when the Choc Nut and Christmas islander blogs within the breeze of the Gulf

My weekend was full packed. Half of it was mainly devoted to mentoring students. It’s satisfying when you are able to find a means to make a difficult and really intimidating subject appears sort of easy. I was happy to have seen those enlightened faces. Call it coincidence. But that day, my dose of GodWhispers read like this:

Dear Jo,

Do your due diligence. I have given you a brilliant mind. Use it. I have also given brilliant mind to others – so use their minds as well. Seek out mentors and teachers and wise guides in this journey. I have littered your world with many of them.

Your Light,
God

PS. Mentor others, too, Jo. I will send you students.

Coincidence, eh? God is always on time. And I was given a bonus. I got (another) care package from my family/relatives: Choc Nut, curly tops, flat tops, wiggle mallows, banana chips, anchovies, boy bawang, Cloud 9, and more (not in the photo). I felt I was energized 5 times! See, I’m easy to please. Just give me food. Hahaha. I mean, the right kind of edibles.

And it didn’t end there. It’s amazing how they could have read my mind. No one knew that I was planning to buy Twisted 8 and 1/2 this March and I got it as a gift, heehee. While going to Sagada is still impossible at this point, my closest cousin is passing over traces of it through this sling (and she gave me a traveling bag in 2008, with the same color/material, too). And the Flip Mino HD (it can videocord for continuous 60 minutes, oddly it’s not yet available in the UAE) contains a number of captured moments of them. As I watched, I was grinning and crying (because it made me miss them) at the same time.

That day was priceless.

I’ve never fully understood before why my relatives and friends get overwhelmed when we send them polovoron , Choc Nut and other ordinary and small stuff (as I used to think). At times, I even can’t stand the endless appreciation they show as if I’ve done something extraordinary. Until I’ve been away from the Philippines. Now it feels like witnessing a miracle whenever I would see (and of course, eat) pork barbeque, mangga’t bagoong, etc. Hence, whenever I go to the supermarket, I visit the Filipino section without fail. Just like almost two weeks ago, I spotted chocolate mallows on the stand for the first time. It’s not a regular item there. So, I hoarded (with my eyes twinkling!) like 9 boxes. Hahaha. Big wish, I hope to see flat tops and curly tops next time.

You won’t know how much you’re missing until it becomes scarce. That’s also me saying that we should appreciate whatever we have.

One of the not so ordinary stuff that you will find inside the Emirates Palace washroom. Taken in April 2009.

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Plaza de Binondo. September 2009.

While taking snapshots of the side entrance of Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz (Binondo Church), this boy approached me.

He: Ate, picture-an mo ako!
Me: Ha? O, sige.

He posed.

Me: Okay, napicture-an na kita.
He: Ate, pahingi ng pera. (I thought he was going to thank me. Though I’m used to it, I got surprised that moment since there are no beggars in Abu Dhabi. Primarily because street begging is punishable here.)
Me: Anong gagawin mo sa pera?
He: Bibili ako ng pagkain. Nagugutom na ako eh.
Me: Sinong kasama mo?
He: Ako lang
Me: Bibigyan kita ng hopia (Since I’ve just been to Eng Bee Tin)
He: Pera na lang
Me: Okay. (Handed him one peso. That’s the only money/coin I had in my (jeans) pocket. I didn’t want to open my bag for some obvious reasons. He should have agreed to take the hopia.)
He: Ayoko nito. Gusto ko 5 pesos.
Me: (Looked for and found a 5-peso coin in my bag and gave to him)

Then, he ran away.