Puzzled -- Part 5

Evangeline and Gabriel

For the longest time, I have associated people just missing each other with Evangeline and Gabriel. Whenever two people who were supposed to meet each other couldn't seem to catch one other or get their timing right, my grandaunt would always say, "The two of you are like Evangeline and Gabriel."

I have never really known the story behind these two except that (1) Evangeline was a nurse, (2) Evangeline and Gabriel were lovers who spent their whole life searching for each other and not quite catching up with each other and (3) Gabriel died in the end.

Perhaps everybody else knew who these star-crossed lovers were but I was still somewhat clueless. To put all my questions to rest, I did some research and found out that what I had known all along was all I really needed to know (except that #1 actually came after #2).

Who are Evangeline and Gabriel? Evangeline Bellefontaine and Gabriel Lajeunesse are characters in a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1847.

Are they real people? Well, the poem was written based on true events but there is no real proof of the existence of a real Evangeline and and a real Gabriel. There are a lot of speculation, though.

What happened to Evangeline and Gabriel? Evangeline and Gabriel were separated on their wedding day during the expulsion of the Acadians (French colonists) from Acadie (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada). In 1755, the Acadians were given an ultimatum to swear allegiance to the British Crown or be exiled. Families were torn apart as they were forced to leave. Evangeline and Gabriel were separated into different boats as the ships were loaded for the movement of the Acadians to Louisiana, Quebec, France, and the other Maritime Provinces off Canada's coast.

Evangeline traveled down the Mississippi in search of Gabriel in Louisiana, where she had heard that he was a hunter and trapper. Upon her arrival in Louisiana, she learned that he was in the Attakapas district. She began her journey there, but soon found that Gabriel had just left the region. It was here that she began a lifelong search for her lost love as she wandered through the American frontier.

She eventually gave up her search and joined the Sisters of Mercy in Philadelphia, dedicating her life to the service of others. Years later, she found her beloved Gabriel, dying from an epidemic. He recognizes her. They have only a few moments together before he dies in her arms.

So in the end, Evangeline's search for Gabriel is over but she is now all alone.

(Sniff! Sniff! What a tragic story! I really don't like sad endings.)

The Prayer

What can I say?

The Prayer is beautiful. Just close your eyes and enjoy the song.

(At the onset, I was going to place the version where Josh Groban sang it with Celine Dion, but decided the lyrics would be less distracting. Besides, I heard Charlotte Church sing it first anyway.)

Post Script on Watches

For the longest time, watches were either mechanical or automatic. They were composed of intricate moving parts powered by the unwinding of a spring. The obvious disadvantage of springs is the difference in movement between the time it is newly wound and the time the spring has unwound.

Eventually, the use of quartz crystals enabled watches to be more accurate. Quartz crystals are piezoelectric meaning they generate an electrical charge when mechanical pressure is applied to them. They can be cut to consistent sizes and shapes and made to vibrate at thousands of times per second, making them extremely stable resonators and very accurate time keepers.

And for the record, when a watch indicates that it is 'Swiss made', it is a declaration of quality, which is a reputation the Swiss have built over the years. Not only does it encompasses the technical quality of the timepiece (its accuracy, reliability, water-resistance and shock-resistance) but also its aesthetic qualities (elegance and design).

Different watches have distinct technological trademarks. These are some of the interesting features of watches I gathered from the internet.

Timex Indiglo. From the Smithsonian Institute: "Timex received the patent for the Indiglo® nightlight in 1988. The nightlight’s bluish green light illuminates the entire dial of the watch evenly at the push of a button. The dial is coated with a compound of zinc sulfide mixed with copper, a substance which becomes luminescent when an electrical charge is applied. This layer is sandwiched between two conductive layers which act as electrodes. When the button is pushed, energy is supplied by the battery across the two electrodes, which in turn lights up the dial."

Seiko Kinetic. In 1986, Seiko unveiled its first Kinetic prototype. It was the first watch in the world to convert kinetic movement into electrical energy. They figured to have the rotor from an automatic mechanical movement charge a battery, instead of having this wind a main spring. Interestingly enough, the initial versions which were advertised as 'never replace your battery' had a life sentence of 10 years in the fine print. This resulted in the new and improved line of Seiko Kinetic watches, the Kinetic Direct Drive which had the hand-winding option to extend the life of the watch.

