GEWGAW WRITINGS

WOOF Contest – Top Picks for November 6, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:29:00 +0000

Congratulations Doc Z, for having two of your entries in the Top 3.

Poetry

Zorlone – “No Call to Counter Strike” - A poem inspired by the fall of Gondolin.

Jena Isle – “My Painful Past” - What is more excruciating than remembering a painful past?

Fiction

Zorlone – “Diary of a Broken Heart” - A glimpse of an entry in a diary of a man, who once found the love of his life.

Brought to you by PlotDog Press with the Serial Suspense Screenplay "Intervention"

(WOOF participants should re-post all the links above by next Monday. The following links may be excluded as long as you include all the above links.)

Presenting the finest of the writer’s blogs by the bloggers who write them. Highlighting the top posts as chosen by the October 30, 2009 WOOF Contest participants. Want in to join the next WOOF? The next contest ends November 6. Submit a link to your best writing post of the last 3 weeks using the form on this page. Participants, repost the winning link list within a week and you’re all set.

Other WOOF Contestants for 11/06/09

Poetry

Jennifer M Scott – “Myriad” - Free form of thought.

dragon blogger – “Reunited” - Poem about wanted to be reunited with a lost love.

Memoir About Genuine Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:53:00 +0000

I oftentimes hear people talking about dogs as their best friends. I could only respond to them half -heartedly, as I did not yet have a first hand experience regarding the matter. But now that I had experienced it, then I could truly say that dogs are indeed, the most faithful friends one could ever encounter. This is the story of my dog- Piper.

Photo by: Nikes Alviz

Piper had been brought home by my husband when she was just several days old. Even then, she was so impish and unruly. She would run around the yard non-stop; toppled everything blocking her path, and bit strange looking things into Kingdom come.

I was irritated at first because of how she was turning the house upside down, so I decided to tie her up. She refused to be restrained, of course, and did all she could to get out of her imprisonment. I had no option but to set her free. By then I was starting to like her cute antics. Perhaps she could be a good pet and so I named her Piper. Yes, after the lovely lady - Piper of the TV series - Charmed!

When I arrived home from work, she would rub her body against my feet and wagged her flurry tail, wanting to be cuddled. There were times that my husband and son were out, so I had to bathe her and feed her myself.

Read the rest of the story here...

My Painful Past

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:48:00 +0000

I stood astride your songs,
In pulchritude we joined.
You with your mellow prongs,
I, with my opened loins.

We earned each accolade.
Our fame is all aflame.
We feasted on the glade.
And wealth we too proclaimed.

Alas, it did not last,
As all would come to pass.
I sit here quite aghast.
You're now under the grass.

I grieve my painful past.
Our days that should have been.
I sigh and say Alas!
We never will be seen.

Oh, Elvis where are you?
I yearn each day for you,
Hopeful that you could play.
My strings again someday!

Photo courtesy of Nikes Alviz

The Inspirational Book is Finally Here

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Finally the inspirational book is ready for release.

This is a labor of love by 27 authors/bloggers who have contributed so that the book would come to fruition.

It's a rare anthology that each book collector should own. Here's your chance to buy yours.

Just click on the button below and you'll receive your copy within 10 days. (for local delivery) and 15 days. (for international delivery)

OR YOU COULD ALSO BUY THIS BOOK AT EBAY.COM

FOR THE CONTRIBUTORS, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY. I'LL START MAILING YOUR COPIES NEXT WEEK. THANKS.

RELATED POSTS:

1. A Call for Minds by Zorlone

2. Inspirational Thoughts and Stories of Bloggers All Over the World by Holly Jahangiri

3. Frustrated Writer No More by Roy dela Cruz

4. Turning Bloggers into Published Writers by Rey Jr.

5. Ing Kekong Talasuyo, Atin Ya Pung Libro by Roy dela Cruz

6. DiTesco's Weekly Echo by DiTesco

7. We Need More Inspiration in This World, and I Have a Suggestion… by Mathe Baniaga

8. Inspirational Bloggers by Francis Scudellari

9. Beautiful Blogger Book by Patricia Rockwell

10. 27 Reasons Why Jena Isle's Inspirational Book Rocks by Jan Geronimo

11. I am a Published Author by Brady Frost

12. The Inspirational Book by Jean Knill

13. Inspired to Write by John Rooney

14. Brad Pitt Writing on the Inspirational Book Project by Elmot

15. Dreams Do Come True by Roy dela Cruz

16. Choices We Make In Our Life by Mon Paulino

17. My Life Story is Now in an Inspirational Book by Angel Cuala

18. I Am by Roy dela Cruz

19. One Word-Poetry: Inspiration by Roy dela Cruz

20. Inspirational Thoughts and Stories of Bloggers from All over the World
by Tasha Bud

21. Of Chasing Traffic and For The Love of Writing by Ceblogger

22. Hurra, mein Märchen ist veröffentlicht by Ray Gratzner

23. Inspirational Book by Mon Paulino

Arvie Vitente and Warrior is a Child

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:31:00 +0000

Arvie, is Sir Arvie to many of his students. He's a brilliant educator, an excellent singer and a wonderful "adopted" son.

Here he is singing one of my favorite songs - The Warrior is a Child". Do play it twice to allow it to load properly, thanks.

I apologize for the wrong spelling. It has to go back to the MMC if I were to edit it again.

WOOF Contest Results for October 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:01:00 +0000

Congratulations to all winners, especially to Zorlone, Roy, Jenn and Deeptesh. Cheers!

WOOF Contest – Top Picks

Fiction / Drama / Short Story

Roy – "I'm sorry, Matthew" - How long must one carry the guilt for something that was done in the past?

Jennifer M Scott – “Best Friends and the Meaning of It” - The beginning of a new series called Dr Simon's Velvet Couch Monologues of Everyday People. In this one September Don confesses she wants to kill her best friend but finds something more important.

Anne Bender – “... the world faded away” - A woman's memory of a morning with her lover.

Memoir

Jena Isle – “I Survived Raising My Teen” - A memorable episode in my life as a mother. The most challenging "career" in life is being a mother.

Poetry

Zorlone – “Ideal Teacher” - An example of Jenanian poetry about the essence of a teacher.

Zorlone – “Brick Wall” - Nothing hinders emotions than a cold and unfeeling brick wall.

Roy – “When the flame is dying...” - Do not let hatred burn forever in your heart... it will pass... let it die... let it be... so you can live in peace.

Deeptesh Sen – “An Evening in mercury” - Love in Kolkata.

Brought to you by PlotDog Press with the Serial Suspense Screenplay "Intervention"

(WOOF participants should re-post all the links above by next Monday. The following links may be excluded as long as you include all the above links.)

Presenting the finest of the writer’s blogs by the bloggers who write them. Highlighting the top posts as chosen by the October 2, 2009 WOOF Contest participants. Want in to join the next WOOF? The next contest ends October 9. Submit a link to your best writing post of the last 3 weeks using the form on this page. Participants, repost the winning link list within a week and you’re all set.

Other WOOF Contestants for 10/02/09

Fiction / Drama / Short Story

H. Benjamin Petrie – “A Couple Paragraphs of Sci-Fi War” - A very short description of war in the future.

About Writing

H. Benjamin Petrie – “Why We Would Read Something” - There's two reasons we would read something: i) it's well-written ii) it has an interesting story.

Poetry

Roy – “Let Go, Let God” - A poem about letting go of past pains, hurts and worries... and letting God take care of all our concerns.

Deeptesh Sen – “Parting at Park Street” - Love drifts away at the crossroads of a throbbing city!

Jennifer M Scott – “Autumn” - A poem about autumn written in acrostic form using the word autumn.

My Philosophy in a Couple of Trilogies - Inspirational Book

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:23:00 +0000

By: Luke Christian Yu

I first watched Star Wars when I was three or four years old. I do admit that I did not understand much of it at that time. Instead, I kept on asking some of the adults watching along with me about some parts of the plot. Looking back at their answers to my questions, it seems like they did not understand much, either. Some of the scenes I saw at that time, however, made an impression on my young mind. While reviewing Star Wars a number of times decades later, I can still see clearly those scenes and feel the hard wooden chair I sat on when I was a child watching that movie.

For a lot of people, Star Wars is just another science fiction movie that takes place a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—a movie that justifies teenagers and even those beyond to tell each other “May the Force be with you”. But for me, Star Wars is something deeper and more real. Their galaxy does not seem to be parsecs away, either. It might not even be out of place within the neighborhood.

Additionally, one may not need to look long and hard to find someone in the workplace or school that matches a B1 battle droid in sheer stupidity. (Roger, roger) A tyrant not unlike Emperor Palpatine might even be behind the government of some state or nation. All within the confines of our watery blue planet without having to board the Millennium Falcon and jump to hyperspace.

I view Star Wars as a story about Anakin Skywalker—the chosen one who has the highest midi-chlorian count of any Jedi, was conceived by a virgin and who faced death unflinchingly to end the suffering brought about by Darth Sidious. Star Wars is not about the good and the bad, the light and the dark, nor the yin and the yang.

It is about one man’s struggle for balance. Jedi Master Yoda represents the Light and Sith Lord Darth Sidious represents the Dark; but again, Star Wars is not about them. It is about Jedi Anakin/Darth Vader who represents both the Light and the Dark. While still Anakin, he might have traces of the Dark Side within him masquerading as fear, then anger and hatred; but even when he was transformed into Darth Vader, there was still good left in him. He was a perfect human representation of the Tai Chi symbol.

The story began when the young Anakin Skywalker was discovered by a Jedi Knight; it ended with his death and redemption. You can say that the prequel trilogy is about Anakin and the original trilogy is about Darth Vader. Others would say that Luke is the principal protagonist of the story and Lord Vader, the principal antagonist. Maybe, but in the grand scheme of things, it is more like Anakin Skywalker versus himself. Luke’s role, in my opinion, is just like his mother before him—a pivot in Anakin’s journey, nothing more.

