only FOR you

Should have made this song the "one" while marching down the aisle four years ago. The mind changed for the nth time on the last minute. 

Too late! No sense for regrets and should haves.  Past is past.  Unless J. Bond asks me to marry him again. Then I would say one more time ...  "I'll think about it!".    Ha-ha-ha!  There's no doubt  that I would (marry him again) ... same way, same date, same place, same GUY!

Beads were part of the plan.

So here you go  -- the one-pager wedding plan written on a paper napkin.  The planning took a max of one hour while sharing a grande cup of coffee in Starbucks with J. Bond. That's it.  Pretty much covers everything needed for a decent wedding.  Works (including Church and Reception reservations) began THREE MONTHS before the wedding date.

Note for the soon-to-be BRIDES: The cramming style is NOT for the weak heart. I do events which explains the familiarity. Planning and legwork a year in advance is the best way to take. But then I thrive on stress ... plus the less time, the lesser chances of changing my mind. My rule of thumb: Work with suppliers who do magic!

One-and-only brother handed me over to J. Bond. 

The day was a breeze. I went for past wedding styles -- meaning parents/grandparents style.  Simple yet with a couple of frills --  rich in color (think Christmas in February), a quartet for a nostalgic mood , my flower girl (niece) in pink chucks and  roses for the ladies/couples/family members who made life lovely. Oh! ... and guests were grouped according to "FRIENDS" :)

the theme:  A CELEBRATION OF LOVE, LIFE AND PEOPLE WE CHERISH MOST.

I am number 2 in the married-sibling count.  The top spot belongs to one-and-only brother.  3rd spot will soon be filled-in by her ...

Sister # 4's confirmed date:  May (?), 2011. Where:  MEXICO!!!  Unlike me, she's way too advanced and organized with the plans.  A MUST especially for a destination wedding.  I'm 100% sure her day will be a  PARTY-BLAST!  I'm thrilled and can't wait any longer ... so are the rest of the family and her "besties" :)

Mums instead of Bead necklaces for the ladies.

Four years after, I thought of sharing with you a little bit of glimpse of 02-04-06.  Nothing grand but a day that is marked for the rest of my life.  

As for you, treat this as my way of saying THANK YOU for taking time  to read my blogs.

2010 Bangle, 2010 PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS

2010 BANGLE

2010 Philippine Elections

(May 10, 2010)

Afternoon Shopping Date

A week after the FALL, J. Bond and I chose to spend Saturday afternoon on a break mode. 

We locked our door at past 2pm, then zoomed our way for some retail therapy.  Having discovered the healing elements of shopping for recycled paper, I entertained the possibility of  J. Bond healing faster in this same manner too ... (with the hidden intention that he realizes later on that there's truth to my shopping theory.  Then, shopping would be a pleasant breeze!).    He welcomed the idea and that made me very much gung ho ..... considering the deliberate acts I have painstakingly mastered the past week:  Walk Slow and Move with Care -- not so me!

J. Bond, on the other hand, is the opposite.  He walks and strides around with his overly exposed wounded arm and slightly bruised leg.  No trace of worry  (nor shame) at all.  He walks ahead while I trail behind.  Pretty much this way --

Fast actions can be an advantage.  I somehow missed out on what he said. More like he said nothing at all.  I found myself in this situation prior to retail therapy ... 

1st stop --- J. Bond's office clinic for a flu shot.  A surprising way to kick-off an afternoon shopping date.  Something new!  Intentions were good but it felt I have fallen into a pit-filled of tricks.  As I've said, I didn't know.   But then again,  I had my own hidden agenda.

2nd stop ---

Cartimar is located at Pasay, Manila

How could I have allowed him to lead the way?!  For the 2nd time around, I fell into his trick-pit.  Cartimar was in no way part of my therapeutic place to shop list ...  More so the "goods" found in this popular destination.

Except for my continued patronage for this ---

Hot Taho (Soy).  The best I have ever tasted.

and this ---

Frozen dimsum.  Same place where I buy Taho (Soy).
The name of the shop is in Chinese.  Thus, I always forget.
The shop faces the fruit market and is right beside Cartimar's Management Office.

... I rarely join J. Bond each time he traverses the alleyways of Cartimar.  Last Saturday though was an unusual case --- He was fast and I was slow.

For information purposes, Cartimar is better known as ANIMALandia. Popular pets like fishes, puppies, rabbits, birds and  more exotic ones like snakes, alligators, scorpions can be found here.  Shops also carry a wide range of basic and fancy pet accessories.  On top of these pet shops, found as well are plant and landscaping shops, quaint stalls that claim(?) to sell authentic dry goods, a wet market,  Chinese/Korean/Japanese delis, a mini-food court and a handful of BIKE shops~!

