How To Make a Smashing Week

Roselle Quin photo:
"Tea by the Pool"

Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Felicitations to a new week! 

My best brightest self welcome's Monday with a favorable juicy feel for the positive. Major compelling realizations have popped and  shape shifted in my mind. I am soaked in plans and dreams and decisions. The heavens will be my guide, my inspiration, my connection. Yes, no  mortal muse can entice me.  My plans are as a big and venturous as never before!

There is work to do, but make no mistake dear me, there is no room for drab or dreary. Labor will be intensive but suffused with relish and recreation. One must be in love with one's work. One must be in love with one's days - the minutes, hours and seconds not left to dawdle by itself - there is harm in that. 

How does one make a smashing week? 

Specially after having dealth with the naughtiness of  past weeks gone? Why,  by blessing the what-not's of  troubles a - visiting and thanking them all for lessons learned, stamina built and new hopes aroused. If it were not for the challenges of the past weeks, I wouldn't have had this vision for a future I desire to experience. I can almost feel it. I am almost there. 

Much to scribble, even more to scrawl and I am compelled to begin. This particular rumination, I bring to conclusion with the burning thought that I should write it upon my heart that each day is the best day of the year. 

Alive. Daring. Brave.

Do visit: Roselle Quin's Fine Poetry

Remembering Persi

Like my hands were hogtied and my cute floaty cells braided into humidity frazzled strands of exclaiming question marks. I'm saying it's been a very VERY - infinitesimally -> very long time since I was last seriously here. Pictures are from a light year ago left marinating in juicy tenderness of blog blandness. 

     I've been to cute corners of my life's here and there since I last hitched this site,  none of which have seen the spotlight of a post. BUT, no worries, my alternate me, (hehe!) because your's  truly intend to flower power this oh' too quiet corner. There's about half' a dozen drafty' writings in the dungeons on hold, and, yes, I do intend to allow them  the light of day.

Persi staring at me. Ya' should've kept to my good side! 

Meanwhile I take high sweet pleasure in pics of last year's flowers, vased on top of last year's white decoupaged table top, which I gave away to our trusty' village handyman. And the cat picture above is "Persi"..who left me one morning never to return again. I still don't know why he did that. To be honest, I'm hurt, quite slighted and a little bit hoping.

He was the epitome of persistence which earned him the name, Persi as a fur ball teenie.  I never do allow garden cats inside the house, mind you, but noh, this little black creature would claw and paw and bawl whinny screechie' lamentable meows behind my closed screen door until the drums o' my ears bled bad and I've endured enough insane ruckus. His royal kitty' cuteness had the run of my house, climbing here, crawling there, nuzzling asleep wherever he wanted to. 

He would never  leave my side. That is,  until a stranger cat, huge and imposing and quite dramatically roughed up  enough to possess a touch of that street Puss n' Boots' type. 

Well, this villainous character came a'visiting often enough, more frequently when I wasn't around to shoo his tail off. I noticed how he'd  walk into the gate with a mastered  swagger, giving sly put down glances on Persi coupled with the under breath of that slow grating moewrrr hiss of his...Most likely he bullied and teased how such a sissy Persi was all clean and pampy inside a proper boring house, when the streets are action filled and food is a' plenty. Alley living on the edge is what a true cat's life is, I bet he mocked and enticed.

I sawPersi walk off with the scheming feral Pied Piper Tom cat soon after, nary a glance back, never to be seen, heard or found again. 

There must be about 30 something black cats in the neighborhood,  more than half a dozen a true Persi doppelganger. 

Whenever I'd come across one, I'd halt my steps and stare into the cat's luminous eyes, much to the poor creatures bewilderment. I must look quite the fool, so I make sure no one is around when my sleuthing kink kicks in. I do so want to know where he wandered to but all points lead to nowhere, tsk! 

Life has given me 2 new garden cats to pamper. They were both born in my garden so I'd say nature has an uncanny way of plopping creature responsibilities on me. A man I hired to tidy the garden suggested that if I starve them enough they'd move away. A horrid idea, and I had to kindly show how mortified I was by reminding him that I had a pulse..and heart! Plus, brains.

And thats THAT about cats fer' now. 

 Meanwhile, I'm posting this old pic below to remind myself that I luved' this book. Must dig out from my now cluttered cabinet of books and re-read again. I've done some book shopping a week ago. Me' thinks my collection now rounds up to 270 + and so. 

The Enchanting Legend of the Koi Fish

Roselle Quin photos taken at Koi pond in Greenbelt, Makati - Philippines

Being a true mermaidy'  Piscean, I hugely adore pools of any sort and remember fondly how sweet and  lovely my grandmother's koi pond was! She had an interesting 60's wood slated sliding door in her Asian inspired home that splendidly opened to a gleaming water garden - a tranquil spot in the far end corner of her living room. I can see it still, in my mind's eye, how the home had an airily lit, shall I say - chakra point - illuminated by the buoyant murmuring presence of  water,  color and nature.