Star Wars is not only my all-time favorite sci-fi/fantasy movie; it also influenced the way I look at things. Why? Honestly, I have not thought of that until now. Maybe it is because I can relate to it or because it is consistent with my own worldview. After all, if something is totally inconsistent with your worldview then it cannot influence you in any way, right? Or could it? But then, you might again ask whether it really is consistent with my worldview or whether it is my worldview that is concordant with Star Wars as it has shaped my worldview in the first place. That question, I cannot answer you. In a parallel plane,

Plato might have asked whether the virtues are good because they are appreciated by the Jedi, or whether they are appreciated by the Jedi because they are good.

Star Wars is deep—even philosophical. And there are many concepts, instances and conflicts in my life which I can deeply relate to the movie. Like I said, it influenced my thoughts in some ways. I will try to look into a few of them here. But understand that dissecting Star Wars like this could fill an entire book of its own. So let me just tell you as much as I can gather in a sitting or two. Why do I make this connections, you ask? Could it be because I am hopelessly addicted to Star Wars or because the conflicts in Star Wars are so much similar to those in real life? Now, I am not formally trained in philosophy or something, but those who know me know that I do tend to ask questions a lot.

First, I will talk about the high degree of contrast in the morals and dogma that I was initiated into. I was born, baptized, and raised as a Roman Catholic. Our family has more than our fair share of religious ministers—not to mention those in various religious organizations which I do not even know the name of.

These guys masquerade as aunts, uncles, cousins, or what have you. Sort of like Darth Sidious hiding behind the Senator Palpatine façade, right? Wrong. I was just kidding you. My point is, I was already shown the distinctively clear line between what is right and what is wrong even at an early age.

The line was so very clear, then. So clear that when one of those relatives stepped inside my room while I was away and found my books, she asked my mother to burn almost a row of them. Why? Like I told you, the line was very clear and those books happen to stand on the other side of that line.

You must be thinking of dark dangerous books, oozing with black magic and demon invocation, by now. That would have been fun but I am sorry to disappoint; those books were about science—prehistoric times, to be exact. You know, dinosaurs, prehistoric man, continental drift and stuff.

My first major is in the field of applied science so I do not think it is that inconceivable to have those sorts of books. However, it seems like some people are still bent on convincing others that the earth is just a couple thousand or so years old despite tons of archeological digs as old as 1.3 million years staring them at the face. Oh, I forgot: Those fossils were planted evidence by a red guy with horns, hooves and a pointy tail and were calculated to deceive mankind. Right. And I thought the Dark Ages was no more.

In the early part of the first episode of the original trilogy, this clear distinction between good and evil was shown when Darth Vader confronted Princess Leia Organa. One was a menacing seven-foot man in pitch-black armor and radiating pure evil; the other was an innocent-looking petite woman dressed in soft, pure-white cloth exuding goodness. A perfect symbolic representation, don’t you think.

But going deeper into the movie, as in life, you will find moral ambiguity and shades of gray in a supposed-to-be-black-and-white world of Star Wars where everyone works either for the Light or the Dark. I’d like to individually enumerate these instances but sadly, I will be quickly running out of space if I do so. I also do not have the luxury of time. So, it might be better to leave that as an exercise to the reader. As a bonus, it will make reviewing the movie that much more exciting.

But the color of my world or the absence thereof is not the only thing that I can relate with Star Wars. Star Wars, you see, has some depth if you look closely enough. The next time you watch Star Wars, watch out for this phrase: “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” In every episode of Star Wars, you will hear at least one of the main characters share this sentiment. I have heard it even in the animated movie and in the television series. Call it a basic expression of existential anxiety. I am sure that at some time in your life, you felt this intuitive response when confronted by an undefined problem. In episode three of the first season of The Clone Wars, the character who said that phrase was, of all things, a B1 battle droid piloting General Grievous’ Ship! Funny; I never thought they were capable of combat without shooting each other, much less existential thought.

Now, Let me share with you a scene from the original trilogy about the possible inconsistency between appearance and reality. When Luke was about to pass out in the planet Hoth (The name is curious as the planet was clearly very, very cold. A contradiction?) because of the cold, Obi-Wan’s Force ghost appeared before him and told him to go to the planet Dagobah and look for a great Jedi Warrior by the name of Yoda. Luke then went to the Dagobah system. What he found in that remote world of swamps and forests is mentally stimulating.

Man is a very visual creature. We lean heavily on what we see. We even demand that “to see is to believe”. I do not think that there is a problem with that unless you already have a preconceived notion of what you should be seeing. Selective perception is problematic, at best.

In a lot times, I find myself in my office when someone comes in looking for me. I would talk to that client and hear her say that she’d rather talk to me. Then I’d say “Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I am him.” There would then be that puzzled, unbelieving look in her face that I have seen countless of times in other’s faces. This scenario happens more times than I care to count. Then, my thoughts would wander back to that swampy planet…

When Luke arrived in Dagobah, he was startled by an old, small, green dwarf with large eyes. Being a young warrior, he instinctively aimed his blaster at the little green goblin. The poor thing was now covering his face and whimpering “Away put your weapon! I mean you no harm” Seeing the dwarf as a harmless little creature, he put away his weapon.

Anyway, he thinks, he could probably just kick this thing into the swamp if ever it would try to harm him. After that, the creature acted like a silly, old beggar trying to rummage through Luke’s supplies for food, taste some, and throw away stuff he does not like. Luke had no idea that this thing is the Yoda he has been searching for. When he told the dwarf that he is looking for a great warrior, it just laughed and said “wars not make one great.” Right, and that response came from a Grand Master Jedi whose name, Yoda, means “warrior” in Sanskrit. But surely,
the dwarf does not look like one.

I am not saying that I am a dwarf with large eyes. Neither am I saying that I am a Jedi Master who could wield a lightsaber and do a Form IV as lethally graceful as Yoda does. All I am saying is that it would be a lot better for all if we could only shed our preconceived notions and ideas and freshly perceive the world.

But Star Wars is not only about morality and philosophy; it is also about hope. Since this book is supposed to be an inspirational book rather than a book on the philosophy of some old movie as applied to the life of some obscure person, I saved this part for last.

Darth Vader, as I have said, has been considered by many to be an evil, mean killing machine. That cannot be denied. That said, I hope that all of us can be like Darth Vader. Yes, I said it. You can read that again, if you want.

The truth is that no one in this world could truly claim that he had not gone to the Dark Side or that he will not be seduced by its power. Every breathing human in this world has, at one time, crossed the boundary or will soon be crossing it.

Yes, none of them may have killed another human being for not finishing the Death Star on schedule using the power of the Dark Side in the form of a Force choke to do the deed; but have none of us lied as early as grade school specially during examination time? It would also be very surprising if none of us used or tried to use another person for our own needs, at least once, just like what Vader and Sidious have done.

The problem is, once you have been to the Dark Side, it would be difficult to come back to the Light. And the longer you stay there, the stronger will its hold be on you. Darth Vader declares this difficulty to his son, Luke, when he said, "You don't know the power of the Dark Side, I must obey my master... It is too late for me, son."

Once you have experienced how easy it was to copy your seatmate’s answers during grade school, it would seem to make more sense to do it again than to study diligently. Then, when you get used to it, it would be more difficult to be rid of the habit in your higher years. It goes on in the workplace and the rest of your life. Doing it the right way is almost always harder. Why else do you think would there be spammers in the Internet and unscrupulous businesses and get rich quick schemes?

When Luke asked Yoda whether the Dark Side is stronger, Yoda replied “No, but it is quicker, easier, more seductive.”

But difficult as it is, Vader showed that it can be done. And if we cannot avoid the Dark Side, or if we have already been bathing in its pleasures, I just hope that we can be as strong and courageous like Lord Vader who was able to search within himself and find the key to make it back to the Light.

May the Force be with you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Luke is called Master Jedi Luke by the Jedi bloggers.

He is also @dezertsnow at Twitter.

His blog is "A Walk in the Dark" or "Law of the Force" which was created when Jan Geronimo of Writing to Exhale insisted that he should have his own blog instead of being a great commentator/commenter.

His first post "About How This Blog Came To Be" earned 77 comments, the first I have seen of its kind yet in blogging. He writes with a discerning and meticulous eye, careful to present the topic at hand in an organized and tapoted manner. Sometimes I imagine him "defragging/defragmenting" his highly technical terms to suit his "technically-challenged" readers - including me.

Each of the Jedi bloggers has a completely unique style of writing that "clicks" with me. For Luke, it is his philosophical mind which tries to merge with his expertise in internet technology and computer science.

By the way, I would like to mention that he is happily married to a lawyer, Dee, who authors another blog - Tales From The Mom Side.

This dynamo of a couple is a tandem to beat in the blogosphere.

A toast for both of you, guys!

Photo by futureatlas.com

PUFFY WHITES

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:05:00 +0000

By: Elmot

I saw dancing, sheep
Of puffy irregular whites;
Running, playing, and changing
Shapes with the summer sun.

They run and catch
Each other’s tails,
bump and mate each other’s wool.

Others sleep in the curving
Corner of velvet farm,
Their colors I wonder is
Not of perfect white?
Theirs’ are sleeping colors
Puffy ash?

Then, sheep started to feast
On velvet and changing grass,
They stop, and eat and gently hop;
Till the farm in blowing wind concealed.

All these innocent puffy sheep ate
The changing velvet grass;
Through blowing wind,
Herded happily changing,
To sleep in the edge
of the velvet farmland.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elmot is the prolific and dynamic writer behind three blogs namely:

PinoySoundingBoard: Commentaries on Socio-Political Issues,
Ani-Mo!: Elmot's Whatever Blog and
Gaudencio Diaz: My Poetry Blog

He is a jovial and cheerful soul, you'd be surprised to find out that he discusses serious socio-economic problems and concerns in his blog.

Read his latest post on the May 2010 Election Concerns: An Online Interview with Mr. James Jimenez

"My Blog is my alter-ego, the online me: where I share some of my rants, senseless commentaries on everything I see, hear and smell..." he says this of his blog.

He is also an incredibly versatile poet who could shift easily from composing an erotic poem to a pristine, virginal poem like this one.

Thanks Elmot for accepting my invitation for a guest post, and for this refreshing and invigorating poem.

Photo by Tumble Fish Studio

For My Blogging Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:56:00 +0000

I am Lyle, The Struggling Blogger had declared falsely.

