Advent

Waiting, in the general sense of the word, is not very popular among many. But waiting for Christmas is an exception. The four Sundays before Christmas are usually full of cheer, hot chocolate, mulled wine, gift wrappers, presents, glitters, lists and more lists. The festivity is so contagious and commercialized that somehow along the way, its true meaning is lost. How ironic that from the asceticism of the Manger we now boast of an $11 million Christmas tree. A jewel-encrusted Christmas tree is a paradox. But I digress. This is the time for waiting. That's the beauty of this season. When every snow flake is not rushing to reach the ground. The fire flickering in no hurry. The winter nights in extended silence. We all await. Together.

In our stillness, let our hearts be filled with joy, peace and love.   

Mai pen rai

The mantra I lived by while in Chiang-mai. If Liz Gilbert has a word, I've got an expression. In different versions as spoken in different languages: in Kiswahili I subscribe to "hakuna matata", in French anything is "c'est pas grave", in Surigaonon I declare "way kaso", in Tagalog I claim "carry lang yan!". All of these do not necessarily translate literally to the same expression, but they all convey the same message to me- relax! In the imperative. I never realized how hard it is to truly relax. When you allow yourself to absolutely have no worries (hakuna matata), to take nothing as a big deal (c'est pas grave), to not mind (way kaso) and to just, be (carry lang yan). In Thailand I am often reminded that "mai pen rai". I still don't know what it exactly translates to, but I imagine it is in the line of "that's alright-never mind-do not worry-forget it-it's nothing..." and all else that might suggest the same. Not that I got myself into innumerable flurries to merit such advice, but it simply took me awhile to do what I intended to do in Thailand (and in everyday life) - to relax. So after I heard that said to me, by my husband included (he gets acculturated really fast) I tried to say it to myself, "mai pen rai". And it has become since then my "om".

When the head is quiet, the heart is at peace. Consequently, the sun is brighter, the weather is lovelier, the river calmer, the stupas grander, the temples holier, the caves darker, the mountains higher, the animals tamer, the food spicier, the shopping cheaper. Everything just becomes extremely beautiful. The truth is, it always has been. I just need to see it with an uncluttered mind.

Now I am back living on the edge. In a country with only a ceasefire agreement with its enemy, not a peace treaty. What a perfect place to say, mai pen rai!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Today in Seoul it's -3'C. Being born and raised in a tropical country, this temperature to me was unthinkable. But if you see me now, in my complete layered regala, you would think I've braved this weather all my life. That is just me taking it out on winter clothing. Underneath all that fur, I am cursing every negative degree found in Celsius. But tomorrow in just 3 clicks of my heels, I will be over the rainbow where it is 30'C. I will take no cellphone, I will check rien de emails, I will not log on Facebook, I will not blog. I won't have to cook a single meal for 10 days, there will be housekeeping, and I can wear shorts. Now that truly sounds like the other end of the rainbow when you come to think of it!

Where is that suitcase?

"When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be towards others" - Eda LeShan, children's author.

Multilingual Children

It's fashionable now that children speak more than one language. A big reason is parents who come from different countries speak different languages, another because families live outside their country that has another mother tongue or bi-country families live in a third country, and there are also a few who simply want to raise a linguist. Studies show that when you speak more than one language to a child starting at 2 years old, it will make him smarter. Studies also show that crack babies are not any dumber (compared to non- crack babies). Why Joan of Arc's mother probably lived on goat cheese, tuna canapés and wine while conceiving and yet came up with such an offspring as Joan of Arc! The irony is that parents don't have complete control over how smart or dumb their descendants will become. From utero to college, children are and will be a class of their own. I did write a blog earlier that the way we relate to our kids directly affects how they will be as adults. That is written purely in the context of parent-child relationship and has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with how many Einstein DVDs we let them watch, how elaborate our craft activities are or how many organic apples we give them and for that matter how many languages we try to instill or install in their heads. In fact, the manner of giving birth, C-section or vaginal, does not entirely affect their brain development. In the same way that it is not the amount of fish oil a mother gets while pregnant that guarantees a spot in Harvard Law School. Children will speak a language. Sometimes more than one. But whether that is telling of the sum of their Intelligence Quotient is debatable. Language is a skill. Intelligence is genetic. Children are from God.

This morning little Oliver put on a hat and said, "kalo" (a Filipino dialect -Surigaonon- word for "hat"). Awhile later, he was beckoning his toy horse "iriwa" 이리와 (Korean for "come here"). Mostly he speaks English because that is what we speak at home. But toddlers learn whether we want them to or not. And remember, they don't wear a watch. 

"It takes twenty years to become an overnight success." - Eddie Cantor

The Seeds We Sow

One of the most obscure advice I've ever heard about parenting is, ""try to look ahead and then look back". It only made perfect sense to me when I saw my children perched up on a tree last Saturday. One day, they will be full grown trees (looking ahead); what could I have done differently (looking back)? Our answers will be different. Every set of parents will have their own unique list according to values, personalities, and priorities. And no one is absolutely more right than the other. In fact, not the same list will be applicable to every child. I have two children, 20 months apart, one would think I easily flip through the same notes when I find myself in a fork when dealing with the boys. I do not. In fact I learned what I needed to know more about motherhood with my second child. And perhaps I might approach things differently if another baby were to come. What is true for all is, there is something we can do now. Not later. When the plant has grown sturdy and harder to tend. After all sowing comes first. And that's where we are. Always. No matter what stage and age our children are in. We are always sowing seeds (of truth, of love, of hope...). And them reaping. So what will you do differently that you can change now?

