Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Of liberty equality and freedom

Judging by the title of the post, it seems like I’m talking about real hard-core stuff, politics, the economy, global crisis and freedom. Well, I do read about politics (after all the economy depends on politics and my bucks’ value depends on it as well). I keep abreast with it for entertain and do get irritated with it (talk about Philippine politics), but it’s just not my genre.

So anyways, what do I mean by liberty, equality and freedom. For the typical Filipino, I’m sure you have somewhere, somehow come across or have read of Gabriela Silang and if we venture to the international scene of history, we have Joan of Arc. Oh yes, women’s clamor for liberty, equality and freedom. Women’s liberation, google it and you’ll get a million and one links telling you what is should be or what is should not be. There has been plenty of talk about it, and many people know and do agree with its ideas. But there are a lot of distorted impressions of what it’s all about. One of which is that all women should hate men. Omigosh!!!…. If that is the case, I definitely am against Women’s Lib ;). So what is it really? For the purpose of simplification, let’s delve into three different scenarios that merit a typical woman’s attention or a typical man for that matter.

First Scenario – Ladies, do you care if man open doors for you?
Women wanted emancipation. Liberty, the right of an individual to do his or her own will. Ladies, you want liberty, so do everything men do, open your own doors. Well, ok fine! But I adore chivalry. I don’t mind opening my own doors, but I have high regards for men who treat me like a lady. Every woman I know, from teenagers to retirees – adores a guy who goes the extra mile and exemplifies himself in the little things.

But an excerpt from Chicago Sun-Times says: “Generally, men should open the door for women because men have superior upper body strength. But when a door needs to be kicked down, women should open the door because of their superior lower body strength.” ;-) Oh well…………


Second Scenario - Girls who make the first move……….
It’s the age of equality between sexes. So if the girls want to make the first move, why shouldn’t she? Technically, I’d say go, go, go. But stop! Is the guy married? Or is he in a committed relationship? You would not want to end up as a mistress or a “mang-aagaw”, do you?

Given that the ethical issues of the matter is all ironed out, how you make the first move is all up to you. Whether you do it obtusely, or anything that borders slutty. Or you can do it smoothly and with taste. It’s all your call.

My opinion – do it with subtlety and class. How? You ask me? That would be another entry in my blog ;). But never -- never price yourself cheaply.

That’s my take, what’s yours?

Third Scenario – “Are you working? -- No I am “just” a housewife.”
It irks me to hear women say this. You have a life and a series of choices that you can make; you have the freedom to make them. And if you chose to be a full time home maker, rather than juggle a career and family (this are super women and my kudos to you), it’s perfectly fine. It’s your choice. And you are never “just” a housewife. Think of these -- They get out of bed before anyone else to get breakfast going for husband and children. Get/take the children to school. See husband off to work. Wash dishes, clean, do laundry, iron, shop, cook, mend... oh and hundreds of other things. If men were asked by their bosses to do half the things “housewives” do every day, they would either ask for a raise or quit!

Having gone through all the different scenarios, so what are liberty, equality and freedom for women? Hmmm I don’t know. But one thing is certain, I completely agree with what the Bible book of Genesis Chapter 2 verse 18 says ‘It is not good for the man to continue by himself. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him.’

Thursday, February 5, 2009

You and I…let's take a journey….

I am on a journey to consciously live life to the fullest.

Too often we go through life by simply ‘going with the flow’. We set our lives in autopilot, going through the motions and letting a day pass by just like the one before that.

Well, that is comfortable we reason.

That’s fine, until we have gone through another year without having done anything; we have just merely existed and have not lived life.

That’s fine, until we have reached the twilight of our lives and looked back in life then wallow in regrets.

That’s fine, until your children leave home and you realized you have missed their childhood.

That’s fine, until you are all wrinkled and gray sitting in your rocking chair going nostalgic with all the “what ifs” you could think of.

