august 1, 2009
3:18 am

by ninoy aquino for cory aquino

i have fallen in love with the same woman three times
in a day spanning 19 years of tearful joys and joyful tears.

i loved her first when she was young,
enhanting and vibrant, eternally new
she was brilliant, fragrant,
and cool as the morning dew.

i fell in love with her the second time
when fist she bore her child and mine
always by my side, the source of strength,
helping to turn the tide.

But there were candles to burn
the world was my concern
while our home was her domain
and the people were mine
while the children were hers to maintain.

So it was in those eighteen years and a day
'till i was detained, forced in prison to stay

suddenly she's our sole support
source of comfort,
our wellspring of Hope
on her shoulders felt burden of Life.

i fell in love again,
with the same woman the third time.
Looming from the battle,
her courage will never fade.

Amidst the hardships she has remained,
undaunted and unafraid
she is calm and composed,
she is God's lovely maid.

had a chat with an old friend and we were reminiscing the good old days. brought me back to memory lane where everything is so familiar. conversation of what was life back then and how it has changed now, the usual exchange of souvenirs, our petty differences, the number and our shared "Credo".

the "Credo" which speaks of our need to be understood and to be accepted.

A Credo for My Relationships with Others

You and I are in a relationship which I value and want to keep. We are also two separate persons with our own individual values and needs.

So that we will better know and understand what each of us values and needs, let us always be open and honest in our communication.

When you are experiencing a problem in your life, I will try to listen with genuine acceptance and understanding in order to help you find your own solutions rather than imposing mine. And I want you to be a listener for me when I need to find solutions to my problems.

At those times when your behavior interferes with what I must do to get my own needs met, I will tell you openly and honestly how your behavior affects me, trusting that you respect my needs and feelings enough to try to change the behavior that is unacceptable to me. Also, whenever some behavior of mine is unacceptable to you, I hope you will tell me openly and honestly so I can try to change my behavior.

And when we experience conflicts in our relationship, let us agree to resolve each conflict without either of us resorting to the use of power to win at the expense of the other's losing. I respect your needs, but I also must respect my own. So let us always strive to search for a solution that will be acceptable to both of us. Your needs will be met, and so will mine--neither will lose, both will win.

In this way, you can continue to develop as a person through satisfying your needs, and so can I. Thus, ours can be a healthy relationship in which both of us can strive to become what we are capable of being. And we can continue to relate to each other with mutual respect, love and peace.

Dr. Thomas Gordon

hmmm... so easy to say

i started reading cecelia ahern when brother vince lend me a copy of Rosie Dunne. i love the story that i bought a copy for my boyfriend as a gift. i am indeed a cecelia ahern loyal fan, i have copies of all her books, watched P.S. I love You and Samantha Who as well.

Rosie Dunne reminds me of the exchange of text messages, e-mails, conversations I had with Elias. (or should i say, i was reminded of Rossie Dunne when i had an unending exchange of messages with Elias, since the book came first before the bf). P.S. I Love You is a light and heart warming read. If You Could See Me Now is an interesting reminder of our imaginary friend. and A Place Called Here has been a favorite phrase since I first read it. i have been waiting for a copy of Thanks for the Memories since i first heard about it in her website, imagine how excited i was when i finally have a copy.

"Joyce nearly lost everything else, a marriage in pieces and lost her baby. but she survived the terrible accident and now, inexplicably, she can remember faces she has never seen, cobblestone Parisian streets she's never visited. a sudden, overwhelming sense of deja vu have Joyce feeling as if her life is not her own. Justin, on the other hand, decides to donate blood, the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time. from a failed marriage, he chased his ex-wife and daughter from chicago to london. and now, restless & tired, he lectures college students in dublin. everything changed with arrival of anonymous presents that will launch Justin into a heart of mystery and forever alter two lives."

the story, i must say, is predictable and it's not as interesting as the other books. but, i so love the cover and like i said, i am an unconditional ahern fan. this doesn't stop me from looking forward to reading The Gift which is already available in UK. i wonder when i can find it in the local store, ahhh..

thanks for the memories... "how is it possible to know someone you've never met?"

during our busiest days, time seems never enough. we, often times, hope we can freeze time and try to grasp the seconds. we move too fast.

"what is IS, and no amount of gnashing teeth on my part will change that."

saw this couple in caleruega, batangas

"and where is the line between romantic and delusional?

and how do you know once you cross the set line?

do we live in the world we physically touch?

or do we live in the world created by our minds?"

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child where it was like seeing everything at the first time, where the world is peaceful, where we see beauty in all that we see, where nothing else matters but home.

received an email from one of my best friends on my birthday..

there are times when we find ourselves yearning to fly, to discover. to begin the journey of discovery. in the end, realized that our wings are broken.