on timely mass readings and asking God why

Today's mass readings, the first reading from Job and the gospel of Jesus quieting the storm, basically underscore God's greatness and purpose.

Coincidentally, or maybe, God-willed--today is also the birthday of a special person in my life, who is going through their own storm. When they told me, they were devastated, and I too was afraid for them and in denial of the struggle that they would be facing. Reflections on the gospel though are generally of the same vein, that the storm forces the disciples to see things differently and to have faith in Jesus who set them on that path. I would like to think that it would be the same way for my beloved, that this is a necessary trial to set them on a different path which hopefully will lead to clarity, faith, and strength.

When one receives such news from a loved one, sometimes the knee-jerk reaction is to wish, it should be me instead, Lord, let it be me. And honestly, I was already starting to feel that way. But saying this goes against faith and acceptance of God's plan; it undermines His greatness and purpose. What can we do, then, but trust in His infinite wisdom?

It was His mysterious ways at work yet again--how the mass readings seemed to factor exactly into the current events of my life. When in adolescence, gospels and homilies would go in one ear and our the other, this time it really hit close to home. Seems I've been experiencing that a lot recently. Or maybe because in my middle age, I've truly become more open to actually listening to the Lord.

Last Song Syndrome :

thirteen years, give or take

The last time I posted, I was single, my dad was still alive, and I thought very differently about many things. This is probably going to end up as an unread, forgotten blog, but it will be the repository of my reflections, middle-aged angst, and mindfarts.
Last Song Syndrome : Ends of the Earth - Lord Huron

a sign that i'm old...

I just realized that I can recognize about 90% of the performers who comprised USA for Africa, down to LaToya Jackson. And I remember when I was a fledgling music-lover in first or second grade seeing that (wow, high-tech!) split screen with Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen and feeling just warm inside. Nice.

We are the world... we are the children...
Mwehehehe...

I'll see how often I can post now. Gaah.

catsup

I don't know. It's not that I forgot to blog. I just deemed it more important to meet up with the besprens, fix my room, host a couple of parties, play God--or rather, Abraham Lincoln, finish Burger Shop, make both paper and digital scrap pages, answer Heroes trivia questions, start planning a wedding, and generally preoccupy myself with anything and everything other than blogging.

But blogging always has been a true love, and here I come, the proverbial prodigal son (daughter), back in the arms of one of my great passions. I recently re-read some old blog posts and reminisced. Hee. I'm getting old.

Goodness, it's almost 9am, and I haven't done anything that passes as work yet. And I'm supposed to have been here since 7.30am. Ah, blogging--beloved child of procrastination. Hahahaha.

Here's a little more catching up, and there will be more in the weeks to come:

What's this, a meme? I haven't done one in the longest time!
Last Cigarette: a while ago
Last Alcoholic Drink: a sip of wine, last weekend with the mahjongg buddies
Last Car Ride: this morning, with the father-unit
Last Kiss: on the cheek, this morning with the father-unit. elsewhere, last weekend with the SO, hee
Last Good Cry: last Thursday
Last Library Book: I can't remember! But I do remember sneaking out a copy of Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage in high school, my radical days. I think in college, the last book would have been related to class, or a thesis. It was the start of disillusionment and the death of my radical idealism.
Last book bought: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories by Susanna Clarke
Last Book Read: complete? Knife of Dreams (it's been so long); meanwhile, on my reading list are Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Gates of Fire (viva Thermopylae) and the Dragonlance War of Souls trilogy
Last Movie Seen in Theatres: Beowulf
Last Movie Rented pDVD: Atonement, bravo! before that I rewatched the wall of abs scenes from 300... hee!
Last Beverage Drank: water
Last Food Consumed: bacon
Last Crush: Will Yun Lee! yay to C/S for airing Thief and Bionic Woman at the same time!
Last Phone Call: client JP, always an early bird
Last TV Show Watched: on TV: Umagang Kay Ganda; on pDVD: How I Met Your Mother, whee!
Last Time Showered: this morning
Last Shoes Worn: the Rockport slip-ons
Last CD Played: Putumayo presents Nuevo Latino
Last Item Bought: candy
Last Download: Peppermint Creative free digiscrap kit
Last Obsession: Seattle's Best holiday giveaway 2007 (one more sticker to go!)
Last Annoyance: bumpy roads in the metro (caused mostly by coffee spillage in the car)
Last Disappointment: at myself, for not knowing what I want
Last Soda Drank: Mountain Dew
Last Thing Written: this blog post?
Last Key Used: car
Last Words Spoken: that should be enough
Last Sleep: 4 hours
Last Ice Cream Eaten: Arce Strawberry
Last Chair Sat In: office chair
Last Webpage Visited: err… Blogger? Which is why this is here? But seriously… inquirer.net and IMDb.com




