Madness

With a good friend's marriage breaking up, I began to ponder on the definition of love as my brother had relayed to me a long time ago. He said the real meaning was not the romantic component of being attracted and then falling in love but meant more of the sacrifice entailed when times were tough. This he got from associating with monks.

Sacrifice...It is that act of selflessness that makes it unconditional. In the end, it boils down to being able to accept a partner's faults and weaknesses, trying to look at them in a different perspective. It is not mere tolerance. But it carries with it a sense of hope that the other person will change for the better on their own realization without need of prompting.

And it is with that very same hope that I still believe in the sanctity of marriage and the fact that love conquers all.

Taxes

There is nothing more permanent than death and taxes. Nothing more permanent than the pain of losing a loved one. But with the loss comes a hope that there is an afterlife and that maybe we shall all be reunited in that wondrous place called Heaven! In the meantime, let us celebrate the passing by remembering the good times and keeping in mind the lessons learned from a life well lived.

That 2005 feeling

By a strange twist of fate, it's deja vu time. But let's see what is waiting for me at that place over the rainbow.

Rebirth

Just finished watching The Hobbit. Great movie. Now what are the chances that I can have the same amount of courage that Bilbo Baggins had. No Gandalf needed. Just an Amanoh to validate my gut feel and tell me this is it. The planets will align for you. Go with the flow and your wish will be fulfilled. We shall see in the months to come. For now, I shall try my best.

Pure potential

Got this from the book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: "You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait. You need not even wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet." - Franz Kafka

A BFF gone but not forgotten

So we survived the post Apocalyptic Mayan prophecy. But at the tail end of 2012 saw our family losing one irreplaceable family member - Maximus. Named after the protagonist in the Gladiator, this dapple dachshund, given to me by my friends Angie and Trittle, was brought to Baguio inside a rabbit carrier by moi on an airconditioned Dagupan bus in August 2000. Feeling woozy, Max actually slept through almost the entire trip except when he suddenly became upbeat. That's when I knew he wanted to answer nature's call. So inside the carrier he went and good timing as he did pee. So back to my lap until we reached home. Upon arrival, we put him down on the garden and he proceeded to walk around in circles. It was a nice welcome indeed. My parents instantly fell in love with him. And for the next 12 years and 6 months, he would be known as initially my father's and belatedly as my brother's pooch.

For now, we feel a deep sense of loss. But we revel in the fact that Maximus lived a full dog's life with us by his side.

We miss you Maximus!

More of your stories to come.