i am mary magdalene

Once, some few years back, somebody commented that with the way I carry myself, the way I go headlong into what I do and the attention I am getting from people (yes, especially from the opposite sex) - if I were in the Bible I would be Mary Magdalene.

If that comment was warranted, it's not for me to say.  But Mary Magdalene.

That she was a bad woman is the misconception that I grew up with. Maybe because the statues in churches depicting her are garbed with a red long dress adorned with jewels, with long curly red hair and sometimes even wearing a pair of gaudy dangling earrings which must be donated by a well-meaning lady of the parish. This of course is a major contradiction to the gentle blue-and-white gowned statues of Mary, Mother of God.

Well, in an interesting way I like being Mary Magdalene. I think that with the various theories and discussions regarding her so-called secrets and the debates on her character assassination in the holy book, I would like to think that if indeed I were in those times, I would work and study hard as Mary Magdalene did so she will be one of the learned disciples, compared to those who didn't have a whit of what they were actually doing as they follow this man who claimed to save the nations.

Oh yes. The demons and the sin worthy of wearing the scarlet letter. Well she was healed by no less than Christ himself and if ever the reputation was true, she was the most famous of all those who were repentant. Not bad enough.

Now that I am a grown woman, I would want to pay my respects to Mary Magdalene. She anointed Jesus. She was at the foot of the cross as he was dying, which is much to say since the male apostles were nowhere to be seen because of fear. And the best gift of all, which others fail to see as the most important part in the Bible because of blinding prejudice - she was the one who tended Jesus in the tomb and in so doing, was the first person to discover that Jesus has resurrected. He appeared to her first! Top that!

More importantly, to all the women like me who love their careers, Mary Magdalene's major work started where Jesus' had ended. She rounded up the followers during their lowest point and it was her word - and I bet she had the best of public speaking skills and the strongest convincing powers - that made them realize and accept that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead as he has promised and that they need to continue to spread his message.

Yes, the lady has a very colorful curriculum vitae. I don't mind being her at all. A girl like that.

Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
Feast Day: July 22

crazy at the farm

I have been absent from blogging and there's only one reason for that. I have taken to Farm Town hook, line and sinker. Yes I know, I miss hours of sleep just to tend to the grapes that shall become ready for harvest in four hour intervals.


I don't mind asking in the marketplace for work. If it works, then be it.
I made a worksheet for all crops to identify which are most profitable.
I cried when a whole harvest of forgotten potatoes went to waste.
I try to harmonize trees to be laden with fruits for a one-time harvest.

Yes I'm working for that mansion. And when I finally get to Level 34, I shall put down the hoe and stop plowing and planting. I shall convert the property into a national park, and just let the trees bring in the income. So I'd appreciate it if you could send in tree gifts!

Esta Menina is Mrs. Boss of Arcadia and she lives in Blue Gables.
I must wear this button: "Don't laugh but I'm famous in Farm Town".

the name of mendoza

Mendoza

Spanish Origin

Noble surnames, such as Mendoza, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Mendoza, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. The Mendoza family originally lived in the place named Mendoza, which is the province of Alava. This place-name was originally derived from the Basque word mendi, which means mountain and otz, which means cold.

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mendoza, de Mendoza, Mendozo, Mendosa, de Mendosa, Mendoso and many more.

First found in Castile, an important Christian kingdom of medieval Spain.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Among the early travellers to the New World was Antonio de Mendoza, the first Viceroy of New Spain (1535). He founded a university and established a printing press. He died in Lima, Peru in 1552. Also of note was Alfonso de Mendoza, who accompanied Hernn Corts to Mexico. He later voyaged to Peru, and in 1548 he founded the city of La Paz, Bolivia. Perhaps the most famous family member to reach the New World was Pedro de Mendoza, courtier to King Carlos V, Knight of the Orders of Alcntara and Santiago. In 1534 he set out for the Ro de la Plata region, where two years later he founded the city of Buenos Aires. At least four other family members held important military or administrative offices during the early years of conquest and discovery. Other early migrants to the New World bearing this surname included Cristbal de Mendoza, who sailed to America in 1511.

Coat of Arms

A red shield with five silver leaves.

the name of pulido

Pulido

Spanish Origin

The Pulido surname comes from the Spanish word "pulido" meaning "polished," "neat" or "handsome;" as such, this surname is thought to have evolved from a nickname.

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pulida, Pulido, Polido and others.

First found in the mountains of Burgos, in Northern Spain. The City of Burgos was the capital of the kingdom of Castile in the 11th century.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Francisco Polido, who settled in Guatemala in 1538; Maria Pulida, who arrived in New Spain in 1594; Juan Pulido, who came to Peru in 1565; Alonso Martin Pulido, who came to Ecuador in 1577.

Coat of Arms

A red shield with a gold lion rampant, within a gold border, charged with eight serpent heads.

this mother's day

When I came home in the rain,
my brother asked, "Why didn't you take an umbrella?"

My sister advised, "Why didn't you wait till the rain stopped?"

Father angrily warned, "You will realize only after you get a cold!"