Citizen Eco-Drive. Fueled by light, it never needs a battery. It's unstoppable. Eco-Drive harnesses the power of light from any source. Light is absorbed through the crystal and dial ... a solar cell converts the light and stores it as energy. And is stored runs for at least 6 months even in the dark (depending on the model).

(I will add pictures when I find the ads for these watches.)

I know I have much more to learn about watches. There are die-hard watch fanatics out there that attempt to service their own watches. I'm never going to reach that point. I'm happy just watching watches time after time.

Fascinated with Time -- Part 1

I don't know why but I have a fascination with stuff related to TIME. You know .... watches, grandfather clocks, timers, metronomes, etc. Even movies with time twists intrigue me.

Today, let's talk about watches.

I think my first watch was an analog Mickey Mouse one. If I remember correctly, that watch had to be wound every single day so that it would work. I'm not sure if Father got me this watch from a trip abroad and if SisterDeer got one too at the same time I did. All I know is that Mickey Mouse was not something easily found during that time and thus the watch was pretty special.

I think I went through a couple more 'toy' watches before I graduated to a digital watch. I remember my digital watch. It was color silver and had an adjustable latch. For sure SisterDeer and I both got watches like these. In order to change the time or the date, I had to press one of the buttons in the side of the watch. A ballpen or a safety pin would do the trick and pressing the button would make the numbers blink and cycle through options to set the time and the date, the hour and the minute, the day, month and year. It was pretty high tech as far as gadgets I was exposed to at that time were concerned.

I moved on to wearing Swatches and Citizens as I went through High School and College. My Swatches were fairly accurate time pieces but somehow weren't really made to last. On the other hand, the automatic Citizens watches I owned were fairly durable but had the tendency to lose or gain a couple of minutes after a while. That meant that I had a watch which was either late or advanced, neither of which seemed ideal considering watches are SUPPOSED to help you tell the (right) time.

Fortunately, this didn't really matter TOO much since there were usually clocks at school which provided the OFFICIAL time anyway. Those were the clocks followed regardless of the time found in your wristwatch, the ones that provided the basis of whether the teacher was 15 minutes late and the one which signaled classes were over. My watches gave me the general time, which was all I really needed.

I moved on from school to work with the same watch. As long as my watch was ticking and telling the right time (or something close to that), there was no need for a new one.

Then I got married and had GI. All of a sudden, wearing a watch became a thing of the past. I was afraid that he would get scratched by my watch so I set my watch aside in favor of a small digital clock I kept on a chain. At times I had a small watch with a key ring that I could clip onto my pant hook or onto my bag.

I'm pretty sure that I ended up wearing my watch on and off depending on whether I had a newborn baby or not. So that covered about eight to nine years between GI and MyGirl of wearing/not wearing a watch.

In comparison, MacGyver owns one or two watches but I don't think I've ever seen him wear one in all the years I've known and lived with him. Yet in spite of this, he is consistently prompt and is a real stickler for time. HE doesn't need a watch to tell time. He has his computer, his cellphone, the radio, the microwave oven, etc. to do that for him.

Anyway, since I was not really wearing a watch at some point in time, I ended up 'inheriting' a watch from my mother. This watch which is sort of the ladies version of Father's watch. She had been wearing this for year until it stopped on her. When it stopped for the second time soon after being repaired, Father got her another watch and she said to me, "Go. Have this watch repaired then it's yours to keep." Thus I became a proud owner of a new watch.

This watch has a self-winding mechanism and does not need batteries which is the way I like my watches. It winds as the wearer moves. If you take it out and the watch does not experience any movement, eventually the watch stops. Theoretically, if you wear it again and shake it a bit, it will wind itself up and start ticking. For some odd reason, Mother's watch just stopped. (A stop watch in disguise, perhaps? Just kidding you, Mother.)

When we brought it in for repair, the lady asked if Mother was sedentary. We assured her that she was far from sedentary, and that it was the watch, not our mother, that was in need of repair.

Somewhere along the way I accumulated watches that I use for different occasions. Thinking about my watches, it feels more like something old, something new, something borrowed. (Aha! I'm still missing something blue.)

