... SHARING MOTHER TERESA'S POEM

Mother Teresa's Do It Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

I stumbled on another version, maybe not a version but it somehow sounds the same.

The Paradoxical Commandments - by Dr. Kent M. Keith

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

... MY NEW STAY-COLD GLASS

This was a gift from my friend Killer Bee, station manager Paul M-O. And because of this fabulous, fabulous Coors Stay-Cold Glass, I am drinking more water. Thank you so much, Pauly!

... BEIN A MOM -- AMONG OTHER THINGS

My Nyxy has regular swimming lessons at the pool of Pagcor Hotel. Initially, she was very impressive, showing off her fearlessness of jumping in the adult pool without floaters and dog paddling her way to the pool walls. Until Freestlye came along. She suddenly had all the reasons to come out of the pool. She was cold, hungry, nauseated, tired, want to throw up – everything! I had to go and pep-talk her everyday into going back to the pool. I was assistant coach to coach Brody! Now, she can do her freestyle – without breathing. At least she’s improving. Her arms are weak, though. She slaps the water with her hand on the way down and stops kicking when she needs to raise her arm. Coordination. She lacks it – at the moment. Like I said, Assistant Coach Mom.

I just got back from the pool and I was Nurse Mom this time. When I got to the pool area, she was stepping out of the kiddie pool bawling. Apparently, a broken floor tile sliced her toe. A bleeder. And of course, Nyx entertained us all (everyone in the poolside) with her dramatic prowess. Crying while screaming “ouchy” and holding her hurt foot up, hopping to the lounger where we were at. Since there was no available band-aid, I had to walk back to my office to get my mini first aid kit. When I got back, she immediately put on her ‘pain face’ which I’m guessing went away for awhile when I left the pool. I managed to sneak in some Neosporin onto the wound, ignoring her “Ouchy!!” and sealed it with a boo-boo. Crisis averted by Nurse Mom. Thanks, Nurse Mom!

Assistant Coach Mom then entered to coax Nyx back to the water after suffering from an injury at the kiddie pool. Assistant Coach Mom is better than Nurse Mom because it was not that hard to get her back in the water.

As soon as she gets back in the water, this little boy, RJ, who has since annoyed Nyx from the start of the lessons, started playing with Nyx again. Nyx was telling him to stop but he wouldn’t and his yaya was busy taking pictures of her ward. I was stopping Bitch Mom from calling her attention yet again and giving her a piece of mind. I left the pool even before Monster Mom starts on RJ.

April 19, 2010

... GIRLS OF SUMMER

El Nino is everywhere indeed. Last weekend it was over at Hotel Pagcor Bacolod Poolside where the Girls of Summer and some boys strutted their summer-ready bodies to the all-warmed up Bacolodians.

The party opened with firedancers who upped the heatometer even more with their performance. Live DJ mixing from DJ Paul K and native drumbeaters made the night come alive.

I have been to many a bikini fashion show but this was one show that I was kinda impressed because the designers featured were all based in Bacolod and actually sold their wearable stuff at Lifestyles Boutique. Discount cards were distributed during the show to all attendees. I had my eye on at least a couple of swimsuits and would definitely check out their store before I leave for Plantation Bay in May.

There were 8 female models and 3 hunks featured during the show. I think I’ve seen most of them before in other shows. I think that’s another thing about shows like GoS, the market for bikini models is really small and that all the shows use the same models over and over again so there’s nothing new anymore. But because there’s nothing new, it made me and maybe some others, too, focus on what they were actually wearing and not their bodies. I even fell in lust with the old rose, strappy heels of one model!

As for the men, of course, I watched. Therefore, I noticed that one had really, really dirty butt cheeks. Butt cheeks that were screaming for a scrub! The other one had a connect-the-dots game on his back -- what with the carnival of pimples having their own party. Hahahaha! TMI. And to redeem them from aforementioned, washboard abs! (See pictures to appreciate.)

April 18, 2010

...ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

I borrowed that from Reader's Digest. Since this really is all in a day's work -- with a twist.

The twist is this is really how it is in my workplace. I am a little bummed by something I just heard but I won't let it go to my head.

We call him Most Outstanding Student (MOS) because of his, well, everything. And what I learned, MOS has just targeted us. Dedma! Coz his greasy face features the ff: really rough skin, dark circles around his eyes and tomato-ish nose. He really has nothing else going on in his life.

