Simply Belle

Thought I would share with you a cover by Stephanie Mae of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer.

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He was a genius. He got a Ph.D. in surgery at age 20. He wrote a letter to his friend Swinnerton Loughburne, who had a list of degrees as long as your arm such as M.A., Ph.D., L.L.D. And this is what he wrote:

Incontrovertibly the introduction of the personal equation leads to lamentable inversions, and the perceptive faculties when contemplating phenomena through the lens of ego too often conceive an accidental connotation or manifest distortion to be actuality, for the physical (or personal) too often beclouds that power of inner vision which so unerringly penetrates to the inherent truths of incorporeity and the extramundane. Yet this problem, to your eyes, I fear, not essentially novel or peculiarly involute, holds for my contemplative faculties an extraordinary fascination, to wit. : wherein does the mind, in itself a muscle, escape from the laws of the physical exercise so inexorable a jurisdiction over the processes of the mind, so that a disorder of the visual nerve actually distorts the asomatous and veils the pneumatoscopic?

Your pardon, dear Lourghburne, for these lapses from the general to the particular, but in a lighter moment of idleness, I pray you give me some careless thought to a problem now painfully my own, though rooted inevitable so deeply in the dirt of the commonplace.

But you have asked me in letter of recent date for the particular physical aspects of my present environment, and though (as you so well know) it is my conviction that the physical fact is not and only the immaterial is, yet I shall gladly look about me-a thing I have not yet seen occasion to do- and describe to you the details of my present condition.

Is this how geniuses talk?

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Nol: You have them too?

Me: What?

Nol: Those brown patches on your face.

Me: (she noticed them, they must have gotten worse.)

Not wearing any make up, I looked in the mirror and sure enough, I have them so visible in both cheeks like I didn’t put my bronzer in the correct spot. I brushed it off like it was no big deal and concentrated mainly on having fun with my vacation in the province.

Went swimming without using any sunblock lotion considering that it was a cloudy day. Spent about 2 hours frolicking on the beach in my bathing suit. The following day, I felt a slight discomfort on my back - a sunburn perhpas, and the brown spots on my face became noticeable to many.

I thought they were temporary but why they haven’t faded away? Could they be something cancerous? Before I left to the Philippines, I went to see a doctor for something else and simultaneously consulted about those patches on my face. He said they were not cancerous, which was a big relief.

Which made me think? How did I get them? What did I do differently earlier this year?

I remember now- my kind of job exposes me to the harmful UV rays 6 hours a day yet I quit using sunblock lotion on my face and on my arms and legs because they were giving me rashes. I didn’t know what I was thinking but I thought that it would do my skin good if i gave it a break from whatever chemicals in the sunblock lotion that were giving me rashes. The only shield I had from the sun was the facial moisturizer and lotion on my arms and legs and a hat, and it went on like that for 3 to 4 months.

Evidently, the sun shield that I thought would help protect me from the sun was not enough. Those brown spots came like a thief in the night and without explanation. At first, they were hardly noticeable, more like trapped dirt or make-up so I thoroughly but gently scrubbed them using a product I bought, hoping that they would go away, but just like stubborn stains, they lingered. Though, i could still camouflage them with a bronzer.

Now, have anyone of you had them and if so, what product did you use to help diminish the discoloration? A Filipino friend of mine highly recommends JJJ Magic Spot Removing Cream because it did the trick on hers. At 62 years old, she has a flawless skin. She said to go look for JJJ in Sta Cruz in Manila but I didn’t have the time to make a trip to a place I haven’t set foot in for a long time. I was just too busy during the only day I was in Manila and so I thought I would look for it online when I returned to the US.

Turns out that the product is only available in the Philippines but can also be purchased online for a more expensive price. I wasn’t too sure if I should order it because of the long shipping time. Instead, I ordered an Emu oil, that a friend of mine in the US extremely recommends.

you see that brown patch on my cheek?