I'm sure MacGyver would simply scratch his head and wonder why I would need more than one watch when there are clocks all over the house and besides, I do have a cellphone. (Oh, my Sony Ericsson Z610i, there is my something blue.) I imagine there would be some head shaking, too, as he contemplated the fact that my having several watches would not stop me from taking my sweet time doing things. Surely these thoughts have crossed his mind but he is too much of a gentleman to say anything. I suspect he has filed these head scratching thoughts along with other similar 'facts of life' he is learning to live with about me such as why I would need more than one pair of black shoes or why I don't like to drive, etc.

Going back to my watches .... I have a real nice dress watch which my sister-in-law passed on to me. She had set out several pieces of jewelry during one of our Easter gathering and the rest of the family drew lots on what we would get. I won the watch. It is a real cool one with a face that looks like Dali's depiction of Time in one of his paintings. I'm fortunate that this watch is something that needs to be wound instead of requiring a battery because most of the time it is tucked away. This is because there are only a few occasions for me to wear it since we don't really go out that much. (Hint, hint. Couldn't resist.)

For something new, I got myself a Timex Indiglo a couple of years back. Yes, a far cry from my mom's watch and my sister-in-law's watch but a functional watch nonetheless. This is the watch I wear when I know I'd have to commute. It is also the perfect watch when one goes to the movies since the Indiglo feature certainly beats the luminous hands of a regular watch, hands down, in a dark theater. I actually got this Timex as an offshoot of my 'something borrowed' watch.

My something borrowed belongs to Slash-M. It has the functionality I desire but it is so obviously a men's watch.

When we go swimming, I prefer to have an idea of the time. Checking out wrinkles or goose pumps do not quite provide accurate indications of time that has passed. To my delight, a couple of years ago I found a watch Slash-M left behind at home. It is a Swiss Army watch which is water proof up to 330 feet. (Cool! The swimming pool is 4 feet deep. Surely the watch will survive.) And though my Timex is likewise water resistant up to 30m, I still like using Slash-M's Swiss watch when we go swimming.

In summary, my mind totally agrees with MacGyver's unspoken thoughts.

a. One can survive without a watch.

b. Watches are more like jewelry when one has more than one of them.

c. A watch in your wrist does not a punctual person make.

d. A watch is a watch is a watch.

But so what? In my heart, watches are still quite fascinating. I particularly like watches where you can see the mechanism working inside. I could spend several minutes doing nothing but watch the gears go round and round. I know that would literally be a waste of time but pausing to watch these watches work can somehow show you that consistency and rhythm still exist in this world, and can possibly give you some calmness and peace when you need some.

Like Father, Like Son

GI went on an outbound trip to Villamor Airbase yesterday.  They were supposed to be back at school by 7pm.  Since MacGyver had to attend to a meeting at Quezon City, I was the designated fetcher.  It was kind of cloudy, so MacGyver wanted me to head for Makati early just in case they decided to skip some parts of their outbound and head back ahead of schedule.  He dropped me off at the Quezon Avenue station before he went to his meeting and I took the MRT to Makati.

Fortunately for me, Z was headed for Makati as well and would be returning to QC in the early evening.   I arranged for us to meet so that GI and I wouldn't have to commute home.

MacGyver was right in sending me off early.  GI's bus arrived at school a little after 5 pm.  He took a jeep to Glorietta and we went around for a while.  We managed to coordinate schedules and locations with Z.  We met her at AIM then after a quick trip to Makati Cinema Square, we headed back North along EDSA.

As we traversed the highway, traffic was irritably bad.  We were on the fast lane which didn't seem to be living up to its name.  

"Should I shift lanes?"  Z asked as we passed Estrella.  

"Go,"  I said.

"Don't!"  GI said.  "Don't do it Auntie Z.  I tell you, if you shift lanes, this lane will start to move faster.   Everyone has their chance to go fast."

GI's calm demeanor convinced her to stick to her lane.   

WDD 400.  That was the car we COULD have followed had we shifted lanes.

We watched WDD 400 move farther and farther ahead.

"We could've been that far ahead,"  I said, used to MacGyver's constant shifting of lanes.

If I were driving, I would most likely stick to my lane because I absolutely HATE weaving through traffic.  But most of the time, MacGyver is at the wheel, and he is more familiar with the routes and the flow of traffic.  He knows which lanes move faster at which point.  (Visit him at www.tough-gear.blogspot.com.)  

