Here is the full lyrics of my ever favorite mass song, I Love You. The lyrics and Music is by Bro. Mike Lapid

I love you,
‘Cause that’s just what I am.
I could never turn away from you, and leave you all alone.
Yes, I love you.
Though you have gone your way.
I could never leave you all alone and leave you way behind.

Refrain 1:
Though you weigh no more than dust,
placed on a scale, you rise.
Though your worth is just as much as sand,
I love you just the same.
I am love, I am love.

Refrain 2:
Though your sins be dark as scarlet,
I will turn them white as snow.
Though your sins be red as crimson,
They mean nothing more to me.

For I made you and you’re meant for me,
for all eternity.
I have loved you, Yes I love you.
I’ll always will love you.

I love you,
‘Cause that’s just what I am.
I could never show you greater love than lay my life for you.
Yes, I love you.
What more proof do you ask?
Show me any love that’s greater than
the love I’ve shown to you.

(Repeat Refrains 1 & 2)

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Wanna watch/hear a good rendition? Search I love You by by Lenon Bucu ( Bosconian) at youtube.

I like to eat with, at least, a companion; because I believe that a dining experience is more than the meal itself.

Photo taken on 30 January 2010.

Then, I asked myself

How aligned should alignment be?

Plans. Communication. Providence.

The need to take action. How? When?

I can’t agree more with Carrie Snow since I am a fan of power nap. I nap to boost my energy so as to improve my mood and performance during the day.

I also take a nap when I am feeling so tired and too bothered of different things that I feel like escaping for a while.

How about you? Have you tried taking a nap?

P.S.

How I wish that the things that bother will slip away during sleep and I’ll be worry-free when I wake up. If only.

Some of lola Maring’s fave veggies are bunga ng malunggay (horseraddish tree fruit) and himbabao and the dish featured below includes both.

Ginisang Bunga ng Malunggay na may Himbabao is simple to cook, though I must say that the peeling the bunga ng malunggay is a feat and requires a bit of time.

The ingredients:

• bunga ng malunggay, peeled and cut into about 2-3 ” long
• young himbabao fruit
• gabi (yam), peeled and sliced
• garlic, onions and tomatoes, chopped
• pork, sliced
• fish paste (bagoong isda) to taste
• 1 cup water
• cooking oil

Here’s How:

• Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add the sliced pork. Isangkutsa (long time sauteing in low heat) until meat is golden brown, then add 1 cup water.
• Add gabi and bunga ng malunggay.
• When the broth is boiling and the veggies are cooked, add the himbabao and bagoong isda.
• Stir and let it simmer until the himbabao is cooked.

This is best served warm with plain rice.

Yum yum.

Here is the story of a donkey (yeah, the following is a fable.)

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

The story about the donkey gives this moral:

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Oh Teik Bin also posted this story and shared the following thoughts:

• In life, when trouble or predicament sets in, one has to think out a solution and work it out. A non-action or passive state can bring about disastrous consequences.
• Crying over a problem is not a wise course of action; what we do about the problem is the important thing.

On the other hand, whitehorsestudio gave another end for the donkey’s story. I found it funny only to an extent because it is ironic and is actually more closer to what happens in reality (yes, i’m speaking about vengeance). Anyway, here is the other ending:

The donkey later came back and savagely bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

He also provided this lesson:

When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.

But of course, this is not an ideal of goodness. I believe this is where the golden rule of  “do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you” applies, right?

Pondering on the story made me further realize the effect of one’s perspective in decision-making. Life offers us  lots of things, both pleasant and unpleasant. It is up to us on how we intend to deal with it.

Credits:

Image 1 and Image 2

Guilty as charged. All I did during the recently concluded Run for Wellness was take snapshots of the participants until the camera I used run out of battery.  Shown in this photo are Mark and Hero.

The proceeds of this activity went to Cancer Warrior Foundation. So, I think it is safe for me to say that everyone who participated in this event  (including those who bought fun run kits but opted not to run) are heroes in their own ways.

BTW, this photo was taken last 06 February 2011 at LIMA Technology Center, Malvar, Batangas.