Except for the JJJ, these are the products that I have used on my face since my return to the US, namely:

1. Ganozhi soap - given by a good friend
2. Face SPF 70
3. Papaya & Pineapple Masque
4. Loreal Ultra Hydrating Cream
5. Ly Na

And not included in the list that I also use once in a while are lemon juice and white distilled vinegar diluted with water.

Which one/s should I discontinue or continue? Help!

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Without our knowledge, my daughter took some time off from her job to audition for the American Idol. She opted not to let us know about her plans because she knew that we were totally against it. Why? First, Steffi isn’t the type that would be in the limelight day in and day out. She likes simplicity in life, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I couldn’t envision her giving gigs every day or every weekend. Heck, she couldn’t even take cigarette smoke because of her asthma.

She is more of an artist or a composer. Melody and lyrics abound inside her head at any given time. She probably has penned over 100 songs to date. But I would like to see her get a nice stable job after college and pursue music on the side, sort of a respite when things at work get dull and boring.

Anyway, just for the curiosity, she auditioned for American Idol along with her friend, Linds. She had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning so she could be at the Cow Palace in San Francisco at a decent time to beat the line. In other words, she didn’t get any sleep at all and when that happens, her voice is very much affected. If I remember it correctly when she mentioned in one of her interviews that her voice is dependent on the amount of sleep she gets.

Not only that, she was starved during the audition because they took away her food. Over fatigue, hunger, and sleeplessness took a toll on them and to make the story short, American Idol is pretty much out of her system.

Here is a photo essay of their whole ordeal.

Linds, her friend, with her beautiful smile at 5 AM.

The Cow Palace where the American Idol audition was held. Apparently, it used to be the arena for rodeos.

The line at 5 AM is longer than what her camera could capture…crazy!!

The camera crew was already on the scene before most of the auditioners.

they were not looking forward to staying in that crazy line, so they approached it cautiously and slowly.

This was taken after 3 hours standing in line.

they felt more like a herd of cattle in line.

and who is that??

is it Justin Guarini, apparently doing some kind of show for American Idol audition.

cheering and singing for the cameras in the stadium.

“cheer as a team, not as individuals,” the producer says.

they still look happy despite the annoying girl next to them that kept singing at the top of her lungs!

12 judging stations were lined up on the stadium main floor. this is pretty much where everybody’s journey ended.

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Ahh, my darling Melanie. She is the daughter of my caretaker. I brought her two pink dresses and some bows which she wears every single day. Coincidentally, pink dress is her favorite. In the evening, she would ask her mom to wash the dress that she dirtied so she can wear it the following day.

One day, my husband, Melanie, and I went for a little walk on the beach. My husband was ahead of us and so I asked Melanie who was that guy in front of us. She blurted out, “si kano mo baga” (your amerikano). I thought it was funny.

When I took this picture, she wasn’t too happy because we were leaving and she was not coming. I learned from her mother that she cried hard all day. Poor girl.

She is a hardworking and fun lady. She works every single day. I tried doing her job for a day and it made me so darn tired all for a handful of fish…hehehe. My share was good enough for a meal though, which if translated to pesos, it amounted to php30. But, I developed blisters on my hands and sustained some sunburn. My husband warned me not to ever do it again because he was afraid that it might injure my working arm and shoulder. So, I watched them from the sideline from then on.

The boy holding the little girl doesn’t go to school because he has to take care of his siblings while his mother is working for a living. His mom does all kinds of odd job in order to survive. When I took this picture, these three kids were sitting on the beach watching their mom work. Sadly, their mother barely earns anything- sometimes only php30 a day and a handful of little fish.

I thought this boy is smart. He invented a fishing device that brings in result. It is called “Tora-Tora.” This “Tora-Tora” has plenty of fishing lines with hooks on it. He uses artificial bait made out of cloth. He walks up and down trolling his “Tora-Tora,” which floats in the water like little boat. Very clever invention, I thought. I would watch him intently from the water where I was swimming. When he passed by me, he would pull the lines closer to the shore so it would not tangle with me.