Last Song Syndrome : "I'll be loving yoouu... forever..." (dont' ask)

crossing the bridge to terabithia

Catching up on old movies that I missed out on: The Bridge to Terabithia

A deceptively fantasy-filled trailer turns out to be a sweet treatise on the joys of childhood--a totally fantastic and compelling film, bearing testament to friendship and the wonders of childlike imagination. After the plethora of buzz-boom-zing fantasy movies, this laid-back gem will warm your heart and touch your soul. The overall conceptualization and the reined-in use of CGI makes the story pop, be true to itself. Wonderful performances from the child leads and the adult support cast as well.

shaping up to be the Worst. Christmas. Ever.

senseless, yet again

The pilot killed after a brawl outside Embassy bar at the Fort the other day was the brother of my high school classmate and friend. He was not even the target of the incident--and even if he was, what was so imperative, what was their grave concern that the suspects thought it fit to maul Mr. Castellano and his friend, seven to two? What is the cost of a human life? A trivial slight, a minor bump?

It's the Christmas season--it was supposed to be a night of "happy-happy" but instead, these people chose to ruin the holidays not just for the victims' families, but their own; and they have scarred the Castellano family, traumatizing the holidays for them for many a year to come, just like any monstrous cold-blooded killer's act would hound a victim's family. I only hope that Carlo's killers will be brought to justice--as it is, they are currently declaring their innocence... and their lawyer's main argument is that, hey, they were all drunk. Eh?!

The guilty should not go scot-free. Times like these, I wish we had crime scene units and procedures similar to the US. I hope that the police were able to swab the suspects' hands and clothes for evidence, and that the case will remain a high-profile one so that the criminals cannot just slink out of the picture and go unpunished.

Meanwhile, Embassy Bar seems to be a hotbed of high-profile hot-headed activity. The last time it was significantly in the news was when a male model/presidential grandson beat up another guy. I was just a tad perturbed by the bar management's statements saying that they sought justice and sympathized with the family of the victim, but anyway the incident did not happen in the immediate vicinity of their bar, but in the common parking lot... and so on. The fact of the matter remains that both victims and suspects came from their bar, and the originating incident occurred inside. And I'm sure they cannot dispute the fact that in that area, Embassy Bar is the nightspot of choice, the flagship of the Fort Strip. I'm just wondering how much a little added security, a roving guard or plainclothesman (if possible with tazer)--how much would this dent their nightly earnings? Should bars that serve alcohol have a greater responsibility to keep their patrons safe?

sometimes i really love cold case

Tonight's episode of Cold Case ("Wishing") starts off with the familiar strains of These Are Days (ah, 10,000 Maniacs--I absolutely adored them, and still do), then Natalie Merchant breaking into song. I love Cold Case, but today's episode is in the running for Best. Episode. Ever. The Maniacs' Trouble Me is also played later, as are some other songs from my adolescence, including Plush by the Stone Temple Pilots. Nice.

When I was a wee bit of a girl, I wanted to be like Nancy Drew--a sleuth. Only people don't use that word anymore. If I were a little girl now, I think I would want to be a CSI. Although these Cold Case people and all their going around talking to people--may be somewhat tedious. Ahh, umiral ang katamaran. Hee.

all that glitters

When I was done wrapping I realized that I was making shoddily fake gold bullion. Haha. Although you can't help but lurrve the gold tissue from that Japan Home Store. Too bad it's all used up. A bit pricey though--P55 for 4 sheets, I believe? Or was it eight. I forget. 6 days before Christmas and overtime can make you a Scrooge.

caveat emptor

I recently bought a wedding magazine (which shall not be identified) for P150, much cheaper than the current P350 of Wedding Essentials. Well, I guess you really get what you pay for. However, the Weddings at Work primer is only being sold for P75, and is actually given free during wedding fairs. And it contained a whole lot more information than this "magazine", which is actually a supplier listing with press releases masquerading as "articles". Oh well. Forgive me, I know that some people are into this sort of thing, but some of the gown ads were downright funny--and some were even scary. One gown looked like a dust ruffle and another looked like a cake. However, some of the ads were interesting, including one atelier which is just a few blocks away from us. But still. Would not pay P150 for that information.