It’s NOT fine! I want to truly live life, to really experience it and enjoy it to the fullest, instead of merely surviving and living a life of mere existence. I know you do too. So let’s break free from the mold and drink from life.

Below is a list of ideas, an addition to the “I want to do list” I have posted earlier. Feel free to add in your ideas as well and together we will journey life in a conscious effort to live it to the fullest.


GET A PET or grow something if getting a pet is out of the question as of the moment. Indulge your nurturing nature, own up to the responsibility of knowing that someone/something is dependent on you for their existence.

LOVE…. Fall in love, if you aren’t already. Or fall in love all over again. It doesn’t have to be romantic. Fall in love with your family, friends, pets, babies or all of humanity. Fall in love with yourself (too a certain degree....Loving oneself is different from being self-absorb) Heck, you can even fall in love with love.

KISS IN THE RAIN…cast all your inhibitions. Seize the moment and be romantic. You will be surprise to find out that raindrops could actually taste like honey drops ;)

LIVE IN THE NOW… It’s nice to go nostalgic one in a while. Walk down the memory lane or zoom into what might the future bring, but don’t let your thoughts drift into the past or future more than necessary. Thinking of things that need to be done, planning and regretting, doing these in excess could often start negative spiral of thoughts that can last for days, a week or even years. Plan your life, reflect on the lessons you can learn from the past. But work, play and live in the moment, live in the now!

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES …Fast food, express lane, express manicure, bullet trains, MRT (Mass RAPID Transit), the Concorde….everything moves along at such as rapid pace. It’s not healthy. Have you ever heard of healthy fast food? Slowdown…….Enjoy what you do, savor every moment. Stop and smell the roses and you’ll be delighted to discover that there is a butterfly perched in one of the rose’s thorns.

TALK TO OLD PEOPLE they have lived through life. They can tell you amazing stories. They can share to you their regrets so you can learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. They can give you sound advice on basically all things that matters (love, life, money, spirituality, etc, etc). It will make you wiser and you have made them happier because someone listened and appreciated them. It’s a win-win situation actually, so why not try it.

EXERCISE…get that butt of the couch and jiggle those muscles. I’m assuming you’re not toned enough or no muscles to jiggle. ;-) Go for a walk, run, swim, bike or hike. Whatever you do, just get active. Release those endorphins and you will feel more alive and happy. Endorphins are called happy hormones for nothing. So get up and work the sweat. You’ll love it.

CREATE A SIGNATURE DISH or perfect that awesome dessert. Beyond impressing the lucky taster, having a signature dish brings pride to the ‘cook’. Well, I’m not an excellent cook but I can order a great take-out. But if plan A fails we must be ready with plan B. Scenario: it’s Chinese New Year (in Singapore) or Holy week (in the Philippines) all resto/ hawkers/“carenderia” are closed. Armed with that signature dish and that recipe for an awesome dessert, you can whip up a meal… far from perfect, but always tasteful and presentable.

TRAVEL, the world is your oyster. You are too young not to travel. Immerse in different culture, savor an array of delectable cuisine. It’s amazingly fun. It makes you appreciate more the things you have and helps you to understand why some people do things in a certain way. It teaches you different perspective in life. Its learning spelled as F-U-N. So go ahead, pack your bags and take the next flight to….whatever place you fancy.

CREATE A MORNING RITUAL. Greet the day with a prayer. Stretch like a cat, turn on the music, dance to its rhythm, meditate, or drink a cup of coffee. Wake up early and greet the sunrise… Whatever suits you to help you set the tone for the day… Funny and ironic as it may sound, but having morning rituals helps you gain stability to face the day with spontaneity.

LAUGH AND PLAY WITH CHILDREN. “Kids, they learn to dance before they learn that there is anything that isn’t music.” So true…Just observe them, they skip and whistle a tune at the same time, when they get hurt, they really cry, when they play, they really have fun, when they ask questions, they show their curiosity unabashed. They experience everything in the moment fully. So instead of thinking that you know so much more than them, stop and think. Play with them, laugh with them and learn from them.