Writing to Exhale, he skedaddled into his Sugar Coated world.

You see, he was Born on a Syzygy too that’s why he is a Third World Geek

It’s all a Matter of Perspective really.

And I would not blame his friend, Zorlone, if he thinks upon Reflection:
that he’s got to visit Ceblogger’s Sports Blog instead of hanging out with him.

The good doctor is a badminton enthusiast, you know.

Kelvinonian ideas on the other hand, might work as a Pamatay Homesick for him.

And Tales from the Mom Side usually comfort people.

But if it does not, then reading the Yatot Chronicles might do the trick .

Or he might be needing an exercise and A Walk in the Dark would rejuvenate his soul.

And if everything else fails, then he should hop over to Pinoy Sounding Board.

This would definitely save the day for his transient stay in this mundane existence.

And here's a related article about MY NEW BLOGGING FRIEND, are you in it? Read and discover.

Don't Ask Me Why

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:12:00 +0000

By: Roy dela Cruz

Don't ask me why I love you,
I just do.
I love you not because you love me back
I just do

Although I may not say it,
Sometimes It may not show,
But believe me,
I do

I love you not for the caring
Nor the thoughtfullness you've shown,
Not for being there
At times when I'm low!

Not for taking care of my children,
Not for making me a home
and not for being patient
of all my imperfections.

Please don't ask me for reasons
'cause I don't need them at all
Because loving you is itself the reason
And nothing else matters anymore

So don't ask me why I love you,
Because I do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Roy dela Cruz is one of the winners ( 3rd) of the Top Ten Emerging Influential Bloggers for 2009.

As I have kept mentioning, he has 12 blogs (not counting those at Multiply) namely:

Be Inspired Now!
Etsetera! Etsetera!
Kapampangan Blog
Money OnLine
more than just copy-paste
REFLECTIONS
Roysville dot Com
Short Stories Blog
Subukan Taya Ing Kapampangan!
The House Of Puroy
The Struggling Blogger
The Struggling Blogger dot Com

Roy is now into poems and short stories, just like his blogging friend Doc Z . This passionate blogger is a versatile writer as evidenced by the different niches of his blogs: He has a business blog, a reflection blog, a random thoughts blog, and many more. He could be serious one minute and then crack a joke the next. There is always the satisfactory feeling of "Eureka" - the "aha" syndrome - when one gets to read his diverse posts.

I admire his natural propensity and ingenuity for writing; and most of all I salute him for striving hard to fulfill his one most significant role in this lifetime - that of being a good and responsible father to his three kids.

To Roy, I give you a standing ovation!

Re: Inspirational Book Release

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:41:00 +0000

I would like to make an announcement regarding the Inspirational Book; there will be a slight delay of one - two weeks on the release of the book, due to some inevitable circumstances.

Rest assured your free copy will be mailed ASAP. If you have not sent your correct email addresses, kindly do so, through the EC dashboard or through my email.

The book is more of a journal type and is soft bound. Please don't expect glossy, colored pages due to financial constraints. What is important are the thoughts within the pages and the fact that it is a collection from all over the world.

Here are the final entries. If there are any questions, feel free to email me. Thanks.

1, "My Jeepney Ride to Church" by Zorlone
2. "Remember When" by Tasha Bud
3. “She Didn’t dance” by Roy dela Cruz
4. " Let's Vault in" - by Roy
5. "The Day We Touched the Sun" by Roy
6. "My Philosophy in a Bottle of Ketchup" -by Jan Geronimo
7. "Self-Confidence" by Holly Jahangiri
8. “Inspiration” by Nicholas Chase
9. “It’s Not Too Late” by Jean Knill
10. Nightmare turns into a dream come true - Jean Knill

11. "Television" by Francis Scudellari
12. "Blessed Martin and the Fridge by Ken Armstrong
13. "A Simple Theory of Communication" by Patricia Rockwell
14."The Weeping Girl" by Ray Gratzner
15. "Memories for my Mother by Durano Lawayan
16. "Inspiration 2" by Jim Murdoch
17. "An Angel in Each One of Us" by Angel Cuala
18. "One Decision" by Nancy McCarroll
19. "The Boy Who Saved Christmas" by Ma.Teresa Baniaga
20. "The Laughter of Grief" by John Rooney
21. "A Life Worth Living" by Irene of LifeLots
22. "The Curse of the Winter Mist" by Buraot
23. "Missing the Bus" by Ceblogger
24. "Keepin' the Love Alive" by Mon Paulino
25. "The Boy in the Window" by Brady Frost
26. "The Day My Students Taught Me a Lesson" by Gerson Garcia
27. " It's Just Me" by Richard Ryan R. Mergal
28. "My Philosophy in a Couple of Trilogies" by Luke Yu
29. "If I let go, I'm going to drown!" by Rey Rombawa Jr.
30. "How I Survived Raising My Son" by Jena Isle

This is the final list for the book. Yehey!!!

UPDATES: ( September 3, 2009)

This anthology is officially called a journal and not a book, as it has been registered as such with its ISSN . This would be in keeping with its yearly publication.

But whatever term applies whether it's a book or a journal - the contents are still the same for me and it will always be our first Inspirational Book for year 2009.

All systems are on the go, now!

The Video Aftershock

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:26:00 +0000

The tall, elegant woman greeted me at the doorstep.

“Are you Alex?“ She asked.

“Yes,” I said, eyeing her warily. “And you?”

“I’m Venus.”

What kind of a name was that? I thought, chuckling surreptitiously.
Women are from Venus and men are from Mars? Ha, ha, ha.

“Venus the Vampire, “she hissed as she bared her sparkling, sharp fangs at me.

I screamed and tried to shield my face from her advancing attack.…There was a loud thud...and then, I woke up.

The videos player was buzzing. I had forgotten to turn it off after watching that vampire movie… Horror movies are not for me. I always had nightmares after watching them.

I could not go back to sleep, so I decided to visit my favorite interactive site.

Forums and sites that promote interaction with other people in the World Wide Web community are very popular nowadays.

Thoughts.com is one interactive site that allows me to enjoy maximum interaction, easy accessibility to new blogs, posts and updated news, while controlling the information that I would like to reveal online.

I could also interact with various people and learn from them as they learn from me. The opportunity to increase my knowledge through other people is limitless.

The activity had calmed me down. I know I’ll be able to sleep soundly now.

It’s time for my beauty rest. Good night.

IT'S JUST ME

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:38:00 +0000

By: RRchard

When I was born I thought I was different,
After a few years I found out everyone is different.
When I started playing with others I thought I should always win because I’m the best,
But after some games I realized that winning doesn’t matter as long as you enjoyed the game.

When I first went to church I thought I should go because my family does so,
But after some time I realized that even if I don’t attend, those who love God will still attend
After graduating from the elementary I thought studying was just part of life,
But after graduating from College, I found out that learning is part of life’s necessities.

When I started working I thought that it is a must because I need to earn for a living,
After a few years, I realized that working means helping others achieve their goals.
Recently I thought that talking to people - especially co-workers - is just part of life,
Lately I realized it is part of our journey towards deciphering what life really is.

When I had a girlfriend I thought that it was just for company,
But after a few years I recognized that is just the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
When I married I thought I found a wife,
But as years passed I realized that I took in someone to serve.

After years passed I thought I’m starting to lose my identity as a husband,
But instead became a father to whom my children and wife rely on.
More than ten years has passed and at one time I felt that I have lost my wife,
But upon examination, found out that she became a mother not only to my kids but to me as well.

Hope that as time passes by, God would continue to reveal more about life to me,
As I struggle to retain my identity, dignity and honor.
Now I know that time is indeed short and limited,
But hope that each moment spent would matter not only to me, but also to my family and friends…

But most of all to the Lord God Almighty, my creator, redeemer and friend.

August 15, 2009, 8:36 pm

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

RRchard is young man of 35 occupying one of the junior positions in the academe. He's witty, fun to be with and one of the most intelligent persons I have ever met. He may dazzle you with his cognitive ability but he could also whip a joke or two in a jiffy.

He has only composed three poems in his lifetime, (for whom? - I could not reveal). This is the third one, so you must realize by now that his poems are like translucent shooting stars in the starless night; you'll never know, when you'll be able to witness their splendor again.

Read this soulful poem and bask in its meaning ... another poet is unveiled!

Let's all welcome RRchard to the blogosphere!

Photo by: stage88's photostream

Plotdog's WOOF Contest Results - August 7, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:31:00 +0000

It feels great to be second to a poet as talented as Doc Z. Zorlone congratulations! To Dragonblogger and Jennifer Scott, that goes for you too.

WOOF Contest – Top Picks
Poetry

Zorlone – “Three hours” - A poem about getting stuck in traffic on a rainy night.

Jena Isle – “You” - A blog - to truly exist - needs other blogs to survive. You is a poem dedicated to those who believed in my blog.

Dragon Blogger – “Twisted Creatures” - Rhyming child like poem about the insects of the night.

Jennifer M Scott – “Aurora of the Damned” - A surreal poem on life.

Fiction

Dragon Blogger – “Kendrick's Story” - A fantasy short story I wrote last week, my first one ever submitted to WOOF.

(WOOF participants should re-post all the links above by next Monday. The following links may be excluded as long as you include all the above links.)

Presenting the finest of the writer’s blogs by the bloggers who write them. Highlighting the top posts as chosen by the August 7, 2009 WOOF Contest participants. Want in to join the next WOOF? The next contest ends Aug 14. Submit a link to your best writing post of the last 3 weeks using the form on this page. Participants, repost the winning link list within a week and you’re all set.

Jedi Bloggers in the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:05:00 +0000

The Jedi Bloggers (courtesy of Jan of Writing to Exhale), came out victorious from the Awards Night for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2009. The dust has settled down and there are collateral losses; nevertheless, the impressive results are all worth it.

Congratulations to the organizer of the writing project - Janette Toral - for the wonderful adventure and for the valuable lessons learned.

These are the Top Ten Blogs for 2009

Writing to Exhale
Patay Gutom
The Struggling Blogger
Zorlone
Father Blogger dot Com
Kelvinonian Ideas 2.0
Tales from the Mom Side
Adaphobic
Lakwatsero
Let's Go Sago!

