STORY OF MY LIFE AND MY CAT PART 1 (Dear God, thanks for giving me a big white cat)

Dear God,

How are you?
It's been a long time...
I haven't written you a note for many months now...
I can't pray
I don't know what to say...but ask you
Why did you allow that great wave of sadness to hit me
when I was not ready
I feel numb
Too hurt to feel anything

Sometimes I would whisper you a silent thanks
for helping me survive a day...
for letting me live my life as if it's still the same
for my parents
for few friends...
thank you for letting me have them
Please allow me to keep them

God, can you still remember the time when I was still a student?
My life revolved around books
All I cared about was to get good grades
To stay on top of the class
To know the answer right away when asked
To crave for knowledge and
To fill my brain with interesting facts

I was an ideal student
I knew I was...and you know that.
I would start my day asking you for wisdom
I would end my day thanking you for giving me enough
I would proudly display my list of grades on my father's table
and although appreciation was not always available...
I did my best... for myself
For I was expecting a bright future
A straight path towards success

Everyday, I would wake up thinking about school
No care for the day if it's sunny or gray
I would arrive home thinking of what I learned that day
Would kiss my mom and dad
Would give a brief story about the day
Would give our three dogs a pat on the head
If there's time, I would stop long enough to give them a scratch
Would not know if they were sick...if they ate or when was their last bath
Not that I didn't care...It's just that...I was busy.

Would eat some dinner and
would spend the rest of the night studying
Would not stop until I hear my mom's stern voice
telling me to sleep
It's late. And I need to rest.
I would then remember to pray
and thank you for another day

Did I spend time with my parents?
If eating dinner together would count...then yes
My dad would often help me in my assignments
My mom would bring me to school in the morning
and would pick me up at night
Did i spend enough time with them?
Now I know I did not...not enough
I am an obedient daughter. You know I am.
But obedience cannot compensate for time.

You were good to me
and you blessed me
I finished my course
and I graduated with honors
Was I happy while I was on the stage?
Happy was not the word
But I was satisfied to see my grandpa on the stage
with me and my dad
I was satisfied to see my mom's smile on her face too.
Was I happy?
I was smiling... but Lord, you know I was scared.

And there I was...standing inside an office.
Looking excited...but my palms were sweating
It's my first day at work. My first job.
and I was wearing my finest black business attire
and new high heeled leather shoes
On my shoulder was my first office leather bag
All my new things were of good quality
Except my heart...I was nervous.
Confidence left me inside a room full of strangers

Days passed and I realized that the corporate world was not how I expected it to be
True that there are a lot of coffee breaks, cigarette breaks, restroom breaks
meetings with the boss, meetings with the colleagues, meetings with the clients
A lot of moments to talk and a lot of moments wasted.
But really...who am I helping? what am I getting?

My books suddenly became useless tools.
My mother is right...no book could tell you exactly
how to live life or to survive it
I was a fool for believing that as long as a person would always be good, smart
and hardworking then the path to success would always be straight
Not in this world anyway..

When I was in school, I met a lot of insecure bullies
Still, I didn't see them as bad. They just lack attention.
At work, I met a different kind of people
They are smart and they wear decent clothes
but they are not at all gentle and friendly
I don't call them war freaks. Naughty is not the right word too.
Naughty is cute and they are not.
They are just simply...bad.
I learned the literal meaning of the word when I met them.
Immorality is now too common and perceived to be not a sin anymore
Sadly, there are people like them everywhere
and they are accepted

Powerful men and women who use money to control another being
A stack of paper bills can get them what they want
Money is their magic wand
Obviously, there are weak people who are willing to sell their souls
for they thought life here on earth would be better
if they attach themselves to these so called powerful ones
People stay weak because they allow themselves to be...

I sometimes wonder, if these people are orphans?
No mom or dad to teach them some manners?
No grandparents to remind them of their values?
Is integrity and principle not as important as before?
The word thank you is often said without sincerity
And the word "I am sorry" is rarely heard

Those who say they are poor are no different to those who have money
Rich and poor...their thoughts are almost parallel
They are greedy...always envious of others.
They are never content. They always want more
They say "I want that" or "I want this"
They take advantage of others who are weak
of those who can't fight against them
of those who can't speak

How different is a wise to a fool?
The other think first before doing something wrong
and then pretend that what he did wrong is the right thing
The fool never think. He just do whatever he believe is right
without realizing that it is wrong

Lord, why create such new version of humans?
A version without a heart...
Not that I know better...But I do prefer the older version
Please make sure to give each one of them a heart full of compassion



It's a lot harder now to find a man who is truly merciful, loving and caring
Someone who judges fairly
Someone who will not think twice to share his blessings
like giving half of his sandwich to a street kid
or helping an old lady cross the street
Someone who will stop and listen to his heart
Someone who knows you...
Someone who is good...

