jan 23, 2012
My Little Girl Has a Crush
Paige has seemingly developed a crush for this little boy in our neighborhood. As her mother, I would have probably just shrugged it off IF the boy were even remotely adorable, but he's not. And that is the understatement of the year. The poor little boy has not seen a bucket of water in days! He's dirty. He's often walking barefoot and he is always, always buck naked! Yep, his little twiggy is wagging for all the world to see. So, you can just imagine our reaction when we heard Paige's neighborhood bestfriend telling the little boy, "I love you daa sabi ni Paige."
I was amused and a little dismayed, but Erbe's reaction was hilarious! He started critizing our little girl's crush. Which prompted Paige to declare, "Di dai na lugod ako ma-boyfriend!" Erbe retorted back, "Kung ito man lang talaga iboyboyfriend mo, talagang dai na!Dai man lamang karakarigos!" I found the whole exchange hilarious. But my little girl was devastated not to have the support of her Papa.
Just look at Paige's reaction.
The other day, I was calling Paige and she said, "May kakaulayun ako mama." Kakaulayun. The word is amusing which got me curious, "Sisay kakaulayun mo?" She didn't answer. Bek, however, was standing next to her and she told me, "Hinahalat baga ate katong crush niya dian sa luwas." This enraged Paige who started crying and screaming.
I had to bite my lips to keep myself from laughing. And I called her for a fairly short conversation about crushes and naked boys. :)
Jan 20, 2012
En Route to Alcoholism Lane
I still feel like shit. Maybe my friend is right, I should just go right ahead and change the title of this blog to Rants of Oregano Addict.
My life isn't really miserable like I said. It's just that I haven't been sleeping well. Oh, I do sleep, but for the life of me I can't sleep for more than 5-6 hours! I don't function well when I don't sleep for at least 8 hours. I turn into a first-class bitch first-class depressed bitch. Anyway, I thought I'd try the alcoholism route. I thought I'd try a glass of red wine. Maybe it'll give me a little buzz, just enough to treat my sleeping problem. This lack-of-sleep-induced depression has me thinking of my favorite Paolo Coelho book, Veronika Decides to Die.
If you're a bookworm like me, you've probably read Coelho's books. You see, Coelho has taken the world by storm, but I find his writing a bit pretentious. He likes to use words and characters that will try to get the readers to think and ultimately feel stupid for not seemingly getting exactly what Coelho wants to convey. But that's just my opinion. However, Veronika Decides to Die is far from being pretentious. It's enlightening. If you haven't read it, then you should. You'll learn to see things differently. You'll wake up, stand in front of the mirror, put on your tie and think, "I'll be damned, Coelho is right!"
This book is actually a fairly short novel. It's a book which will help you see normal as abnormal and abnormal as well, quite normal. For instance, I've mentioned about the tie. Society dictates that you get up in the morning, put on a tie and go to work. At the end of the day, you come home and you remove your tie and for a single second which you often barely notice, you feel so fucking relieved to finally get rid of the blasted tie. Now, who told you to use a tie when you so obviously hate wearing one? That's right, so-ci-e-ty and obviously, we follow what society dictates for after all, a deviation from the norm is automatically branded as abnormal or erroneous.
The book attempts to convey a simple message: you can conform OR you can rebel against the norm. Choosing the latter allows you to unlock all your desires and live life the way it is meant to be lived. We don't always have to conform. Sussette once told me that she'd rather choose insanity over suicide. She said, she could run naked and it'd be okay. After all, she wouldn't care. Sometimes, we have to give in to bouts of insanity. We have to experiment and realize our capacity and capability. We can't do this if we worry about crooked ties and wrong fonts.
If you ask someone right now, "What would you do if you have a month to live," you can expect a bucket list of dreams and desires. Ironically, everyone lives for tomorrow and not for today, so they won't likely do a single thing in their list today. We forget that we all live a fragile existence and we can't keep on waiting for tomorrow to happen. The fragility of our existence allows us to go a little crazy sometimes and do what our heart tells us to do.
Now, what is on my bucket list? I'll post my list as soon as I get my 8-hour sleep. After all, that's the number one on my list, sleep for as long as I want. Speaking of sleep, I should finish my wine now and hit the sack. By the way, if you bothered to read all that, that could only mean one thing, YOU LOVE ME OR you have nothing else better to do. :)
Jan 18, 2012
Jan 8, 2012
Say It Again and Again!
One thing I've learned about being a mother is that shouting doesn't work. Often, Paige would cower, simper and cry when I fail to control my temper and end up shouting at her for something she did. Over the years, I've learned other disciplinary tactics.
For instance, when Paige pretends she can't hear me, forcing me to shout her name over and over again before she'd respond, I would usually ask her to cover her ears. She'd stay like that until I am well satisfied that she gets my point. So, she'd walk around the house, with her hands covering her ears. It usually lasts for several minutes. Usually, however, I observe the "a minute for every year" rule.
