HHWW

HHWW a colloquial term fondly used by Filipinos to refer to couples who are Holding Hands While Walking. This gesture is, I think the simplest way to express love and/or to declare couple's "being together" to the public.

Aside from couples, parents also hold their child's hand in crossing the street, strolling in the park or mall and comforting them when they feel pain or feel scared. I remember when I was little, I am not-so-fond of going to the hospital because of... yes, you guessed it right- the most dreaded, injection. One time I got sick and they had to do a blood extraction to find out what was wrong. The nurse and medical technician couldn't calm me down as I refuse to be cooperative with the procedure. They were holding my arms so tight as if I was a criminal caught red handed and struggling to escape. Up to this day, I remember that scene vividly in mind and the only thing that made me feel safe and secure again was my mom holding my hand.

Hand holding and its many heartwarming effects could lead to stronger friendships and relationships. When you hold a friend's hand in grief, it could be worth more than the words you could ever utter to bring her/him comfort.

But sometimes when you are all alone and lonely, the only thing you can do is to hold your own hand. And there you'll realize, that you are in a perfect prayer position.

Let us not forget, behind all the glitter and the merriment of this season- Of hand holding and fun bonding, today is special because of Jesus.

Merry Christmas to you all! And have a more meaningful holidays through prayer.

"Two Hands" Gouache on Paper

Seat Stealers

I love watching theater!

It is totally a different experience every single time. I remember when I was a kid I watched "Ang Prinsipe at ang Buwan" (The prince & the moon). I can't seem to recall how the story ended but what I remember so vividly is how the villain character came out of the stage and scared all the little children including my then little-cutesey-patootsie self; it was absolutely hilarious!

As I was growing up I continued to patronize "teatro" And because I enjoyed each play I watched, I exposed my niece to it. Just recently, I brought her to yet another awesome play. It is the Filipino adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid Musical.

As we were waiting for the show to start we noticed that there are still a few seats in the middle of the orchestra. I wanted to move to have a better view but my niece stopped me. So I told her if the seats are still empty on the last 3 minute reminder, we'll move.

Just before the lights were turned off we transferred. After 15 minutes, 5 other people came in. They didn't bother to look at their seat numbers and sat down immediately. In short, I think we switched places with them without them knowing.

After the show, my niece being such a witty girl was teasing me that we were "seat stealers" and that we should be punished. I just smiled and told her that I didn't mean to do it.

On our way home, I remembered a quote that goes something like this "Most of the time the key to success is merely by showing up" I guess it would be much better if we add "...on time"

Odd as it may seem, even if I am wrong in the context of being honest in this situation. There are 2 things we ought to understand in getting what we want/deserve in this life 1) showing up is never enough 2) putting an effort to be on time or to do something about it, is always better. What happened to the ones who came in late can happen to anyone and to any situation. Just as you are waiting for that promotion someone else is doing the same thing or even better. Just as you thought you would never loose her love, someone else is there waiting for her to feel that she is taken for granted. And just as you are taking so much time to figure out what you really want to do in life, another year has passed.

Real life lessons can come from not-so-ideal situations to which our mind are not accustomed to see. I realized that everything happens for a reason. And the reason for me is to learn valuable life's lesson and share it with others.

Que Horror!

Driving in Metro Manila can sometimes really get into my nerves. There is a big difference now from the time when I started to learn how to drive. Before the problem wasj ust buses and jeeps loading and unloading wherever they please but now, we also have a lot of motorcycles. And they really don’t care if they are on the right lane as long as there’s still space. They counter flow, cut your lane and all sorts of ways and means to get ahead of you. It’s just crazy!

Have you ever wondered why we are like that? Why do we like to make “siksik”? (Sorry, as much as I try to refrain from sounding too “kolehiyala” -a college school girl here, I just can’t think of an exact English translation for the word right now) So have you ever wondered why? I have, many times in fact. Whenever I see people queuing at boarding gates I really don’t understand why almost everyone wants to be first when we all have assigned seats. Funnyisn’t it? In the malls people go where everybody is. At some food joints, we are likely attracted to go where there are a lot of people; believing they have really good food. When we’re with friends, we like to be so close to each other. The way we express ourselves almost always includes touching, tapping one’s shoulder, holding hands etc. I’m sure I am not the only one who has observed this around us. And I am sure you also have participated in queuing and squeezing in spaces one time or another. Don’t deny.

Human behavior is such an amazing phenomenon. The events I illustrated above actually are also reflected on Philippine art like painting. Try to search for photos of Philippine artworks. You will see that most Filipino painters fill the whole canvas with detail unlike Japanese art where the treatment is always minimal.This art form is often referred to as “Horror Vacui” or fear of empty spaces. I explained this concept to my half-Filipino friend who grew up in Europe for him to understand why people here don’t mind bumping into one another and why his Filipino relatives always give him a “high five” or tap his shoulders. Now he’s back in Italy and sure misses the warm touch and smiles only we can give.

Sometimes there are things around us that irritate us or make us feel so annoyed. It is so easy to say that there is something wrong to what we see and observe on a daily basis without much thought. In reality, it is just a difference in culture. And there is nothing wrong with it. I believe we can further improve as a country but we also can’t deny who we are.

True wisdom only comes from knowing oneself.