Hoping and Waiting

Since my husband decided to work abroad, we feel like we’ve spent most of our time waiting–waiting for him to come home, waiting for him/me to call, and when he’s home for a short vacation, we still wait for the time when he’ll leave again (he comes home every 6 months).

This recent separation is especially lonesome for us since he’s in another continent. Plus, I really hate the time zone difference between us. Next month will be my turn to leave and that’ll be another adjustment for both of us. Although we’re married already, we can’t settle down because we’re like two nomads with no place to call home.  It’s been a month now since he left for UK and so the waiting continues. But this time, at least, there’s a bigger hope that we’ll be together soon and we can finally say that waiting is officially over.

Fear has no place for us now. Oh, yes it’s there but we’re trying not to give in to it. We’re in a moment when we’re really “Just hanging in there”.

But hope continues.

Aginst all hope, Abraham in hope believed…without weakening in his faith.

Romans 4:18-19

Thank you Lord because you know the plans that are best for us. Thank you because you have never stopped loving us. And because of that, we have reasons to keep on hoping and believing that we will stand victorious against any trials. After all, we are more than conquerors.

You are our Father yet you are also our Friend. You are the Hope of the world but you are also the hope that lives in our hearts. I love you Lord but nothing and no one will compare to the love that You have for me. For us.

Age Is Nuthin’ But A Numbah

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

   Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease.  This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty.  Nobody grows old merely by a number of years.  We grow old by deserting our ideals.

   Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.  Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

   Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living.  In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

   When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

-Youth by Samuel Ullman

Titanic

I can’t remember the last time I played with a paper boat. So, one rainy afternoon a couple of days ago, I made one with my niece. I actually made 3 and threw them in this little pool of water which gathered behind our house. Sadly, only one survived. The other two sinked as soon as it hit the water. I knew I shouldn’t ride on a boat!

The Real Deal About Pinoy Text Lingo

I watched the news last night (which, if you know me, would give you an idea how bored I already am!). Apparently, some lawmakers are pushing for a bill to remove text or SMS charges altogether.

Now, the consumer in me says this is good news. And also, the teacher in me says this is GREAT news! This could mean, the typical Pinoy might finally, hopefully stop abbreviating words into irritating text lingo to save text spaces (and of coursesave money for the prepaid load)! The “d2 na me san na u?” text messages (Im already here, where are you?) are just becoming absolutely annoying to read (and yes…to hear!).

Some cases in point: 

Case #1  D me alm (Or di ko alam/I don’t know)

The you-me problem that puzzles me most. Im sure people texts “d2 na me san na u” only and only to sound cute! ME and KO are both 2-letter words. Saying “d2 na me” doesn’t save you more precious space than when you say “d2 na ko”–both are 8 characters long, spaces included! If you really have to abbreviate..at least do it the right way! Say “ko” instead of “ako”.  And worse, I hear people use that ME word in SPOKEN sentences! As in…”O sige pupunta na lang me dyan..okay?” Come on people..if you’re trying to be diabetically cute..texting YOU-ME to replace KA-KO is definitely not the way to do it! Gimme a break!

 Case #2  Eow poh pwde q b knw name mo poh? (Or ”hello po pwede ko ba malaman name mo?/hello can I have your name?”)

Okay. I understand the Pinoy need to abbreviate text messages. But to actually ADD an unnecessary letter (such as H) in an otherwise short word is beyond my thinking! Why do you add H in po and make it poh? And what is “eow??!” If hello is too long for you, why can’t you just type “HI” instead??  If these people speaks the same way they type text messages..I would really think I’ve been transported to the world of Teletubbies! The very reason I seldom visit ”posh” cafes such as Starbucks is because of the crowd that usually go there–The Conyos. The Annoying Conyos. The Annoying I’m-Flaunting-My-Cellphone-In-Your-Face Conyos. The Annoying Look-I’m-Too-Posh-With-A-Hundred-Peso-Coffee-In-My-Hand-That’s-Why-I’ll-Sit-Here-Beside-The-Window-Where-Everybody-Can-See-Me Conyos! The..okay, never mind. Sorry, I got carried away. Anyway, the point is, don’t add H after every vowel!

