This Side of Heaven... where angels love to tread!

On this day or rather night, my husband and I together with our youngest daughter, D, went to a "Top Ten Dinner" hosted by the school for the top ten students of the graduating class of 2006. The Amesbury Highschool started this tradition five years ago and continues to celebrate and honor the best in their school. This was our second time, since we also went last year for our eldest daughter K.

This year, they held the celebration at Ristorante Molise (http://www.ristorantemolise.com/) in Amesbury, MA. This place is just a year old in Amesbury and exudes pure class. The affair was held on a Monday, since they are usually close on Mondays but where gracious enough to open their doors for that day to accommodate the event for AHS. It was really nice to have the place to ourselves and concentrate on this very important event.

The night started with pictures being taken of the top ten students while their parents, teachers, school administrators and other invited sponsors and guests started with the appetizers of bruschetta and mozzarella cheese sticks. Though I didn't try the bruschetta (since I didn't want to ruin my appetite) my husband said it was just perfect. I had a piece of the mozarella cheese and it was really soft and yummy. You can tell that just by taking a bite that it was freshly made and not frozen.

The buffet soon started afterwards and we have a choice of green salads with in-house vinagrette, meatballs, chicken with penne pasta(Pollo Molise), ravioli and baked haddock fish. All in all the food is worth driving to Amesbury and enjoying whatever Amesbury town has to offer. You may also visit Cider Hill Farm (http://www.ciderhill.com/) and try the best tasting donuts you'll ever have (cider donuts).

After dinner, AHS principal, Mr. Les Murray started the program by giving thanks and appreciation to this year's generous sponsors and all the AHS administrators who put this event together. Dean of Students, Mr. David Bailey and Director of Curriculum, Mr. Roy Hammond took turns in introducing the top ten students together with the teachers whom the students invited to also be honored together with them.

Each student gets to ask one of the teachers/faculty who they think was very instrumental in their success in school. My daughter chose Mrs. Maureen Boody who was her Spanish teacher and is her yearbook adviser eversince she joined the yearbook. Mrs. Boody was also my eldest daughter's choice last year, too.

According to my daughter, the reason why she chose Mrs. Boody was:

"Despite the fact that we still use the old methods of yearbook publishing, you were able to handle each of the extra activities in your life. During those yearbook periods, I realized how crucial it was for you to balance your life with school, family, dance, etc. In my mind, you became an example of how I wanted to live my life. You are a model citizen, active in both the community and in your personal life. Even with all your commitments, you always have the heart to follow through."

Mrs. Boody in turn presented my daughter with a scrapbook by highlighting her name with all the qualities that she thinks befits her character:

D- ear
O- pen-minded
M- emorable
I- nstrumental
N- atural
I- ntelligent
Q- uintessential
U- nderstanding
E- xcellent

This scrapbook is filled with memorabilia that Mrs. Boody has kept and saved for occasions such as this. For parents like us, it was kind of surreal to hear of someone singing praises of your own child. My husband and I couldn't be more proud of my daughter that night.

Students and teachers honored that night were:

• Shiyang Wang (Valedictorian) - Mrs. Laurie Pancoast (AP Biology)
• Kate Morris (Salutatorian) - Mrs. Jeanne Brockmyre (English)
• Aline Babine (3rd Honor) - Mr. Steve Bastien
• Thomas Schwartz (4th Honor) - Ms. Barbara Leary (Math)
• Dominique Altarejos (5th Honor) - Mrs. Maureen Boody (Yearbook & Spanish)
• Mike Mirandi (6th Honor) - Mr. Les Harris (former middle school drum teacher)
• Meghan Kezer (7th Honor) - Mrs. Kristin Walsh (AP US History)
• Tom Hill (8th Honor) - Mrs. Patricia Gallagher (English)
• Caroline Brockmyre (9th Honor) - Mrs. Sharon Sellars (English & retiring this year)
• Tim Van Wart (10th Honor) - Mrs. Gail Lisauskas (Math)

This was followed after with a presentation of the "Starfish" pin to the teachers, school officials and the mayor for making a difference in the life of the students in AHS. I will blog about this starfish story next time.

This photo was taken on prom night for my youngest daughter, D. Don't they all look elegant and handsome?
This was her 2nd time to go to prom since she went to it last year, too but I guess the second time is more fun.