"No, Mom.  Trust me.  We'll have our chance."  GI said.  "Stay on this lane, Auntie Z."

I noted XCY 143 on our right side.  XCY 143 was probably ten cars down after WDD 400.

Traffic moved slowly and cars just seemed to pass us by.

"What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"  I teased GI. 

"Don't worry, Mom.  We'll catch up."

I had my doubts.  I showed them XCY 143 which was still ahead of us in the next lane.  That meant that WDD 400 was much farther ahead.

Somehow, as if to convince me that patience is a virtue, our lane inched forward.  As we approached the Shaw underpass, WDD 400 was within sight.   And to his right, was XCY 143.

"See, Mom,"  GI said smugly.

At the Shaw underpass, Z decided it was time to shift to the right.  She was familiar with the flow of traffic here and preferred to keep right.  No amount of reasoning from the back seat could convince Z to stick to her lane.  As she shifted to the right, we saw the car that took our place behind the van in the 'fast' lane.  It was WDD 400.  

Z explained to GI that there are times that sticking to one's lane will work but that it was not always the way to go.

Traffic eased up after Ortigas and our conversation went from shifting lanes to honking horns.  MacGyver and I often disagree about the amount of honking other drivers deserve from him.  Z mentioned that she doesn't normally honk her horn.  She would only do so if the driver of the other car had done something obviously rude or stupid.  

GI said that he would likewise honk only when necessary.  

 

"Beep-beep,"  GI went as one car cut in front of us.

I smiled quietly, content at the thought that GI would be a much calmer driver than his father between sticking to his lane and honking only when necessary.

However, my joy was short-lived.  From GMA, to the U-turn at Quezon Avenue, and all the way from Panay Avenue towards home, GI was beeping at cars left and right from the back seat.

 

"Beep-beep-beeeeeeeep!"

(What can I say?  Like father, like son.)

Good News and Bad News

Father had an appointment with his brother, the ophthalmologist, this morning.  He asked me if I wanted to bring RD along for an eye check-up.  

RD, who is the only one among the children that needs glasses (so far), has been hankering to have his eyes checked at the off-chance that he would be given the 'Get Out of Glasses' pass (similar to the 'Get Out of Jail Free' cards in Monopoly, you know).  He said that he can see perfectly well without his glasses.  

I believed him.  The truth is, his glasses had just resurfaced.  Towards the end of summer, right before classes started I found his glasses.  Prior to that, he had not been wearing them for several months already.

So when Father offered to share his appointment slot, I was quick to accept.

My uncle, the ophthalmologist, is married to another ophthalmologist.  They both hold clinic at the East Avenue Medical Center on Saturdays.  Their oldest son has followed in their footsteps and is currently taking over some of his father's patients at the clinic.  All three of them were at the clinic this morning.

When we arrived, my aunt and my cousin were already there seeing patients.  My uncle arrived soon after.  He had come from some conference.  Father was his first patient.  After his turn, RD's name was called.  We found out that my cousin was going to be the one to check RD's eyes out.   

RD took his seat and my cousin adjusted the lenses to match RD's glasses.  He breezed through the letters on the chart.  My uncle suggested that the lenses be removed.  Once again RD was able to call out the correct letters.  I teased RD saying that he might have just memorized the letters (D-E-F-P-O-T-E-C), so my uncle had RD read the letters backwards.  

RD was able to read the letters backwards.   

I certainly haven't memorized C-E-T-O-P-F-E-D yet.  (No, Eldest Sis, I do not cheat when asked to read eye charts.  Though if you asked me to read the bottom line, I could say, D-E-F-P-O-T-E-C without looking.)

I thought RD's eye examination was over, but my cousin moved him to another gadget where the doctor and the patient stayed on opposite sides of the machine.  He placed some drops on RD's eyes then checked out RD's lenses with the help of ultraviolet rays.  He called out some condition I didn't understand to his dad who was seated nearby.  My uncle took the doctor's seat and said, 'Yup.  Let your mom check him.'

When my aunt entered the room, my cousin called her and explained RD's condition.  She seemed skeptical at his recommendation until she sat down across RD.  One look into RD's eyes and she immediately confirmed that something had to be done.

My cousin proceeded to explain that RD's lashes on the lower eyelids were rubbing against his eyes, endangering the integrity of the lenses.  He explained that it would require RD to undergo a procedure where the doctor would have to make a small cut under the eye ... etc., etc. ... then it would require sutures.