Sometimes, he brought in three medium-sized fish at a time. I was so fascinated at what he was doing that me approach him and ask question. “How many fishing lines do you have in your Tora-Tora,” I asked. He said, he purposely didn’t count them for good luck. It makes sense.

That same day, I asked my nephew if he would be interested in catching fish using Tora-Tora and I would have someone make one for him. He said he would. The first day he went out fishing, he caught about nine little fish. I was so excited that I even volunteered to clean the fish for dinner. We fried those little fish and they were so delicious. Even my husband preferred them over the bigger fish.

So, if they don’t have anything for dinner, all my nephew has to do is go out and troll up and down the beach.

Vinyl was recently crowned the Queen of our town, Bato, during the town fiesta 2008. Her very first project that she joined in was the Tree Planting Expedition. We planted about 100 mahogany trees in the mountains to help retain the water from running off fast. You see, our barrio, neighboring barrios, and sometimes the town of Bato have relied on this spring water for drinking for so many years -even before I was born. This spring water is the best water I have ever tasted-so pure and refreshing. The past years though, people have noticed that our source of water has diminished significantly during hot summer months and we are afraid that it would dry up eventually if we don’t do something. Thus, the Tree Planting was organized for this reason.

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Mayon Volcano hovers above the bustling city of Legaspi in the province of Albay in the bikol region. Catanduanes is one of the provinces that comprises the bikol region. It is separated from the region by the Pacific ocean. To get to Catanduanes, one has to travel by a ferry boat from Albay to Virac and lasts about 3 hours or one can go the easy way–by plane, which takes about 45 minutes from Manila to Virac. (just to kind of give you an idea of the distance between Catanduanes and Albay.)

Anyway, the view you are seeing is a rare site from Batalay beach. Usually, thick clouds loom over the horizon and hide this magnificent view. But, it was quite a bit noticeable on a clear day like when I took these pictures. It was such a beautiful site that I kept staring at it while it lasted. To take these pictures, I had to use the long lens.

Mayon is famous among locals and foreign tourists for its near perfect cone-shaped despite the many eruptions that have happened in the past. It has a base 80 miles in circumference and is about 8,000 feet tall.

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We spent a couple of days in Puraran to get away from Habagat (south monsoon wind) in Batalay brought by typhoon Frank. The wind gave me headache and messy hair all day.

the daughter of our caretaker. i gave that bag to her mother but she immediately claimed it as hers and carried it all over the beach.

my two favorite people

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I just found out that someone took these pictures from my friendster’s account and named them incorrectly right infront of me. It is like stealing money in my purse.  It is infuriating!  The least she could have done is ask permission or site the sources where she lifted them from.  Hope she gets the message.

my boat taken at dawn.

can you see the Mayon volcano on the horizon?

my unfinished nipa hut

Bahay kubo

Steve’s catch

the fisherman

taken at twilight

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Dear Lexi and Tepsi,

So sorry to break bad news with you about Mango. He died this morning about 11 AM. After we had our breakfast, he looked perfectly fine, attempting to come out of his cage. I removed his cover and gave him slices of apples. He attacked them like he normally would. Then, an hour later, I removed the bar off his cage so he could freely get out. I was sitting in front of the computer composing an entry for my blog. Then 15 minutes later, I heard him fly to my room, chirping. I expected him to land on my black chair but head to daddy’s space instead. Daddy wasn’t home. He was at the bank doing some business. I got engrossed in what I was doing, I didn’t look for him. I thought I would just wait until he found his way to me which he normally did. I didn’t hear any unusual noises to cause panic. I was assuming he was perching on the bed’s frame and doing his poop and play routine.

Then half an hour later, daddy arrived and sat on his chair. Daddy made this weird and unusual look and yelled frantically. I couldn’t exactly tell why he had that look. I said, “why, what?” In between his computer desk, at the corner, laid an upside down creature, lifeless. He said, “Mango is dead!” At first daddy thought, it was one of those small beannie babies.