It's easier to accept a man who is rude
than a cruel person who fears no one...not even you
How sad to know that even the fiercest animal of the forest and of the sea cannot do anything to fight small beastly men
So sad...but what can I do?
I am just like them. Human.
Everyday I am with them
Everyday I am tempted to imitate what I see
and throw away my values...
seems it's not useful anymore
what would I gain?
Right is now mixed up with wrong



And just when I was starting to act like them...think like them
You sent me a big-pure-white-fat-fluffy-persian-cat
and his name is Snowball
Instantly, he caught my heart just when I was about to lose it
He is the most handsome cat I've ever seen in my life
His eyes on some days are the color of a rising sun
yellow and bright
On days that it's green, i think of my favorite island
Two marble eyes that could speak any language
His nose the color of sweet cherries...
sometimes pink...but often red
As small as a button
I kiss it softly everyday
I kiss it many times each day
His paw is as big as a fist of a human baby
(If I could, I would hold it all the time)
His fur is as white as snow
softer than cotton
I love white
I love snow
I love winter
because I love this cat

Though he got my heart in a blink of an eye
It took days before I gained his trust
After all...He was not originally mine
My grandma owned him first
But I think you heard my wish
when I told the stars...I wish he's mine.

My grandma called and asked me if I like Snowball
I said YES!
She told me to come and take Snowball
Home...with me...He'll be mine
Thank you God, for listening to my quiet prayer
Now I know that you hear whispers and wishes too

On our way home...he's so scared
Would look and stare at me...with those pleading eyes
maybe he was thinking "Who is this stranger? Where is she taking me?
Trying my best to comfort him, I touched his left paw and said
"Hi, baby...I am your mommy now"

When we got home, although nothing's really changed
except for the arrival of this handsome cat
I knew my life would never be the same
and I am not the same person anymore
Our home is his home now. He is ours
I want to take care of him
Lord, remember my promise to you that I would give him the best care?
I kept that promise
I started by finding a safe place for him to sleep






















- Tab Code End -->

Armie Lawrence Leyva Yuson…My cousin.

I was 4 and he was 2...
We were in Camp John Hay, Baguio City
He was trying to walk while I was holding his tiny hand
I was smiling and he was laughing - this is a description of a picture taken more than 20 years ago...now kept in an album.

I was sitting on the floor with a toy in my hand...screaming
He was standing and biting my back...trying to get my toy - another picture taken
A very naughty, spoiled and playful boy he was
still...I didn't hate him.

After 15 years, we were both standing, with arms on each other's shoulder.
We were both smiling.
I am glad he grew up sweet and thoughtful.
I knew, I should not hate him.

I studied Business Administration.
He studied Medicine.
He lives in the North
I live in the South
totally different paths
and different likes.

Family gatherings kept us updated with each other
Communication devices made us closer
He is more than a cousin...he is a friend

I do not like talking
I talk only when I have to
I laugh...I smile
I talk when there is something to say
I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the day

But I love to write
And it surprised me that he loves to write too
Perhaps this common interest made us closer than before
I listen to his thoughts, I read what he writes
Often, it is about his travels around the country
He can see the beauty that others cannot see

I admire his love for our country
I admit, I am not that in love with our land anymore
I am frustrated and disappointed
No...I don't hate Philippines
I hate the people...or some people
Their lack of motivation to succeed...to move forward

But my cousin has a different perception
His hopes are high and he expresses this through
promoting Philippine tourism
He is an avid fan of our tourist spots. So devoted
He visits the farthest island that only few have discovered
just to take breathtaking shots

Nature speaks...loud and clear
and my cousin spends plenty of time to listen
I have good ears too and eyes to appreciate beauty
Thanks to this cousin of mine
I am beginning to feel hopeful for our country again

I believe that is what he really wants to do
To inspire people...to give hope...to wake up their sleeping faith


Unlike me, my cousin is very expressive
He is passionate and open
He believes in true love
He calls his girl his "princess", "my wife", "my one and only"
A romantic soul

He is not ashamed to pour out and write his feelings
for the whole world to read
A modern day Romeo...posting his love letters on line
I hope his Juliet won't find it funny but sweet

God must be one of his blog followers too
Would you believe, he is now one of the lucky finalists of Philippine Blog Awards?
Heaven is sending him blessings
In fact, I did not know there is such a thing...an award for blogging...

If there is a person who should win it...it should be my cousin..
Yes you read it right...not me...but my cousin

I vote for him not because we are related
But because I am a reader
I only read those worth reading
I am not one to waste my time

Yes he is my cousin...but he is one of my favorite bloggers too.

I wrote this blog entry to support him...

OMO! OH MY ODEN!