Yesterday, Paige and I were talking and she kept inserting the word "udo" in her sentences. It doesn't matter if she makes sense. She'd just keep saying "udo". So, I corrected her, asked her to stop using the word. I thought she understood me until I asked her to ask their yaya to iron her uniform. Off she went and then I heard her repeat my request to Bek. I failed to hear the yaya's answer but I heard Paige said, "ay brownout? Akala ko kaya UDO."
Gahd.
So, I promptly called her and asked her to sit on the bed. I told her to say the word "udo" over and over again until she's so tired of saying it, she wouldn't say it again. So, she started, "udo, udo, udo, udo, udo.."
In truth, it was amusing. I had to turn my head, so she wouldn't see me smiling. At that time, I was holding Riley who was asleep. Eventually, Riley woke up. And she saw Paige, sitting there muttering "udo, udo, udo, udo".
At this juncture, Paige's muttering has attained a certain rhythm. I was still trying not to smile, but I was struggling. Riley, however, didn't know her ate was being punished. She stood up and she started dancing to "udo, udo, udo" Her head was bobbing, knees bending and hands clapping to the rhythm of "udo, udo, udo".
It was hilarious. I burst out laughing and as you may well expect, Paige's punishment ended. Ah! the joys of motherhood! :)
Dilemma
I have been plagued with this freaking dilemma for the last couple of months. I had a plan, a good one. It would have been easier if things happened exactly the way I planned. Uh, no. Au contraire, fate has been playing jokes on me, one after another.
Damn it.
I knew this wouldn't be easy, but fate is making it even harder. I am having difficulty getting out of my comfort zone. With all these curveballs, folding in a fetus position and staying inside this box is preferable to all the uncertainties I am getting. Darn it. I like it here. Please don't make me come out.
Jan 7, 2012
Flinch by Alanis Morissette
Now, this one is for you, my dear dear friend. Soon, you will grow up and you will not flinch at the mention of his name. :)
What's it been over a decade?
It still smarts like it was four minutes ago
We only influenced each other totally
We only bruised each other even more so
What are you my blood? You touch me like you are my blood
What are you my dad? You affect me like you are my dad
How long can a girl be shackled to you
How long before my dignity is reclaimed
How long can a girl stay haunted by you
Soon I'll grow up and I won't even flinch at your name
Soon I'll grow up and I won't even flinch at your name
Where've you been? I heard you moved to my city
My brother saw you somewhere downtown
I'd be paralyzed if I ran into you
My tongue would seize up if we were to meet again
What are you my god? You touch me like you are my god
What are you my twin? You affect me like you are my twin
How long can a girl be tortured by you?
How long before my dignity is reclaimed
And how long can a girl be haunted by you
Soon I'll grow up and I won't even flinch at your name
Soon I'll grow up and I won't even flinch at your name
So here I am one room away from where I know you're standing
A well-intentioned man told me you just walked in
This man knows not of how this information has affected me
But he knows the colour of the car I just drove away in
What are you my kin? You touch me like you are my kin
What are you my air? You affect me like you are my air
Holdin On And Letting Go by Ross Copperman
Is anybody out there?
Is anybody listening?
Does anybody really know if its the end of the beginning?
The quiet rush of one breath
Is all we're waiting for
Sometimes the one we�re taking
Changes every one before..
[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go
Sometimes we're holding angels
And we never even know
Don't know if we'll make it,
But we know,
We just can't let it show
[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go
Yeah, letting go
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go
[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go.
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go
Download Holding On and Letting Go.
Jan 5, 2012
Jan 3, 2012
Happy New Year?
I swore I wouldn't write anything, but after watching How I Met Your Mother, I finally gave in. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. I believe, however, that New Year makes you introspective. The turn of the year makes you want to sit down and take a good look at where your life is going. This new year scares me. Everything is all up in the air. Should I take the bar exam or not? Should I pursue teaching this year or not? Everything is all up there. I have my plans but I don't know how everything will pan out. It's not all within my control and I hate that.
In truth, new year is just another day. It passes like any other day. There is nothing special that really happens that marks the passing of another year. The sun breaks and the night settles in as they should. Curiously, however, it doesn't pass like any other day in our minds. Because it's passing affects us. It scares us, worries us, excites us. It makes us hopeful or frightful. It makes us sad or happy. It makes us question our lives and our plans. It forces us to take a good look at ourselves.
For some this year is going to be exciting and they already know it. For some, they dread that this year is just going to be like every year of their lives. For others, like me, this year marks the crossroads of their lives.
For me, this is the year to make some huge changes and finding the courage to make those changes and pursue a greater purpose. I told Erbe that this year scares me. He said, "because of the prophecy?" It took a while for me to understand what prophecy he was talking about. When the answer dawned on me, I burst out laughing and I laughed and laughed and laughed. No, it's definitely not the prophecy. This scares me because I am being forced to make some changes and I definitely like where I am in right now. Unfortunately, I have to make these changes. :(
Anyway, happy New Year my dear readers. I don't know who you are and what you wish to achieve this year, but I sincerely hope that you find what you're looking for.
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