We watch the movie the "Da Vinci Code" today and thankfully, Ron Howard tried to stick to the book. Though I know that it would really be difficult to include everything from the book to the movie, I think that RH still manage to capture the book's essence. However, I also believe that a full appreciation of the movie's storyline would be more felt if the viewer had read the book first.

I've read a lot of the critics' reviews and most were not favorable to the movie. I guess we now have to leave it to the general public as to whether the movie exceeded their expectations or it was a dud for them...

The long-awaited movie, The Da Vinci Code, is finally showing and I can't wait to see it. We ordered tickets online for this Sunday's showing (May 22nd) just to be sure that the theater won't run out of tickets while waiting to buy ours . I'm not usually big on being first for anything that comes out... the first to buy the latest gadget or any other trend of the moment but I made a resolution to see this one ever since they made the announcement to film the book.

If Ron Howard remains true and as close to the storyline of the novel as he could possibly be, then it will be everything that I ever imagined it to be (and more!) while I was reading it. Dan Brown's book is full of wonderful descriptions of places, art and sceneries that your imagination can really run wild trying to picture it in your mind. And the best thing, too, is that most of these art and places are real and can be visited at will. No wonder, this has booned tourism for the past few years now for all the places mentioned in the book and has also launched a lot of writing careers on the subject or any other topics related to the book. But most of all, it has resurrected and brought into the forefront the earlier non-fiction books published before this novel but was completely ignored by mainstream readers.

The subject matter wasn't really a surprise to me while I was reading Da Vinci because, as an avid reader I have read books alluding to this relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
This topic has become a sore subject for the Catholic and Christian churches that every action is being done to ban, discredit, shame and take legal action against the book, the author and the movie.

It is my strong belief that if the Catholic and Christian faith is as strong and solid as they claim it to be, they should not be worried about it. Most of all, they should encourage the faithful flock to seek out the truth on their own rather than wait for the Sunday mass/service preaching. It is a big disservice and also a huge insult to our intelligence that they think that we cannot figure out things on our own and have to be sermoned at to learn about GOD.

And so, I have chosen to be a seeker of the truth...in my own time...on my own terms. It has brought me to places unknown and unfamiliar but yet my inner self tells me that I have been there before. My search is an on-going process and so far, I have learned that HEAVEN and HELL is like Yin and Yang, night and day, beautiful and ugly, etc... You can not know what good is without experiencing the bad... after the rain the sun is sure to follow. As long as we are alive, we will have to experience the polarities of life as we go on day by day. Eastern philosophies like Buddhism, Taoism and many more have always emphasize this in their teachings. Ever since I have learned of these teachings, I have closely followed it for it speaks to my inner sensibilities and idealism.

However, there are also a lot of philosophies that one can soak in their teachings like Emmanuel Swedenborg, Rudolph Steiner (Anthroposophy), Theosophy, Deepak Chopra, D.T. Suzuki, Thicht Nan Hanh, Masaru Emoto (Hidden Messages of Water), and so many more to mention. These are just some of the dogmas that has helped shape my spiritual path.

I will keep you posted tomorrow after we watch the movie...

Last night was marathon reality show night for me and my hubby. We were going back and forth between watching the finale for both the"Amazing Race" and "America's Next Top Model" which both started at 8:00 P.M. Eastern time. ANTM was done after an hour but AR was 2 hours long and this overlapped with "Amercan Idol" result night at 9:00.
It can really get crazy going back & forth with these shows especially if you don't have control of the remote. Sometimes, my husband isn't quick enough to change channels so we'd miss some crucial scenes.

Well, it's not like we can't do anything about it... we have a PnP TV (picture in picture) that my husband bought in 1998 but unfortunately, 'til now, he still hasn't figured out how to use it. And he's suppose to be a jack of all trade... oh well! I guess you can't have it all. If there's anybody out there who's tech savvy enough, please give us advise on how to work the PnP. I don't know where our TV manual is. Haven't seen it since we moved in 1998 and then again in 2001.

My most favorite reality show is Amazing Race. I like it because it isn't as cut throat and not a lot of strategizing on making alliances cause your alliance is your partner who travels with you. I also love the places that they visit and travel to and these gives us a short glimpse of the culture and amazing sceneries. Unfortunately, the contestants don't stay long enough to enjoy and soak in all there is to see and experience. Well, anyway, you'd be able to do that later on...that is, if you end up being the million dollar winner.

