April 2 Poem: There Never Was Window (2/30)

Sweep all the rooms once

twice, thrice to be sure.

Take out the trash, 

make sure every inch 

is spotless. Shut off 

every light, turn the key.

Never look back.

Your truths and your lies

are in boxes and bags again.

How many boxes and bags

have carried you from way to

way, from bed to bed, from 

movement to movement.

Your face is a stone, 

and your feet are the ocean. 

There is no sand, there are no

cards, there is no house. There is

no more house. There never was 

a house. A door. A window. 

You were  never a Sequoia.

You could never work with straw.

The wind always came, then the rain.

Always the rain.

Always the rain.

Always the rain.

April 1 Poem: Manang Adang (1/30)

Illuminada was always old,

her soft raisin hands

running through my hair

every morning before school,

gingerly and forcefully holding

together my innocence

and endless questions

in a perfect braid

so taught, my head

would ache till recess.

We called her "Manang Adang,"

this woman who took care of me

and my sister, Veronica. She made

our meals, did our hair, mended

our clothes, poured milk

into glasses in the mornings

and evenings. She was

our first lesson that you can

grow your love for another,

so big she becomes family.

Later, she was

also our first lesson in

betrayal and heartbreak.

First the golden spoons

my grandfather squirreled

through the war, concealed

from the Japanese and

corralled against

the bombs. Then, it

was a gold bracelet my

great grandmother

had made especially

for the arrival of her first

great grand daughter.

There, all there hiding

among her things,

the wrinkled handkerchief,

the betel nut, the rosary

she prayed every single day.

* "Manang" is a Filipino term of endermeant and respect for someone older, an older sister or someone you feel sisterly respect for.

April Means Poems Poems Poems!

And here we go again, April is National Poetry Month and poets everywhere will be writing thirty poems in thirty days. Watch this space and follow me on this journey!

with freedom comes praise, with praise comes prayer (a poem in progress)

you speak your holy words out loud on our

subway and stare your judgement at me. 

if i told you which gods i prayed to

or why, would you respect me any

more or any less? would my 

words roll differently

into your ears? if i 

praised bathala

would you

dismiss 

me?

would you

hiss at the power

of my brown god? would

you scoff at my sungodblessed

golden brown soul? if i blessed you

with my namaste would your heart open

to the abundance? would the core of you unfold?

Synchronize: The Happiness Philiosophy

Ditas Vallés, my gorgeous Nana with my sister
and mom-blogger Rone of
www.motheringearthlings.blogspot.com

Synchronize. 

This is a concept my Nana introduced us to. In her specific instance, she used the term in the context of celebrating on pace with another, with a round of beverages usually of the Scotch nature. 

As I think about what happiness means to me, I realize that I am happiest when my Sense of Purpose, Passions and Pursuits are in synch. In contrast, I am least happy when I feel out of synch. And for the most part, being out of synch means that whatever I am pursuing is at odds with my passions and deep sense of purpose.

So as simple as this sounds, it is equally powerful: Synchronize your sense of Purpose, Passions and Pursuits and you stay happy. And of course things this simple and powerful are often easier said than done. But if you follow along over the next few weeks, we'll unpack this discussion and plan our way to happy trails.

Let's Jump!

It's a leap year and today is the 29th of February.

I'm ready to jump, are you? Are you ready to let go of all things holding you back? Are you ready to focus forward, always forward? Can you feel that buzzing at your feet, that tingling of your spine? Even your cells know it.

You're ready. So take my hand, let's do this.

Let's jump.

The Drama Experts

Television has been part of my life in various ways. The Philippines is the sole American 'colony' in Southeast Asia and American popular culture has always fascinated Filipinos. My friends and I grew up with (and loving!) Sesame Street and the Electric Company's lessons and entertainment.

As a communications professional, television remains a fascination, a source of insight, a form of education and a diversion. As I watch TV, I find myself shifting between someone engaging in content and someone evaluating what the content is saying about our culture. Why some shows or genres do better than others is telling us something about ourselves. Why certain personalities gain greater traction and recognition than others sheds light on what the population looks up to, even aspires for. The staying power of  'reality TV' and the shift towards a sensationalized approach to presenting the news are telling us something: Drama is here to stay.


Studies say the average person watches 4 hours of television a day. That one half of the work day, one sixth of a 24-hour period. If we apply Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule this means that seven years of consistent TV-watching will make us experts. Experts in what, you might ask? Drama. Consider the way elections are presented, or the nature of popular political discourse. Consider the precocious nature of programs targeting  young audiences. Consider the fact that the Whitehouse crashers were also Reality TV personalities. Consider the inappropriate celebration of toddler beauty programs. Consider the disconcerting displays of excess in housewife and real estate programs. Is this really the best we can give ourselves? Do we really want to raise drama experts who thrive on pettiness and hide behind caricaturization?

Sesame Street and The Electric Company opened my eyes to a world that was inclusive, compassionate, musical, cultured, ethnically diverse, articulate and curious. Words were carefully chosen, stylistic choices were made to enhance the content and not compensate for the lack thereof. There was nothing trashy, there was never dumbing down.  I am not sure when the bar was lowered, or indeed how low it has shifted but I am beginning to see signs of hope. I am seeing an influx of well-written programs, complex characters and compelling plots coming onto the small screen.

Perhaps the TV industry is reclaiming their power once again. Perhaps they found their way back to Sesame Street. Perhaps they are gonna turn it on and bring us the power.