London on the 6th of July 2020

A Monday rush hour a week ago from today. It was the same time we usually set off for work before the virus took over. There are five tube stops from home to Waterloo. It was on the 18th of March when I last used the London Underground.

Being surprised was an understatement — if someone can be truly overwhelmed by extraordinary quietness, this was how it felt. From packed trains that defined our daily commute, it was possible to maintain more than 2 metres social distance inside the train during my travel that day. Even the escalators to the street were almost empty. There was a bit of sadness in my heart.

Having overestimated my travel time, I was about half an hour early for my appointment. To idle away time, I headed towards the river, to the London Eye, walked westwards to the Westminster Bridge and round the bend to get my work ID. This early Monday morning walk is no less than truly memorable.

The sky was blue, the sun was bright. It was a nice warm summer morning. As I walked along the ticket booths for the London Eye, I suddenly missed the many tourists that used to cover almost every space of the riverwalk. And as I moved a few metres more, I said to myself “London is superlatively beautiful”. I was a tourist of this place when I first saw it 20 years ago and that tourist persona has not left me at all.

With a smile on my face, I took my phone camera out. I directed the lens to capture the River Thames, the London sky, Westminster Bridge and behind it, the Houses of the Parliament; and then four red London buses appeared. Right at that moment, I felt London’s heartbeat. Despite the unusual silence, London is very much alive!

For now, Londoners are enjoying the capital without its tourists. Someday, people from all over will come again. But I will always have in my memory this moment alone with London, on a Monday rush hour morning during the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Here is the photo that I took on 06 July 2020.

Time. Space. Life.

Waking up to the news of the passing of Prof. Stephen Hawking, it makes me reflect “What is our excuse for not doing something worthwhile in our life?”. His life was a symbol of persistence, hard work and excellence.

(Photo: entrance of Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge, where Prof. Hawking was a Fellow before his death).

Make haste (or not)!

It seems that I have abandoned my blog. It felt that way, anyway. Things have peaked again at work with many engagements here and there. So here is a quick post which I republished from my FB page. Hope everyone who reads this post is well and happy.

 

Nan Lian Garden (Hong Kong, Feb 2016)

Horace said “Carpe diem (Seize the day!)”. Gandhi said, “There is more to life than increasing its speed”. Merry Tea says “Make haste only when necessary. Slow down when you are out of breath. You will not enjoy time when you are rushing; you will not see much when you are too slow-moving.”

(Posted on my Facebook page on the 31st of July 2011)

Usapang ulam

Naisipan kong magsulat ng isang sanaysay sa ating sariling wika. Ilang taon na rin mula nang huli akong magsulat sa Tagalog. Sa totoo lang, nasa ikatlong pangungusap pa lang ako ay medyo napapahinto na ako upang isipin ang mag salita, “Ano na nga ba ito sa Tagalog?” Ngayon ko lang nakita na mas madali pala para sa akin na magsalita kaysa magsulat sa Tagalog. Malamang ay dahil kulang ako sa ensayo. Ngunit pipilitin ko pa ring magsulat, at kung talagang walang pag-asa, siguro naman pwede akong medyo mag-Taglish.

Isa sa mga bagay na nakakapagpasaya sa aming mag-asawa ay kung nakakapag-imbita kami ng aming mga kaibigan sa aming hapag-kainan. At dahil hindi karamihan ang mga kainan dito sa London upang madala namin ang mga kaibigan naming banyaga, sa bahay na kami naghahanda  upang matikman naman nila ang mga ulam natin sa Pilipinas.

Kapag kami ay maluwag sa oras o di kaya ay may espesyal na okasyon, talagang ume-effort kami. Iniisip namin kung paano namin maihahanda ang ulam na parang naihanda sa isang espesyal na kainan.

Kahapon ay inimbitahan namin ang dalawa naming kaibigan mula sa simbahan. Medyo maraming ginagawa sa trabaho ngunit dahil ang aming kaibigan na Ingles ay dadayo sa ibang bansa, naisipan naming maghanda bilang pagdiriwang sa biyaya. Tatlong taon rin siyang hindi uuwi rito sa Inglatera dahil sya ay isang opisyal ng embahada. Kasama niya ang isa pa naming kaibigan na mula naman sa Korea.

Ito ang aming mga handa. Ang una ay insalata (talong na ginisa sa mantikilya ng olibo, kamatis, mangga, tocinong manok, litsugas at ginisang bagoong sa gilid). Ang pangunahing ulam ay pansit palabok (pansit, lemon, hipon, dinikdik na chicharon, dahon ng sibuyas, coriander, itlog at pinalutong na tinapa). Para sa panghimagas, gumawa kami ng ginataang halo-halo na may saging, kamote at langka. Nilagyan rin namin ito ng sorbetes sa ibabaw. Nalusaw agad ang sorbetes pero masarap pala ito kapag hinalo sa ginataan. Sa gitna ng bawat handa at nagbigay kami ng atsara (gawa na mula sa bote) para panglinis ng ngala-ngala – sa Ingles, ‘to cleanse the palate‘.

Nagustuhan ng aming mga bisita ang lahat ng aming mga handa. Bukod sa mabilis nila itong nakain, malinis ang mga plato nila kaya andaling maghugas!  Ito ang ilan sa mga larawan:

Buwan ng wika ang Agosto, kaya sana pasado ang aking sanaysay. Tulad ng ano mang bagay, mabuti na ang mag-ensayo paminsan-minsan upang di makalimutan. Hanggang sa muli…

Wedding story

I love weddings but it is rare that I can be easily impressed no matter how grand, artistic, extravagant or expensive they are. Please allow me to tell you about a memorable wedding that my husband and I had the privilege to witness a year ago.

The heavens opened wide that morning. I meant literally; it was a downpour. It was supposed to be a summer wedding in July but it was held in England, where weather is a source of fascination on a day-to-day basis.

This particular wedding was very special and different. The family and friends of the couple were all well-dressed but I did not notice a hint of self-importance from anyone. The wedding was not about the groom; he appeared very relaxed and tranquil in his suit. It was not all about the beautiful bride either. She walked along the aisle stunning in her lovely ivory dress, with a tiara adorning her hair — but the lady behind the veil was not the sole (or main) focus of the event.

Rather, throughout this wonderful moment of their lives, the couple chose to glorify Jesus. The songs were carefully picked signifying the love, hope and happiness that is found in Christ alone. The Bible reading and message focused on the basics of marriage: mutuality of love, contentment, faithfulness to one another and hope in Christ (Hebrews 13:1-6).

The favours were ‘Christmas crackers’. Inside these were small gifts but more importantly, a Bible verse written for every guest. The wedding speeches were words of humour-infused sweetness, but Christ was never forgotten by every speaker.

My reflections brought me to question, “How often do we hear couples say, ‘We would like to have a Christ-centered wedding’?”

Before everyone becomes very pre-occupied about the dresses, flowers, rings, guests, cakes, catering, drinks, suits, music, candles, bridal registers, speeches; would it be more appropriate to desire for a union founded upon the love of Christ more than anything else? The key to blissful wedded life is about sharing a life together where Christ is present, is it not?

This particular wedding was not all about tangible things but it will be remembered by  those present because the overflowing love of Christ was there.

(A reflection of a Christian wedding held in Warwickshire, England; originally written two days after the event.)