for the curious

follow this link to my new blog:

http://ferdibee.multiply.com/journal

fr. ben

i've known fr. ben villote since i was in grade school. first through his writings, then through correspondence, then i journeyed to his center for migrant youth in the mid-1980s. late last year, he wrote to me saying he was moving the center from sta. mesa heights to fairview, quezon city, closer to my workplace. i kept wondering if they did move until i stumbled across this article. through him i learned about the taize community in france, met some urban do-gooders, and had a roof over my head when i was a wide-eyed college grad stepping out in the big city.

here and now

after that whirlwind trip to north america a month ago, quickly followed by the christmas season, comes the credit card bills. horrendous of course. i braced myself for it but the reality is still jolting. consolation: the trip's memories and impressions are priceless.

here are some things i have set my sights on for 2006: (1) to live away longer from this country because i think familiarity has bred much contempt and so that there won't be any regrets, (2) to be more honest with people i work with (allowing one's kindness to be abused is deliberate cruelty to oneself), (3) to travel more, (4) to write more for my own reasons, not necessarily professional, and (5) to trust the workings of Divine Providence more than my own worries and contemplations.

2006

well. so the first blog has gone off in a rather unceremonious fashion. the start of the year deserves a stab at fresh starts, new hopes, etc. so why not another blog in an increasingly blogged world, eh?

spent new year's eve with a. at home in quezon city. cooked spaghettti and smoked salmon sinigang, to be ingested with choco mousse and green tea or iced tea or both. finally found the opportunity to watch The Motorcycle Diaries, Alfie and About Schmidt on video. on new year's day we dropped by good shepherd for mass in the afternoon and picked up the results of my very late-year blood and urine test (sugar okay but gotta watch the cholesterol and uric acid) . a. was very knowledgeable at how to interpret the mucus threads and creatinine present in urine.

the neighborhood is extra noisy this new year. or i'm just getting older. i didn't seem all that noisy years ago in up village.

had dinner with bembem and dindo yesterday. bembem's second kid is a joy. not a prima donna at all, very observant, and happy baby. the food was great at taste of l.a.

water and power rates are going up. burp! happy new year.