Ivy’s little corner

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading light?

You better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask “How are you?”

Do you hear a reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You’d better slow down

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,

We’ll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say, “Hi”

You’d better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift…….

Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take is slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

.. yeah it’s been quite a while since I last blogged.. There’s so many things that should’ve been put down in writing the last few months but time was never on my side…. actually that’s a lie! Laziness to blog is running second close to missing out on these months too..

So to start with, I will leave some wise words from someone amazing. I got this from a good friend.

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."   Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.

I’m muddled as to what my topic will be on this blog. Can’t decide on whether to bitch or not to bitch…

Well… Bitching won!

OK… here goes…

I seriously have nothing against my kind(Pinoyz) but lately I’ve been meeting acquaintances and strangers that are rubbin’ me off the wrong way. Absolutely irksome grrr!

First these ladies from the church. I seldom go to filipino masses due to location and because of ppl like them. I mean, I know we’re supposed to disregard everything but the gospel or the actual mass but it’s hard to control one’s self really. Ok.. these ladies.. 4 of them came to the mass late.. started whispering loudly to each other.. add several giggles from the chizmis they were telling each other and critcisms for the funny ppl sitting around them. I was also sitting in front of them so I guess I’m blocking this lady’s view of the front. Hey I can’t help that she’s vertically challenged!.. So she told her friend "I can’t see anything!" and started ranting non-stop. Where the hell does she think she is? at the movies!!! Why can’t she shut her mouth off and start tuning in on what really matters?! geez! Did I ever prayed for more patience then…

Second, the bus people. I see this woman everytime i commute from the west side of the city. Every siiiiingle time I see her she never fails to assidously scan me from head to foot. from the hair pin on my hair, to the shoes on my feet. gawwd! She’s so pathetic! It’s like she’s encapsulating my whole personality with the clothes I wear. If it’s designers’ or not…And That’s not all.. She used to work at Tim Hortons’  and everytime she sees me after I finish an exhausting day at work, she would always compare how harder it is to work where she’s at and that her cash till alone could garner more than a thousand bucks. Hellooo!!! One call from me and she could get fired from that job. She’s not supposed to divulge that info to strangers … even her friends or relatives..

I know it’s not nice but lately, whenever I see her get on the bus, I would pretend to be sleeping  or listening to music.

Lastly… I’m sure everyone has met people who speak english with a very  strong accent that you find it hard to understand them, or their english is so grammatically wrong cringing is the most polite way to react.. well compared to laughing your head off of course. I mean I totally support them for trying. Wrong grammar doesn’t matter much in here as long as people understand what you mean to convey.I know some  people like that and I don’t even find it funny because I want to encourage them to speak up.. most of them are too timid. BUT!!! I have met a lady .. very japorms huh! She’s got a very strong visayan accent, correct grammar sometimes fall out of the window when she converse. I would have been my old accomodating self but she’s so "maarte"! Another of those that look at you from head to foot. I was trying to speak to her in tagalog whenever her canadian husband isn’t around  but she kept on communicating in english when she can fluently answer me back in tagalog. grrrrr! So much for looking back to where you came from huh?

Maybe I’m whining too much or maybe Im just right. It doesn’t really matter. The fight has gone out of me from finally writing it all down now.

So, ta ta for now faithful readers! ‘Til next blog!

Easy is to get a place in someone’s address book. 
Difficult is to get a place in someone’s heart.

Easy is to judge the mistakes of others 
Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes

Easy is to talk without thinking 
Difficult is to refrain the tongue

Easy is to hurt someone who loves us. 
Difficult is to heal the wound…

Easy is to forgive others 
Difficult is to ask for forgiveness

Easy is to set rules. 
Difficult is to follow them…

Easy is to dream every night. 
Difficult is to fight for a dream…

Easy is to show victory. 
Difficult is to assume defeat with dignity…

Easy is to admire a full moon. 
Difficult to see the other side…

Easy is to stumble with a stone. 
Difficult is to get up…

Easy is to enjoy life every day. 
Difficult to give its real value…

Easy is to pray every night. 
Difficult is to find God in small things…

Easy is to promise something to someone. 
Difficult is to fulfil that promise…

Easy is to say we love. 
Difficult is to show it every day…

Easy is to criticize others. 
Difficult is to improve oneself…

Easy is to make mistakes. 
Difficult is to learn from them…

Easy is to weep for a lost love. 
Difficult is to take care of it so not to lose it.

Easy is to think about improving. 
Difficult is to stop thinking it and put it into action…

Easy is to think bad of others 
Difficult is to give them the benefit of the doubt…

Easy is to receive 
Difficult is to give

Easy to read this 
Difficult to follow

Easy is keep the friendship with words 
Difficult is to keep it with meanings. 

