summer in singapore

waitin' and laughin' and posin' and bondin'

the four women in mike's life

with the maaaaaaaaaan!

the tourists.. on foot

shooting the shooter

I almost always prefer being behind the camera

than in front of it. Except when Mike is taking the shot.

the ant philosophy

Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept - the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and the first part is: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer. An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

Lessons from the ant: never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

By Jim Rohn

back to disney's magic

I See the Light
From Tangled

All those days
Watching from the windows
All those years
Outside looking in
All that time
Never even knowing
Just how blind I’ve been

Now I’m here
Blinking in the starlight
Now I’m here
Suddenly I see
Standing here
It’s oh, so clear
I’m where I’m meant to be

And at last, I see the light
And it’s like the fog has lifted
And at last, I see the light
And it’s like the sky is new
And it’s warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once
Everything looks different
Now that I see you

All those days
Chasing down a daydream
All those years
Living in a blur
All that time
Never truly seeing
Things the way they were
Now she’s here
Shining in the starlight
Now she’s here
Suddenly I know
If she’s here
It’s crystal clear
I’m where I’m meant to go

And at last, I see the light
And it’s like the fog has lifted
And at last, I see the light
And it’s like the sky is new

And it’s warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once
Everything is different
Now that I see you
Now that I see you

this is the 2011 girl

Everything can be found on the net. Nothing, absolutely nothing, escapes it. Somewhere, even in a decrepit room in the darkest alley of an obscure city, someone is writing an article. And, together with all the others like me who think that their blog must contain a new year's entry, whatever comes out from a few clicks on the keyboard ends up on the screen of the rest of the world.

Everything can be found on the net. And if you cannot in your pretty life think of what resolutions you should tackle this year 2011, the web has the answers for you. There is even a ranking of resolutions and among the top ten, I hit five. Which are -

1. Learn Something New.
2. Get Organized.
3. Enjoy Life More.
4. Tame the Bulge.
5. Fit in Fitness.

That's why I have this fresh shot with the treadmill. Smile. It's the closest I could get to using it.


On how to fulfill those resolutions, the web will still have the answers. I'm sure.

between the old and new year

bring out the old, bring in the new
a midnight wish to share with you
your lips are warm, my head is light
were we in love before tonight?

i don't need a crowded ballroom
everything i want is here
if you're with me
next year will be the perfect year

before we play some dangerous game
before we fan some harmless flame
we have to ask if this is wise
and if the game is worth the prize
with this wine and with this music
how can anything be clear?
let's wait and see
it may just be the perfect year

it's new year's eve, and hopes are high
dance one year in, kiss one good-bye
another chance, another start
so many dreams to tease the heart

we don't need a crowded ballroom
everything we want is here
and face to face
we will embrace the perfect year

we don't need a crowded ballroom
everything we want is here
and face to face
we will embrace the perfect year

- The Perfect Year from Sunset Boulevard

x marks the holiday

I've been reading up on people complaining about the removal of Jesus Christ from Christmas and calling the holiday Xmas instead. One woman at the Farm Town market was even huffing and puffing about it and was calling expletives at other players who disagree with her.

Oh that's my world now, in the interactive scenes of an online game.

But back to that letter of the alphabet. The family has a friend named Christopher, and his nickname is actually X. I originally thought this was hip and catchy, since yes, Christmas at times is Xmas to some.

With this divide on the shortening of the Christmas word these days, especially to accommodate cellular phone messages and cool holiday cards, About.com has this to say:

Question: Why Is There an X in Xmas? Some Christians complain that the abbreviation Xmas for Christmas is part of a move to secularize the holiday, to take the Christ out of Christmas, but this isn't really justified.

Answer: It is said that when the Emperor Constantine had his great vision that caused him to convert to Christianity, he saw the Greek letters Chi and Rho intertwined. Chi is written as an 'X' and Rho is written as a 'P', but they are the first two letters of the Greek word Christ 'savior'. 'XP' is sometimes used to stand for Christ. Sometimes X is used alone. This is the case in the Chi (X) abbreviation for Christ in Xmas. Thus, Xmas is not directly a way of secularizing the holiday, but since 'X' is not Chi in English, we read the word as X-mas and see no connection with Christ.

Now that is a relief to know.

Why is there an X in Xmas?

witnessing a cousin's wedding

Photo courtesy of Mike Mendoza

what's in the ipod shuffle?

Here's what I have.

Videos:
Father of the Bride 1
Father of the Bride 2
Gladiator
Roman Holiday
Sleepless in Seattle
The Proposal

Albums:
Barbra Streisand's Back to Broadway
VST and Company's Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko
Bic Runga's Beautiful Collision
Bic Runga's Birds
Bic Runga's Drive
Craig David's Slicker Than Your Average
Craig David's The Story Goes
Fr. Arnel dC Aquino's Lauds I
Fr. Arnel dC Aquino's Lauds II
Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D.
Celtic Woman's Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman's A New Journey
Daughtry's Daughtry
The Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination 2.0
Pet Shop Boys' Greatest Hits 2
Lifehouse's Lifehouse
Lifehouse's Stanley Climbfall
Lifehouse's No Name Face
Lifehouse's Who We Are
Marek Lutonsky's ML
Boys II Men's Motown Hitsville USA
Igor Krutoi's Without Words

What about yours?

pursuing prakarsa

Malasag Hill, Cagayan de Oro City

September 19 2010
Photography by Mike Mendoza