We would like to thank everyone who voted for these remarkable blogs. These are all “must-read” blogs; you must hop over and peruse their rousing and thought provoking posts.

Special mention goes to the Jedi Bloggers: Jan, Roy, Zorlone, Kelvin, Dee and Angel (honorary member)

Here’s to a new breed of blogs who truly “breathe blog” (courtesy of Roy of The Struggling Blogger).

Here is Dr. Lorenzo Bernardino's - aka Zorlone's heartwarming speech during that momentous event. It is an extemporaneous, touching delivery of a blogger who has carved his name from being an unknown into what he is now - an Influential Blogger, who has provided inspiration and motivation for "would be poets" and creative writers in the blogosphere . Way to go Zorlone!

Congratulations again Doc Z, Roy, Jan, Kelvin, Dee, Angel and the rest of the winners!

Thanks a lot for the mention. It brought a lump to my throat.
Video courtesy of angmakata (Zorlone) For more videos click on the link.

You

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:20:00 +0000

You are the moonbeam in the inky night;

the firefly of each wayward traveler.

You are the welcome shade in a scorching day;

the warm umbrage of refuge and love.

You are the sparkling rain in a humid weather;

the dewdrop in the morning dawn.

You are the joyful song in everyone's heart;

the promise of another fruitful start.

You are the one who makes my life complete;

the breath of life into my soul.

You are the quiddity of my being;

The one I would love forever.

I often wonder what am I to you;

the moonbeam or the shade of blue?

I guess this won't really matter,

just as long as I have you!

Just taking a break from the EIB , he he he. Congratulations to all winners and non-winners!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have voted for me:

1. Luke of A Walk in the Dark - "Life Is Not A Walk In The Park. That's The Universal law."

2. Holly Jahangiri of It's all a Matter of Perspective: Mine - "This blog is 99.3% truth, .7% blatant lies. Somewhere in between lies my perspective on life."

3. Yatot of Yatot Chronicles - "Life, blogging and everything in between..."

4. Tasha Bud of Tasha's Take - "My take on life, in general. I'd love for you to stop and stay a while. I'd love to hear what you have to say. So, come on in and have a seat. I'm right here, in my rocking chair, by the window. Before you leave, I'd like to say THANK YOU for taking the time. I enjoyed visiting and chatting with you. Thank you so much. You made my day."

5 Dee of Tales Fom the Mom Side Mommy Dee likes the following "Reading Playing The Sims2 Trekking Hiking Surfing the Internet Watching TV Series and Movies" and she writes about anything and everything under the sun.

6. Angel of Fatherblogger dot com - "My Family and everything that comes my mind."

7. Reica of Candid Mom Reviews - "unbiased. real. personal."

8. Patricia Rockwell of Subjective Soup - "A hearty mix of daily events, experiences, thoughts and feelings, seasoned with a hint of attitude."

9. Dia Rowena - Clinical Chemistry Blog Notes 17 "I'm just a simple girl who loves to meet people with different personalities. . I spill a lot of things and "Learned that the little things can make a big difference" "

10. Justin of Personal Blog of Justin Germino - "My Name is Justin Germino, I am also known as “Dragon Blogger”. I love all forms of entertainment, Movies, Television, Books (Especially Audiobooks), Role Playing (Dungeons and Dragons mostly), Music (Rock primarily, but all kinds Sting is my favorite musician)"

11. Dencios of His Name is Dencios - "I am not disappointed, it doesn't affect me...You can't be liked by Everyone."

12. Snow of Dear Bloggery - A Blogger’s Diary of Just About Anything!

and special mention to:
11. Ever of Pamatay Homesick
"Istorya,lugar,like's and dislike,kabaliwan,kuro -kuro,pakikipagsapalaran!,ng isang matinong baliw na nagpapakadalubhasa sa pagsusulat,pagkwento,at pagbibigay kaalaman sa damdamin working and living, na isang pinoy abroad!!!"

Ever nominated my Random Thoughts Blog which is DQ because of its date of creation. It was Jena Isle's Random Thoughts that was qualified.

Thank you guys for nominating my blog. I would have composed a poem for each of you if I had the talent of Doc Z's poetic inspiration, so I just dedicate one poem to all of you. More power and may the force be with you!

I Want To Enjoy A Tenerife Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:09:00 +0000

I had always wanted to travel around the world. To see the beautiful scenic spots in Northern Ireland, or travel to the verdant hills of Scotland or to the pristine Alps of Switzerland. It would also be a complete tour if I could visit the Rhodes or the Taba Heights and other similar lovely places.

The rolling hills in the movie “The Sound of Music” are one memorable place that has captured my imagination. I had always dreamed that someday, somehow, I would be able to visit this peaceful and wonderful place.

Something has come up that makes this dream, edge a little bit closer to reality. I could actually have at my fingertips thousands of available services I could select from with a click of my keypads; from hotels , to flights to holiday packages that are very cheap and affordable . I now could fulfill this dream of traveling to these dream places.

One trip I would absolutely enjoy would be the Tenerife holidays. Tenerife is a unique and exotic place to be. Now, my dream would no longer remain a pipe dream forever. I could actually select a cheap holiday that my pocket could afford.

"The Boy in the Window" - 23rd Story for the Inspirational Book

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 10:57:00 +0000

By: Brady Frost

Andrew looked through the lightly frosted window at the man inside, a shiver of cold rippling down his spine. He pulled his ragged jacket tighter around his skinny frame and rested his forehead on the glass. His breath created circles of fog which faded and reformed with each exhale. Soon the magic would begin.

Each night, as the last ray of sunlight slipped behind the busy city buildings, Andrew would make his way to the old man’s house to stare into the thinly paned window and wait, watching ever so quietly in the darkness. That old man, that wondrous magician who he had come to admire in secrecy, was once again preparing something magnificent. He entered his study in the usual manner, walking to the closet and shedding his olive green dinner jacket. He placed it neatly on a hanger and closed the door softly. His old fingers were wrinkled and tired, weary from a lifetime of tinkering at the sewing factory where he had tuned and repaired the machines that never quit. It was here in his study each night where he could finally escape the noise of the factory, where he could finally listen to the thoughts swirling around in his head.

Andrew shivered again and smiled as the old man sat down at his desk, his back to the window. He bent down and picked up the shoebox sitting next to him on the floor. He lifted the lid and pulled out a hardbound book and his special writing pen, just as he had for countless evenings. Clearing his throat he opened the book and thumbed through his earlier entries until at last he’d reached a blank page. There weren’t many left these days.

“Tonight,” announced the man, “we shall begin with the softest of ocean breezes.”

His pen touched the paper, and he took great care with each word as he wrote. A slight breeze blew around him, causing the papers on his desk and the notes tacked to the wall to flutter restlessly. Andrew took in a sharp breath and smiled. He’d never seen the ocean.

“The sky, lightly clouded, and almost as blue as the cresting waves,” the man continued aloud and the ceiling rippled and faded into the most beautiful sky Andrew had ever laid eyes on.

“No, not blue.” The sky jittered, the boy’s brow furrowed, “A perfect sunset!”
Andrew gasped in delight as the crackling blue twisted and turned, finally disappearing into the most wondrous oranges and reds. And so it continued until the man sat at his desk, not in the small house just outside the factory district, but on a beach, staring off to where the cool ocean met the burning sky. He leaned back in the creaky, old chair and closed his eyes, wiggling his toes in the wet sand. After a few moments of relaxation the man leaned forward and closed the book. The cries of the gulls and chorus of waves lapping at the sand faded away, then the room melted back into an old man’s study.

On the way home, Andrew trudged through the snow, still thinking about the magical beach and the waves that had washed away his cares. A harsh wind tore him from his daydream and he pulled his worn jacket tight, put his head down and scurried homeward. His mother would be waiting.

“Aye boy, and where have you been off to this evening?” She chided in her sweet, motherly voice.

Andrew smiled and motioned for her to come near. “A beach Mum!” He whispered, his face beaming with delight. “A real beach!”

She smiled back and turned, “Help me out with my strings.”
Andrew blew warmth into his cold hands and set to work at untying his mother’s apron. Her eyes had looked especially tired this evening.

“Pa’s home, isn’t he? Andrew asked.

She glanced behind her and then nodded. “Wash up,” she said. All traces of her smile faded.

They sat at the table in uncomfortable silence. The only audible sound was the occasional clanking of dishes or utensils. Andrew stared intently at the cabbage and potatoes on his plate, focusing on not making eye contact with the gruff man across the table.

His father was often described by his friends as a fearsome coal miner, loyal friend, and the best damn drinking fellow if ever there was one, but here at the dinner table he was sullen and easily irritated. Andrew had grown to appreciate the weeks his father was on shift, but felt like a prisoner in his own home every third week when Benjamin Carter was on outward rotation. It was during these weeks, just as the purples and blues on his mother’s cheeks were beginning to fade to a sickly green and yellow, that they would again regain their color. The last time his father had come home he’d brought Andrew his own purples and blues. It had been to toughen him up, he’d said. He did not like the idea of his son staring into the window of an old man’s study. Benjamin Carter was a coal miner; his father had been a coal miner, and his father before him. It was tough enough raising a family on miner’s wages, especially when you drank like a Carter.

“Been stayin’ away from that old man?” He peered over the rim of his third pint.

“Yes Pa.” Andrew lied.

“You lying to your old man?” His father glared dangerously.

Andrew’s eyes dropped to his cabbage and he poked it with his fork.

Later that night as his cheek burned against his pillow and the swelling felt fit to break skin, Andrew’s thoughts were with his mother. She was taking the brunt of his father’s drunken rage now and he wished he could shut out the yelling, wished he could take her away with him to the old man’s study where magical things happened. Maybe they could run away, maybe they could escape. He closed his eyes and wished he had magic of his own.

He did not return to the old man’s window until his father had left for the mine again. Instead, he took on chores from Mr. Parker, the man who owned the newspaper he sold papers for. The extra wages paid for a few trips to the pub for his father and saved any additional trouble at home. No one asked about his blackened eye or his split lip; he was a Carter, they all knew better.