You read it right.  I repeat, BIKE shops!  So while J. Bond's jaw dropped in his favorite shop Paulinas ....

.... and capped the shopping with a thumbs up by his wounded arm (thanks to biking! but a sign I took as his acceptance to my shopping theory ), .....

... I was fast in scheduling next day's therapy session.  This time my way :)

The Legend of Maria Sinukuan

In celebration of EARTH DAY, I share with you the LEGEND OF MARIA SINUKUAN, a mythical mountain goddess who resides in the bountiful forest once found in MOUNT ARAYAT.

Known to be a dormant volcano, Mount Arayat is located in Pampanga, Philippines.  The southern half of the mountain lies within the municipality of Arayat.  The northern half, on the other hand, lies within Magalang, Pampanga. Today, Mount Arayat is known to be a climbing hub for Philippine mountaineers.

As you read the famous legend below, I hope you  take a few moments as well to gaze at a few borrowed  photos of Mount Arayat, inspirational images of Maria Sinukuan and my own photos of SONYAS GARDEN . 

The legend and the photos speak of one thing:  LET'S ALL DO OUR SHARE TO SAVE THE BEAUTY OF  MOTHER EARTH.

Thank you Wikipedia for the story ....

Sinukuan is associated with the unusual bounty of the forests in Arayat, and with the profusion of animals there.

Mount Arayat.  Courtesy of  http://zcap.freeyellow.com/pix3.htm

Mount Arayat stands in the middle of Central Luzon and is topped by a circular volcanic crater.  The southern half of the mountain lies within the municipality of Arayat, Pampanga, while the north half and the mountain summit lies within Magalang, Pampanga. Ten miles to the west of Mount Arayat is Angeles City and the former Clark Air Base. Mount Pinatubo is located a further ten miles west. 

It is known to be a mystical mountain, the legendary home of the diwata (in English, Fairy) Maria Sinukuan, and was once believed to contain a wealth of fruit.

An image of Maria Sinukuan by http://www.boholchronicle.com/2009/mar/29/bared.htm

Watching over the needs of the people in the nearby town, she used to regularly leave fruits and animals at the doorstep of locals who needed food during hard times.  At one point, a group of young men got greedy.  They sought out where Sinukuan's home was in the mountains, and when they found it, they asked for more than what they actually needed.  Sinukuan did not object to this, and allowed them to pick a great load of fruits.

She warned them, however, not to get any fruits from the forest without her permission. On their way back home, they decided they would get more. Why not? They asked each other. “She won't know we took home fruits and animals. They're so plentiful, she won't know the difference."

Courtesy of http://www.thepedia.com/define/Maria_Makiling

But she did. As soon as they had started picking more fruit, their packs began to feel heavier. They soon discovered that all the fruit and meat they were carrying had turned into rocks. The young men ran away, but before they managed to escape the forest, Sinukuan appeared before them. As punishment, she said, she would turn them into swine. And so she did.

But the other people in the village were also getting greedy. More and more, they stole from Sinukuan’s forests. Angered, Sinukuan stopped leaving food at their doorsteps. She made the fruit trees and animals in the mountain to disappear. And she also never allowed the villagers to see her again.

***By Beaded Story invites you to join its cause to Save Mother Earth by donating P50 when you order any bead work. This will be donated to World Wild Life Fund Philippines and your purchase will be delivered to you in recycled packaging instead of the usual pouch.  Visit www.bybeadedstory.multiply.com for details.

Bruises and Paper

The remedy for bad falls resulting to unsightly bruises -- SHOPPING for PAPER!

Last Sunday was jinxed.  J. Bond came home from his usual weekend mountain bike adventure  looking normal as ever.  But it only took a split second to notice and be alarmed of the  BIG gauze pads patched on his right arm and  leg. Not to mention the bruised ribs masked by his sweat drenched shirt. Like what he said 3 years ago, this happens in "extreme" sports like this.  Yeah right!

I don't approve, yet I support.   Call me a confused nut but it's hard to say no.  So PRAY is all I do each time he goes on an adventure ....

January 24, 2010
PAPPY'S TRAIL -- somewhere along the slopes of Tagaytay, near Taal Volcano

For the second time around, the alarm button rang full blast.  I pretty much zoomed all around the house ... zoomed from the garage to the medicine cabinet .... zoomed up then zoomed down ... zoomed up once again then ....

