A Longing Fulfilled Brings Gladness to the Heart

More than a decade ago when I first entered the so called "happiest place on earth" also known as Disneyland, I wished upon a star (amidst the fire works and the hoopla) that someday I will will be bringing the whole family to this theme park in Anaheim, California.

I have longed for that wish to be fulfilled,and somehow with hard work, perseverance and blessings from the Supreme Being...our family have been walking the magical streets of Disneyland a few days ago.

Never mind the long queue over the rides and on meeting your favorite Disney characters. Never mind the crowded Main Street during the parade and the fireworks display. Never mind the tiring walk and expensive souvenir items. This is still the place where dreams come true....where you meet and greet Mickey and Minnie, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Giselle, and other Disney princess... where you can have a Jedi training and come face to face with Darth Vader and forces of the dark side... where you can ride a submarine and find Nemo deep into the ocean floor... where you can fight side by side with Buzz Light Year to infinity and beyond... it is where you can live your own adventure amidst the Pirates of the Caribbean. Of course there is also the so called California Adventure adjacent to the Disneyland theme park, but obviously a day is not enough to cover the fun and adventures that are available.

Just a few miles away from Disneyland is Buena Park, California where Knott's Berry Farm is located, the home of Snoopy (i.e., Camp Snoopy) and the rest of the peanuts gang. Again, the endless rides and thrills makes one realize that life is indeed full of adventures and one needs to "seize the day" in order to have maximum enjoyment. Indeed some of the rides are not for the weak at heart...such as the Sidewinder,Jaguar, Silver Bullet and Supreme Scream... which the teens rode to their heart's content. If you want to see a real Western community, with Indians, cowboys, miners, train robbers and the like... then Knott's Berry Farm is the place to go. They even have a public dancing square complete with competent dance instructors...western style.

Up north in the city of San Francisco one can see the world renowned Golden Gate bridge and take pictures with cold winter winds blowing in your face. Take a visit at the Fisherman's wharf and have a walk along the zigzag road down Lombard Street.

It is also heart warming to see and visit long lost friends and relatives, some we haven't seen for more than fifteen years.

A longing fulfilled brings gladness to the heart. Whether having your dream notebook computer (SONY VAIO) which I am currently using to post this blog, or just simply consuming a "baboy" dish even if it is a little bit overcooked, or someday leaving the "war zone" and put up a business in a safer environment (if there is such thing a safe environment nowadays).

As a popular Disney tune goes...."a dream is a wish your heart makes." And indeed, DREAMS DO COME TRUE!

Convention of Those Wounded in Love (by:Paulo Coelho)

General provisions:

A – Whereas the saying “all is fair in love and war” is absolutely correct;

B – Whereas for war we have the Geneva Convention, approved on 22 August 1864, which provides for those wounded in the battle field, but until now no convention has been signed concerning those wounded in love, who are far greater in number;

It is hereby decreed that:

Article 1 – All lovers, of any sex, are alerted that love, besides being a blessing, is also something extremely dangerous, unpredictable and capable of causing serious damage. Consequently, anyone planning to love should be aware that they are exposing their body and soul to various types of wounds, and that they shall not be able to blame their partner at any moment, since the risk is the same for both.

Article 2 – Once struck by a stray arrow fired from Cupid’s bow, they should immediately ask the archer to shoot the same arrow in the opposite direction, so as not to be afflicted by the wound known as “unrequited love”. Should Cupid refuse to perform such a gesture, the Convention now being promulgated demands that the wounded partner remove the arrow from his/her heart and throw it in the garbage. In order to guarantee this, those concerned should avoid telephone calls, messages over the Internet, sending flowers that are always returned, or each and every means of seduction, since these may yield results in the short run but always end up wrong after a while. The Convention decrees that the wounded person should immediately seek the company of other people and try to control the obsessive thought: “this person is worth fighting for”.

Article 3 – If the wound is caused by third parties, in other words if the loved one has become interested in someone not in the script previously drafted, vengeance is expressly forbidden. In this case, it is allowed to use tears until the eyes dry up, to punch walls or pillows, to insult the ex-partner in conversations with friends, to allege his/her complete lack of taste, but without offending their honor. The Convention determines that the rule contained in Article 2 be applied: seek the company of other persons, preferably in places different from those frequented by the other party.

Article 4 – In the case of light wounds, herein classified as small treacheries, fulminating passions that are short-lived, passing sexual disinterest, the medicine called Pardon should be applied generously and quickly. Once this medicine has been applied, one should never reconsider one's decision, not even once, and the theme must be completely forgotten and never used as an argument in a fight or in a moment of hatred.

Article 5 – In all definitive wounds, also known as “breaking up”, the only medicine capable of having an effect is called Time. It is no use seeking consolation from fortune-tellers (who always say that the lost lover will return), romantic books (which always have a happy ending), soap-operas on the television or other such things. One should suffer intensely, completely avoiding drugs, tranquilizers and praying to saints. Alcohol is only tolerated if kept to a maximum of two glasses of wine a day.

Final determination: Those wounded in love, unlike those wounded in armed conflict, are neither victims nor torturers. They chose something that is part of life, and so they have to accept both the agony and the ecstasy of their choice.

And those who have never been wounded in love will never be able to say: “I have lived”. Because they haven’t.

It's Time to Move Ahead

Trying to put an end to a psychological kerfuffle that began last month, I have conducted countless self-contained brain storming sessions and deep soul searching activities with my ever reliable yellow pad and Mongol No. 2 pencil. Also, consultation with a friend who is in a similar Special High Intensity Tension (SHIT) situation, have given me invaluable information to sort out this mess.

Random events do happen in life and it is beyond our control. It is a pipe dream to think and act as if you can absolutely direct the incidents in the next minute, next day or next episode of your life. We do plan, and planning the activities for tomorrow or the next week is a healthy practice, but it is a reality that unplanned events do happen. This is a part of life... the spice of living which gives flavor and color to an otherwise humdrum existence.

On the other hand, the occurrence of these unplanned events often leads to complications as it should not have been there in the first place...and if one is not careful, will lead to disaster. As "chaos theory" suggests, the flapping of a butterfly from a faraway land can result to a hurricane or a storm in the other side of the planet. Thus, it is of utmost importance to be vigilant of these unplanned events or suffer the consequence of sailing a ship into uncharted waters with all of the risks and dangers that goes with it. The plan gives us the map to follow towards our destination, and any deviation from this map must be corrected or the entire journey will be jeopardized.

Some people see these deviations as problems, others see it as challenges while personally, I believe that these are all learning experiences in the journey called life. Since these deviations are inevitable part of the voyage...we might as well enjoy it to the fullest, without losing sight of the destination.

It is with this premise that we should take pleasure in these unplanned events as much as possible, but always be aware and alert when ... it's time to move ahead and continue the journey.

it's time to move ahead...

time to achieve...

time to progress...

to color our dreams...

to exercise our rights...

to go for the best...

for the ones we love...

for the ones that loved us...

for the desires of the heart!