Several sizable birdcages also graced the garden, its cheery tweetie' occupants being dozens of lovable lovebirds the sight and sound of which was adorably amazing! Fronting the bird cages was the mini zenish' black pearly' pool  lorded by what seemed to little girl me,  hundreds of magnificent Koi fishies' - an auspicious sight, both enthralling and mysterious. 

An authentic bonsai masterpiece theatrically mounted in an auspicious corner of the Greenbelt pond. 

It was one of the happiest places to be, standing there, fascinated by the leisurely graceful swimmy' moves of spotted yellow, white, orange golden Koi's  creating gentle concurrent ripply waves as they gingerly sashay towards you in anticipation of bread treats. 

A feisty swarm of Maya birds seem to fancy these bushes. It was quite an entertaining sight.

And those were the days, as they say. 

Nowadays, I get my unrelenting 'Koi fix' from public gardens, a most accessible favorite spot being the verdant Greenbelt fish ponds. I have languid afternoons seated at the adjacent Museum Cafe' - sometimes with a friend, at times merely me, - where for a moment's cup of coffee, life is nary a care but for the fishes to see. 

Koi's have quite an enchanting legend.  Story goes that when the greatest sage, Confucious, had a son, a certain important king presented him with a black carp called a Magoy. According to legend, that particular Magoy was 'the great ancestor' to all present day Koi's.

Interesting. 

I'm in the throes of Koi pond envy and would sure like to have my own (tiny) pond in my little garden. Video tutorials are a' plenty in Youtube, all I have to do is coerce, I mean convince my husband that maintaining the fishies' would be manageable. :D

My Few Reasonable Words (✿◠‿◠)

“She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time; but alas! 

Alas! She must confess to herself that she was not wise yet.”  ~

 Jane Austen, Persuasion

═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════

I am very very very very batty right now. 

Batty! Batty! Batty! 

Very! 

I am the Queen of Illustrious Highness Battiness, tadah! 

Only help is my freezy' can of Coke, bag of chips and box of Oreo's. It is s-u-b-lime to be left unfettered to my gruesome munching devices; it would be wise for anyone within proximity to NOT make mention of my hideous gorging.

Of course I will suffer _ later. 

Remorse will be my due company.  I am enlightened aware that this impending cycle is my  doing: grump, munch, smile faintly, feel better, and wait for my junk food fueled dopamine high to wear off.  A staunch resolve to be good will commence, sans penitence. I know me so well. (✿◠‿◠)

“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, 

see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, 

to speak a few reasonable words.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von 


In this wicked state, I might as well allow my mind to wander amongst the main road of a favored memory. There are constructions that enamor and pavements that entice - here are some pictures. I distinctly remember that moment as provocatively settling. How snug the conditions of my own personal adventure from which quiet I had this unfolding epiphany.

We are purposed by feelings, I realized
We come ALIVE to taste life's long table buffet of personalized emotions, the encounter of which shapes spirit and unfurls the soul. The trauma of encountering all manner and shades of feelings, the understanding, working and mastering of it grants us wings; human wings. Not so like the angels, for angels have no feet. 

We are us, and only  fully 'us' when we have encountered the evolution of our own inner selves; entirely separate,  living breathing creation from each other, but belonging to one another universally. It's the most beautiful thing, but we don't ever know that from the beginning, because our common nesting is a preconditioned earth of fear.

So we love each other with a magnitude of  underlying apprehension. We care for each other with an underlying distress, and we progress to adulthood yoked by this accidental ancestral fear. It doesn't matter who you are, where you are, where you came from, if you're rich or poor, we're all infected. That's why we want each other to be a certain way, talk a certain way, love a certain way. It's in the air, this contagion. It's in history. It's in the psyche. It's both genesis and genetics. 

Our feelings are guides, much like spiritual ones. 
We must encounter them, face them, talk to them, determine their truth, accuracy and fallacy. When we do, our minds awaken who we are and logic elucidates what we're meant do. As for fear itself; it is lovingly resolved to a faith that lifts our wings. 

 There. 

These are my few reasonable words. 

I will now take a walk. 

Chimes, Charms, Enchantment

“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, 

and, it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.”

~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 

These photos are so February 2014!
 They've been lounging in my archive, waiting...waiting ever so patiently for me to write something and launch the post. Alas, days went by, and months, then life morphed into a maze of this and that, which rendered this blog buried in publish neglect. sad.

The Hubby and Me - enjoying our pose! 

Looking at these pics, you'd think I was the queen of high spirits, hah! 

