Christmas in Bethlehem

Tomorrow it’s already December and for many Christians all over the world, the approaching of the month strengthens nothing but the spirit of Christmas.  However, with 183 people killed ruthlessly and hundreds injured in India; thousands stranded in Thailand; and still thousands if not millions in fear of what the worldwide recession has for them, it is difficult to really celebrate what’s supposed to be a Yuletide season.

There’s so much violence around.  Fear and indifference abound.  Many hunger for power.  No one wants to stoop down and follow what is needed for us to have a better world: love others as you love yourself.

These remind me of Bethlehem and how it celebrates Christmas centuries after Christ lived there.  Below is a poem I wrote sometime ago.  It pictures Bethlehem as if it were Mumbai, except that for the people of Bethlehem terrorism is a daily experience.

God bless us all.

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For stories and pictures about Bethlehem, please log on to Bob May’s website

ReckonNEcTed

After considering a week-long writing spree which was supposed to have started last November 14, unpromising circumstances came from nowhere and stopped me from reaching my short-term goal.

First, our internet connection failed.  What else could I say about it?  For some time, I was transported back to my parents’ world when communication was almost always through snail mail because calling through PLDT meant not only waiting for hours in a queue but also paying a dear amount for a 3-minute call.  Whew! Way back then, the news which my mom had to tell my dad would already be a history when he receives it.

Also, without the world wide web, I literally had a small world which revolved around Arvid, the kids and the house.  But hey, with Arvid awake from 5:00am to 7:00 or sometimes 8:00pm everyday, how would I miss the internet?  Every minute with my little one means lost calories in running along, climbing up and down and roaming around.  Who needs extra things to do?

Yet, just when I was being used to a life without the net but with Arvid bustling with energy, Antoinette got sick,turning me into a nurse on duty 24/7. In a blink, I suddenly wished I could open the computer, connect with my brother and ask him to look after Paul and wake her up every 3:30am for her medicines. And as if Antoinette Paul wasn’t enough, Arvid himself joined the caravan!

Huh! I still want to write more…but my eyes need some sleep. Bye for now, I’m off to Slumberville… I-) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzz zzzz…more to come tomorrow! (I hope)

Ghosts wanna have some fun

Who said there are no ghosts?  What are these then?

Shaine, Charles, Paul, Christian and Arvid w/ McDo

Breaking the silence

If you heard the silence on my blog’s pages for several days, thank you! That means, you’re visiting my blog and was looking forward to something you could find here. At the same time, my apologies for not having the time to write about what’s been happening, which weren’t a lot, actually.

Of course some of you might have thought that I’ve already slipped into NaNoWriMo Land to live with my novel characters somewhere, but no, that was far from reality.

To make up for the time lost, I hope to catch up with my writing this week so your visits to my blog would be more meaningful.

Talk to you then!