2 words: Old + Ugly. Boohoo! =P

100% Pure Spa

There was once this spa that I blogged about due to their extremely inefficient staff. The massage was great but their receptionist was extraordinarily stupid.

My Ninang Maricar Dabao, who happened to read my blog, told me she was friends with the owner and that she will inform her of my issues with O’Fisher Spa. A few days after that, Maninay Maricar asked me if she could give my number to Ms. Babes Fisher because she wanted to hear me out.

Months passed and no word from Ms. Fisher. I semi-attended a seminar organized by Maninay Maricar and she told me I just missed Fisher and that Fisher was looking forward to meet me. Oh well!

Fast forward to now. We were finally in another seminar together. Fisher was nonchalant and non-apologetic which was fine by me because my problems with O’Fisher were so last season. Hahaha! We were having polite small talk like normal seminar classmates. But when I stood up to leave the venue, she handed me a discount card and told me that it may be used in any of the 2 branches. I said thanks and stuffed the card into my pocket. When I took it out a few hours later, I was surprised because it said: This card entitles the bearer to 100% discount…Whoot!

100%! It then dawned on me that she probably did not know how to go about discussing my complaint. Again, it was fine by me because I have long forgotten my O’Fisher problem (I just haven’t gone back. Ever.) and I already have a new spa suki – Grand Royal Spa East. Conveniently near my home.

Now my new dilemma, should I use the one-time-only card and accept O’Fisher’s silent apology? Or continue being stubborn and dedma the 100%? 100 freaking percent! Insert winner’s laughter here.

… MOTHERHOOD (THE MOVIE)

I do not know if the movie is popular or if it has come out already in cinemas but yeah, I bought MOTHERHOOD coz of Uma Thurman on the title sucking on a pacifier, looking every bit motherly – tired, haggard, scruffy.

And after watching said movie, I am not sure if I liked it because I could relate to Eliza or if I hated it because I was looking at a sad reality.

Eliza is a mother of 2 kids. A school-age girl and a toddler boy. Ahem, ahem. She was once a writer in her past life by which I mean during her singlehood. Ahem, ahem. She wrote books and was published. She was a fiction writer. Flash forward to motherhood, she now only writes in pockets of time that she can steal and of course, what could she write about – electronically, hence we will call it “blog”, Motherhood. Ahhhh. Ahem, ahem. Her blogsite was called “The Bjorn Identity”.

Sunshine, on the other hand, is a mother of 2 kids – one school-age girl and one toddler boy. She once wrote and got published. She wrote press releases, short stories, heck, she even wrote poems coz they were supposedly songs but she just didn’t know how to go about putting melody onto them –arranging, probably, was how they called it. All during singlehood. Flash forward to motherhood, she can only blog. At least now, she progressed into a blogsite called “UrOnlySunshine Speaks About…” (http://sunshinegregorio.blogspot.com/) and has not gotten herself stuck with microblogging aka tweeting. (But check www.twitter.com/uronlysunshine, too.)
Overall, I kinda picked up that no matter how much mommies sometimes think of giving up (and they seriously do), they also seriously can’t. One small whimper from any of the kids is enough to make the earth stand still because she knows her child needs her.

Like they said in the movie,

we have to accept our limitations – like time and energy

. But hello, try telling that to a mother who needs a few more minutes of shut-eye but really, really has to get up for the sandwiches that get stuffed into the lunchbox.

It’s never easy being mom. Those mommies who make it look easy are just pretending. I’m hella sure they break down and get crazy every other day, too, like every other real-life mothers.

April 1, 2010 Maundy Thursday

… COMIN OUT OF THE DARK

That’s the title of a Gloria Estefan song in the early 90s. That is what, I’m guessing, Ricky Martin is feeling right now. Aside from being a fortunate homosexual, that is.

It’s kinda sad that after a long time, he only comes out now. If he knew, like we all did, he shoulda came out earlier. He would’ve been a young fortunate homosexual. He would’ve had more share of love and well, fun.

That’s why I keep telling my gay friends that the earlier you come out, the better. I don’t really know what’s holding them back. But time’s being waiting for the right time. Time is never right for things like this. Better to trust your heart or if not your instincts. Waiting too long to be outed may be a little too late. Investing your feelings in someone you see yourself growing old with take a whole lotta time, too, you know.

Be gay and be happy. Starting NOW.

April 1, 2010 Maundy Thursday