A simple and active life in the countryside can give so much meaning

Living in Eckental in the outskirts of Nuremberg, Bavaria has definitely its immeasurable benefits- fresh country air, tons of spaces to explore on my bike both in the neighbouring villages and the forests. The route I love best is cycling through thick pine forests, cherry tree orchards, corn fields, hops on climbing frames, working farms emitting the smell of cows and chickens, and seldom encountering another human being.   I then stop at our outdoor gym in the forest for some physical exercises. Final break is right on the edge of the fishpond, where I lay my mat for meditation. More often than not, I could hear gallops of horses with their riders or dog walkers in their morning routines. At times when I meet somebody we pause for a brief chat talking about subjects like edible forest vegetation or meeting parents of children who went to the same school as mine, so we update each other. We then carry on with our respective directions.  Isn’t that just glorious?

Many a times, I get very amusing reaction from people upon seeming me with my Asian appearance on a bike and speaking proper Deutsch! I bet they must wonder- How often does that happen in the countryside?

Some few years ago, not aware that I was suffering from distressing bouts of depression caused by malfunctioning thyroid glands, I found solace spending hours in the forest, doused in sunshine. Well, yes, from springtime to autumn.  It was only after I got tested that it was established why I felt the way I did.  If I didn’t have my ‘forest kingdom’ to uplift my spirits, I wouldn’t know where I would be today.

This simple and active life spent in solitude still continues to give me so much meaning in this world of ours filled with uncertainty, tribulations and trials.

 I do wish I can share this with people with the view that they, too, will find joy and bliss in simple living.

F--- the Past!

I don’t know if many feel the same as I do about long, cross-continental flights. I know of many people who dread the thought of being cut-off from the Internet (withdrawal symptoms from Facebook or Twitter!) but that will soon change with telecom companies offering such services inflight.  For me,   I see it as ‘down time’ where I can completely chillax, nobody can contact me. Heaven.   I can catch-up with reading my ‘Psychologies’ digital magazine, being served ahead of everybody else because I pre-order my Veggie-Vegan meal.  Oh no, don’t get any wrong ideas, I fly economy but flying with Singapore Airlines with its incomparable superb service, the confined space becomes insignificant. Although, flying Business Class would be desired, of course!  What I most look forward to flying with SQ, is the in-flight entertainment. First, being welcomed on board and then watching the lovely (handsome!)  well-coiffed, elegantly dressed, friendly crew is in itself a feast to the eyes! Then it has the best and extensive line-up of films, music and TV programmes. In short, one is aptly and amply entertained throughout the 12.5 hours journey from Changi Airport to Frankfurt.   Geared up with my Philips noise-cancelling earphones, I am away in the world of amusement.

Amongst the many choices to select from, I started  watching a romcom film, Man Up with Simon Pegg (Jack) and Lake Bell (funnily enough my namesake, Nancy) where Jack mistook Nancy for his blind date where she found herself ‘playing’ along unable to free herself from the charade . Although she did make several attempts to clarify the embarrassing situation but, hey, it has to come to an awkward stage to make it a romcom.  

One will ask, why go for a blind date?  In the film, they both have unhappy love- life past, so a blind date (as it is commonly practiced nowadays) is the best alternative. They spent a fun and enjoyable afternoon-evening where they really connected with each other and a promise of a spark was evident.  They both share the most compelling set-back in their lives - their past dictates the present. So they both made a pact to let go and announced to ‘Fuck the Past’!  However, a situation came to a point where the truth had to come out that Nancy had ‘pirated ‘the identity of his date.   Jack finally got to meet up with the original date but it’s not to be, so, to cut the story short, they ended up with each other. But that is after a series of nail-biting chasing.

I thought I’d share this story because I could fully identify with it. I, too, met my husband in a blind date 34 years ago. It was love at first sight and we were deeply in love. The problem was we both live in different continents (Europe and Asia) but love prevailed. Four months after we set eyes on each other, we decided to move on to the next step-live together. Whirlwind, indeed! I prepared to move to Germany to start a new life. You see, when you’re young and in-love, you believe nothing can go wrong. Of course, things will go wrong. One of the causes where things can go so badly wrong is how our past experience tends to become the basis of the present. I was in a very, very foreign country with a strange language with no one else I knew except my boyfriend, then.  I did go to the Goethe Institut to learn German before coming over but that did very little to my self-confidence. At the beginning of our relationship, we went through massive difficulties because we were both nursing the pain and hurt from our past. We did not realise that we were allowing the unworthy, useless past to ruin the beautiful love we found in each other. It was only after countless hours of talking through and deciding that the best to make our love bloom is to ‘Fuck the Past’!

However, the past filled with wonderful memories ought be cherished with fondness.

Apologies for the profanity!

That must have worked for us as we are still together after 34 years. But not without colossal challenges! 

Have a good weekend.

Make Happiness Yours

Many of us welcome the new year with well-intentioned resolutions only to find that after 3 weeks we revert back to the old self. Right? A study was made that brought about this so-called Blue Monday which is the 3rd Monday in January where people feel so letdown with their failure to stick to their resolutions for change . Of course, it has been debunked.
Well, for me it was not a case of a failed resolution. It is more than that. In fact it is life-changing and it's looong overdue. So now having gotten over the bump, I am ready to re-start. And with that, I am embarking on this mission. That is to be an instrument for enhancement, change, modification or just in simplifying people's lives.
I will be sharing tips of all kinds here. These tips are the result of an accumulated life experiences in various places, stages, roles and in general just as a person.
I hope I can achieve what I am aiming for here.
so let's start. First tip is on happiness.
According to the Dalai Lama, each of us is entitled to be happy. So how do we attain it? Happiness is a mind-set. To be happy, you need to be aware of how you view happiness is. Could it be peace of mind, warmth in your heart, acquisition of material objects, people around you, being in power, being out in nature; there are many, many sources of happiness but only you alone can decide. It is however very essential that your concept of happiness is based on your very own value and not trying to fit in with somebody else's.
So that's something to think about for you today.
Have a happy and fulfilling week. Smile, it feels good to do so..

