Lorna and Aldrin’s Box

Christmas is two days away, time to celebrate and forget about melodramas and teleseryes. But have you thought about how prisoners will spend their Christmas?

We have different types of prisoners. There are prisoners who are physically in jail for a crime they may or may not committed. But there are also prisoners of self and emotions. People who are hurting inside-frustrated, betrayed, belittled, worried… Those prisoners may be our parents, husband, wife, children, sister, brother, friend, neihbor or maybe somebody we came across the street.

< to be continued>

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that affects nerve cells, or neurons, in a part of the brain that controls muscle movement. In Parkinson’s, neurons that make a chemical called dopamine die or do not work properly. Dopamine normally sends signals that help coordinate your movements. No one knows what damages these cells. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may include

• Trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face
• Stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk
• Slowness of movement
• Poor balance and coordination

As symptoms get worse, people with the disease may have trouble walking, talking or doing simple tasks. They may also have problems such as depression, sleep problems or trouble chewing, swallowing or speaking.

Parkinson’s usually begins around age 60, but it can start earlier. It is more common in men than in women. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. A variety of medicines sometimes help symptoms dramatically.

Good Morning!

On my way to the office this morning, we were caught by traffic along Muntinlupa. When I look at the windows, I saw a people scrutinizing two dead bodies lying on the street. Their motorcycle collide with a van. I felt pity for this man and woman, maybe they are husband and wife. Their heads are full of blood.

My heart beats fast and uttered a prayer for these two. Let us pause for a while and sa y a short prayer for the eternal repose of these couple. May they be united with God in heaven.

We do not know when will our time come. For now, let us make the most of ourlives and dedicate all our efforts to God.

To negate my palpitation, I search for the lyrics of this song:

Life is not at all that bad my friend, mmm....If you believe in yourselfIf you believe there's someoneWho walks through life with youYou'll never be aloneJust learn to reach outAnd open your heartLift up your hands to GodAnd He'll show you the way

And He said,"Cast your burdens upon me,Those who are heavily ladenCome to meall of you who are tiredOf carrying heavy loadsFor the yoke I will give you is easyAnd My burden is lightCome to Me and I will give you rest."

When you feel the world is tumbling down on youAnd you have no one that you can hold on toJust face the rising sun and you'll see hopeAnd there's no need to runLift up your hands to GodAnd He'll make you feel alright

And He said,"Cast your burdens upon me,Those who are heavily ladenCome to me all of you who are tiredOf carrying heavy loadsFor the yoke I will give you is easyAnd My burden is lightCome to Me and I will give you rest."

Just a few days from now, we will be celebrating the birthday of the most important person in our lives…Jesus Christ! The Lord! The Savior! In one voice, we greet Him – the Happiest Birthday! By doing so, we promise to do our best effort to be better persons, better Christians…better followers…fulfilling His words even in most difficult and  most painful situation…We say Amen to that!

As Christmas is fast approaching, I recall all the things I experienced in the past…some are good and some are bad. In my reflections, I remembered three of the best gifts  I got from Christmases:

First, a xylophone(mali ata spelling) from Sta. Claus. I got this when I was in grade school. I love this toy and I was dreaming about it. I wrote to Sta. Claus…and it was given to me. A dream comes true in my childhood… Thank you to ever loving Sta. Claus…

Second, when I was 16, I got a Christmas card via courier from a friend who is a former leftist. This friend of mine had a very challenging life and was able to make the best out of the situation. On my side, the Christmas greeting was unexpected. It is in yellow envelop, the Christmas card is red with a Christmas tree as background. At the middle there’s a bear holding flowers. Up to the current time, I still remember the dedication inside, and here it goes:

              What a wonderful feeling Christmas Time brings
              The joy of remembering favorite things…
              What a wonderful feeling at Christmas Time too
              In lovingly Thinking especially of You…
              Have a Wonderful Christmas!   

The third one I just received yesterday. A gift was given to me by Ms. Bing, an officemate. She is a very jolly person. She is known with her “self-declared” beauty When I opened the gift, it was a small teddy bear…it’s so cute, so I put it near my workstation. Thank you Ms. Bing,”gumanda ka pa sana lalo”

Sure, all of us are looking forward to the most important event of the year…

Happiest Birthday Jesus!

Happiest Birthday Adrielle!

Happiest Birthday Noel!

Merriest Christmas to all and Happiest New Year too!

Merriest Christmas and Happiest New Year sa inyong lahat, kain nyo naman ako ng handa nyo sa pasko at new year…

http://www.ksolo.com/actions/showSongProfile.do?rid=456506&sid=21513&uid=405037

Titanic

On my way home, I got the chance to see “Titanic” (for the nth time) inside the bus. I got carried away again by how two people find true love. And how people can risk own life without thinking twice…It was a tragic story but atleast they were united forever after death. They did not find the right time on earth to nurture that “love” but it found its way…after death… Oh God, I’m teary eyed again! The reason why I don’t watch dentimental movies…I get carried away… and my mind go on day dreaming again…recalling events of the movie…then I asked myself, “Teka, why am I dreaming, kamukha ko ba yong bidang babae? Parang malayo ah…hehehe” I looked outside…oh its home! Time to get out of the bus…

As usual, I am in a hurry to catch up the 12:00 noon mass
when I chance to talk to one of the “haligi” of Jcci. She said “Saan ka s arc,
try mo sa PBcom, sama ka “. I was having second thought because Father Nesty is
a favorite mine. Anyways, I joined her…

When we came to the chapel, I felt delighted by the flowers
and the altar – I felt the holy spirit. The recitation of the rosary has
started and so we joined. On the far end, I saw familiar face…it’s Kuya Jeff, my brother in law- he was very busy with
the choir. He did not saw me so I just knelt down.

When the rosary and novena finished, I saw the priest and…he
is an American. I told myself “Sabi ko na nga ba sa rc na lang ako.” Well, even
in priest I am a Pro-Filipino. The priest is father Bob. When he spoke his
first few sentences, my attention was captured. His words have power! He shown
a tender part the practical side which is an American trait.

He shared a very “touching” and probably a “life changing”
homily about his first Christmas in the

Philippines

. He spent Christmas
with some abused teenage girls at the “Masigla foundation”. I cannot understand
the “Masigla” when he said it. It’s found out from my sister that it’s “masigla”(hehehe,
bingi ba ako?) I was teary eyed again with how these young girls touched the
heart of the priest and yet deepen the meaning of Christmas. Like any other
good priest, he end up with humor…a joke!

The choir was good with their angelic voices. Ofcourse my
brother in law was there. And my sister is an angel too!

It was a wonderful experience to hear Father Bob, the
American priest!