It was Saturday evening and Andrew hid behind a large, old oak. He waited impatiently for the man to walk down the narrow lane. Had it been a whole week since he’d last spied upon the enchanting magic that sprang to life inside that window? It seemed as if he’d been waiting for ages before the man came down the darkened street, but as he drew near, Andrew couldn’t help but notice a new spring in his step. He seemed particularly happy to be headed home this evening.

Shortly after the front door closed to the cold, Andrew quietly made his way to the window, careful not to arouse the suspicion of nosy neighbors. The man was already hanging his jacket in the closet. Something was different tonight; the man seemed very relieved, as if a large weight had been lifted from his chest. He nearly pranced as he made his way to the chair. Andrew couldn’t help but smile at the comical sight and let the warmth of the window glass on his forehead melt the turmoil that had built in his heart during the previous week.

The man sat at his desk and picked up the old picture frame he often looked at while writing. Andrew never could quite tell what the picture was, but he was sure it meant something special to the man. He set the frame back down, adjusted it slightly, and leaned over to grab the old shoebox by his side. He removed the lid and held up the book within. It was as old and worn as he was, and Andrew suspected it brought the man as much comfort as it did to him, perhaps a little more. He rested the book on his forehead a moment, seeming to tune his thoughts to its wishes, and set it on the desk in front of him. There were few pages left in the volume and Andrew found himself wondering what the next book would look like when this one was finished, but he was soon whisked away to a crowded city street and let the thought slip from his mind.

It was midmorning in the small study and he could hear the sounds of traffic through the sheet of glass. A large commuter bus rolled across the room and came to a stop. When it drove off into the distance a man and woman were standing behind the bus sign. She wore a fancy black dress with a yellow umbrella. He couldn’t help but think how beautiful that dress would look on his mother. She’d be at home now after pressing clothes all day in the Laundromat. She’d be tired but she’d be starting dinner without complaint. He closed his eyes and imagined her tying her apron strings before rolling noodles on the counter. She could have been that woman, Andrew thought to himself, if only she’d chosen a different life.

When he opened his eyes again the man was talking to her. He appeared very businesslike in his tan trench coat.

“A private investigator,” Andrew whispered aloud.

“Might I interest you in brunch?” the investigator asked the attractive lady. A street vendor selling fruit materialized out of thin air behind them.

“Thank you.” She answered.

The investigator turned to the vendor, and when he’d paid the man, he tossed her a shiny red apple. She nearly dropped it in surprise; she obviously wasn’t used to such crude behavior.

“A mystery…” Andrew sighed. The weight of the past week was still heavy on his mind.

The man stopped writing and the city froze in place. He glanced at the picture on his desk once again and drew a line through the text, making a small correction.

“Might I interest you in brunch?” the investigator asked the attractive lady. The street vendor looked up from his cart and smiled.

“Thank you.” She answered.

The investigator turned to the vendor, and when he’d paid the man, he tossed her a banana. She nearly dropped it in surprise; she obviously wasn’t used to such crude behavior.

Andrew smiled, “A comedy!”

When the story finished, Andrew wiped the tears from his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so hard. The old man leaned back in his chair and took a deep, fulfilling breath. He placed his writing pen neatly into the shoebox and closed the book. There were so few pages left, enough for perhaps one last story. The box slid into its familiar place on the floor beside him and Andrew snuck off, away from the light of the window.

While walking home he wondered again what the next book would look like. Would it be the same leather bound cover or would it be something new? What new stories would lie within its blank pages? His stomach rumbled in the darkness and he suddenly realized how terribly late it was. He broke into a sprint and didn’t stop running until he reached the door. He walked inside, still breathing heavily, and removed his coat and boots. His mother was sitting at the table with her head in her hands. Her apron was already hanging on the nail and his soup was sitting on the table; tendrils of steam still weakly swirled from its surface.

The air was thick with a tension he’d never felt with his mother before. She seemed more tired than he’d ever seen her, broken somehow. Without a word, he washed his hands and sat in his chair. For a moment he sat in silence before looking up at her. She was crying.

“I’m sorry, Mum,” he said, but she didn’t budge.

All at once he realized that she wasn’t crying because he was late for dinner, no, this was something bigger. Maybe Pa died, Andrew thought, but quickly pushed it from his mind. He stared at his soup in silence.

“You can’t go there anymore, Drew.” His mother’s voice startled him as it broke the eerie quiet.

“Mum?” he asked.

“No more beaches, no more cities, no more mountaintops. You sell your papers and you come home,” she said with tears in her eyes. His father’s handy-work still showed plainly on her beautiful face.

He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. Things would never be the same between them. Never again would she ask him to help with her apron strings and never again would his heart leap to see her. That night he didn’t sob into his pillow like he had the week before, but he cried harder than he’d ever cried; silent tears that signaled the shedding of his boyhood skin.

The next day, while selling papers, Andrew couldn’t stop thinking about the old man on the lane. This man, to whom he’d never spoken, now seemed to be his only friend. It was with a heavy heart that he walked past the empty house and his familiar waiting spot behind the ancient oak. He’d never watch the last story of the book unfold, never see the cover of the new book or the new adventures it might bring. He pulled his jacket tighter around him and walked home, stopping only once to look back.

Dinner that evening was as quiet and awkward as it had been the night before. Afterwards he went to bed early and thought about the last story that he had missed that evening. In his dream he was the old man in his small study in the industrial side of town. His back and fingers ached after a long day in the factory; his ears still rang with the clanging of machinery and the drumming of hundreds of sewing needles. He sat at the desk and pulled out his magic book and his writing pen. There were so few pages left. Feeling an uneasy sense of being watched in his subconscious, he slowly turned around, the book still in his hand. It fell to the floor with a thump and Andrew lurched upright in his bed when he saw the face of a young boy pressed against the window pane with little circles of fog forming around his mouth and nose.

The next day Mr. Parker asked him to help move the printing press once he’d sold his papers, already a double load. When Andrew had looked a little unsure, he’d even offered to stop by to tell his mum he’d be helping at the shop while he was on the rounds. At this Andrew had agreed, as long as she knew he’d be at the shop instead of catching a glimpse of the old man’s new magical writing book.

He didn’t quit working until late that evening. The old man would be sitting in his chair at this desk by now, writing beautiful stories. Unable to resist, he turned down the lane on the slight detour that had become habit over the weeks. He still remembered the first night he’d made that detour. Mr. Parker had asked that he make a special delivery to an old friend. He’d made it worth his while, the trip had earned his father a night at the pub and probably saved his mum a purple and blue.

He’d walked down the lane and up to the step of the small house and placed the paper against the door, just as Mr. Parker had instructed. It was then that he’d heard the clanging of swords and the battle cries from within. When he’d crept over to the window under the cover of the bushes, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Now, for the first time, the lights of the small house were off, no battles waged within, no one was laughing or crying, it was just another house that created a lonely silhouette against the dark sky and polluted haze. Something was wrong.

Andrew crossed the street and snuck up to the cover of the bushes. Inching his way through the branches, he looked into the darkened room through the cold glass; no warmth met his skin this evening. Everything seemed to be in its place. The closet door was shut, the chair neatly tucked in, the picture frame still on his desk, and the shoebox… the shoebox sat in its place but the lid was askew. Something inside him told him that the book would not be there. He stood in the light of the moon, losing all sense of time. His last friend, the one he’d never even spoken to, would never again return to his study to write in his magical book. A tear stole down his cheek, followed by another and then another, until his eyes stung with grief. As he wiped the salty streaks on his sleeve he noticed his many footprints from weeks of standing, watching. Then, just as he was about to turn away, he saw it; a shoebox beneath the windowsill, tucked under a limb of one of the bushes.

He knelt down and pulled the box into the moonlight. His fingers fumbled at the lid; he was shaking now. Inside he found a black leather-bound writing book, a pen, and a small note: To the boy in the window.

He sat down hard, his head dizzy. This only seemed to confirm what he’d already suspected. He would never see the old man again. His shakes turned to shivers, but he didn’t care. The old man had known he was there all along, but how? He pulled the book from the box and stared at the cover. It was different than the one the old man had written in. The leather cover of his had been brown.

As he cracked it open a tiny sparkle escaped and floated upwards. Andrew watched it with wide eyes as it drifted towards the sky until it vanished. He stared back down at the book in his lap and opened it now so it lay flat upon his legs.

Then, just like that, he was no longer hiding in the bushes outside the old man’s home, instead he found himself in a dingy waiting room. He smiled as he realized that this must have been the old man’s last story. Somewhere in another world he was still outside in the cold, but none of that mattered now as he stared at the room that had grown around him.

“Mcdurmot, Phineas Mcdurmot?” A fellow in a white coat had stepped into the room.

The old man had been in the corner, hiding behind the pages of a well-read book. He nervously slid a small piece of paper into the fold and tucked it into his pocket as he stood.

“Yessir?” He asked.

“I’m Doctor Livingston, I’ve been going over your test results,” the man said.
Phineas looked at the doctor expectantly.

“I’m afraid I have bad news.”

The waiting room dissolved and the two men were gone. Andrew was now sitting in the study. Even though he knew it was nothing more than an illusion, he felt strange finally seeing it from the inside, as Phineas had seen it. He walked over and touched the glass. The cold of the night threatened to come in, licked at his fingertips, but the warmth of the air around him kept it at bay, for now at least.

Startled by the sudden sound of a closing door behind him, he turned to see Phineas at the closet. His eyes looked defeated and weary, much as he’d seen his mother’s eyes look whenever his father was home from the mine. He sat on the floor and watched as Phineas removed the scrap of paper and place the book he’d been reading in the waiting room on the shelf, watched as he moved to the desk and stared at the picture frame. Andrew could see now that it held a picture of a cottage surrounded by waves of grain and a boy he presumed to be Phineas as a child. He sighed and sat in the creaky old chair. After a moment’s pause he reached down and pulled the writing book from its shoebox on the floor

When his pen touched the paper it began to rain inside the study, it was bitter and cold. The roar of hooves on the sloshy battleground surrounded them and the first clangs of steel upon steel rang out. The men in dark armor were overpowering the haggard knights on their own battlefield. Their king was now surrounded but fought valiantly onward, desperate to save the lives of his men.

