Rainbows, Happiness, Dorothy and The Fish (Are YOU STILL SAD?)

Somewhere Over the RAINBOW

Who could ever forget this song which became so popular because of the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz”? Everyone who has read the book and watched the film would really appreciate this song so much and would truly remember DOROTHY.

Originally "The Wizard of Oz" (a.k.a "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz") is a children’s novel, authored by L. Frank Baum and was published in1900. Since then, it has then been reprinted a million times. In 1902, it was played on stage and eventually was filmed in 1939. It remained a very popular fantasy film for many years. This paved way to popularize the name DOROTHY because it was the name of a girl who is the center of the story.

This film was well loved by many, maybe (or surely) because of the after taste that it leaves in the hearts of those who have read or watched it. I, myself have loved the story so much that I would love to share it to my son when the time is right.

A short review of "The Wizard of Oz".... and DOROTHY

Dorothy is a girl who lived with her Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and little dog Toto in Kansas. She always wished to just go away and have her own life with her dog. At that time, she did not appreciate the goodness of her own home.One day the farmhouse, with Dorothy and Toto inside, is caught up in a tornado and found themselves in a field in the Land of Oz. The falling house kills the ruler of the Munchkins, who is the Wicked Witch of the East.

The Good Witch of the North came to welcome Dorothy and gave her the Silver Shoes that the Wicked Witch of the East was wearing when she was killed. In order to return to Kansas, the Good Witch of the North told Dorothy that she will have to go to the "Emerald City" and ask the Wizard of Oz to help her.On her way,Dorothy freed a Scarecrow from the pole he is hanging on, restored the movements of the rusted Tin Woodman with an oil, and encouraged them and the Cowardly Lion to journey with her and Toto to the Emerald City. The Scarecrow wanted to get a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, courage. They all believed that the Wizard can help them. Together, they overcame all obstacles along the way.

When they arrived at the Emerald City, they are asked to use green eyeglasses by the Guardian of the Gates. The wizard showed himself in different ways every time he appeared to someone. To Dorothy, the Wizard is a giant head;the Tin Woodman saw a ravenous beast; the Cowardly Lion saw a ball of fire and the Scarecrow saw a beautiful woman. The Wizard agreed to help each of them, in one condition that one of them must kill the Wicked Witch of the West who rules over the Winkie Country.

As the friends traveled across the Winkie Country, the Wicked Witch sends wolves, bees, crows and her soldiers to attack them, but they managed to conquer them. Then, using the power of the Golden Cap, the Witch summons the Winged Monkeys to capture all of the travelers.

The Wicked Witch got one of Dorothy's silver shoes, Dorothy got angry and grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it on the Wicked Witch, who begun to melt. The Winkies rejoiced for being free from the witch, and they helped to reassemble the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. The Winkies love the Tin Woodman, and they asked him to become their ruler, and he agreed and promised to come back after helping Dorothy to go home.

When Dorothy and her friends met the Wizard of Oz again, he did not want to talk to them anymore. And with the help of fate, Toto accidentally tipped over a screen in a corner of the throne room, revealing the Wizard to be an old man who had journeyed to Oz from Omaha long ago in a hot air balloon.

The Wizard provided the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion with a head full of bran, pins, and needles, a silk heart stuffed with sawdust, and a potion of "courage", respectively. Not knowing that these items were really useless, it caused a "placebo" effect on them and has helped them to go on with their journey. In order to help Dorothy and Toto get home, the Wizard realizes that he will have to take them home with him in a new balloon, which he and Dorothy made. Revealing himself to the people of the Emerald City one last time, the Wizard appoints the Scarecrow, by virtue of his brains, to rule in his stead. Dorothy chases Toto after he runs after a kitten in the crowd, and before she can make it back to the balloon, the ropes break, leaving the Wizard to rise and float away alone.

Dorothy became hopeless and thought that she can't go home but The Soldier with the Green Whiskers informed her about Glinda the Good Witch of the South. Together, with her dog, they escaped the obstacles but almost losing Toto along the journey to Glinda's home.Glinda eventually told Dorothy that she had the power to go home. Dorothy and Toto returned home realizing that there's no place like home.

We are at times like DOROTHY, wishing to find happiness and believing we can have it elsewhere, and thinking that we can find joy by having some things that we don't have at the moment and leaving behind what we have.

"It's pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness.  Poverty and wealth have both failed." (Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard)

Sail upstream like the carp fish swimming up against the waterfalls...

The FISH...

"Happiness is a form of courage." (Holbrook Jackson)

I can still remember what my grandfather once told me about a fish most admired in Japan. I felt so down, so unhappy because of the pressures of being a teenager, and seeing him sick and bedridden was so difficult. One thing I remember most about my grandfather is that he was always so sensitive to how I felt. He always knew how I truly felt and always had the right things to say to make me feel better. Seeing me feeling down might have caused him to talk about the carp fish. According to him, the carp fish is considered as courageous and determined fish in Japan because it swims upstream, even against the flow of waterfalls. Because of their reverence to the fish, they even celebrate Children's Day in Japan every year on the 5th. day of May, by tying carp- shaped wind socks to their homes as a way to wish their children HAPPINESS.

