i_love_turon

During the last days of Macondo, the fictitious (but really, how fictitious? Don’t South American and Czech writers heavily allude to their national history when they write?) town in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ Hundred Years of Solitude, Aureliano and Amaranta Ursula were lying together one night when they heard the traffic of the dead in the Buendia ancestral home - which stood with a resilience as formidable as that of the matriarch Ursula, having seen the rise and fall of 4 (or 5?) generations of Buendias - the traffic of the dead, which consisted of Ursula talking about some relative who had gone to the afterlife well before she herself had; Fernanda praying, I think her rosary; Col. Buendia obsessing about his wars and tiny gold fishes; and a whole lot more dead adding to the escalating ruckus with their signature ways, and there, the couple arrived at an "Ah!" moment: They realized that obsessions can actually prevail against death. With that, "they were happy again with the certainty that they would go on loving each other in their shape as apparitions…"

Makes you wish you’d end with somebody who’d feel as much - and with whom you’d KNOW as much. Well too bad Amaranta Ursula happens to be Aureliano’s aunt. (Nyahaha.)

So what would be my obsession that would endure long after I’ve died, and have gone to heaven? (If you’re wondering how I could be so certain, my doctrine of salvation says I’m saved because Jesus died for me. More on this later.) I rather think I have 3:

1. think to the point of exhaustion (can’t help it - it’s a hobby)

2. almost drive Jesus to boredom with my talk (but I bet Jesus would be so polite, He’d stifle the yawn to the very end)

3. clean my heavenly home (but would there be dirt in heaven to clean? parang wala) and bake

How about you? What would YOU be doing?

Ten Things I’m thankful for right now…

1. For a God who’s patiently teaching me how to stop hardening my heart… And I know that the reason why it’s bloody difficult is because it’s of grave importance for me to learn it now or else i won’t be ready ever to go to the next phase of my life… theatric, but true!

2. For my mom who has promised a great Christmas gift… Can’t wait.

3. For BrandSpeakAsia and my bosses and teammates… we just had our team-building a while ago: bowling and pizza, then eating late lunch at Burgoo! I’m way blessed to have landed a job in a company which feels like family… and really, it is a family.

4. Fast internet connection! I need to upload so many pictures!!!

5. Friends who try to overcome the miles separating us through "Anna, good morning!", "Good night an!", and "Um, mum, you want to watch Simpson’s tonight?"

(Oookay. hulaan ko sino ang nagsabi ng alin!)

6. For Pam, Jing, Ate Jo and Ate Tuki who took in my girls…

7. For my girls who call me up and text me their love

8. For PCCC prayer time tomorrow! I am so excited to be there!

9. For this account that, in Jesus’ name, we are going to be getting soon… I’ll be handling CSR with them.

10. For life… though it sucks, there’ll be moments that, as rare as they may come, would be enough to remind you that there is a great God who makes life worth living… or makes it just a little bit more livable. it’s for this God and those moments that i live.

Dramatic, but true.