Andrew realized this was the part in the story that he had heard from the doorstep. The familiar face of the warlord emerged from the ranks; his voice triumphed over the clashes of battle.

“Lord Phinfaer! You will be defeated this day, this glorious dismal day! No one will remember you or your kingdom! These lands now belong to The Brotherhood!”
The king fell to his knees as an arrow pierced his lung. The man leapt forward.

“Cousin,” Lord Phinfaer coughed, “why have you done this?” He raised his sword in weak defense.

The man knocked the blade to the ground and the fighting ceased around them. The sounds of battle were replaced with silence; victory and defeat were now at hand. He pulled a long, curved dagger from the scabbard on his belt and grabbed Lord Phinfaer by the hair. The tip of the dagger stopped short of the king’s throat and he shouted to the masses. “Because I can!”

The battle cries of his men were deafening. Phineas stopped writing and glanced back up at the picture frame. To his surprise he saw the dim outline of a boy’s face pressed into the window behind him in the reflection of the glass. His eyes were wide in dismay. It felt strangely welcome to once again write for an audience. The pen touched the paper once more and the triumphant smile on the man’s face melted into an expression of shock and disbelief. Lord Phinfaer had seized that very moment of vanity to plunge his own dagger, his last resolve, into his murderous cousin’s unprotected side. He might very well die on the battlefield, but at least his men would be saved. They would always remember him as a hero. He would never be forgotten.

Phineas closed the book and returned it to its box. He placed the pen inside and returned the cover. When he looked back into the glass of the frame, the young eyes were gone.

A few more episodes played out in the study, memorable events where Phineas had studied the boy’s expression in the reflection. Each passing day left fewer and fewer pages in the book, the metaphysical story of his life. In the end, Andrew realized, Phineas had needed a friend just as much as he had. The story concluded and he found himself back outside the quiet house. His hands and feet were freezing and the pages of the book were now blank. He closed the cover and placed it back into the shoebox. He no longer felt frightened or alone. He had stopped shivering now and for a moment he considered leaving it all behind, underneath the branches of the bushes where he had hid on so many cold nights. Taking a deep breath, he stood and turned toward home in the darkness with the shoebox tucked securely under one arm.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

BRADY FROST is from Utah, USA. He is the author of "Hunting the Muse: A Creative Writing Blog", a blog about writing, short stories, poems, and many excellent articles.

"Brady Frost started writing from a very young age, his first story “The Lion and the Turtle” was ‘published’ on Mrs Shupe’s 1st grade bulletin board outside the classroom for the entire school to read. His stories often focus on a brief snapshot of the human condition. "

Here's what he says about himself:

"I'm 29 years old and live in Utah with my wonderful wife and three beautiful children. I'm an aspiring writer dedicated to the pursuit and perpetuation of Creative Writing. Journey with me on a literary adventure, we'll discuss subjects such as writing habits, advice, contest submissions, and ongoing work to name a few!"

He's one writer who can turn a drab incident or a common story into an unusual one like his "Zombie Story" and his "Old Poems" which are a joy to read.

His articles about writing, like "Writing for Love" is a brilliant piece. It shows he's a good father and a loving husband.

Visit his site to read more.

Photo 1 by Olga_Dietrich
Photo 3 by r.f.m II
Photo 2 by *Suse*

Part 2: "Keepin' The Love Alive" - 22nd Story for the Inspirational Book,

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:03:00 +0000

By Mon Paulino

As a normal couple we encountered many problems especially during the first ten years of our married life. Different problems need different solutions. I need to eke a living to financially sustain my growing family.

Evelyn, my wife didn’t know how to cook at that time so I did all the cooking. One time while I was taking a bath I heard a loud explosion. I hurriedly went out to check what happened. She boiled a pot of water and it had dried up which resulted to an explosion that catapulted the pot skyward. It was a good thing nobody was hurt. This is just one of many funny incidents we encountered that made our union exciting. We complemented each other perfectly. I was on the talkative side and she was the silent type.

That was at the start, but now it’s the other way around.

One of the most challenging segment of our married life was the last quarter of the year 1988. My wife was pregnant then with Melvin and I was assigned as a Store Supervisor in Baclaran. Our manager was Charlie a certified womanizer.

Charlie’s wife was a very feisty lady; the staff would all come to know when they had a fight the night before because he would be wearing a long sleeve shirt the following day to cover the fingernail scratches he had received from her.

He would always ask me to do things for him. It came to some point that I had to wait for him in a bar with a woman he was wooing while he was trying to escape from his wife’s close guard (ala Jaworski).

He would leave home only clad in undershirt to avoid suspicion. He would already prepare a formal wear waiting for pick up at our branch's guardhouse. Got the picture?

I almost always arrived home late at night reeking with alcohol that led her to suspect me of having an affair with another woman. Our fights became so frequent that made me think of doing it to justify her suspicion. She became the woman I never knew she would become.

We can’t stop.
The feelings to strong.
We’ve got the will to hang on.
Can’t stop.
We struggle and fight to survive.
Keepin’ the love alive.

Christmas Party, December 31, 1988

I was in high spirit that morning because I have made a promise to my wife that I would go home early for us to be able to attend the midnight mass before eating our Media Noche. I informed my boss of my promise to my wife and to my two children, he gladly gave his consent.

But as Fate would have it, while in the middle of our Christmas Party, my boss was caught by his wife sitting on a lap of a saleslady in a compromising situation inside the office. We all knew what would happen later in their home.

My boss would be fighting a losing battle but before he rushed home he instructed me to wait for him before going home myself as I had promised my wife. I had no option but to wait for him because our party was being held inside our store.

I have lost count how many bottles of beer I was able to consume while waiting for the arrival of my boss.

I felt helpless and quite frustrated I could not contact my wife to explain my side and I knew she wouldn’t believe me. I am a man who always keep my promises but now I felt a different man under Charlie’s leadership. So many promises I made were broken for covering up for him.

Was I dreaming?

Two big slaps on the face awakened me that brought me back to my senses. Seeing the face of my wife made me think I was home. I was trying to recall how I managed to come home. Before I could utter a word she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

Seeing all the shoes around me made me realized I have slept in our store and my wife came for a visit and had delivered those stinging, hot slaps on my face.

After a few minutes more Charlie arrived telling me how sorry he was and that I could go home and spend my day off.

I arrived home finding all my stuff inside two suitcases. Our door was closed, she won’t let me in and she wanted a separation. I was totally devastated because she won’t listen to my explanations.

God may have all His angels keeping a tight watch over me because this problem was resolved in a week’s time. This is a classic example of a problem that goes out of hand not on your own making, but by circumstances beyond your control.

We must not let our emotions overrule our mind in making decisions. Give your partner the chance to speak up and have an open mind while listening.

Then February 28, 1989 I was promoted and was assigned to handle our Taytay branch. Another problem happened as I wrote here: When my Faith was tested

In all those challenging struggles of our married life, I never asked for help from my in-laws and neither did she.

I had worked so hard for the financial needs of my family that you can name any business with earning potential and I had joined them.

I even became a manager of Tupperware - a direct selling business in a record time of 1 1/2 months after joining them. The picture at right shows my promotion to Baby Manager; Year 1999!?

It was also at this stage that I believed I had earned the respect of my in-laws. They are now encouraging my wife to work so that she could help me in raising our family.

Of course I objected because I promised myself that I would do everything for her - in keeping our love alive; for fighting for our love till death do us part as we have said in our marriage vows.

She’s now a good cook who could whip up Chinese, Ilokano and Tagalog dishes. Her specialty is mami and I can boast that it tastes like you’re eating at a Chowking Restaurant.

Yes there were temptations in my line of work but my strong belief in the law of karma always reminded me to stay on the right path. “You reap what you sow”. I don’t want any member of my family suffering because of my past sins.

Presently, we just enjoy each other’s company and always do the things we love to do - such as cooking.

Being open with each other helps a lot too.

We never fight over money.

We try to solve every problem that comes our way in a more diplomatic way.

There were usual fights like ordinary couples but I never inflicted physical harm even in the heat of my rage.

I remember one time, In my anger I punched our kitchen door made of double plywood. I hit it so hard - ala Manny Pacquiao - that it broke - and so did my arm. I never repeated that again. Sakit ata nun!.? (that had been an excruciating pain)

We are now planning to build another room in the ground floor of our home in preparation for the time that we could not climb to our second floor room?

Old age is fast approaching!

We never got rich but we are happy and contented with what we have. We have 5 grown up kids and three of them are now professionals, 2 more are both in High School.

The financial pressure of having a family somewhat diminished.

As I see it now, after 25 years of blissful marriage, we are still the same like when we were young.

Only the number of our age changed but feelings are still the same. Our constant communication over the phone or through text is a practice we never planned/wanted- but it became a habit.

Last July 10, 2009 we celebrated our 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary in Singapore. My daughter Mae gifted us a trip not to Jerusalem, but to Singapore.

A four- night- 3 day- visit to the Lion City -Singapore that started from July 10 - 14, 2009.

This has made this wedding anniversary special.

So friends I appreciate all your greetings, prayers and support but this time I prefer to accept cash. Hahaha!

Please don’t forget to sing “One Day in Your Life” for me and my wife!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mon as fondly called by his online buddies is a down-to-earth, passionate and indefatigable blogger. He is the vibrant apogee behind the blog - "Fatherlyours".

He says: "I am Ramon, 49 years old writing for FatherlYours.com to share my experiences, frustrations, happiness, success as a Father to my 5 healthy and Lovely creatures called Sons and Daughters."

I admire Mon for his dedication and loyalty to his family and friends. He is the responsible man that every family wish they could have.This story depicts family life and how it should be.Thanks Mon for this extremely significant contribution to the Inspirational Book. Family should always take the topmost priority in our lives.

"Keeping the Love Alive" - 22nd Story for the Inspirational Book

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:55:00 +0000

By MON PAULINO

I am not really the type of person who takes time in counting the years of our wedding anniversaries. But my daughter Mae makes our (25th) Silver Wedding Anniversary special.