A Mother's (in-law) love

One of the biggest blessings I received was being whole-heartedly welcomed and accepted as family despite being a stranger. Thirty-three years ago,just before Christmas I appeared into the lives of Robbie and Betty Griffiths in Beer, Devon, UK. They did not know much about me as it was the first time they were meeting me, so they sat me down and kindly asked a few questions.  For folks who grew up with Victorian values (which is very conservative) , I was so taken aback with their calm demeanour posing questions to somebody whose origin seemed so foreign to them. Despite this seemed awkward situation, never was I made to feel uncomfortable nor intimidated.  Once it was made clear that their son, David and I were going to get married, I was told:Well, in that case you better call us Mum and Dad. From then on, I was treated more like a daughter than an in-law. 
Dad was a man of few words and had a very dry sense of humour. Coming from the Philippines with a strong American influence, at first, I struggled to understand and appreciate the British accent and sense of humour. But I was given allowances for my learning process. Because of their patience, I never felt uneasy asking about things I wasn't familiar with. 
When we were in the UK, we would go for day trips around Devon and Dorset which gave me an invaluable opportunity to know the places and enjoy their company.
 enjoy,

All through the years, Mum has been a mother who showed me what unconditional love is all about; a teacher, she taught me the British etiquette and the proper way of doing things, a mentor, from her I learnt so much about gardening and many handicrafts, a friend, who always had an open ear and mind to my troubles and a terrific Grandmother to my children.
Today marks the 8th year of her passing away. She maybe gone but she is always in my heart.

Life is a Jeepney Ride

As my first entry for this blog, I think it would be best to explain why Jeepney Ride. Coming from the Philippines, I feel a strong affinity to the Jeepney. It must be the cheapest form of transport one can find in the world. A fare of a couple of pesos, I can get to downtown Bacolod (my hometown) with the entertainment of the local radio station roaring the latest pop hits or a local political commentary. One has to take a ride with this iconic form of transport to be able to understand what I’m trying to say here. Jeepney drivers are the only breed of men who can multi-task! Honestly. Not only does he drive through the chaotic traffic but he also functions as fare collector! Whilst driving, he collects fares from boarding passengers; who most often do not give the exact fare amount so he had to give the change back. Imagine this; he has to do sums (mentally) to give the correct change to the paying passenger whilst manoeuvring in the traffic. As innovative creatures, Jeepney drivers fold the money bills they receive into strips around their fingers so they have an idea how much they have made so far. The coins are held by a small open wooden box in front of the steering wheel for easier access and viewing. They are so talented.

Here’s a photo of the Jeepney:

Although jeepneys are prevalently used in the whole country, I will only confine this blog of this specific subject to my city, Bacolod. The city is divided into areas where jeepneys ply their routes but most of them end up in the Central Market or we call it Downtown. In my younger days, my home in Homesite was so far that it was out of range for jeepneys, so we used to walk to the nearest stop where jeepneys turn up. This was in Punta Makiling in Baranggay Villamonte and this was also the end point destination of that route. But then when it was our Suki (regular) driver, upon seeing that most of the passengers are from Homesite, he would drive all the way to the Taytay (the bridge), entrance of the subdivision, making the walk home much shorter. The fare then was 5 centavos one way. As I was never good at managing my finances then, I used to be short for my fare, so I would wait for one of the Suki (regular, hence familiar) drivers, nicknamed, Long Sleeves for a ride standing up so I didn’t have to pay! Long Sleeves was a character on his own right. He was given that name because no matter what the weather was, he always wore long sleeves shirt! I’ve always wondered why he wore them but never mustered enough courage to ask him. His expression was sort of ‘ suplado’ (grumpy) to the grown-ups but he was fine with us, young kids. Though he hardly spoke he seemed to get understood by using his head (literally)–either nodding or shaking. Quite an extra-ordinary man he was or is (not sure if he is still alive).  I should thank him for all the free rides I had!

Riding the jeepney is a good social vehicle because you get to meet old friends, neighbours or even enemies who happen to jump in. From my home, some get off in front of the Burgos Market, others at West Negros and then others get on to go downtown. It is sort of special treatment to passengers because you can ask the driver to stop wherever you want to be dropped. All you have to do is shout, Para (stop) a few metres where to stop. This way, however, is the cause of traffic chaos because the jeepney will stop right in the middle of the road without considering motorists behind!

Looking back, I’ve had a couple of horrendous experiences riding a jeepney at night with my older cousin. One was a drunken man pointing a knife to the driver for his day’s income. I still remember sitting there frozen whilst my cousin covered my eyes to protect me. Another time, two men and a woman were fighting and one of the men held a knife on the woman’s throat. We had to stop somewhere near the cemetery which was on the route for them to get off. Apparently, it was a love triangle! I could have written a novel about them then.

Times have now changed not only in my hometown but all over the world. However, jeepneys are still around. People are still people and we experience life as we live it. So let’s keep on riding the jeepney, literally and metaphorically. Enjoy the journey and who knows what experiences we might encounter!