... zoomed  FALLING DOWN!  Yup, from top to bottom.  TWO injured bodies in one day.  With my fall, that ended the zoom.

Pain set in the day after.  First aid remedies have been applied, but lo and behold ... great discoveries do happen even in pain.  First, SHOPPING cures! Second, PAPER products cure all the more!

See what I discovered in National Bookstore.  What do you think these are?  Comes in 3 colors and obviously I bought all 3.

These are pens made of RECYCLED PAPER!  Writes well and very affordable -- around Php6.50 each.  National Bookstore now features a section where recycled paper products like notebooks, notepads and pens are heavily promoted.   I just take extra care when using these pens, making sure that my hands are dry and no wet marks around. 

After having discovered these, a thought came to mind.  Do recycled paper beads exist? 

Sunday's fall led me to discover recycled paper pens.  

Recycled paper pens made me ask if recycled paper beads exist. 

My asking led me to do a quick research over the net. 

The research then led me to discover BEAD BY BEAD.

Courtesy of Bead by Bead

Taken from BEAD BY BEAD'S site,  their cause is all about this ....

Bead by Bead is a project and a vision of Mirella Brenke, who lives and works in Uganda with her husband and two children, that strives to help the families from one of the poorest Kampala districts, Soweto. Soweto is a district, more precisely, a slum, situated along the railroad. Most of its residents come from the poor northern part of Uganda, devastated by war. They live in inhuman conditions, with no water, electricity or sanitary facilities, and all members of the family mostly share one single room. The children often don't go to school, and famine, violence and poverty is what these people have to cope with every day.

After talking to many people, guided with our own experience, instinct and vision, we decided to start Bead by Bead. Bead by Bead is a socially responsible business, a model for which we strongly believe is the model of the future.

Bead by Bead is a company which does business like any other, the only difference is that it invests 20% of its profit and gives it back to the community that makes our products. Bead by Bead does this by investing in children's education, health insurance, and various other socially beneficial projects.

Our goal is to bring this unique, ecological product closer to you, to enrich your appearance with these beautiful colours, and your soul with knowing that you've really helped our cause.

How we can support?  Check out their site by clicking on the title of this blog.

As for me, I will order this soon.  Just finalizing quantities ....

Called DEMBE (means PEACE).  Note:  All beads are handmade of recycled paper.
Thank you Bead By Bead. 

Falls aren't bad -- It rattles your brain to remember that taking extra care is important ... And, it brings along great discoveries like National Bookstore's recycled paper pens and Bead by Bead's recycled paper beads.  I have somehow controlled myself from all the zooming since the fall.  I just wish that I can somehow zoom my way to Uganda to check out the beads in person, and more so meet the beautiful  women behind it.

My husband's case is a different story.  As they say, boys will always be boys! 

Playful April Birthdays

Let's start with this ....

Meet my niece, "Hello Kitty", and her playmate, "My Melody" .... Getting ready for action.  See what happens next ....

TA DAH!  The pink slime found its way high up on the wall.  J. Bond  saves the day.  The girls repeat. See the cycle.

It took me less than 10 seconds to check out what this slime is all about.  I couldn't last any longer.  The girls  loved it, while chewed pink gum was all I thought about. 

Meanwhile, nearby and exactly the same time, this was going on .....

Frustrating!  I tried a couple of times but that small ball refused to cooperate. It hit my eye, my lips, my cheek --- pretty much a here, there, everywhere aim except on that wooden cup. Lol!  But whoever thinks of  play as  kids exclusive  is absolutely wrong and boring.  These 2 APRIL CELEBRANTS were good at beating each other. 

Aside from the fact that they belong to the middle section of the sibling count, April is the birthday month of my one and only Brother and Sister # 3.  My crazy thoughts see a lot of other similarities but the lips are zipped!  Let's stick to the obvious fact that their birthdays are in April  ... and here goes a theory, people born in April are PLAYFUL folks.  Am I right?  Or, after having gone through the so-called middle child syndrome, they evolve into "GROWN-UP kids".  Do they?

I guess the best bet to ask these questions is her ....

... Meanwhile, nearby and exactly the same time, this was going on .... Mother  playing Bejeweled. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY "The Menace" and "Banana"! 

        Sister # 1 ...

Just 4 KIDS!

You know it's officially summer when you see A LOT of these ....

PLAYING .....

PLAYING .....

and MORE PLAYING.

So I thought, why not join the fun?!!! :)

A fun collection JUST 4 KIDS!!!  

Have a HAPPY PLAYFUL SUMMER ☻☻☻☻☻

for Sasha and her Magic Box

THE MAGIC BOX

I will put in my box

the sound of the waves clashing together,

the sweet smell of popcorn,

and the first gurgle of my baby cousin.