RD had been quiet all throughout the discussion up until that point.   "I understand what the word 'suture' means,"  he volunteered, as if to say he knew that he would have to undergo some sort of operation.

My uncle explained that when the children are younger, the eyelashes are much softer, so they are not overly concerned.  However, as the children mature, the lashes tend to become harder and as in RD's case, may cause some damage to the eyes.

So my brave handsome long-lashed boy got himself a 'Get out of glasses' pass but managed to get a ticket to the hospital as well.   

We are trying to figure out the best schedule for this to happen since it would involve an overnight stay at the hospital for RD.  Between classes and exams, weekend badminton classes and my aunt's schedule, we hope to get this all sorted out before the end of August.

Chances Are

MacGyver's mom celebrated her 74th birthday today. True to form, some of the grandchildren, including MyGirl and RD played the piano for her. GI was supposed to play the guitar for her but he managed to skip performing by hanging out with his older cousins. He and three of his other cousins played cards ... AWAY from the piano and FAR from the direct line of sight of the older relatives.

The four of them were playing Texas Hold 'Em poker but I say GI and his oldest cousin Manong were actually playing chance poker. I say 'chance' because they weren't even looking at their cards as they drew or dropped, bid or folded. Apparently there were several reasons behind this. (1) They thought that looking at their cards would bring them bad luck. (2) They figured not looking at their cards would dampen their disappointment if they didn't get the card they needed and consequently heighten their elation over getting what they did. (3) They were able to maximize their POKER faces if they were clueless about their hand.

This is how their game went. Someone shuffled the cards, then everyone was dealt two cards. Three cards were placed face up in the middle. After which there would be a round of betting or folding. This would go on until there were five cards face up in the middle at which point those who are left in the game would show what is in their hands.

There was one particular instance when GI's cousins were left awestruck at his luck. As with the previous hands, GI and Manong didn't know what was in their hands. When it was time for the cards to be shown, there was a 6, 8, 9 and two other cards in the middle.

GI declared, "I need a five and a seven."

He then turned over the cards in his hand.

Lo and behold ... a 5 and a 7.

GI won that round!

___________________________________________________________________________
Statistics Lessons with GI (Written, edited and posted by GI)

First, you must count the cards that are already in the hands of the other people. (6)
Next, you must count the number of cards that are in the pool. (5)
Add these two numbers and then subtract them from 52.
Thus getting the difference of 41.
This will be your denominator when multiplying the odds in getting these cards.

1/41 (Probability of getting a 7)
X
1/40 (Probability of getting a 5)

Why did I divide it by 40, you ask? It's because there are ONLY 40 CARDS LEFT AFTER YOU GET ONE.

Using my trusty calculator, there is a 1/1640 chance of getting these two cards in two dealings.

Smart Cookie

Wednesday evenings are usually male bonding night for MacGyver and his K of C friends.  This means that I get picked up before 7 pm so that he can make it to their 7:30 pm sharing.  He'd be out of the house until after 11 pm, so I'd be on my own after the kids were tucked into bed.  Since I knew this ahead of time, I had called MyGirl earlier and asked her to bring out the butter and some eggs.  I had decided I was going to get some baking done.

We started after dinner, at about 8 pm.  MyGirl helped by getting the ingredients we needed for the cookies and by measuring out the ingredients she could handle.  I did the mixing since I didn't want her getting dirty before going to bed.  She watched as the oatmeal and the white chocolate chips she had measured got mixed into the batter.  Those were the last items on the list.

 

It was getting late, so I told MyGirl that she had to go upstairs and sleep.  Before she went up, she asked if she could do one more thing - scoop out some of the dough onto the cookie sheet.  No problem.   She got to make two rows of cookies before she went upstairs.

I proceeded to scoop out the rest of the cookie dough and stuck the first batch into the oven.  While the first batch of cookies were baking and the second batch was being prepared, RD came downstairs.

"RD,"  I said, "it's almost 9:00.  You should be sleeping."

"I know, Mom."

"Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Not yet, Mom."

"Why haven't you brushed your teeth?  And why are you still awake?"  I asked.  