Quite frankly, yes and even more bluntly, no! The prime truth of the matter is, these photos represent ooooh, snarky sobby' trying days rife with challenges and changes and not knowing what the future holds, what the next step would be, what to, where to, whatever! 

Life was a cliffhanger...SMILE! 

But the Divine was at work ( uuh' yah! ) and threw us an unmistakable thump to dress up swank and parteh', inspite of! Yes, inspite of sullied circumstances having been acquainted with folks less than honorable with their dealings. 

Ah, one must dig the grandest measure of  good out of a decrepit situation, wisen up like the evening owl, and brave forth like the most majestic of eagles ( drama!). 

Why the heck pout and gripe when all things are but temporal, even the muddled. These are the good old' days being ushered in! Welcome it! 

Cliffhouse, Tagaytay, Philippines

My youngest son with me.

And so we did!  In style! 

I donned my creamy favorite vintage dress ( + my grand brown hat too, let's not forget!), genuinely celebratory and thankful for the beautiful scenery, the wonderful people, and the glorious food!  

It was a sparkling time and I was touched by a serene spirit whispering, it was Valentine's Day, things would be OK. 

My eldest son.

That was way back February, cupid's shinning star moment of love. weddings, chimes, charms and enchantments that glistened the succeeding months of working situations with a smidgen of luck linked into one another, until here I am and here we are, in the future I was merely trying to picture back then! 

So let me see, what's there to learn:

1. Be calm. Inspite of trying times. Be calm. Calm is insight. Calm is wisdom. 

2. Present your best. Your best brings about solutions.

3. Enjoy. Even in the middle of muddles, life gives permission to laugh and be merry. It is essential to sanity.

"There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow, you have to make your own way.To know where you're going is only a part of it.You need to know where you've been, too.And if you get lost, don't worry.The people who love you will find you. Count on it."  ~ Quotebites

"My Ayala Underground Walkway Fantasy!"

Meeeee' happily posing while hubby took the pic! 

And this is my hubby's back, haha! I luv' the long stretch of the walkway! 

Eeee, yebah (!!), I finally did it, haha! Had my photo taken in the Ayala underground walkway last Sunday. Been inkling to do so like - ever since, but, *shucks*  couldn't. 

This walkway is normally crrrr-a-w-ling on weekdays - business business, y' know. Saturdays too - just people people people! Security guards won't allow photo ops no matter how quickie' (for security reasons they said). 

I was kinda' surprised when once I tried to take a pic of the tunnel and was politely stopped. Another time, I was trying to take a ( really quick- won't bother anyone) snap of one of the cool ads framed on the side, and was once again, advised - not to. I dunno' what's with that, but I was in no' obscene mood to articulate my bafflement while being a dent on the flow of  serious folks walking zippy to where they need to be. Hah, o' but --> NOW, I have my much desired pic, hehehe!

Dunno' why I have a thing for this stretch, like walking old university walls where you feel the soul of you is part of the structure. Maybe, because I've walked this tunnel a zillion times for years and years and years and saw it actually constructed to be - from mud to hollow, to bricks and poles and humongous mixers and all insanity. I remember how inconvenient those days were when the diggings for the projects just started. I remember the warnings, the workers, the sludge sounds and traffic, and the trying to imagine how it's going to look when it finally unveils.  The thought of walking underground was quite a curious novelty way back. 

3 things I luv'' most about this are:
1. The fact that I've often exited on the wrong side of where I need to be.
2. You never know who you'll bump into.
3. Ascending on the "Triangle" side you're received by the street with the sight above - a stretch of green ascending that turns right to a decently expansive park made intriguing by its (airport) history and artfully hailed ancient trees - a bit of an oasis there. I think of it as swimming up from a dusky deep, resurfacing to freshness and light. In a harsh city, this is positive catharsis.

MY fantasy: :D

Think of the whole walk draped in the middle by the swooping drama of long red rolling carpet - end-to-end! In a corner a string quartet playing Vivaldi, or some lilting in the mood melody!

Think cocktail tables - thin round velvet covered stands where folks and friends dressed hippy' nice can settle drinks and chill, talk, laugh. Think little pretty fingerling food!! 

AND -->  but yes, of course, the highlight of it all are my photographs ( and some splotches of my inordinate spurts of art) my very very OWN, (haha!) hanging on the walls serving as deep, riveting conversation pop ups that propel lookers to pontificate on the soulful and political, hahaha!  

Ya, that would be cool! :D 

Snapping out now, hehe! Meanwhile, life calls me to zoom in on what needs to be fixed and done, hurried and musts, right now. so I beg leave of this little space and transport my physical me to my living. I had fun capturing these moments.  It'll be great going back here in this blog of mine, years from now and see the changes of th future compared to what's framed of today. .