For awhile there, we also were "Survivor" fans but lately, our interest has not been sustained. For me the best episode was the time they had Rupert in it. I was heartbroken when he was booted out on his first try but regained hope when he was included in the very next show, which was an all-star survivor show. And even though Rupert still didn't win in his second try, it was a great move by CBS and other sponsors of the show to have a public poll/vote as to who deserves another million dollar price. The guy I guess is so lovable that despite his looks, people can see through him and knows that he is really a nice guy.

Speaking of looks and being lovable, Taylor Hicks is another person who has endeared himself to a lot of audiences. He might look fatherly because of that mane of white hair but that hasn't lost his appeal. I'm also glad that he didn't color his hair when Simon suggested it to him. I guess, he was stubborn enough to stand his ground and let the audience decide. I know he might not have the best male voice among the contestants and I think that he also knows that but he has always performed to please his audience rather than impress the judges. If Taylor wins this year's AI, then he is the darkest horse ever...

I like Elliot Yamin too because I'm partial to jazz music. It's too bad, he can sometimes be dry that it shows in his performance.

Katherine McPhee has a very exceptional and versatile voice brought about by natural talent and further enhanced by vocal training from her mom. However, she can also be over the top in her performance as frequently expressed by the judges.

Next week's finale for AI would be interesting.... Abangan!!!

Last night eldest daughter, K, made dinner for us. Right now she is in a good mood so we try to make the most of it... Maka! we miss your cooking. Make something for us naman, oh!

She called me at work asking when my hubby and I would be home since she wants to have dinner ready by the time we get home. However, when we did get home, she was still halfway, prompting my youngest daughter D to say that her "Ate" couldn't join the Iron Chef challenge. Anyway, it was worth the wait. She made Spinach Souffle and another dish with Mushroom with a tomato sauce base. Needless to say, even though it was all vegetarian, everybody left the dinner table filled up. One thing I can say is that though we were full, it felt light on our stomach.

Unfortunately, we were already halfway thru dinner, when I remembered that we should have taken photos of her dishes that I could have shared here. Oh well! maybe next time...
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Last night while surfing other blogs, I happen to stumble into one of the most creative and mind-boggling blogspots that I've seen so far, http://thejologsqueen.blogspot.com/
This is a site hosted and owned by a Filipina. So many things to see and read, you don't even know where to start. But I guess the most important thing is she is true to her roots... giving us a glimpse of Filipino life as it is being lived and happening today. For some of us who haven't been back home to the Philippines, her site surely gives us a feel and connection that we so long to have.

I hope she wouldn't mind if I borrow some of her ideas.... Hmmm, with the rate I am going, that'll be years before I get the "wow" factor. Oh well, at least I'll be a hip grandma blogger... hahaha...
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Actually, what inspired me to blogging was whenI was searching for authentic Pinoy recipes (you can "google" this), I got linked to several webpages and these webpages were also interconnected to each other. As I get to read them closely and not only copy their recipes, I finally realize that I had gotten myself in the world of bloggers who not only share or exchange recipes but also their lives, thoughts and photos. What a great way to share what's been going on in your life with your family and friends especially those who are on the opposite side of the world (heaven).

So, this is a good start for me and hopefully, I will be able to reach out to all of you at once. I know that I have been re-miss of responding back to my loved ones and friends' emails and I do sincerely apologize for that.

I think Charles Allen said it first. "When faced with problems which threaten to steal your peace of mind, learn the meaning of the word 'imperturbability." I heard of two artists who were asked to illustrate peace. Each was assigned the task of depicting a peaceful scene on canvas.The first artist drew a beautiful picture of a countryside on a warm,spring day. A soft sun illumines green grass and bathes a picturesque farm house and grazing cattle in its warmth. A farmer walks contentedly behind strong plow horses preparing his field for spring planting. The picture is one of beauty and quiet tranquility.The other artist took a different approach. He drew a majestic, rugged cliff. Gnarled trees, twisted by years of violent winds, jut from the craggy mountainside. Dark clouds hang low and fierce while jagged streaks of lightening slash across an angry sky. The picture is one of violence, chaos and rage.But as one looks closely, something else becomes visible. There in one of the crevices of the rocky mountain, tucked back just out of reach of the wind and rain - a nest with two small birds. Apparently unconcerned about the impending storm, they appear calm, cozy and peaceful as they patiently wait for the turbulence to pass. And isn't that the way it so often is? We may want to be surroundedby peace, but storms rage. Problems and pressures without threaten tosteal peace of mind within. The answer is imperturbability: inner peace that doesn't leave when circumstances change. It's a peace that is greater than the problems of life, built on assurance that the tempest will finally pass, that we will survive the storm, that we may grow stronger because of it and, in the meantime, we will not endure it alone. Imperturbability - it's the result of a peace that passes amid the storm.