These, of course, were rhetorical questions.  Knowing this young man and the way he thinks (and the way his stomach thinks), I already knew the answers.  I  guess I just wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

RD spilled the beans with a twinkle in his eye.  "I came down to check if there were already cookies ready.  I didn't brush my teeth just in case the cookies were ready."

(Who ever said it was hard to find smart cookies?)

How could I resist his charm?  All I could do was smile.

I checked the timer and said that the first batch would be out of the oven in 6 minutes.  And that yes, he could have some cookies before going to bed.

As soon as the cookies were out of the oven but not quite after they were cool enough to eat, RD got the first cookie.  He used a fork to pick the cookie up and had a big plate (relative to the cookie size) to catch the crumbs.  When he took a bite, all he could say was, "This is hot."

But I guess, after his 3rd cookie, I could tell that they were good even without him saying so.

"Time to go upstairs,"  I reminded him as the second batch of cookies were coming out of the oven.

He took a look at the new arrivals and said, "These cookies look better than the first batch.  Want me to check?"

I don't know how he managed to convince me but somehow as the final batch was getting moved from the bottom to the top rack, RD was still munching away at cookies on the table.

"Out!  Out!  Go to sleep now.  No more cookies for you."  

(But in my mind, I knew that he had outsmarted me.  If he had come down with brushed teeth, he knew that I would have sent him off to bed straight out.  You have won this round, young rascal.  I shall not be outwitted again.)

OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 c butter

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 c flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

3 c oatmeal

3/4 c chocolate chips, raisins, Reese's pieces (optional)

Bake at 350 F for 12 - 15 minutes.

These are the ingredients from memory.

 

Welcome

Welcome to the Christian community, my little niece.

It is still July 12 in America.  Slash-M's baby has just been baptized.   

It is a mini-reunion.  Mother was happy to have an excuse to fly off and see some of her children.  So far she has seen Eldest Sis and Jersey Girl.  Now she gets to see Slash-M and the newest addition to the family.  After the baptism, she will go to see Sunshine in CA.

I am so envious.  At this point, they are at the location where there is the highest concentration of children in our family.  It's true.  With three of them in the East Coast, they make the majority.

Wish we could be there celebrating with you.

Happy Christening, young one!  

Star Wars

In 1977, Star Wars was released. Empire Strikes Back showed in 1980. Then finally Return of the Jedi in 1983. I actually don't remember watching these in the movie house but I'm sure we did because there were no DVDs back then. Betamax and VHS were in existence during the early 80's but I still think we got to see these films in the movie house.

London Eye was in love with Luke Skywalker. That much I do remember.

Sister Deer fixed her hair up once like Princess Leia. I don't know what the occasion was.

Slash-M teased little brother J relentlessly as 'Jabba the Hut, Jr.'

We had a Star Wars board game which is probably still among the board games at Cebu Avenue. And we had records (45's) of both Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back. We were lucky enough to have an Atari back then. We had a cartridge for Return of the Jedi.

The children have watched the prequel trilogy. I don't think all three of them have seen the original trilogy.

Even if they haven't seen the movie. I believe they are familiar with the music of Star Wars. (Yes, what John Williams had a whole orchestra play, this pianist seems to have managed to do on his own.)

Then let us go for the video which will show some scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy.

This next youtube video made me think of Slash-M, who will most likely send me a message in protest six seconds after he hits play but listen to the whole thing just for the heck of it. (I love you, boy!)

Knots

Mother encouraged us to do arts and crafts when we were kids. She purchased a whole rainbow of craft paint tubes (Tri-Chem) for us. We had an aunt that did wonders with Tri-Chem and I suppose Mother was hoping we could come up with something fabulous.

I can't say we came up with fabulous artworks but we did TRY our hand at it.

I honestly don't remember what my siblings tried to do, but I had several 'works' of art which are still a testament to the existence of the Tri-Chem in our house.

I have the SERVER glass which can still be found on my study room table at Cebu Avenue. The SERVER glass was supposed to be a gift to the Servers (my godparents) but I think I was too shy to give away something which I had made. It has been there for almost thirty years serving as a pen holder.

Aside from the SERVER glass, I painted the door to one of my drawers. When I say 'door' and 'drawer,' please do not think DOOR and DRAWER. It was a small door to a very small drawer.

Nonetheless, it was (and still is) my work of art which decorates this door.

Yes, I chose the design myself and I painted it myself.

