The most interesting thing about heart transplants is that one completely loses his own heart & be replaced with someone else's yet still has the feelings for the same person he loves.

This proves that love works in the minds of people & not in their hearts. Bottomline is, love is a state of mind. You'll learn how to forget only if you try doing so."

--- Dr. Burke, Grey's Anatomy

what if i become a HERMIT? will that make me happy?
will that fulfill all my heart's longings?

today riding the TAXI (cab for some)
this thought suddenly snapped

maybe the reason why i cant seem
to feel happiness is because

of the many worries that...
comes with living day to day...

the material things... you have to think of... (what shall i eat?, what shall i wear?)
those activities you want to engage in... (movies... dinner... coffee...?)

what if i get stuck in Batanes?
in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and South China sea?

what if i just look out there from the cliff?
breathtaking view.... the waves inviting
the clouds smiling...
the sun mischievously picking behind them

ahhh... perhaps, i can live a millennium
just frozen... in this beauty...

i will never have to eat... or move...
(or shower... toothbrush is immaterial!)

i only need my pen... and my pad paper...


(Immanuel Kant? is this moral or immoral? what is your categorical imperative on this one?)

Former President of Peru in Manila...

Dr. Alejandro Toledo... a Peruvian... a Latin American... a Democrat... an Economist... a World Bank Official... Former President... a Teacher... a lifelong learner... a poor shoeshine boy... from an indigenous peoples' group...

a global visionary... an economist of human resources


last night was a privileged night cause i got to meet this interesting man...

free at last...

have you ever wondered how it feels
going out a winding dark tunnel?
after hundreth year, seeing that light, you shudder
enormous blend of emotions creep within
anticipation, relief, ecstasy, and fear.

have you imagined climbin' a tree
going up, suspended mid-air?
bare hands and feet, your shot at safety
but, whew - at the top
sublime, pure breeze refreshes
embraces, enfolds you, heaven!

have you swum endless strokes
cruel waves pushin' sidesweeping?
yet you came, steadily, strong against the current
you arrive, still in shape.

emerging from the dark,
conquering the heights, crossing the vast ocean
victory over these, what else?
glory, after a "doomed" ....................................


- - -

3 years after...

i am free from these chains...
yet somehow, sometimes... a part of me feels the same
of different causes, reasons of course...

perhaps, in this life, we are also some kind of prisoners...
bounded by the "world" we live in...
binded by our loves, our hopes and aspirations...

chained by our fears...
we are held...
and somehow... we miss out many things...

the simple joys, those joys which are of no value
simply because they are priceless...

i long to fly like a bird...
swim like a baby just born
just trusting... strong and abandoned...

nix, thanks. what an appropriate piece of thought for me. but dont get me wrong, i dont mean that i am unthankful or i feel sorry for myself...

actually, i feel so privileged that the Lord has made me who I am today... even with all the heartaches and pains... I think that they are blessings too for without them... I will not be as strong, as open-minded and as focused...

but there are times really that i cannot grasp this concept of happiness... or perhaps i am looking for a specific kind of happiness which is not really possible?

i dont know... im not sure. I know life is not perfect (how can i wish for this when so many others suffer more than myself) but somehow... i am looking for something...

its just that...

soul eclipse...

just what it means? all i know is that my heart will always be achin' for my indigo, casanova and turtle...

maybe, i will not see them again in my lifetime, but this soul is forever filled with their memories and spirit... achin' at the same time laughin'...

Colors of Lemery, Batangas...

Sigpawan Festival sa Lemery

On 08 April 2007, the Municipality of Lemery, Batangas is organizing the first Sigpawan Festival as a celebration of the town’s long history as a fishing community benefiting from the resources coming from Balayan Bay.

Lemery is 113 kilometers from Manila and 26 kilometers from Batangas City, the provincial capitol. Statistics reveals it is one of the most prosperous towns of Batangas with majority of its land area used for agricultural industries such as farming, fisheries, and livestock. Yet the town is also quite known for its dozen resorts which attract local tourists especially during the heat of the summer.

Recognizing the bounty of its natural resources, Lemery’s leaders would like to highlight during Sigpawan festival a spirit of thanksgiving amongst the local people. “Sigpaw” is the local word for a “small net with a handle” that is used by fisher folks to scoop fish from wide fishnets then transferred to containers and delivered to the local markets.

The festival will feature simultaneous religious and cultural activities starting with a thanksgiving mass in honor of San Roque, the town’s patron saint then followed by a parade from the church going to the fishport. Meantime, a wall painting contest goes on at the town’s elementary school participated in by the young artists of Lemery. These are then followed by live band performances and awarding ceremonies.

The afternoon’s highlight is a featured tour of the sites to see in Lemery such as the Fantasy World located on the top of a hill, the Leisure Farm, Taal Volcano, the Taal Basilica (once the biggest church in East Asia), and the Pansipit River which is famous for its Maliputo fish.

Through the Sigpawan Festival, the Municipal Government of Lemery as well as the Lemery Development Foundation, Inc. envisions a renewed interest in the town as tourist destination where local and foreign tourists alike will have the experience of communing with the rich colors of a typical Filipino fishing community.

27 March 2007

for press release to Philippine Star