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This reading is found in Steve Goodier\'s popular book "TOUCHING MOMENTS" 60-second readings that touch the mind and heart.

http://lifesupportsystem.com/toucmom.html

I had to re-published this blog since I messed it up yesterday trying to find the perfect font. I guess the adage "Keep It Simple Silly" (KISS) better apply to me since I am just a beginner. Again, I am ever grateful to Steve Goodier for allowing readers and subscribers of his newsletter like me to share his writings to bloggers so as to reach as many people as possible. You can visit his website at http://www.lifesupportsystem.com/ and enjoy the many touching and meaningful lessons that he imparts... serey

I'd like to take this opportunity to greet all mothers and grandmothers a "Happy Mother's Day".

This is my 3rd day of blogging and I think that this is a good opportunity to invite my loved ones and friends to my blogspot. If I can summon enough courage this would be the best place for me to share all family updates.

Rain has been pounding here in our part of heaven for days now. Such a good time to read, watch tv/movies, eat or maybe the best part is sleep. Mmmm... I guess I'll do that later. It's too yucky to go out and celebrate mother's day. Anyway, we can always celebrate anytime... we don't need any excuse to go out and eat or shop or have fun. It always is nice to do things spontaneously, isn't it?

Anyway, big D (also known as big ninong), has to pick up eldest daughter K at her dorm. She had to stay overnight in order to perform in the college's baccalaureate (yesterday) and graduation (today) ceremony. K is with the school's glee club and just recently joined the handbell choir, too. She's also in the dance club and for sometime, was also in the Step club (would you believe the only non-black and Asian member). Thank God she followed our advice to make her college experience as varied and memorable as possible by not limiting her activities to only the academics but also get involve in the other extra-curricular activities offered in school. I strongly believe that these activities provide an individual a strong foundation for their self-esteem and personality development. I have 2 girls and my wish for them is that they would be strong independent women ready to take on the challenges of this ever changing world. Now wouldn't this be also the dream that most mothers would want for their daughters?

My youngest daughter, D, is graduating highschool and will be a freshman this fall. Like her eldest sister, she also chose to go to an all girls college. From what was explained to us, the parents, it would provide them with less distractions if there weren't any boys around.... good point! I guess no parent would argue with that. Having had boys in class since elementary I guess made them think that it's time to buckle down and concentrate on their studies.

My sister M and her husband KK will also be sending their first child, B, to college this year. She will be attending the most prestigious university in their part of heaven, UP Diliman. I haven't been back in the Philippines for awhile now so I really don't know what the younger generation think of it. According to my sister, my niece was kinda disappointed that she wouldn't be able to attend her first choice which is Ateneo. I was floored, because everybody in the country knows what it's like to be a UP graduate. But anyways, I guess it has already been settled that she'll go to UP. B, good luck to you and study hard. UP D is well-known and highly respected around the world and once you graduate form there, people in the know will look at you with respect and awe.

I have always believe in my heart, that life is what you make of it. It doesn't matter whether you had more of the good life growing up or barely making it everyday. It is what we choose to do later on in life that makes the difference between success and failure.

Ciao for now...

I finally found a nice photo of Angel babies taken by one of my favorite photographer, Anne Geddes, that I might use in my blog. Her photos always evoked such strong emotions of love and peace for me. She is so good at captioning whatever it is that she wants to convey that words are not enough nor is it needed to send any message she wants to impart to her viewers. This bookend angels are just perfect for me since I am myself a bookworm or a book addict. Isn't this adorable? Hope you like it...

more from heaven... I'm a mother of 2 beautiful daughters, the eldest, K, just finished her freshmen year in college and the youngest D, is graduating this June from highschool. My hubby big D and I are so lucky to be bless with good kids. No, of course, they're not perfect but at least they're manageable and lovable at the same time. Time really does fly... especially on angel wings. Life with big D is heaven, too. I guess what we have together is a match made in HEAVEN.

Welcome to my side of heaven. I hope to be able to share my thoughts, ideas and anything else that comes to mind with you. This is my first attempt to be out there and do something online so please bear with me. Constructive criticisms are welcome.