Why? I’ll tell you later.

I’ll tell you first our love story and how we ended up from worst enemies to friends, and then lovers.

9 years of being steady plus 25 years of married life and still going strong is perhaps a record of sorts here in our country. Maybe we have grown tired of hearing other married people fight and getting separated that’s why our married life works - yes!

No! I think we become closer because we don’t discuss things that bother us but we talked them over. We spent a few minutes discussing things that happened within the day, before going to sleep.

We know each other so well that we give time and space when the need arises, without each one asking for it. I encourage her to go out and join her friends when she get invitations; to spend time for herself to break the monotony of a stay- at- home mom. She grants the same courtesy to me.

The Story :

She was our neighbor - the quiet type. She seldom came out of their house. My friends then were her two older sisters because I was two years older than she was.

I used to call her “Labo” because she was wearing thick eyeglasses. And she called me “Palito” because I was thin and quite a joker during those days. Our constant quarrel and bickering made our neighbors’ and friends’ day complete.

Our neighbors used to tease us every time our path crossed because they knew that we hated each other. I really don’t know why and how the hatred started.

When the “Kabataang Barangay” was first established by then President F. Marcos I was duly elected as the first Chairman and she was elected as one of my councilors. I was not aware that she had campaigned for me.

Then we became members of Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD). Here I had to learn how to play the guitar because my voice was not made for singing. She was assigned to fetch the kids for Catechism classes and to serve refreshments afterwards. We managed to be civil with each other in those occasions because we were always near a Priest.

She was studying in Mapua during her High school days and I was studying at Manila High School.

One day, I was riding a jeep on my way to school when I noticed that the girl seated next to me was wearing a Mapua uniform and she was my mortal enemy.
That moment though, I realized that this mortal enemy of mine was a lovely lady, and I started to shift my gear and be a friendly gentleman. I was on my third year of High School then (maagang lumandi! hahaha!).

I was already in my fourth year of high school and she was in her second year when she realized that she loved me too!

Our theme song was a song by Michael Jackson “One day in your life”. The reason why “Jacko” would always be part of my life.

Please sing with me!

Then her parents find out our secret love, the story now becomes “You and Me Against the world“.

So on our first 5 years of being sweetheart we broke up three times. It was always my fault for falling in love with other girls and making the mistake of being caught. I had always been a happy go lucky guy that her parents never saw anything good in my person.

The third time we broke up had me crying during the night but I had to show no emotion in front of my friends. I was not able to eat and sleep that I realized that the lyrics of the song by “Hotdog” titled “Pers Lab” was so true.

"Di na makatulog
Di pa makakain
Taghiyawat sa ilong
Pati na sa pisngi
Sa kaiisip sa’yo
Taghiyawat dumadami"

(Why is it that when we are young we always associated our emotions with a song?)
Maybe those things and a lot of other petty quarrels had made us closer to each other and provided an inevitable bridge for us to come to know each other very well- like the palm of our hands.

So to cut the story short, we got married at the chapel of Sta Cruz church with only a ring bearer in tow and a pair of Godparents. The chapel was being used by the Parish Priests in their daily personal prayer.

In attendance was my mother, her parents (despite their objections) some close friends and relatives. The Choir where I belong sang in that very solemn occasion.
The reception was held at Modern Restaurant just across Sta. Cruz Church.

Would you believe that we started our family with only P10, 000.00 in savings? Part of the money was used in our wedding expenses including payment for the reception . My best friend Roland’s car was used as the official wedding car which we both decorated with flowers bought at Dangwa. See, sariling sikap talaga!

TO BE CONTINUED

N.B. This story has been featured in Mon's blog but it deserves to be included in the Inspirational Book for its focus on the joys of family life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mon as fondly called by his online buddies is a down-to-earth, passionate and indefatigable blogger.
He is the vibrant apogee behind the blog - "Fatherlyours".

He says:

"I am Ramon, 49 years old writing for FatherlYours.com to share my experiences, frustrations, happiness, success as a Father to my 5 healthy and Lovely creatures called Son’s and Daughter’s."

I admire Mon for his dedication and loyalty to his family and friends. He is the responsible man that every family wish they could have.

This story depicts family life and how it should be.

Thanks Mon for this extremely significant contribution to the Inspirational Book. Family should always take the topmost priority in our lives.

Top WOOF Picks for July 6

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Justine, Zorlone, Jennifer and the rest of the winners, congratulations.

Way to go, guys!

WOOF Contest – Top Picks

Prose / Fiction

Jennifer M Scott – “Dreaming of Eve” – This story is for mature audiences for strong language. sexual situations and violence just wanted to forewarn you. a woman is haunted by her former boyfriend.

H. Benjamin Petrie – “Is this Love?” - A stream-of-consciousness piece aiming to combine a Raymond Carver-style relationship story with James Joyce-style internal monologuing.

Webbielady – “Blue Moon” - At last!

Poetry

Dragon Blogger – “Who Will Make Coffee” - Funny and humorous poem about a volunteer brewing a pot of coffee.

Zorlone – “Untamed beauty” - One cannot claim full knowledge behind a woman's smile. "Looks like the girl is full of mystery..." - Snow

Free Spirit – “Armageddon” - When earth is too filthy to live in...

(WOOF participants should re-post all the links above by next Monday. The following links may be excluded as long as you include all the above links.)

Presenting the finest of the writer’s blogs by the bloggers who write them. Highlighting the top posts as chosen by the July 3, 2009 WOOF Contest participants. Want in to join the next WOOF? The next contest ends July 10. Submit a link to your best writing post of the last 3 weeks using the form on this page. Participants, repost the winning link list within a week and you’re all set.

Other WOOF Contestants for 07/03/09

Prose / Fiction / Novel Excerpt

Jena Isle - “Chapter 1Umma Ayam Sinsana (Where are you now?)” - A true to life novel about Kalinga.

Jena Isle – “Chapter 2- Umma Ayam Sinsana (Where are you now?)” - Chapter 2 of the story of the Kalinga man.

Redrogue – “My Antipatic Colleague” - She is on the verge of hating her until the reality comes into view... What she's going to do now?

Poetry

Jennifer M Scott – “Candlelight Red” - A poem inspired by the words candlelight red.

Zorlone – “Last night” - "Without pain, can there be any real sense of joy? Without darkness, would we even understand the concept of light? This is a writer's curse and blessing, to feel things deeply and to make others feel them through our words." - Holly Jahangiri

Dragon Blogger – “Hurt Lives” - Poem about difficulty and staying the course in ones life.

Dragon Blogger – “Lost Drug Addict” - Random word poem including 19 random words about someone who slips into drug addiction.

CHAPTER 3 - UMMA AYAM SINSANA (WHERE ARE YOU NOW?)

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:11:00 +0000

Technorati Profile
You may want to read Chapter 2 first.

“ Mr. Benedict Lomiwan is hereby voted as president of the class,” the instructor announced.

It was barely his third week in the University, but everyone in class already knew who he was. It would be impossible not to! He always got the highest scores in their quizzes - even in algebra - which everyone considered “very difficult”.

It was in Algebra and English that he excelled - a deadly combination. Some students were good in Algebra but not in English, and vice versa. Only Benny, did good in both and that made him an “Exceptional” student.

He knew that by being in the Dean’s List of scholars, he would do justice to the sacrifices of his parents and Fr. Belucci.

He had enrolled in A.B Political Science as he had plans of becoming a lawyer someday. College exposed him to the various cultural minorities in the country and people were less discriminating because of ethnic origin.

Image from: Free Digital Photos
It was a cultural activity in the University and he was in his native costume - a g-string. During school days, he went to class in clothes everybody wore – warm and comfortable city clothes, and it was the first time he had to wear his native costume again. He had looked forward to it.

“Hey Benny, I’d cover myself if I were you,” someone from the crowd teased him, “half of the girls in class would be asking for a date next Monday.”

Benny just smiled and waved. He had always been proud of his heritage, even when other people had looked down upon him. He stood tall among his peers; his sinewy muscles, bulging in the right places. He had a handsome face – dark fringed eyes, sensuous lips and a slightly crooked nose that complimented his other features to perfection. He was almost naked, except for the g string around his waist and his private parts.

They started beating the gongs and Benny led his barrio mates in the “taddok” (native dance). His g-string undulated with his every movement and the crowd cheered excitedly as his group of dancers circled the plaza. It was a joyous and festive, cultural dance. When it was done, there were rivulets of sweat on Benny’s face.

“I think you need this,” a voice from behind him intoned.

He turned and stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on. For the first time in his life, he became speechless.

“C’mon, use it,” the woman smiled reassuringly, proffering the handkerchief in her hand.

He reached out for it and wiped his face with one swift motion. His racing heartbeat slowed down a bit. “ Thanks, I’m Benny Lomiwan, Miss…” he extended a hand.

“ Call me Julie, Julia Santos,” she grasped his hand firmly.

The contact sent shivers through his spine. “Good God,” he thought to himself, “this is not me – going all weak over a woman.”

“ Your group was good,” she was saying. “I am sure, you will win the grand prize.”

“ We danced to share our culture not for anything else,” he replied with a smile.

She flashed white even teeth at him. “ Well, nice meeting you Benny, see you around,” she said, and she was gone.

Whew! what was that? He shook his head in amazement. He had never imagined himself going gaga over a woman. It was a strange feeling and he was totally taken by surprise by the new emotion. He would have wanted to know more about her. He released a long drawn sigh to calm his nerves. Well, he had to forget about her, he had more pressing priorities to think about.
************
February came. It was the coldest month of the year. He was growing accustomed to the gelid, city air. He had anticipated that it would be cold, but not these bone-freezing temperatures. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought he was abroad and not in a tropical country. He had layers of clothing on; but still, the cold air permeated his skin and gnawed at his bones.

The University’s first semester went according to his plans. He was able to maintain his academic scholarship well into the second semester. Fr. Belucci took charge of his board and lodging in the University’s dorm for boys. He also deposited in the bank a monthly allowance for him. He knew he was lucky to have a benefactor in the person of the priest and had expressed it openly the last time the old priest hugged him goodbye.