The design was from a bracelet that Father and Mother had given me. The bracelet has knots between the bracelet links. Very beautiful. I guess they could tell that I'd appreciate the beauty of the design. The bracelet was given when I was still a teenager and it was kept in this small drawer for years and years since I didn't really wear bracelets until fairly recently.

I loved the design so much that I decided to use that for the door of the drawer.

If I had known about Celtic knots back then, perhaps I would have added them to the design as a border.

Cinderella and Prince Charming

Hope you liked the video, the song and the story that came with it. It just makes one want to cherish every moment one has with their children. It is a reminder of how precious these little gems are.

Last Saturday, when I arrived home from mass, I found RD was already awake. He was in front of the PC and was looking for the headphones. I discovered he had just completed the YouTube download of the new Phineas and Ferb episode and wanted to watch it without waking everyone else. I showed him where the headphones were and without a second thought I said, "Stick the splitter in. I'll watch with you."

So at 7 in the morning, as everyone else slept, I sat beside my young Prince Charming and we watched the new episode of Phineas and Ferb together.

I guess Cinderella will just have to wait for her turn. For now, Prince Charming is mine.

Conundrums

When we were still kids, my cousins from the UK came to visit. The youngest R presented a question, a sort of a puzzle, which I found fascinating. She said, "A rabbit's egg is rolling down the hill. When it gets to the bottom of the hill, will it break?"

Of course the answer to that question is neither 'YES' nor 'NO' simply because rabbits don't have eggs. (I thought that was really smart and witty!)

I found out that this question is actually a conundrum. Conundrums are defined as anything that puzzles; a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words.

I was lucky to chance upon a book of conundrums when I dropped by a bookstore near the office during one of my lunch breaks last summer. The book has 278 conundrums. When I got back from the bookstore, I immediately gave RD a call and asked him to give me a number from 1 to 278. RD chose a number and I read out the puzzle. That was his first introduction to conundrums. I gave him a couple more before I put the phone down.

After I got the book, RD had a great time boggling everyone around him with conundrums left and right.

What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.

A red house is made of red bricks. A blue house is made of blue bricks. A pink house is made of pink bricks. What is a green house made of? Glass, of course.

(And of course, one of RD's favorite. I think this is among the ones I first asked him when we were on the phone.)

There are two barbers in a town. One has messy hair, the other has neat hair. You are in town and need a haircut. Where should you go?

In God's Time

Several years ago, my sister-in-law lent me a book, Embraced by the Light by Betty J. Eadie. It was really an interesting book which I will recommend to the children when they are a bit older. Though the book was mainly about near death experience, what actually struck me in the book had something to do with an individual fulfilling his/her purpose in this world.

We are often told that God has different plans for each of us and that we are each destined to do our own unique tasks while we are here. What we tend to forget is that we do not decide how long we have to do everything we are supposed to. Our time on earth is somewhat beyond our control. Some are in this world for many years, while others are here very briefly.

This concept of time, destiny and purpose in life was the topic of one of the homilies I heard Fr. Prex give way back in 2005. He relayed the story about a couple who prayed hard to have a child. The woman was a Filipina Catholic. Her husband was Japanese. Finally, their prayers were answered and the couple was able to conceive. The husband was overjoyed that he wanted to be baptized as a Catholic. The child was born on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. They planned for a joint baptism for January the coming year. However, the baby got sick and had to be given an emergency baptism. The father wanted to be baptized with the baby but could not be baptized since time was short and he was not yet prepared. The baby died on December 24. Needless to say, the couple was very sad. Though their child had died, the father still had himself baptized.

Imagine, the child was here for a total of 12 days yet she was able to fulfill his destiny within that short span of time. (Fr. Prex said that we are not only called to holiness but we are also called to bring others closer to God.)

No, we know not the rhyme nor the reason. We need only have faith that God knows everything that is past, present and future.

Morning Shadows

During schooldays, we leave the house soon after the boys are picked up by their school jeep. We head towards St. Scholastica's along Vito Cruz. We usually end up stopping right before the train tracks, either because of a red light or because the train is crossing. At this point, the sun is behind us.

While waiting for the light to turn green, MyGirl and I make hand shadows. She is the baby dog and I am the mommy dog. (She usually tries to bite me but I'm too fast for her.)

Needless to say, our hand shadows are lightyears behind Raymond Crowe's.