 Case #3  Pnta q bhay kua m (Or pupunta ako sa bahay ng kuya mo/ I’ll go to your brother’s house)

The Q problem. Q and KO does not sound the same..OKAY? So that’s not abbreviating. That’s murdering the Filipino (and English!) language! And what is KUA? Kuya? Kuha? Kula? Kuba? Make it clear, people! There’s so many letters to go between those two vowels (it was later explained to me that KUA actually means KUYA…but I still don’t get it).

Case #4 Uu nga eh…ahihihi..aztig xa! (Or Oo nga eh..hehe..astig siya!/ You’re right..haha..he’s/she’s cool!)

Alright! If this rant is a mountain, then Case #4 is the highest level! Combination of O/U Problem, Diabetically Pa-cute Syndrome, S/Z Problem and the X-factor. Come on, if you’re Pinoy, try saying this aloud..”oo”. Now, try saying “uu”. Don’t you feel like strangling yourself with irritation for saying “uu nga?” instead of “oo nga?” Does it make you cuter if you say, “Uu, pupunta siya”? And what’s with ”ahihihi..”? hehe is shorter, right? Or even Do you laugh out loud like that? Ahihihi?! Come on!??

Now, let’s see Z/S. I suppose they find the hard S-sounding letter way too cool than the simple S. Aztig. Zuper. Lavz…give it to The Text Generation to invent a “cool lingo”..it’ll give you flu! And the X? I’m sorry about this, I’m pretty eloquent in using polite words but there’s no way to say this..anyone who uses XA to abbreviate SIYA or SYA is a moron! I’m not an English savvy but a grade 1 knows that in English spelling, XA is read as /KSA/ as in eXAct..eXAggerate..and so on. So if you type in ”d2 n xa”, that’s actually read as “dito na ksa” HUH..right???   

Abbreviation is used to shorten long words and save spaces..NOT give your reader a headache! Sometimes, I would meet a really glam girl or fab guy then they would text me “Eow..muzta n u?” Aaarggh! Instant turn off! I would somehow get an idea of what a person is like by way of seeing how he/she texts.

Come on people…I’m practically begging you! I’m on my knees…don’t even do it for the sake of English or Filipino literacy. Do it for your own sake! At least try to sound like a sensible person even in text messages!  

Pinoy Fashion

You inspired me to do this. I hunted down some Pinoy fashion for you, Hunter.

Chandelier made from capiz shells

Some designs for baro’t saya–the national dress for Filipino women.

Baro’t saya is a contraction for the words baro at saya or blouse and skirt although the pictures above show flowing dresses without cuts (am I making sense?). I guess they’re the “in” thing right now. The puffed sleeves were popularized by former First Lady Imelda Marcos

A coco and shells native bag.

The Kultura store in SM malls is a great place to buy handicrafts.

“Bakya” or wooden sandals/clogs

–usually made from local light wood like santol and laniti. I have owned two wooden clogs in my entire life and I have to tell you that they were NEVER comfortable. I always get blisters when wearing one. Plus, they get this noisy thump, thump, thump sound that announces your arrival from miles away! Surely not advisable for sneaking behind your sweetie..:D Price usually starts at $4 unless you go to Divisoria then maybe you can buy a pair for a dollar.

This is the Barong Tagalog (national costume for men) my husband wore for our wedding.

That Barong he wore was made from pinya-jusi (pinya is a hand-loomed pineapple leaf fabric while jusi is a mechanically woven silk organza). Some controversy involving this dress was in 2007 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Council when the organizing party in Sydney called it ”a peasants’ shirt”. Me? I don’t care what they call it..they look good on any men especially on formal events.  

Uncultured South Sea pearls

Whose price tags could be quite hefty. But you can go around big malls in Manila and buy freshwater pearls at a cheaper price instead. I haggled the pearl necklace and earrings I wore at my wedding from P500 (about $10) to P250 ($5). The necklace was a cat’s eye freshwater white pearl while the earrings were a drop and pear freshwater white pearl beaded with swarovski. Definitely one of my best finds! My fave places to shop for pearls are Greenhills Shopping Center and Robinson’s Manila.

There you go. Some things especially made by Filipinos. Check out this site to see Coconut Palace, a mansion built by the Marcoses. From the name itself, the house was built entirely out of coconut, narra and other native hardwood. I was there on a field trip when I was a kid and, man..it was some house!