This is goin’ to be a quickie ,so bear with me a little. Just a nippy update for the faithful readers….

1. I had a little accident when I started to read HP!! waaaaaa!!! the book fell and opened up on page 600! buset!! I found out something I wasn’t supposed to know yet… but seriosly I blame my eyes! L.O.L!!!! It just glued itself on the page and read on … tsk tsk!!  Kuya Ty! I’m halfway there… call u when I’m done reading it…. ay!!! nga pala .. I still owe you our pix when u guys visited… I’ll send them soon promise!!

2. Workwise… my contract was renewed last week …yayyy!! I really enjoy what I’m doing there.Im learning a lot of things….. I also enjoy looking at these cute engineers… *sigh* . NOw, tell me how I can stop myself from smiling, they’re just everywhere! LOL!!!! I mostly enjoy doing unit reworks for them… lalo na pag assigned by  papa Daniel hahaha *kiligz ako*!! ( Pagbigyan nyo na ako at libre naman ang fantasya!) .I hope Jhun isn’t reading my blog… ombagan ako nun pag nagkita kami sa work…Well if you are reading this jhun… I’ll bribe you with lots of "Boy Bawang" wag mo lang ako i-tease sa work! deal??

3. I met up with my mommy friends again on the weekend after work. I’m glad we spend a lot of time lately guys… Sige next time we see each other lsasali ko na sarili ko sa mahjong! lol!… well im learning right???!! right??? Sige keep in touch na lang ulit sa next session at next road trip so I can fix my sched….

4. A little sad here that my couple friends are going on trips.. huhuhuh….Nick n Joy… have fun in your euro trip… don’t forget to bring me back something unique!! Don’t worry about Tyco.. Rogue n I will cheer him up! hehehe… Keith n Chiq!!! I hope you have fun in ur Hawaii trip as well… send my regards to ate Leni and her baby! Be safe guys!!

5. I don’t know if this friend of mine reads this… but if you are bru… hehe Im still *kiligz* about this newest development in your life.. hehehe.. wala lang…just thinking about it never fails to put a smile on my face every time… hope I meet him soon!

Ok gotta go! gotta go! gotta go!!!

I can’t believe I missed the friggin’ mailman!

Friday morning, I got a buzz downstairs and when I answered the phone I turned it back down thinking it was a prank caller. Now I missed the latest book in the Harry Potter series! arghhhhhh!!! I figured I would order it online so I will get it first thing in the morning on my doorstep.. no more long line ups in the bookstore. But of course…. I had to be greedy and take a 4 hr. overtime the night before. grrrr! It’s so frustrating! I could barely open my eyes to see who the caller was. I thought I was still dreaming! tsk! tsk!

Now I have to go to the post office and collect my book. All that wait for nothing! *sigh*. Well, I guess I have no choice but wait until thursday morning… the only available slot in my atrocious sched these days..

Ssssummer! Yes summer is definitely here! Better get those hidden-way-too-deep-in-the-closet bathing suits, some shades and sunscreen protection cause it will definitely be a scorcher this  week….

Last weekend was a glorious one for me. I went to Mt.Tremblant with some of my close friends and had a blast of a time. The weather was fabulous! It was a scorcher alright but it’s better than the rainy ones that dragged on forever the last couple of weeks.

I absolutely enjoyed our trip especially the cable car ride towards the top of the mountain (we even saw a deer!). Being up there makes me appreciate every lovely thing in my life and how thankful I am to be here in Canada where nature has an enigmatic way of bringing tears to my eyes.

Another thing Im thankful for is the time spent with friends. Everybody’s been so busy lately that we barely talk to each other even on the phone. Im glad we all took a little time off from our weekend activities for a little reunion. I mostly enjoyed the swim in the pool where I almost drowned Chuckie for dragging me on the deepest end ( sorry again chuck, but seriously it was your fault!), the card game where either you pee on your pants or get a headache from laughing too much and the mountain trip (even though horseflies got the better of us… curse youuuuu! you wretched insects!). I loved them all!  Even Joy’s never ending song on our way there or the fact that I am still awake as daylight at 3AM while everybody’s snoozing. Well, I discovered Keith talks in his sleep…. I was hoping for some lotto numbers LOL! That and the constant hum dum of the airconditioner gave me some lullaby theme and sent me to sleep. Guys!Can we do that again please! hehehe.

