A tribute to awesomeness

Because awesomeness is a gift, not an acquired trait..

Laban

photograph by -mondi- bz

As the streets are swept clean of all traces of yesterday's events, as the countless yellow flowers offered as a last goodbye turn to dry, as we return to our everyday routines... Do we look back at August 5, 2009 and simply say, "there was a president who was so loved by her people", or "that was the day that she once again united the entire nation"...

photograph by brand_D

Or do we eternally commemorate the cause and sacrifice that this one person stood and fought for and really think, "this legacy that she has left us, as a people, what can we do to further it for the common good? What can we sincerely do to help in our own little ways? What can we do right now?"

photograph by fly888

Thank you and goodbye, Mrs. Cory Aquino.

Go Green Advertising

In this ad-congested society,  check out how marketing can take the green route and successfully get their message across. CURB is the first natural media company  that offers media solutions that use natural based products. On their website they posted this question- "Why can't a great media solution be sustainable, natural and highly effective?" 

The good thing is they found an answer to that. Check out how they do it here.  It would be awesome if  more environmental groups can apply these marketing techniques to help strengthen what they stand for. 

Puerto Galera: the quiet side you didn't know existed

It's summertime again! And AZ city kids like us normally hunger for an escape from Metro Manila from time to time, like rattled birds in a cage (what?). And so escape is exactly what we did two weeks ago, when we decided to head to the nearest white sand beach (a 3.5-hour trip from Manila)--Puerto Galera.

For many budget pro beachers who have been around the country, this is definitely not the first place that comes to mind when you think of paradise. Puerto Galera is notorious for the overwhelming number of food stalls and inns crammed into one tiny stretch of beach.. And of course, the suffocating crowd (see photo below):

Sardines on a beach. I know it gets worse during Holy Week, but this we already found unbearable. Noise makes me very confused.

We found ourselves seeking shelter from the chaos in our favorite pizza place on the far end of the beach, where you can take in the view of an isolated piece of beach from its window (since the pizzeria is kind of situated on a cliff)


And then we explored and hiked over boulders and toiled under the heat of the summer sun and came across this resort on the other side of White Beach, where all is quiet and calm and where the lounge chairs are actually comfortable.

The ambience here at Aninuan Beach Resort was totally relaxing and brought back feelings of being in paradise, at last. The food was pretty good too, and the San Mig Light, ice cold.

They're so getting free mileage from this post, no?

Take a look at Yawners Corner

At yawner's corner, everybody yawns to say hello. 

Danish photographer Peter Funch,  stakes New York City street corners out for two weeks at a time, taking pictures of passersby from the very same spot. He then uses Photoshop to composite the results into single images. (via BoingBoing)

Funch's work reminds me of the "Where's Waldo?" books, I used to enjoy reading when I was younger. 

Enjoy taking a closer look. :)

 

Fly to Mars for only $99

Expedia now offers its customers flights to Mars for only $99 .

You might want to start saving up, so that you can fly out just in time for when the world ends.

Power to the Peeps!

There's no better PMS food in the world than Marshmallow Peeps, 2 boxes (!!!) of which I had to pick up at the cargo place, sent to me by my dear mother.

Army of Peeps: "We stick to the lining of your stomach forever!" (just kidding)

Reliving my childhood years as a sugar junkie, I found myself shoveling one peep after another into my mouth.

Yellow Peep: "Eat me!"

"Yeah, PMS sucks. It's a good thing you have Peeps to stuff in your mouth to keep you from saying mean things to people!" - Sheila

Happy birthday, Sheila!

Flow in Travel

To Jill

TO WHO
by Jill Roy

To you I am a shadow who reflects nothing,
So you change me
To you I am a speechless voice,
So you do not hear anything other than self

To you I am the second chance to fix the errors of life
So you do not hear my cries of pain
To you I am the servant that will not ask for pay,
So you ignore me

And I know that you do not see it
But I will not tell you because...
To you I am the light of the morning sun
So you sit and watch

To you I am the scream of direction
So you listen

To you I am the one who makes the difference
So you adore it

To you I am the jewel of the crown
So you care for me

But I do not want to be to you
For to me is what I praise

For to me I am the individual in the crowd
Though no one sees me

For to me I am the sound of help
When no one is brave enough to ask

For to me I am the last hope
When the battle is yet to begin

For to me I am the employer
Though the reward is far greater than the deed

And though it may seem to you now,
That you are to me nothing

You are to me more
To you is strong, to me is better

To me you are the monster
So I dare not try anything

To me you are the dictator
So I rebel

To me you are the guidance
So I will not question you

To me you are freshness in the air
So I gaze at you

And now to they...

To they is the terrors of life

To they is the walls we hide behind

To they is the secret we wish never to meet

To they is nothing

To they is the cause of all wrong

To they is why we hide

To they is the evil

For to they has become great
Though it should not be

For those who listen to they
Are the losers of life

The losers who hide behind walls
Walls that crumble and destroy you

Jill is a 12 year old who visits my office everyday (I work in a school), speaks perfect English, with great diction and perfect manners. Compared to her mental maturity, mine is at a tender age of ten. Anyway, she ended up writing about 5 poems one night because she did not have any homework. This is just one of them. I started crying when I read her poems for the simple reason that it feels like we've been searching for the same thing from this world- our identity. It made me envious that she had a gift- the gift of courage. The courage to face uncertainty, to question what it means to become who we truly and to see the world as it is. Oh, and more importantly, to write and share about it. She's amazing.

I want to be 12 again- minus the curfew.

Hurry up and learn to have some patience, will you!

Patience is The Foundation for a Better Life's theme for the month.

Which is quite appropriate, especially for brooding monsters who like to PMS (yes, I just used PMS as a verb).

I signed up for FBL's daily quote newsletter months ago, hoping to get my daily dose of inspiration and pass it on to others who might be interested as well. Here are some that they've sent me the past week:

“Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight... When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. ” (Helen Keller)


“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” (Harriet Tubman)


“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.” (Saint Francis de Sales)

Now isn't that reassuring? Go ahead and pass on some values.