Sayonara Philippines

still struggling with the awful cold/sore throat/phlegmy experience. woke up this morning and felt like my throat had been torn out, stepped on, and then rammed back into my body (how's that for a "hit by a truck" feeling?). i miss my kids - they're so far away :( i suppose i can pop in a double dose of antibiotics and paracetamol and antihistamines and have a jolly good mental vacation . i don't know...i hate being in stasis. sickness is stasis, with phlegm. (ew)

i leave again in a couple for somewhere reaaallyy far for work and i bring with me a suitcasefull of bacteria and germs and not much excitement. really now.. i am not the least bit excited. maybe its the antibiotics talking... damn.

since i'm reading Dali at the moment, i'll end this incoherent (surreal?) entry with the catalan genius:

"the first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot."

ahahahahahhaha.......

and then we lose another one..

Benazir Bhutto Pakistan's exiled Prime Minister who founded the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated to the Socialist International. Oxford and Harvard educated, she was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state, having been twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. She was sworn in for the first time in 1988 at the age of 35, but was removed from office 20 months later under the order of then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan on grounds of alleged corruption. In 1993 Bhutto was re-elected but was again removed in 1996 on similar charges, this time by President Farooq Leghari.

Bhutto went into self-imposed exile in Dubai in 1998, where she remained until she returned to Pakistan on 18 October 2007, after reaching an understanding with President Musharraf by which she was granted amnesty and all corruption charges were withdrawn.

She was the eldest child of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a Pakistani of Sindhi descent, and Begum Nusrat Bhutto, a Pakistani of Iranian-Kurdish descent. Her paternal grandfather was Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, who came to Larkana Sindh before partition from his native town of Bhatto Kalan, which was situated in the Indian state of Haryana.

She was assassinated on 27 December 2007, in a combined shooting and suicide bomb attack during a political rally of the Pakistan Peoples Party in the Liaquat National Bagh in Rawalpindi. Ex-government spokesman Tariq Azim Khan said, although it appeared she had been shot, it was unclear whether her wounds had been caused by a shooting or shrapnel from the bomb. Eyewitnesses to the assassination stated to various news agencies that Ms. Bhutto had stood up through the sunroof of the white Toyota Land Cruiser that ferried her to the rally to wave at supporters who were cheering her. It was then a "thin man" on a motorcycle, carrying an AK-47 rifle, fired two shots, one into Bhutto's neck, and she collapsed, falling down into the vehicle. After this, the assailant proceeded to detonate an explosive which resulted in the deaths of himself and at least 22 others, while many others were injured. Bhutto was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital where she died at 6:16 p.m. local time (1316 UTC). The gunshot to the neck was reported as the cause of death, according to the Pakistani Interior Ministry. FBI and Homeland Security stated it cited Islamist Web sites as saying al-Qaida had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Her burial is in her hometown in Larkana in Sind next to her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's grave.

And then we lose another strong Islam woman.
May Allah bless her and keep her.

*feed from Wikipedia

back at you

...KARMA.The entire
cycle
of cause
and effect...

KARMA. a term that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain in others. In religions that incorporate reincarnation. Karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well.

On a boring night my friends and I got to argue about some heavy stuff. The topic of the evening was infidelity and adultery. After a few glasses of cheap beer, we waxed philosophically on the deep existential questions of love and betrayal. Can anyone ever find true love with an adulterer? And if you're the lucky/unlucky one to woo someone away from their significant other, can you ever be sure that they won't be wooed away again from you?

Now I'm of the opinion that adulterers and the people who "lure" them into adultery always get their due. So no one who's ever been hurt by this form of betrayal has to do anything exceptional to their unfaithful lovers to get back at them because the heartbreaker is bound to get hurt sooner or later.

harsh huh? i don't make up the karma rules. I just write about them.

happy as a bee. can't you see?

beside our display rack with fellow writers Nefertari Arsad, moi, Editor Teng Mangansakan, Loren Lao, Alia Silongan, and Commisioner Farida Pendatun

that is me and my teeth

in all its glory :)
oh, and that's our book.

the book launching was a blast!

i could feel the botox inspired smile plastered on my face the whole time. and lotsa pictures were being taken all at the same time too. my family was there and so were my friends. they made me speak about my essay and all i could remember was i was rambling on and on about it being a blog entry... i am such a crap at public speaking. crap crap.

anyway, that was a good finishing touch to the end of a rather glum year. next year will be better. more books to come. and of course i'm working on the world peace cherva.

**thanks for those who came to the launch!! eye love you all *waves to the fans*

***oh and thank you Jun Macarambon for the pics.

Why Yoga?

*thank you Danura

i am getting a copy of this..

here's a sneak peak (8 min and 88 seconds of it) into why more and more people are choosing yoga.



"i do yoga because its the closest feeling to true love.."

"i feel my soul when i do yoga.."

now THAT's why!

tis the season

Every year, more than 500 billion plastic bags are distributed, and less than 3% of those bags are recycled. They are typically made of polyethylene and can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade in landfills that emit harmful greenhouse gases..... Reducing your contribution to plastic-bag pollution is as simple as using a cloth bag (or one made of biodegradable plant-based materials) instead of wasting plastic ones. For your next trip to the grocery store, BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)." (source: TIME magazine)

pay it forward or at least be eco-friendly this Christmas season. try and be conscious and give cheap (will not leave a dent on your budget), personal and ecology friendly gift items. this way you not only teach others to follow suit but it can also be a excellent avenue to impart to your children that Christmas gift giving is not about how high-tech and expensive one's gift is. it's about how much time and effort one put in thinking of what present to give..

here is my first installment of 5 entries. suggestions for the weary, no-idea-what-to-give-this-friend-who-has-everything shopper.

Bazura Bags is a women’s cooperative that utilizes ‘Pre-Consumer’ waste packaging gathered from juice container manufacturers and used advertising banners in and around Manila. This waste material is normally deposited into landfills.The co-op cleans the used materials and recycles them into these great bags! Way to take poor recycling systems and find a positive spin!

Great holiday gift too...

and here is my favorite...

the bazura yoga bag..

cute davah!?

Anya Hindmarch's reusable canvas tote

We Are What We Do is a movement attempting to inspire people to change the way they live to “improve our environment, our health, and our communities and make our planet and the people on it much happier”. Idealistic, but they have a point. However they chose to publish their cause with the launch of the Anya Hindmarch, "I am Not a Plastic Bag" to encourage people to use fewer plastic bags at the supermarket.

I saw this being sold at a cozy boutique along Juna Avenue in Matina and they were selling it for php 850. Kinda steep compared to the 5 pound pricetag in the UK.

Locally, we have SM, Rustans, Shopwise Department stores joining the bandwagon of providing cool reusable shopping bags. In Davao, only SM is doing it though. On your next trip to the grocery bring your own reusable canvas (or whatever you have) bag to put your stuff in. Less plastic to clog our canals right? Your kids will thank you for it.

I Am Balanced?!

I'm a Balanced Yogi!

A Balanced Yogi You love your friends unconditionally and accept them for who they are no matter what their yoga style preference, religious beliefs, or spending habits. You focus on the good in people and would never try to change them. Almost everyone feels comfortable in your presence. You live your yoga. You are an inspiration to yoga students everywhere!

Take the Yoga Journal Yoga Snob Quiz!