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Master Ooguay from the movie Kung Fu Panda

G20, Pilates and a box of Wine

The dust has settled. The airspace is now clear. Those dignitaries who stayed at the hotel next door obviously preferred to jaunt in their helicopters to the summit venue than use the electronic buses to cross over the Han River. I wouldn't mind it so much it they didn't fly over my house at 6:30 in the morning. But all's well that ends well. For instance, Hyundai and Kia cars will be seen rolling down the roads of South Korea along with their European counterparts very soon. Hello BMWs and Minis! Diversity makes a great tapestry, so they say. Not for the Fords and Cadillacs yet, anyway. (SK and EU shook hands on an Foreign Trade Agreement (FTA) but not SK and USA) At least Obama was in the hood albeit shortly. That day we felt the ripples of his coming in our street, I checked if Stan knew the man, so I asked, "Stan, who is the most important American?", decisively he replied, "Baba!" (his father). How about Obama? I clarified, "Oh he's American too", said my (almost) 4 year old diplomat. That got it straightened out. 

Joseph Pilates. I think he is an important man in the world of fitness. I didn't dare verify with my son, but I do think the Pilates method of body conditioning is smart. I say this because when doing Pilates one engages the mind (a lot) to make the body work. Such was Joseph P.'s philosophy "training the mind and body to work together toward the goal of physical fitness", otherwise called "The Art of Contrology". A system he developed in Germany in the 1900s tested by WW1 internees. That claim would be hard to beat! Today may not be 1918, but the Pilates method remains to be the secret of athletes, models, dancers, and mothers who want to lose their stubborn post postpartum wobbly bellies. It is not easy in the beginning, but as dear old Joseph would say "Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase". I wish he was wrong! But two months into it, and struggling to be faithful, my pockets of doubt are starting to fade. I am starting to see results; I am beginning to stand straighter, my movements more controlled, and I am just happier to feel more energetic each day. The best part about it is, the soreness that I usually associate with working out is not there. At the end of the day, all I get is a good night's sleep.

Especially with a soothing nightcap, like Burgundy. Last Tuesday was an Ajumma (아줌마; meaning "mother" in Korean) Night for my girlfriends and I. It was not exactly your usual  Mother Butler Guild type of meeting nor was it quite the Tupperware party kind of gathering but like all those, it was what you'd expect of a slumber party/girl's night out/exclusively-estrogen-only sort of an event. We didn't really go out to a bar or restaurant or a noraebang (노래방; singing room) like we've done in the past year, instead we stayed in one of the homes (the Man of the house being out of the country). We had a box of finger-lickin' good fried chicken, boxes of pizza, immense blocks of chocolates and large bags of chips. To lubricate all of these, we had a 7L box of red wine. That night, no one was keeping track of calories. I did bring up Joseph Pilates at one point and we all got on the floor and attempted to do The Hundred, but that was as fleeting as the FTA discussions at the G20 Summit could get. We did represent some of the world: Azerbaijan, Philippines, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand and the United States. And if it were only up to us, we would have declared the end of war between women and food. Salud!



"When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" -Sydney J. Harris

Holidays and Observance

I've always been fascinated with them. Not only because I associate them with no work or (when I was younger) no school but because of the celebration they conjure. Growing up in the Philippines there seems to be always a reason to declare a holiday. My favorite is the absolutely meaningless "sandwich" holidays i.e. when Tuesday falls as an official holiday, Monday becomes a sandwich holiday. I love it! When I worked for the French Embassy-Manila I enjoyed the celebration of Bastille. When I lived in America, I loved Thanksgiving best; I still vividly remember my first Thanksgiving with the Montforts in New Jersey. When I lived in Ghana, I especially liked the Farmer's Day on December 1st. It was special to me because I lived with a farmer and his family, the Havors. When I lived in Kenya, October 10th was unforgettable. Moi Day. Just reading it makes me feel like I am entitled to do as I please on that day - thinking of "moi" in French - the day of Daniel Toroitich arap Moi (pronounced /moy/), Kenyan President. In South Korea, there seem to be countless Independence Days. I really have not gotten to the bottom of it all, but I like it that there are so many. What tops it for me is the South Korean observance of Pepero Day or Stick Day, celebrated on November 11 (11/11 stands for four sticks) a day to give loved ones cookie sticks dipped in chocolate. Ah! no other holidays in the world, contrived or not, can out best a day of cookies! On Stick Day, you don't have to dress scary or funny to merit a stick cookie. You just have to be loved. If that is not the best holiday in the world, I don't know what is.


"The holiest of all holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart, the secret anniversaries of the heart." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet