Be With Me

Be with me. Only with me.

Romance in the Filipino Language

Filipino is such a rich and romantic language, it's a pity that it is rarely used by contemporary poets and musical composers nowadays, being taken over by our 2nd language of U.S. English.

Filipino holds so many lyrical words which when translated to English, loses its magic, its intensity.

Let me illustrate it with one of my favorite Original Pilipino Music (OPM) songs which also happens to be the title soundtrack of one of my favorite Filipino movie: Sinasamba Kita.

Below is the partial lyrics of the song, originally written by Mr. Rey Valera and sung by Sharon Cuneta.

Kung kasalanan man sa Diyos ang sambahin kita

Marahil ay mauunawaan Niya ang tulad ko

na labis na nagmahal sa 'yo

Masisisi Niya ba ako sinta?

Sinasamba kita...

 And here's the English translation:

If it's a sin to God to worship you

Maybe He'll understand someone like me

Who has loved you so dearly

Could He blame me?

I worship you 

Dunno about you but I find the Filipino version much more passionate. Just juxtapose "sinasamba" with "worship". The first exquisitely expresses the context by which it was used in the movie: the all-consuming obsession between four people where they end up either destroyed or liberated. The second...well, it sounds too religious for me which is a world away from romance.

As a huge fan of Filipino classic movies (both from the 50's and the 80s), I really hope that the new generation would get to know and love the beauty of our mother tongue and preserve our rich Filipino heritage. 

Singing through Handwriting

"It's time to say goodbye

        To turning tables..."

Adele, my muse finishes the song with such intensity, I feel the usual tug in my chest reminding me of my lifelong unrequited love for singing.


Suddenly, I hear a soft yet soulful message which, in my heart, could only come from Him:

Handwritten Quotes: Stay

Stay. If possible, forever.

In Everything, Pray

" Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

~ Philippians 4:6-7

Handwritten Quotes: Harry Winston

"People will stare. Make it worth their while."
- Harry Winston

Handwritten Quotes: To Be Claimed and Not Owned

Wow, after more than 20 years I found my rhyme again! Haven't written anything lyrical in a long, long time...

To be claimed and not owned,

To be wanted rather than needed,

To be loved rather pleased,

To be yours and yours alone...

Yours for always.

Be Kind To Your Kids, Write Them Notes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericajoy/

Debra Messing Wants Parents To Write Post-It Notes To Their Kids

Just loved this news from The Huffington Post about Debra Messing supporting Post-It's campaign Your Words Stick With Them,

Handwritten Quotes: Max Lucado

“A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.” 

― Max Lucado

In the quest for love all these years, I've turned back to Him, surrendering the arduous task to Him to find my husband and tell him that I’m just here waiting. Waiting and tired. Not tired from waiting but tired from all the battles I went through and would have to go through to find my true self, the real me that God has always planned me to be right from my mother’s womb. The me that he would finally recognize as the love he had wished, yearned and prayed for.

The battles maybe grueling but everyone of them worth the fight because in the end, and I know this as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, that the war is already won. Won by God’s promise of him. 

How’s Your Handwriting?

How’s your handwriting?

Nowadays you rarely get asked with that question, what with the advance of the digital age where everything’s done electronically. But even though such a question is rarely, if not never, asked in let’s say a job interview, your handwriting identifies you like a fingerprint and oftentimes helps a lot in your job. Well, at least for me.

Holding the position of Executive Secretary for the last seven years