post-valentine thoughts

valentine came and went without making much of an impression. life just seem so placid and uneventful these days, so i barely even noticed. it used to be that this day would send me into a flutter. don't get me wrong. i have had my share of 'affairs of the heart'.

the funny thing is, what used to be so consumingly important and earth shattering then seem amusingly absurd and petty now. i guess we see things differently in hindsight. for now, i am contented with existing on a comfortable and even level. i miss the 'heights' of course but at the moment, i have other things in sight.

home thoughts from abroad

i have always liked this poem. written by robert browning, this poem perfectly captures the longing for one's homeland while traveling abroad. lonely hardworking expats can just substitute philippines for england, and presto–

Now that April 's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!

And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossom'd pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray's edge—
That 's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children's dower
—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

lounging around…

just taking a peek to see what my blog looks like.

i hope to use this page as a meeting place for friends and family members who might like to check up on me. every now and then, i'll be posting some updates here so that we can continue hooking up no matter where we are.

belated happy new year to all!  feel free to lounge around