Verses of my Memoirs

A white figure walked in
she was wearing white dress with white veil.
She nodded when she saw us
assurance that there was nothing to be afraid of.

At first, she smiled and then looked at us one at a time.
we were all afraid because we did not know what might happen.
She handed us the papers
and then she said “ You may now start taking the test”.

While answering, thoughts run through my mind..
what if I fail, what if I pass….
failing means that I would not be able to go to high school,
passing means that I would be far from my family..
These thoughts were lingering..
I did not notice…time was over
she asked us to pass the papers.

A white figure entered the room..
she never had the chance to loose that calming smile.
She opened the envelop
and read the names of those who made it.
Jonald R. Lubao(Did I hear her correctly?)
I was not wrong..I passed the test.

Two weeks after, I came back.
My parents were with me to bid goodbye
I could see that they were sad..
could not let go, feeling bad..
but they had to…I had to.

Weeks passed...I made new friends.
We were all under the guidance of St. Charles
all of them were nice and big bro was nice too
Sister Cecilia was strict-looking but if you get to know her more..
she was kind and giving. She was our sister, our mother.
But one day she had to say goodbye
because she needed to go to Mexico
for she had a new endeavor….
she was chosen to mother our brothers and sisters in Mexico
for Fr. Al had built a new home there.

On my second year..we had to move home.
We transferred to a bigger place in Silang Cavite
the new place was fantastic.
Pineapples everywhere, ripe mango fruits falling from the tree.
We planted corn, beans etc
And during harvest time, the feeling was ecstatic.

Third year passed and then finally I’ve reached the end of my stay.
I graduated on January, 1994.
I was excited but a little bit sad because that meant
that I would be going out from the fence of my comfort zone.
Afraid of things that lie ahead of me,
I still did not want to leave my mother’s lap.
She protected me from particles that may harm me.
She nourished us with love and care.
She was like the mother hen who kept us under her wings
when she sees a hawk is around.

As I stepped out of the big railed gate
I promised that one day I will come back.
Not sure when and how but I knew
That one day, I will see her again.

Sixteen years had passed, never heard of anything from my mother
I became busy with the outside world
until one day, I bumped into someone at the mall.
He was so certain…he knew me!
I faced the guy with blank expression. I was retrieving every single bit of information
That would tell me that I knew this man.
He uttered his name and there it was-flashbacks poured over me.

Oh my! He was one of my brothers.
My heart was filled with happiness.
He did not have haste, we talked about everything.
Until he said that our mother was calling all his sons and daughters
for her special day.

Here I am excited to go back to the womb my mother had carried me.
I could not wait to meet my loving family
I could not wait to tell my story
I could not wait..
At last I will be home again.


JONALD R. LUBAO
ST. CHARLES
5th BATCH-1994
"Verse of Memoirs" is my memory of my high school life.

A DOT AND A BLANK PAPER

We are born with the gift of sight
Beauty of a flower brings you delight
Seeing things that are around you
Defining and identifying different hues.

Eyes help you see…
Help you decide…
Assist you to choose…
See a person’s aura..
Help you judge people...a human being.

Don’t allow yourself to have your eyes fooled
Your eyes may equivocate and leave discerning mark
Leaving discriminating dot to where it may nail
It is not always what you see is what you get
Look to the other side to see what lies within.

Some of us tend to see the dot
The dot in the middle of wide white blank
A single dot stains the whole
Put the whole piece in the hole

That is what most of us
We based on just what we see
We criticize first
Based on what eyes could see.



“Do not judge, or you too will be judge.
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judge,
and with the measure you use, it will be measure to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye
and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me take the speck out your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5-7 NIV).

PAIN AND AGONY OF TONSILLITIS

Tonsils are lymph nodes, located on both sides of the throat. Tonsillitis can be described as a bacterial or viral infection that affects these lymph nodes. This infection results in enlargement of the tonsils. Tonsillitis can be of varying degrees of seriousness - mild, moderate and severe. In case of chronic tonsillitis, enlargement of the tonsils is often accompanied with repeated attacks of infection. A contagious disease by nature, tonsillitis can spread very quickly from one person to another. Some of the most common symptoms of tonsillitis are sore throat, fever, pain in the tonsils (especially when swallowing), runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing and sneezing. (http://www.iloveindia.com/home-remedies/tonsilitis.html)

I am still wondering until now how did I get tonsillitis. It is so painful and unbearable. I could not swallow well so most of the times I would have food that is easy to chew and swallow. My job requires talking to customers, Territory Managers District Managers and it is SOOOOO difficult to perform. The left side of my neck aches as well(I thought I had a mumps. Good thing it is not.) I searched the net for home made remedies. I was able to find some that I would like to try.

Articles about tonsillitis suggest if the inflammation of your tonsils occurs 3 times in a year for two consecutive years or you have five tonsillitis occurrences in a year that removal of the tonsils would be more appropriate(Tonsillectomy). There is another alternative to removing the tonsils completely-Somnoplasty. Somnoplasty is another procedure that would deplete your tonsils. A strong wavelength would be applied thus resulting to depleting of the two tonsils.

Well, I would not do that. I still want to be complete human being(hahahahahaha). I would stick to the home made remedies.

Home Remedy For Tonsillitis

* One of the best home remedies for tonsillitis includes a glass of warm water with four teaspoons of honey, a quarter teaspoon of common salt and a fresh lime squeezed in it. Drink it twice in a day.
* Another effective remedy would be to drink a glass of boiled milk, with a pinch of turmeric powder and pepper powder added to it, before sleeping. Have this for three nights in a row.
* Combination of carrot, beet and cucumber juice is beneficial in curing tonsillitis. Mix 300 ml of carrot juice, 100 ml of beet juice, and 100 ml of cucumber juice and drink once in a day.
* In 50ml of milk, boil 12 gm of Viola odorata flowers. Strain the milk, cool it and drink. The strained residue is also useful in treating tonsillitis. Fry it in a little clarified butter and wear it around the throat, as a poultice, at night.
* In half a liter of water, add 2 tbsp fenugreek seeds and simmer it for half an hour. Let it cool for sometime. Strain the water and gargle with it twice a day. It would be helpful in treating tonsillitis.
* In a grinder, mix equal quantities of mustard, horseradish seeds, jute seeds, flaxseeds, barley and radish seeds. Make a paste out of the mixture and apply it over the tonsils.
* Burn a few twigs of water hyacinth plant, to produce ashes. Put the ashes in mustard oil and apply it over the tonsils. This is a good way to reduce inflammation.
* Soak the roots of white pea in water. Grind them after a few minutes. Drink this water every morning and then eat a chapatti, smeared with ghee.
* Scoop out the pulp of bitter tumbi. Now, fill the kernel of the fruit, from which the pulp has been removed, with water and keep aside for few hours. Drink a little of this water, everyday, for a week. This is an effective way to cure tonsillitis.
* Another useful home remedy would be to boil some dry figs and grind them. Add water to it, to make a paste. Apply it over the throat.
* In a bowl of water, add a portion of babul tree bark and let it boil. Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. Once cool, strain the decoction and use it for gargling.
* An effective home remedy would be to cut a lemon into two halves. Sprinkle some black pepper and salt on one of the halves and press it inside with a spoon. Keep licking the lemon till the entire juice has been extracted. Repeat the process two times a day.
* Consuming a diet comprising entirely of fruits, for three to four days, would help in treating the tonsillitis.