Mango was like a family to us, you know. I didn’t mind him pooping all over the house because I wanted him to have the freedom to fly instead of being cooped in his cage. He had been with us for about 14 or 15 years. This last year, I had seen some signs of deteriorations from him. He wasn’t as agile as he was. When he followed me in the bathroom, one time, he bumped himself against the wall. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt and survived. He chirped a lot when he got stuck somewhere in the house like a plea for help. I would always get him and take him to his cage.

What may have happened was when he flew to our room, he bumped himself somewhere along the way. Maybe, he hadn’t been flying for 3 weeks and lost its strength to fly and hurt himself. It didn’t look like he suffered any. All I heard was a couple of chirps, and that was it. Or maybe, he died of old age?

He lived a long life with us. He was loved, cared for well. Even daddy stepped up and fed him good everyday. Though lately, he seemed to prefer rice and sphagetti as opposed to his food. Daddy gave him rice this morning, and he was very hungry for it. He ate the whole pile.

We put him in a small box of perfume and burried him in between the plum and persimmon tree. Daddy put three rocks on top so he is protected from any animals. This summer, when you guys go home, we will build a shrine for him.

I am sure Mango doesn’t want us cry or to look sad for him. He wants to see us happy just like the way he was.

Love,
Mommy

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She was not expected to win. She is the “hampas lupa” as what the parents of the affluent and the highly favored contestant described her. They were right! An hour before the competition, 19 year-old Vinyl wasn’t quite ready. She hadn’t found the accessories that would embellish her outfit. They were searching hard here and there and suddenly they spotted me in the crowd. Good thing, my sister-in-law reminded me to take my jewelry to the event just in case she needed them. Fortunately, the necklace and the bracelet went well with her evening gown, and her costume respectively. I brought those jewelry actually as pasalubong or give aways but I had no particular persons in mind to give them to. God surely does have a way of putting things together at the right time, doesn’t He?

I came just for the fun of it with my camera in tow. Once again, it was yet another blessing for her because there was hardly anyone taking pictures of her. She is the “hampas lupa” or the destitute, you know. Her family can’t afford a camera or anything of that sort. To make up for her deprivation, I took tons of pictures of her from a distance because I only bought the cheapest ticket thinking that I may not like the show and head home early. No problem with the distance because I had the long lens with me.

But, as the night progressed, the pageant became interesting and stimulating. Our own Vinylwalked off the platform and sashayed the night away with ease and confidence. Not only that, she seemed to be the only one who answered every question intelligently in perfect English. She eventually enamored the audience- with increasing applause each time she nailed the question. The “hampas lupa” had what it took to win and she did it! She won!

To add drama to this story, our baranggay captain visited me early in the morning after the pageant in my hut soliciting money for the queen’s gown to be worn at the parade. I said, ” she is now the queen of Bato, the town of Bato should provide for it.” I am sure they made quite a bit of money from the pageant’s paid admission. The entrance fee ranged from 20 pesos to 300 pesos and the house was packed. There should be enough money to rent a gown for the queen of Bato, right? Where else would they allocate the proceeds of the event????

Anyway, after I made my point, I relented and handed the captain php1,000 so, at least, the queen would look decent at the parade. To rent a white gown, they needed to come up with php800, so there was enough money even to cover for the transportation.

This costume made out of abaca paper was sewn together by the queen’s mother including the necklace and earrings. The bracelet was the one I lent her.

Didn’t the necklace fit perfectly with her gown? How did I know she would be wearing navy blue gown?

First runner up went to Jenelyn Bonao of Bato ilawod, on the far left. Second runner up went to Christina Montano of Bato libod, 3rd runner up went to Jenelyn Temena of Sibacungan, and 4th runner up went to Marivic Tubalinal of San Roque.

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