random thought no. 3: now i want one!

     one sunday morning, as i joined my aunts for a morning walk to the beach, my auntie viv suddenly said that i should have a dog.

     i always pushed that idea aside though, because i have roommates and i am out of the house most of the time. and then she showed me this picture of a coton de tulear puppy. how can you resist her?

     it has been a couple of days since that day, and i find myself browsing in the web through photos of this breed. it turns out that they're smart, don't shed, and don't smell. plus they are very good companions and live for about 15 to 20 years. i guess, why not?

     my roommates and my landlord would be fine with it....my room is big enough so she stays there when i work...we have a park in the neighborhood where i could walk her....and this would be good for me...:)

     o dear, it's official: i want to be a dog mommy.....

album critique: rarities, b-sides and other stuff volume 2

 i admire singer-songwriters.  what is even better is if they also do awesome covers of old familiar songs. and sarah mclachlan is one of those rare, rare artists. i just stumbled across her cd in target and looked at the selections and thought the selections were interesting, so i went ahead and bought it. and i was really, really blown away!

there is no questioning that she has the most beautiful and soothing voice! you can go on listening to her for hours and perhaps never tire of it. in addition, the song selections were enlightening and heartfelt. in some of the songs she was covering, i thought her versions were far better than the original. there is no fancy, high tech accompaniment to her songs, and her vocal technique is simple, humble yet beautiful. no ad lib yodels, humming and 'voice-curling' needed  , if you know what i mean.  this cd would probably be in my player for several weeks!

some of my favorite selections:

1. ordinary miracle - makes you feel grateful for our mother earth...really!

2. blackbird - sung just right. the beatles would have been proud.

3. time after time - love the duet with the original singer, cyndi lauper

4. when she loved me  - from the movie toy story 2. very sad song. i cry almost everytime i hear this.

5. angel -  of course! liked the different take on the intro. although i would have wished that her duet with sheryl crow or josh groban would have been in this selection instead.

6. rainbow connection - cute. makes you smile and do good to everyone. lol.

the song 'homeless'  tho, is interesting but somewhat felt weird in the end. but kudos to sarah for making this feel like an authentic foreign song!

i probably don't agree with the 'rarities' title of the album, as most the songs are familiar, and may even be considered fillers. but who cares? sarah is, i guess, the 'rarity' part of the album, as very seldom you would find an artist sooo talented such as her!

spinster blues

i consider myself a good person

always following the rules

with dreams and ambitions

always paying her dues

i am not bad looking either

but certainly not a fox

just your typical girl next door

with long dark brown locks

but now that i'm thirty-something

with no man by her arm

my biological clock is ticking

yes! it's causing me alarm

and what is even worse

as what i had learned last night

my divorced coworker is dating again

and she's not even pretty and nice!

not that i am desperate

nor i am in such haste

i'm just tired of being alone

and i'm tired of the chase

i did ponder on the thought

that i could be single forever

but then it would be nice

to have someone with you either

i guess it's just not my turn

and i am not going to stop

until i find that certain person

who would make my heart hop!

before the dawn

'twas one really early morning 

before the sun rise

when i suddenly awoke

and everything was still...

no noise

no movement

just plain darkness

with a promise of light to come...

no distractions

nor interruptions

not even contradictions

are filling my mind...

a good time to think

to ponder, to dwell

and to pray

before the day begins...

and tho' this moment

does not last long

the beauty of it ending

is that it soon would be dawn...

random thought no. 2: going green

 

lately i have been drawn to the color green. so for the past few days, i have been wearing my green cardigan, bought a green scarf, changed my bedsheets to a green leafy set, and edited the couch throw pillows to only include the green ones. and now i'm blogging about my latest fancy. and today is st. patrick's day....

if only i could incorporate leafy greens into my diet then i would be doing myself a favor! 

goodbye domino

http://www.dominomag.com/magazine/2009/02/farewell

no! no! no! this is my favorite magazine! damn the economy! i still can't believe this is domino's last issue. i will surely miss their takes on interior decorating, which has surely influenced mine. i am still in denial about the sad news. perhaps they will come back? i sure hope so...

until then, thanks domino for the wonderful ideas! i miss you already :)

random thought no. 1: i know what to do but i just don't do it

i know that i should sleep early. drink water. call my mother. work out. go to church regularly. but i don't know why i don't do these things. and for that i am miserable. i recently listened to an audio cd book - the NOW habit, but i just did not get into the habit of finishing it. 

not that i am lazy coz i am not that person for sure. but perhaps something within me is preventing me from doing the things i should do - that i know is good for me. 

or perhaps this is just normal. nobody has to be perfect, right?

10 things that make me happy

one of my favorite magazines, domino, and the movie amelie has inspired me to compose a list of things that put a smile on my face and calm me down. they are a 'quick fix' to my sanity whenever i have a shitty day. 

1. coffee and crepes 

makes me think back and remember my trip to france...they taste good too! this, paired with good company, completes the recipe for a relaxing day.

2. friends reruns

rachel, ross, monica, chandler, phoebe and joey always crack me up! best comedy show ever!

3. ust singers cds

love this choir and their music! i miss the good ol' days with them!

4. bookstores

i could spend hours in them, just browsing through the books....leave me there and i'm a happy camper!

5. ben n jerry's pistacchio ice cream

yum! yum! yum!...although i have to control myself :)

6. debussy's claire de lune

a lot of words to describe this piece...magical, intriguing, serene, sad, beautiful. debussy is a musical genius!

7. my macbook

my baby!  yeah, i'm now a slave to this technology...but i love it!

8. retail therapy

i believe in it!

9. bath and body works aromatherapy products

try this before going to bed : warm shower, put on their eucalyptus body scrub, lather and rinse, then apply their lotion! guaranteed good night's sleep!

10. hgtv

yep, i'm a sucker for before and after interior decor shows...check out candice olsen's divine design! she's the best!

these of course, are just THINGS. and they are no substitute for people, places and spirituality. but until then, they temporarily do the trick :)

Life

     Now that I am in my 30's and still single, I sometimes always feel that life has passed me by. I have often wondered why my life is not what I have envisioned it to be when I was a kid. Oh sure I am independent and better off than other people, but how come I am this way at this point in my life?

     And then I met Russell. And Joanne. And Bob. And Joe. And Bernie. They are my cancer patients. They come to the doctor's clinic almost everyday, grateful for a low normal blood count, willing to have a needle inside their bodies, and withstanding the old shabby decor the clinic has, just to have a chance of improving their health, one day at a time. And they do these things as if they were reading a newspaper or eating a sandwich. All of them talk about spending time with their loved ones, travelling and the dreams they had pursued or will pursue. They love life! And they are willing to live theirs even with no guarantees of a long survival! And here I am moping why am I here...

     I then decided that whatever I am here for, I will approach this with a positive attitude. I shall strive to do the right thing, pursue my interests, express my thoughts, hone my talents and help people.  Thanks to them! They have significantly changed my view in life without them even knowing it. Sure, I still sometimes have those negative thoughts on my life, especially during my birthday. But they always pass. I get it now!

     Although some of my patients have entered the other side, they will never be forgotten. They may be just ordinary people who have cancer, but they have changed the life of this thirty-something blogger. 

birth

welcome to my blog! 

i am not going to promise anything. i cannot assure that this blog would be updated regularly. i am just grateful for google that they allow us to express ourselves through this. i have always admired people who can write and i myself am a frustrated writer. 

oh well...i guess  bear with me on this one and hope this venture will be a successful one!