Oden…Oden…What is Oden? Four years ago, I didn’t know what an Oden is or what it looked like. My vocabulary of Korean food was limited to Kimchi, Bulgogi, Bibimbap, Samgyupsal, Jajangmyun and Chapchae. I am very familiar about Ginseng too and could probably write three paragraphs about it. Ask me about Korean street food and I would quickly answer Dukbokki.



When I was in Jeju, I bought a waffle from a food tent parked near an arcade. Although it’s hard to guarantee that it’s germ free, still… it’s a yummy snack. I love the creamy butter. My cousins and I also tried this thin yellow brownish cookie cooked by an Ahjussi on a street. It’s cheap and cute. It’s too sweet for me but very attractive because of its cute little designs. But Oden…Nah. Never heard. I was ignorant about it until Autumn of 2008 came. My friend and I were in Everland Theme Park and we were both getting cold – the temperature was about 3 degrees then. It’s close to lunch time and we were a bit tired so we sat on a bench in front of a snack booth looking for something warm and delicious to devour. On other tables, I could see students (It’s a weekday) eating a spiral thing on a stick. It was white and fat. I was curious so I watched them eat. The spiral thingy was served in a cup. I noticed they were following 5 steps to eat it: dip, bite, dip again, bite again and sip whatever it was on the cup. My friend and I were both hungry and curious so we went to the snack booth and we pointed what the students were eating. The pretty lady on the counter said “ah, oden”. We just nod. She took two sticks of “oden”, put each of them on two separate cups and she poured them with a colored liquid that looked like broth. I said Kamsahamnida twice. I have poor Korean vocabulary then. Like two kids, we excitedly went to a table with our order. The cup was very warm on my hands.

Up close, it looked like a fat version of “Isaw” – a Filipino street food made from pig or chicken intestines. I love chicken intestines but my friend doesn’t. So I was asked to eat the “oden” first. (some kind of a friend who wants me to eat it first and see if it’s poisonous…hahaha). I took a sip first and yes it was a broth. I like the way it warmed my throat. Then, I remembered the 5 steps. As a beginner, I was determined to follow the steps…afraid I might not enjoy the food at its best. I took the oden by the stick, dip it again (silly) and bit a small portion …ooohhhh its so soft to the bite and it tasted like……fish! it’s fish cake! I told my friend it’s fish cake so she better eat it soon or I’ll grab her order and eat it too. It tasted so good. I dipped the oden again and took a bigger bite. We liked it very much that we ordered two more sticks. As the day came to an end, we both felt sad. We thought “oden” was available at Everland only – like one of the theme park’s specialty or something. My Korean friend laughed at me for thinking like that. He said, Oden is a Korean street food and available everywhere. Teasing me was his hobby so he didn’t tell me where was that “everywhere”. The following day, my friend and I woke up with bigger eyes…determined to find Oden again. We walked more slowly and we used our senses at their full capacity. After several minutes, we found ourselves in Gangnam subway station. I love subway stations because I enjoy riding the train…I enjoy looking at the stores too…there are stores selling clothes, souvenirs, cosmetics and of course food. While my friend and I were looking at some clothes, our noses caught a familiar smell. We immediately walked out of the store and went to 7-11 which was just next door. And there it was…a steamer full of freshly made oden. Since then, we never had a hard time finding Oden again…Thank God for 7-11, Family Mart and other convenient stores.

So how crazy am I to Oden? I could share to you some of the times I bought this favorite street food of mine…

- At 7-11 in Coex Mall…tired from shopping and looking for a quick snack to recharge myself

- My cousins and I were in Nami Island and we visited a souvenir shop at the exit gate. We noticed a food vendor selling Oden…we decided to buy and try “Nami’s Oden”

- While waiting for our train that would bring us back to Seoul, we went to a convenience store and ate Oden as our “past time” food

- On our way to Apgujeong Rodeo Street, we saw a 7-11 that’s bigger than any other 7-11 stores…it has several pretty tables with parasols and chairs. We discovered that cold coffee goes well with oden…

- Ate a stick after shopping in Myeongdong

- At a 7-11 store in Tokyo (Yay! We were so happy to see Oden in Japan)
Back in Manila, we looked for a Korean restaurant serving Oden. I was so happy when we found one. It’s a fine dining restaurant so it was a shock to know that they have Oden on their menu. The oden was served in a bowl. Although the taste was quite the same, eating it with a fork was not as fun as eating it on a stick. How sad that convenience stores in Manila don’t sell Oden…

Whenever I have friends who would ask me what Oden is…I always answer their question with several questions that go like this: “Have you seen Boys Over Flowers? Do you remember the scene where Gu Junpyo was with Jandi’s father and brother inside a food tent? They ate something white and flabby on a stick right? That’s Oden! Can you remember his facial reaction while eating it? Words are not enough…so just take a bite.