do you want to know a secret?

i've been so uber busy these past few weeks. my stomach is reeling from too much tension. my mind goes berserk from too much pressure. ah! how my head aches. i need to adjust and adapt to changes i have led myself in to. work, school, home and a lot of other things combined. school!? you say. yes, i am student once more. after finishing graduate school, i've decided to embark on yet another journey and take up units in education.

and, i have discovered a treasure. a 14 year old bright girl delivered this as her elocution piece in the class i was observing... great was its impact on me!

"The Greatest Secret in the World"
Og Mandino

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures. Muscle can split a shield and even destroy life but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men and until I master this art I will remain no more than a peddler in the market place. I will make love my greatest weapon and none on whom I call can defend against its force.
My reasoning they may counter; my speech they may distrust; my apparel they may disapprove; my face they may reject and even my bargains may cause them suspicion; yet my love will melt all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I speak? I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends; I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers. Always will I dig for reasons to plaud; never will I scratch for excuses to gossip. When I am tempted to criticize I will bite on my tongue; when I am moved to praise I will shout from the roofs.
Is it not so that birds, the wind, the sea and all nature speaks with the music of praise for their creator? Cannot I speak with the same music to his children? Henceforth will I remember this secret and it will change my life.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I act? I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden. With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built around their hearts and in its place will I build bridges so that my love may enter their souls.

I will love the ambitious for they can inspire me; I will love the failures for they can teach me. I will love the kings for they are but human; I will love the meek for they are divine. I will love the rich for they are yet lonely; I will love the poor for they are so many. I will love the young for the faith they hold; I will love the old for the wisdom they share. I will love the beautiful for their eyes of sadness; I will love the ugly for their souls of peace.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

But how will I react to the actions of others? With love. For just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger. Adversity and discouragement will beat against my new shield and become as the softest of rains. My shield will protect me in the market place and sustain me when I am alone. It will uplift me in moments of despair yet it will calm me in time of exultation. It will become stronger and more protective with use until one day I will cast it aside and walk unencumbered among all manners of men and, when I do, my name will be raised high on the pyramid of life.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I confront each whom I meet? In only one way. In silence and to myself I will address him and say I Love You. Though spoken in silence these words will shine in my eyes, unwrinkle my brow, bring a smile to my lips and echo in my voice; and his heart will be opened. And who is there who will say nay to my goods when his heart feels my love?

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul and my heart. Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. Never will I allow my soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather I will feed it with meditation and prayer. Never will I allow my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and it will grow and warm the earth.

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

Henceforth will I love all mankind. From this moment all hate is let from my veins for I have not time to hate, only time to love. From this moment I take the first step required to become a man among men. With love I will increase my sales a hundred fold and become a great salesman. If I have no other qualities I can succeed with love alone. Without it I will fail though I possess all the knowledge and skills of the world.

ten

paradise.

the beach, the sand and sun,
it's the 26th of november,
rain or shine,
laughter and thrill with fishes swimming all around,

simple joys,
simple pleasures,
love divine,
my precious has grown,

i see me in her,
yet she is so much more,

she is of God,
she is of brilliance,
zaila, my pure sweet joy,
my light.

cosio

the bluest of the blue paint,
in symmetry with the greens and reds,
and the whites are insouciantly mixed to take the shape of the sky, the sea, the shrubs,
the slight tint of reds gyrates and sways like a rose,
such that it moves those who bestow their attention to it,
while enjoying morsels of fine food on their mouths.

cosio rests on the wall.

an interplay of good conversation can be heard,
laughter and shrill excitement abounds,
cosio being a witness to it all...

may 22, 2003

indulge

boredom struck thus sprung forth a time for indulgence...

hail to the champ!

he is my living hero, whose steps i want to follow. it's not that i will be a warrior or anything inside the ring =) he is my idol. the values he possesses are truly worthy of emulation.

i've forgotten how...

i want to remember...

leaving for good? probably.

i've been blogging for 19 months now.

i used to reside in another site. when i felt ready to share more of my self to the blogoshpere i transferred to this site which i believed to be an extension of my authentic self. it was not an easy move for me, i tell you. the experience is comparable to letting other people see how i floss my teeth in the morning.

still, i blogged.

why? because i acknowledge the fact that i am a being full of creativity (all of us are), full of talent (just like you), that i have something to give that is worth people's time. and because i have finally acknowledge, after years and years of putting my own self down, that i am capable of writing, of expressing my most intimate thoughts through the interplay of words, of punctuations, of imagination, of reality.

but then again, i've realized those are not enough reason. to be an exceptional writer i need to gain mastery of the most basic things. and so, i'll take this cue and leave this blog that i have so lovingly built, that i am so PASSIONATE about.

i'll sail on and expose myself to things that will make me become a better and responsible writer.

i'll be back when i'm ripe.

yin and yang

it's night, gray, white, red, blue and floral around. it's a dreamscape thought to be not real yet it happened. it became. now, it resides somewhere in memory, easily retrievable. it resides somewhere in space, in time.

she went out of the airport terminal with an end in mind - find him firsts. she stopped, stood still in the middle while she sighted every place, every corner that could possibly lead to him. she scoured and looked over a thin crowd before her. she searched for a familiar face, a familiar figure. she found nothing.

he stands more than a few meters away, intently watching her every move, the way she is now. so much has changed. she is different and yet the same. it has been thirteen years since he last saw her. he cannot help but smile as he sees her eyes dart from east to west, fidgeting, wary even, thinking he might not show up. it's good to watch her for a little while and just stare and just look and just watch and just make this moment lay imprints on his mind.

she's nervous now growing very anxious. i should have known, this would not be real. he would not show up. i should have known from the start, he changed his mind.

he dials her number. her cellphone rings. she lifts the receiver close to her ears. he voiced, hello! i'm just here, right in front of you. i am here...

wali as in ilaw

i've always been fearful of house lizards. i don't know, they looked icky and sneaky. they'd be on top of your head without you knowing. they make you wanna go, eewww. their bulging eyes although homer simpson like in appearance is far from adorable.

all that changed when we took wali for a pet, sort of. we have all but praises for him. he keeps our home insect free specially during night time. ingenious as he is, every night, he strategically positions himself close to the light, close to where his preys are...

nigi

dancing in the shadows of my consciousness,
i kept pondering on how to map out my journey,
restless like a gopi beside the purest of the purest streams,
will i chance upon a nigi at the end?
i wish to do it now and not tomorrow,
i will seek my destiny.

taria waraku.