This is a journey so the list will keep on growing. And since it’s OUR journey feel free to share your ideas too. Together we will face life, living.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Things I want to do.....

Original Title: Things I want to do before i die......
Edited to: Things I want to do.....

I edited the title, it sounds too morbid for me...Why think of dying when life has so much to offer :)

Watch the sunrise and sunset.
My favorite parts of the day…. Okay not at one sitting though. It would be very cold to sit throughout the night and wait for sunrise…, (That is if I watched the sunset first, then I would not have the energy to appreciate the sunrise).

Scuba Dive
Well in case you haven’t notice, humans are not supposed to breathe under water. But with the help of tanks, mask, flippers etc, etc…then I can go experience being Ariel for a moment. (Does the mythical mermaid really exist? Hmmm mythical nga eh…..)

Ride a rollercoaster.
And I mean the real rollercoaster, not the pang “piera” type. Butterflies in your stomach, feeling of weightlessness, the wind blowing your face… Ahhhh the feeling of freedom…. And puking afterwards? Yuck gross…but who knows I might like it, shuns the puking… :)


Take photos of family, friends and beautiful sceneries and just about everything.
Well, actually I have been doing these…but I want to up it to a more professionally level (naks naman!!)….I’m getting my DSLR soon, Yehey! …After that mamumulubi na ako…*sigh* :(..

Take a hot air balloon ride
What’s with me and the wind blowing my face…..Sigh maybe I just miss my “motorcycle” days”….But would it not be fun to go up, up, up in the sky? Care to join me?

Climb a Mountain.
A real mountain… Not a hill but a mountain. Well I’m not talking about Mt. Everest though…Feeling the cold breeze, the tiredness and the breathlessness at a great height…and knowing that you have actually conquered that Mountain is indescribable and the view is simply awesome. I am just imagining….Mountaineers out there, give me a call next time you plan to conquer your next mountain….But be gentle on me okay…but don’t worry I am a tough girl :)….
Climb every mountain, search high and low. Follow every byway, every path you know.
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow until you find your dream!!!
….la la la la…. The sound of music :)

Sleep under the stars….
Living in the city, makes me miss the starry, starry night. Wouldn’t it be grand to fall asleep watching the myriad of jewels above our head? There’s the big dipper, is that a planet? It looks like a necklace….Oh that’s Mars…. Haaay imagining mode again…….

Learn to speak a foreign language and actually use it….
Finally, I could crash this one out on my list soon….I’m taking my mandarin lessons few weeks from now. I hope that by the end of my lessons, I could carry out a decent conversation…(Ambisyosa, of course because I will…)

Visit China….
They say it’s polluted. They say a lot of negatives about the Chinese from China that is ;) but I am still intrigued with this oldest living civilization….Ahhh to walk the paths where China’s ancient warriors have thread…..

Castle Hopping somewhere in Europe….
I have a fascination of things European…Victorian era…Quench my thirst of this fascination of mine, become more “cultured” and it wouldn’t hurt if I meet prince charming in one of those castles…Oh well if no prince charming…a knight would do…. After all Guinevere chose Lancelot over Arthur ;-)…


Give my mother a dozen red roses and tell her I love her.
She knows I love her dearly….But I haven’t really given her flowers before. mmmm….Bad daughter…soon, soon Mommy…Love you so much from head to toe ;-)


Fly First Class….

Well can you expect to live a posh life in a working girl’s salary? With budget travel deals, I say BUDGET. More mileage, more places to see, more culture to immerse….But wouldn’t it be nice to be treated like royalty 30,000 feet above sea level?…..ahhhhh….
We will get there, we will…. **dreaming mode** again………..


I’ll update my list…once I can remember the other things I want to do...I know I have a million and one…hmmmmm till next update……….hopefully I can crash out some soon :)
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