“ Get a good education and look after your own people,” the generous and benevolent priest had said. “That would be enough payment for me.”

And that was what he wanted to do that Saturday night. He had been secretly contacted to a meeting as a Youth Representative regarding the building of a dam in the Chico river, which may pollute its clear, pristine waters . It was a clandestine meeting as powerful political forces were bent on pushing through with it. The dam- supposedly- will provide electricity for the neighboring towns.

“ Are you Benny?” his train of thought was broken.

He eyed warily a burly man accosting him.

“Yes, “ he replied.

“Come, they’re waiting,” he said and started to lead him to a parked car.

He was about to demand an ID from the man, but thought, “What the heck, if it’s time for me to go, I’ll go, no matter what I do.” and he quickly followed him.

(to be continued)

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CHAPTER 2 - UMMA AYAM SINSANA (WHERE ARE YOU NOW?)

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:41:00 +0000

( If you still have not read chapter 1, do read it here.)

As soon as they arrived in Lubuagan, Guinnaban was baptized to Christianity by Fr. Belucci and named Benedict - after St. Benedict. To Guinnaban, the name symbolized hope and courage - and he liked the sound of it!

The abrupt change of environment though, had made him and his family uncomfortable. There were sad moments that they thought of going back to the simple life in the barrio. It was difficult for them to adjust to the ways of the progressively booming town. The good priest however, insisted that they stay on as he knew Benny was a brilliant boy who could pursue a much needed education for the sake of his people.

The following school year, Fr. Belucci enrolled him at the Parish secondary school.
On the very first day, Benny was already taunted by his classmates. “Hey, what’s your name?”

“Benedict” he would reply.

“Benedict? that's a fancy name, huh? Far from your ugly, Kalinga name.” then the group would roar with laughter.

“ Let’s see if you can live up to it, “ laughing, they would leave him speechless at the center of the school’s quadrangle.

They frequently picked on him and made fun of him. “Here’s the native,” they taunted and ridiculed him.

On the 5th day of school, Francis the most intelligent of the class, challenged him to a spelling contest. Benedict was reluctant to participate, as he was brought up by his parents believing that a truly brave man did not have to prove himself.

But the whole class jeered at him:" C'mon, you - from Taloctoc, let's see if you know something, " and they refused to allow him to leave the room.

Thinking that it would do no harm to anyone, he accepted the challenge and stayed. They unceremoniously pushed him beside Francis; he could see the beads of sweat mushrooming in Francis' excited face as he gleefully grinned at him.

Each of the students started yelling words for them to spell.

"pneumonia," one shouted.

"Use the chalk dumbo! Write " Francis snarled at him, "Let's see if your teeny weeny brain recognizes words."

" psychology"

Images from: All Free Clipart

"gobbledygook"

"millennium"

"minuscule"

"sacrilegious"

There were two students assigned to both blackboards to check what they have written.

After each word, the uproar grew lesser and lesser as Benny had been able to spell the words correctly.

Unknown to them, since Benny's first day with Fr. Belucci, he was allowed to use the old priests' personal book collection. He devoured them like someone starving, and spent every free time savoring each page of the variety of books available for his perusal. He even started reading theology!

"And what is this all about?" a voice thundered from the doorway.

Everyone turned to meet Mrs. Garcia's unsmiling face. "What are you up to, now Francis?" her piercing stare made Francis wince.

"Err... we were just having a spelling contest," he was meek as a lamb in front of Mrs. Garcia.

The teacher took one long look at the board and said sternly, " the two of you, come to my office, right now." Her manner was succinct but there was a hint of pride in her tone.

Francis got most of the scolding as Mrs. Garcia was aware of his boisterous behavior at times.

"Let me finish what you started," her voice was gentler now and there was a twinkle in her eye.

"Spell liaison" , she motioned to Francis.

Francis stood at attention and proudly blurted out, " L - I - A - S - O - N" .

Mrs. Garcia - her face expressionless - nodded to Benny .

" L I A I S O N", Benny enunciated each word deliberately.

The teacher happily tapped the shoulder of Francis, " Now we have a new champion, Francis ," she strode towards Benny and intoned excitedly, " You are correct! I have high hopes we will win the championship this year. From now on, both of you should work together."

As days laboriously passed , it was evident that academically, Benny performed better than Francis - to the other one's obvious chagrin. In fact - he was the best in all categories - be it in Mathematics, English, Literature, or Music.

He had an eye and a heart for all extra-curricular and academic pursuits. He was the Grand Champion in the Math Quiz bee, the Spelling Bee and had won the Short Story Writing Contest sponsored by the English Society.

He then earned their respect and admiration. No one dared to taunt him anymore. Everyone wanted to be in his list of friends.

He graduated from St Theresa’s College as the Valedictorian of High School Class ‘ 76; with 6 medals: the gold, the leadership medal, the Insular Life gold, the Best in math, the Best in English, and was awarded "The Most Outstanding Graduate."

(TO BE CONTINUED)

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GO BACK TO UMMA AYAM CHAPTERS

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CHAPTER 1 - UMMA AYAM SINSANA (WHERE ARE YOU NOW?)

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:57:00 +0000

By: Jena Isle

The mournful chant reverberated through the small four walls of the hut…” Aieeeee”.

Guinnaban - 9 at that time - was cowering in the eerie shadows. He was staring at the wrinkled woman wailing for the gaunt, pale corpse laid on the long table. The head of the corpse was at a grotesque angle, almost totally severed from his body.

“ Uma nangwa kansika anna?” ( Who have done this to you?) the woman wailed even louder.

“Aiieeeeee”….. everyone joined in and the hut became a cacophony of mournful cries.

The barrio captain motioned to the elders for a conference and they filed outside, their faces grim and murderous. Outside, a heated and frenzied debate took place.

Finally, the barrio captain raised his arm and shouted amidst the din, “ Intakkon no, umma uwayon yo, ittod tako kanida de kingwada.”( Then what are we waiting for? Let’s avenge his death.)

And so a full blown “tribal war” had began.

Guinnaban, grew amidst these bloody chaos caused by two warring tribes, who both fought for domination over the municipality. He accepted it as a way of life: the constant refuge in the deep forest even in the stillness of the night when the “enemy” had come to attack and the code of silence even when all he wanted was to protest at the top of his voice at the injustice of it all - these had become routine occurrences for him. And at age 10, he had stood as a sentinel on one of the night watches.

The “enemy” did not select their victims. Women and children were not spared by their avenging spears and bolos. Men had their heads always severed from their bodies, as a symbol of victory. The victor would bring home the grotesque, bloody head and would proudly display it like a trophy in their barrio. The warriors would dance gleefully around it till the wee hours of dawn. Head-hunting was normal and considered a warrior's noble deed.

It is for this reason that women and children did not dare venture outside their barrio’s perimeter unless escorted by warriors.

He was 12, when a Belgian, missionary priest , Fr. Carl Belucci, visited their far flung barrio. Everyone was wary of him. What did this white haired man with a long aquiline nose want with them? He was not the enemy surely but might he be a spy? No one wanted to welcome Fr. Belucci and his companions to their nipa huts.

Guinnaban could not explain what prompted him to approach the priest, “ You are not here to help us, are you?” he queried, his big round eyes - probing and curious.

“I am here not only to help, “ the priest said in his soft, mellow voice.

Guinnaban believed him. At his age, he had a keen perception of people. He can perceive just by looking at people's eyes, whether they were sincere or not; and he knew, the priest was his salvation.

From then on, Guinnaban served as the altar boy in each Holy Mass the priest celebrated. He began to listen to Fr. Belucci and learned that there is salvation for everyone, even for his enemies.

The elders however, were too far gone to forgive and forget whatever the sins of the past were, and continued with their thirst for vengeance. Some younger men, pleaded with the elders to forge a peace pact with the other tribe to end the senseless war.

They started proceedings but it seemed that their efforts were futile, there was still no vestige of reconciliation.

It was at this time that Fr. Belucci was called back to the parish church in town as it was becoming increasingly dangerous for him to stay on, in the barrio.

“Do you want to come with me?” Fr. Belucci asked Guinnaban, two days before his scheduled departure.

“You can continue serving as an altar boy and can go to school simultaneously.”

“But what about ina and ama?” Guinnaban wanted to go, but feared for the safety of his parents.

“They can come with you.” The old priest patted his head.

So on that gloomy, Monday morning, Guinnaban and his parents got what little was left of their belongings and joined Fr. Belucci in his 5 hr-trek to town.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

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A Zany Cinquain from Zorlone - A Replay of His First Poems!

noreply@blogger.com (Jena Isle) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:16:00 +0000

Oftentimes we come across someone who has real talent and we know in our hearts, we just have to share this with others - with the blogosphere.

And this is one of those instances in which I was so taken by the talent of this young man - LORENZO BERNARDINO a.k.a. ZORLONE - that I decided to blog about it!

To confirm my personal judgment, even the writing community at Helium.com has recognized his talent with his very first article entitled Writing for the Love of Writing , and had ranked him highly. His "Signs Your Wife is Cheating on You" is ranked 1 by Helium writers, and to think he isn't married yet. Need I say more?

This poem was written by him - impromptu.

Oh, I forgot to mention that he is a practising medical doctor, specializing in internal medicine. Isn't that amazing? A superb combination : A doctor-cum-poet!

Read his Cinquain and be the judge.

Here's what he says:

My attempt at cinquain:

Foreplay
Passionate game
Frustrated feelings unfold
Overwhelmingly delightful expression unfulfilled
Foreplay

another one:

Coffee
Warm beverage
Every sip invites
Satisfaction of another company
Coffee

A Blank Verse he composed in high school.

Troubled Grief

P012493-01220128M

As the day stood still, woke up with a chill

And my hands are stiff, this body is adrift

Alone I felt and deep inside I cried

Chains are too tight, such truth I can’t deny

Such pleasure it was when I have found you

Lovely, sweet, unforgettable and true

All those treasured times I know we all had

I never did want to say our goodbyes

I don’t want to leave these friends in my arms

For we are destined to be together

If we separate, there will be no peace

But our hearts will remain in troubled grief.