Today, I also met up with another set of old friends for lunch. These are my mommy and mommy-to-be friends. It’s so unfair that im always the ninang and never someone that will make them a ninang for my baby l! LOL! Well, they are certainly inspiring me on all these wonderful sensations of being a mom and wanted me to get on with the program while I’m still not in my thirties. I adore their kids and of course I wanted some of my own but let’s get real here… I could never be desperate enough to get it on with the guy for the sake of having a baby. They were also joking that I marry the person even if I don’t love him but I just couldn’t do that. It’s against my religion! LOL! I know they were just concerned cause they love me but I do believe in fate. It’s  either I find the man I want for the rest of my life or not, simple as that. What really matters is how I face the music whichever fate tosses my way.

That’s all for now folks! *bow*. I wanted to write more but I just can’t keep my eyes open anymore. It’s like 4 ohhh clock in the morning and sleep finally  visited me… dang! I used to sleep earlier than this.. I hope I’m not developing a mild case of insomnia….

Whoaa.. I didn’t realize how idle my blog has been for the past couple of months. It’s just that so many things have happened… mostly busy I guess. May  definitely topped the charts! With the birthdays and the new job I have luckily landed on plus a part time employment at my other one, I barely have time to indulge in the wonderful season outside. Of course I still go out whenever I could. Anyway, that new job was only  contractual .. It’ll all be over in a week or two, then back to the ol’ one where the stress level can reach 101% during it’s bad days. When it’s a bad one .. oh boy it really darn gets bad!

Anyway I won’t be too detailed for now on what has gone on within these last months.. I’m just trying to unwind from a latte i stupidly took tonight after work.

I was reading this free newspaper today (DOSE) and stumbled upon my horoscope at the end  and here’s what it said:

"Inside your desk drawer, you have a colony of ants, each named and dressed in tuxedos. Watching them keeps you sane."

I don’t know if it’s because I lacked sleep today or what, but I bursted out laughing on the bus after reading this.. hehe I just thought it was hilarious cuz I really had it envisioned in my mind.Whoever’s reading this… any pointers on what this horoscope of mine meant?

Then later today at work, I had a co worker who suddenly took my hand and read it. It was weird how some of it were unbelievably true and some might take a few more days for me to get in touch with. My love life foretelling was right on the money. Fascinating how much she can read by just looking at my palm. She even told me to get a move on and I will meet this wonderful person who’s really meant for me.

See, I really don’t want to be an old old maid but I somewhat resigned myself to the fact that I could grow old alone and that didn’t terrify me one bit. But after tonight, I’m glad the word "hope" bumped up some extra notches inside my very absorbed practical way of thinking.HOPE.. hmmm…..

OK it’s getting late and I think I have doodled my thoughts enough  today. Til next blog! I have to absolutely force myself to sleep right away. I can’t wait for a little break to get out of town with my friends early tomorrow…..

This was sent to me by a good friend …

A Carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee

A young woman went to her mother and told her about
her life and how things were so hard for her. She did
not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.
She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three
pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon
the pots came to boil. In the first she placed
carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the
last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit
and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.
She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a
bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do
you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the
carrots.

She did and noted that they were soft. The mother
then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard
boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to
sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its
rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it
mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had
faced the same adversity … boiling water. Each
reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard,
and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to
the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The
egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had
protected its liquid interior, but after sitting
through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After
they were in the boiling water, they had changed the
water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When
adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems
strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and
become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but
changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a
breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial,
have I become hardened and stiff? Does my
shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually
changes the hot water, the very circumstance that
brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases
the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean,
when things are at their worst, you get better and
change the situation around you. When the hour is the
darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate
yourself to another level? How do you handle
adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to
keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the
best of everything; they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way. The brightest
future will always be based on a forgotten past; you
can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past
failures and heartaches.

March  22, 2005

Thank God it’s tuesday night! Mondays and tuesdays are always a drag. It just seems like the weekend is sooo far away. I remember a friend once sent me an email about the different age range of the work force. It’s actually a very exaggerated caricature of how the older people are so full of energy and bullshit monday mornings that the younger batch couldn’t even utter intelligible words and would just do anything to get the day over. Come friday it’s the other way around. Anyway, it’s not that funny when I describe it now but I just thought It was amusing then.

Last weekend was lovely. I got to see 2 of my adorable friends I only see every once in a blue moon. Actually we call ourselves lucky if we see each other 2x in a year. These are my first batch of friends when I moved here in Ottawa. So many things have happened to all of us. Each of us even found a different set of friends to hang out with. But through the changing times and distance I’m glad that our friendship remained the same.  I will always be thankful for having friends like them…

… I just wish the same for some of my other friends too… BUT! That’s another story! I could only hope and pray that one day we could reunite that friendship back…

Anyway here’s a little something I have probably shared to all of you before and wish to share again.

Hope it gives you a little something to ruminate about in your alone time…

LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten,

Will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built

Not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your siginificance.

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or

Sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate you example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who love you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

- Author Unknown-