But Mother, while drying my hair, said, "Stupid rain! Couldn't it wait, till my child gets home?"

Now that's a MOM!

when females fight

The simple title is very graphic. But let me explain.

Females like me are done with the ritual of looking up through lashes and whispering behind fans with other lady friends. As a matter of fact, I don't like sharing stories with so-called girlfriends. And I don't like going into the powder room with other ladies. At all.

Hugh Jackman can lasso and Christian Bale can scream. But us females - we have a whole lot of other things in our own world. And it's not a totally friendly world at all.

DROP THE SHOP

Start with the boutique. You come in and you set your sights on a fetching red number hanging on an unassuming rod. You pick it up and you to try it on. As you go inside the fitting room, two women will be staring at you and the dress.  It's as if like, what am I thinking?

When you emerge from the cramped space and you are returning the dress, another woman will snatch it from you and try it on herself. And if you end up buying it, another female will ask for that same blouse from the sales assistant.

And the mirrors in those boutiques! They are very cruel if they happen to be a big one by the wall. Never stand before a mirror! Or else you'll only end up either scrutinized by the bombshell at your left, or sneered at by the heavyweight at your right.

GET FIT FOR GYM? OR GYM TO GET FIT?

I used to spend two nights in a week dancing in the sports center nearest the house. But the gym has closed those dance sessions, so I proposed to a former acquaintance that we pursue our dance nights at the gym located in the commercial district instead. She voted no immediately.

She told me that the other women in that facility will gauge you by the brand of shoes or dance apparel you wear or the bottled water you drink or the gym bag you lug around. Heaven forbid if they categorize you by the sweat you manage to muster, not because of the exercise but because of the self-consciousness you try to hide.

And again! The gym mirrors! They are the most unforgiving of all! They could almost see your soul in there!

Whenever I go to salons for a hair trim, I often pick the corner seats to avoid the dames who feel like divas entering the place. You'd know them when you smell them, because you can sniff them the moment the door would open six meters away from you. Then they would drop their signature bags on the cozy chairs as they ask for their regular hair color.

WEAR YOUR PEARLS TO THE GROCER

Whenever I go to the grocery, I try to memorize the items I need to get and pick them as fast as possible. You don't want to reach out to your box of cereals with your chipped nails, while the woman beside you contemplate on the benefits of green tea and black tea and advises you that your preference for strawberry flavor is very juvenile.

Oh yes. It's played in a subtle fashion. But it's actually a bitch versus bitch world out there. Men no longer have the monopoly of complaining that it's such a competition and the next guy is out for your neck.

DRIVING LIKE A GIRL

So let's bring the animosity to the highway. Driving comfortably in my 60km per hour speed, I look down upon female drivers who cannot decide on which lane to take. Following a car one day, I thought it was high time I play my own battle and I honked.

She was swerving left and right at the merciful speed of 30, and cannot even keep an intersection open! When the lights were green, she stopped to let people cross the street and the red light caught us. I honked again in desperation.

Then I maneuvered my SUV beside her car and I looked at her the way my first grade teacher had looked at me when I couldn't spell the word "happy". If looks could kill. Then I tossed my hair at her and I put on my big sunglasses.

Ah, I fight too. Without claws for the meantime.

featuring a day's life

Just a few preliminary attempts of the photographers of OPS.

the fuss with chicken

Why are chickens afraid of the day after Thursday?
Because it's Fried Day.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I still have to see them race.

Why did the chicken cross the road?
This chicken was like any other chicken. When it was still a very young chick it was full of ambitions and it was enthusiastic and this chick's parents were so proud you see. And while growing up the chick was with a dozen other siblings in that brood. And the chick knew it must be different and do something different. So this chick went to grade school and had a great time. Its favorite of all in the campus grounds was this swing. The chick would swing and make all the plans it wanted to do when it was already a fully-grown chicken. The chick grew healthy of mind and heart and when it reached high school it also suffered all the angst related with that age, see. When the chick enrolled in university it was sure it will enroll in Engineering. Upon graduating the five-year course, the chick, now a chicken, knew it isn't contented with that so it also pursued a course in Laws. The world will always have one more place for a lawyer, not matter how many the jokes they came up about lawyers. When finally the chicken accepted that it must live the rest of its life with the rooster of its dreams, the chicken finally realized that it must cross the road because the rooster is on the other side. And so the chicken did.

reasons, seasons, lifetimes

I am not for forwarding emails. But Coco somehow in a way tagged me and challenged me to spread the material below. For what, I don't know. It's all in the dare I guess. So here goes.


People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real, but only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

Photo: "This Time and Tide" by This Girl

when the heart is full

January 4 1997
Sunday

It's a Sunday afternoon...
and as the post-Christmas sun blazes outside,
I sit on our bed
and contemplate on how blessed I am...
with my husband sleeping at my left...
and my baby daughter in her crib at my right...
perhaps nothing, almost nothing,
could get better than this.

As they both sleep,
I offer a silent prayer of praise and thanksgiving
to the Lord who made all this possible.

- a little note I found when cleaning out some old boxes