I will put in my box

the excitement of going on holiday,

a fresh start to the new day,

and seeing the red, orange and yellow sunset for the first time.

I will put in my box

the feeling of waking up on your birthday

and knowing you're a whole year older,

the view from your hotel window looking over the beautiful ocean,

and the glisten of the first star you see.

My box is bright purple with golden spirals on the lid

and lovely memories in the corners.

I shall swim in my box in the biggest oceans in the world,
then be scooped up by a net and drop me on the finest,

yellowest beach ever found.

by Sasha Keene, 10 years old

Hello Sasha.

This may perhaps be a surprise to you since you have no clue who I am.  I write you this note to let you know how lovely your poem is.

I was having my usual hearty breakfast with my husband, J. Bond,  when I came across and  read your poem.  Since then, your gentle words and beautiful thoughts have remained in my mind. I imagined, and continue to do so, the magical wonders inside your box.  These make me smile.

Like you, I also have my own "magic" box tucked away in one corner of my room with no lock nor any kind of seal.

It  has the likeness of a treasure chest, rusty brown in color and topped with a pretty Japanese print. But more than its look, this magic box is my TREASURE.  It was given to me as a thank you gift by a lady who I buy my glass beads from.

I have used this box in so many ways.  First,  it was my hiding place for the things I have collected over the years like  pens, scrapbook materials, colorful pouches, notepads, scented stationery, and stickers.  On my wedding day four years ago, my collection finally found its use.   Later on, the box became storage for my beads.  I think I haven't told you how much I love to bead necklaces.  Since I bead almost everyday, I reached a point when I needed to move my beads to a much bigger box.

Now, I use my magic box for this ......

This is where I keep my most PRECIOUS TREASURES---

Greeting cards from family and friends. Handwritten letters from J. Bond. Old photographs that speak of  memories.  Heirlooms that have been passed on from elder generations. My never been seen bead works  placed in quilted pouches.

I call them my precious treasures because these have tickled my heart. You are right, Sasha.  Boxes are magical if filled with special moments and loving memories.  Like you, I see and feel magic each time I open my unlocked box.  I leave this unlocked because sharing these treasures with loved ones make it extra special.  My heart won't tickle without their help :)

As for you Sasha, I believe you have found and shared your most precious treasures  -- your gentle words and beautiful thoughts.  Put these in your magic box.  But don't forget to share.  Someday, you'll look back with a smile....

"I shall swim in my box in the biggest oceans in the world,

then be scooped up by a net and drop me on the finest,

yellowest beach ever found." 

-- by Sasha Keene, 10 years old

                                                                     from TRIXIE of

A Kilinga Belle

I stumbled upon CHINATOWN CHARLIE'S photo in flickr while googling for tribal images.  Proves that the adventure mood ain't over yet.  I was thinking these ....

Philippine Tribes in the early 1900s

Tribal Women

Tribal BEAD Accessories

What do you think? 

I need time to study this further. Will keep you posted.

Mission Accomplished

I finally figured it out despite the denial stage I went through at the start of this year.  Weekends are absolutely non-bead days ..... and ..... beads and the pharmacy are interrelated.  That's a fact.  One cannot live without the other.  Beads transport me to la-la-la fairy tale land, while the Pharmacy is my REALITY.

Yesterday was the first ever dental mission organized by the Pharmacy.  During its planning stages, we anticipated -- scorching heat, children crying out loud, adults adamant about having their tooth extracted even with existing health concerns (like heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure), complaints from those who were not able to pre-register and probable complications after the activity.

Though we experienced a bit of crying ....

Crying twins while waiting for their Mom  having her tooth extracted.
The vital signs Pharmacy staff worked as babysitters too :) 

..... the activity turned out smooth and well-organized.  Good Job to the hardworking Pharmacy staff and Thanks to the Dean, Professors and Dental students of Emilio Aguinaldo College School of Dentistry who willingly extended a helping hand. 

I felt a different level of "high" after this half-day activity.  FULFILLMENT at the HIGHEST DEGREE.  The Pharmacy's purpose for doing such activities is short and simple:  Uplift the SPIRITS of our less fortunate brothers and sisters. 

Fact:  MILLIONS in the Philippines still remain unemployed and are in dire need of help -- financially, spiritually and physically.  Thus, our monthly medical mission is our little way of sharing the blessings.

Yesterday's MISSION, ACCOMPLISHED ... but definitely NOT OVER.

Album may be viewed from this LINK.