Fixation on the Supreme

"When one's intelligence, mind, faith and refuge are all fixed in the Supreme, the one becomes fully cleansed of misgiving through complete knowledge and thus proceeds straight on the path of liberation."--Bhagavad Gita

Thanking the Almighty God

It's a Monday and a million thanks to the ALMIGHTY GOD for all the blessings he has bestowed on me. For example, a very generous son, Raul-Emmanuel for hosting the first Julian Clan Reunion last January 17 at the grand Octagon Hotel in Laoag City He gave money and sacks of rice to the children of the late Ciriaco, the sons and daugthers of my sister Inocencia, the ddaughter of the late Fortunata, my cousin, the late Manang Feling and the daughters of the late Manong Cenon, another cousin. Christoffer who works in a multi-national company in Singapore flew to the Philippines to attend the affair and created a video of the one-day activity.

POPE FRANCIS' YELLOW RAINCOAT

Praise, praise Pope Francis for braving the bad weather to visit the victims of the supertyphoon Yolanda. But he did not stay long; he had to leave Palo, Leyte for Manila three hours earlier because of the brewing storm. He was wearing a yellow raincoat as he waved to the crowd lining the road to the airport.

Of course, Marinela Dumlao Currie, the Pope did not care about the color of the raincoat as long as, as you said it," he was protected from the rains." But the color is an Aquino political metaphor and not all Filipinos like the color. The Papal visit is a non-political event. And the President exploited it further by delivering a speech excoriating the alleged corruption of the Arroyo and Marcos regimes. Right in Malacanang in the presence of His Holiness. Look who is talking. Only in the Aquino era was a great thief--Janet Napoles who masterminded the ransacking of the state coffers of billions

 

of pesos--was received in the Palace. During his term which will end in 2016, Congress has become the country's biggest criminal syndicate with lawmakers helping themselves with the people's money. Three senators have been detained for their participation in this ugliest of anomalies.

Quote of the day: "You must live in the present, launch yourself in every wave, find eternity in each moment."--Henry David Thoreau

POST SCRIPT TO THE LIMITS OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH. AN INSPIRATION FROM POPE  FRANCIS WHO IS VISITING THE PHILIPPINES THAT HAS 80 MILLION CATHOLICS, THE BIGGEST IN ASIA:

"Your freedom to swing your arm ends where my nose begins."--President Manuel Luis Quezon

PRIORITES AND FIRST LONG WALK-JOG in 2015

FB will be tolerated but will not be a priority in 2015 and beyond. Social media has eaten too much time.

1. More readings, more time for "Bhagavad-Gita As It Is" and as translated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuda. The best-selling edition of this classic in world literature was a Christmas gift of daughter-in-law Tintin, based in Toronto Canada.

2. More writings in Ilokano and English poetry, essays, columns and one or two Ilokano fiction.

3. More walking and jogging. The BP this morning was 130/80. As a result of drinking at least more than three big cups of water before breakfast  and then walked, jogged to and from Walgreens?  (That's more than a total of two miles and more than an hour and a half. ( I purchased Cetaphil, a bar soap costing $4.99; LA Times, $1.50 and Colgate toothpaste, 99 cents. Also two lottery tickets, $2, for Friday and Saturday draws. I could win millions of dollars for the family, for charity, another floor to the house in Oscariz.

4. Greet all persons on the jogging/walking route, whether they respond or not. I will always stay positive, and not worry. Like the Chinese NBA basketball star, Jeremy Lin, who said in a recent interview he would always be positive and love every minute of his playing time on the court.
5. Less negative comments, more satiric statements. To say things bluntly against acts and thoughts MAY BE a kind of violence and intolerance.

It is ironic to say, God is Great, after killing your fellow human being. Those who killed the 12 French journalists speak of the barbarism of their faith, the intolerance of their Koran and the cold bloody truth of their prophet.

ON ROAD TO RECOVERY

From "Kafka on the Shore" by the Japanese surrealist writer Haruki Murakami:

"Things change every day with its new dawn. It's not the same world as the day before. And you were not the same person as you were."

" It was ancient Mesopotamia. They pulled out animal intestines, sometimes human intestines, I expect, and used the shape to predict the future. They admired the complex shape of the future. So the prototype of the labyrinth, in a word, guts. Which means the principle of the labyrinth is inside you. And co-relates to the labyrinth outside."

Naragsak ken nalinak a 2015 to Lorenzo and Sinamar Tabin of Utah; Terry Tugade of San Francisco; Lito and Rosemarie de Francia of Santa Maria; Benedict Tadena of San Jose; Twinnie Herasio of Washington;  Tino Inay of New Jersey; Dr. Pete Alupay of Riverside; Vhen Bautista of Rancho Cucamonga;  Apo Ariel Agcaoili of Hawaii; and Manang Pacita Saludez of Wanaka St., Hawaii; and dear sister Linda of Hawaii;  Sonja Chan, Cles Rambaud, Ariel Tabag, Freddie Padua Masuli, Arthur Urata, Ruperto Manuel, Amadeo Dulay, Mar and Ellen Llarenas, Roy Aragon, Eli Raquel, Delfin Dumayas, Fely Abril, Juan Asuncion, JSP Hidalgo, Jr., kdpy.

Peace is an equation in the labyrinth of the mind. But consider: peace warriors are also war combatants residing in mortals and immortals. What then defines the mind and the body?

On the road to complete recovery in Menifee. It was more than three weeks that the body was sick and floundering. First time that the malady hit me in America since we came here intermittently from 2003. We survived the snows of Amarillo, Texas.

It was minus 4 C when we visited Grand Canyon last December. It was almost dark when we--the blogger, Mommy Estelita, Rene Boy who was visiting us from Singapore reached the place--more than 8,500 feet above sea level, according to our Voltaire who drove us to the place from Las Vegas.