In our own quest for happiness, we cannot achieve what we are looking for if we don’t have enough courage and determination to go against the waves of life and without the heart to just sail with the winds to find our own rainbows. Whenever you feel sad, go on and cry as much as you like. In reality, life’s like that, no one has ever had constant feelings of happiness. But don’t let it take you away. Don’t cry and feel sorry all your life, stay courageous and determined.

Happiness is in the small things that come to us unknowingly everyday... We may have long found our rainbows but never realized it at all.

... true HAPPINESS and finding our own RAINBOWS

 In this life, we can’t deny the fact that true happiness does not linger constantly. Although much has been heard and read about how to be happy and what happiness is all about, we sometimes suffer the blues, or even depressions brought about by the hassles and bustles in our day to day existence. And like Dorothy, we sometimes wish that we could just go away find our own rainbows and eventually be happy. We often lose hope, letting go of our own courage and determination.

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open." (John Barrymore)

We dream of a land that is hassle free… yet in the real world, nothing is hassle free. It is just that we fail to realize sometimes that only after the storms can we find rainbows and beyond the clouds are blue skies waiting to show up. Troubles don’t really melt like lemon drops, but who cares? We have God to help us to be sturdy enough and face whatever life may give us. We wish that clouds may be far behind us, but it would be better if we ask Him to stay with us and keep us strong as we rage the storms of life. We may envy the birds for their ability to fly yet we could have known that we’ve been flying without wings because of His love and the love of the people who truly cares for us. We complain of a boring life, yet we forget that the things we do and care for everyday are the things we live for. We are at times irritated with the people around us, never realizing that they are actually our reasons for holding on. They are the ones who stay with us through the good and the bad. We often forget the people who always pat our shoulders to inspire us whenever we feel down. As always, life is not a fairy tale, but dreams turn into reality as long as we keep believing and doing things with God’s never ending mercy, with the knowledge that we can never be alone because He has blessed us with a family, friends and even strangers who can teach us lessons in life that no book could ever teach.

In a gist, we can always be happy as long as we realize how to appreciate and look at the brighter side of life, with the heart that knows who holds our future despite our day to day uncertainties. Like Dorothy, we should realize that everyone has the power to overcome their own obstacles, and sometimes, we need the help of other people to make us realize how tough we can get. The wizard did not really “gave” them what they wanted because they had it inside themselves all along; the Scarecrow had a brain, he just needed to be given a chance to use it; the Tin Man had a heart, he just needed someone to care for; the Lion had courage, he just needed a true opportunity to be courageous; and of course, Dorothy, according to Glinda, had the power to go home all along with the use of the silver shoes which was given to her even at the very beginning of her journey. And they would have not done all these if they were not courageous and determined.

Aside from that, the adage popularized by “The Wizard of Oz” which says, “There’s no place like home,” is true. Sometimes, we fail to be happy because we don’t often realize the true value of the people who are always with us. Like Dorothy, we sometimes want a place elsewhere thinking that we could be happier and have a better life only to realize how much we want to go home and how happy we could get when we get back to where our real happiness is- OUR HOME.

At the end of the day, we could realize that our quest for happiness has taken us away from it, because we failed to keep in mind that true happiness is the appreciation of what we have and the security of knowing that although we are not perfect, some people truly love and care for us. Happiness is in the presence, the hugs and loving gestures of our family, the encouragement of our real friends and the life we live everyday with these people who loves us unconditionally. These are the cause of our joys, and the things that we should always keep in mind whenever we face the stormiest days of our life… these are the things that somehow keep us HAPPY.

"I often wished for a "better" life... and then I woke up one day realizing how blessed my life is... At that moment, I knew deep in my heart, that I could never wish for a better life again. Because life has always been so good to me... what could be better than that?" (DjBryle Works, "Dancing With HAPPINESS AND STORMS")

 

Copyright by DjBryle Works, 2010 (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED AND AUTHORIZED BY LAW)

Photo credits: Robert Bell/ Freedigitalphotos.net; Graur Razvan Ionut/ Freedigitalpnotos.net; Luigi Diamanti/ Fredigitalphotos.net; Graor Codrin/Freedigitalphotos.net

Make ways to be happy... find happiness as you take your journey with life.

Of The Ripples, Covid19 and The Koi Fish

(Image courtesy of mama Benilda Magante, taken at The Garden, Ciudad De Victoria, Bulacan Philippines)

 And so, I am back. I could not stop my self from smiling right now. Maybe the Community Quarantine, whether “enhanced”, “general” or “modified”, has made me realize that I have been giving all my time blogging for other sites, yet The Ripples of Koi has been on “super” enhanced community quarantine since I do not even know when. Thanks to those who missed me… and thanks to those who will start reading again.

The Covid19 has truly taken its toll on all of us, from our home to the world. We could feel its ill effects, not to mention, the anxiety and grief it has given us. It's been months since we lived like hermits and feeling the threat each time we go out of our homes. Yet we are here today, still living life, staying courageous despite the chaos.

At this time of our life, somehow we may have come to realize so many things that are so vital yet we failed to appreciate before the saga of Covid19.

Since the quarantine has led me to think of and miss my own blogging site, let me share with you this enlightenment that somehow kept us going and the things that we learn from life at this point in time, and the blessings that these trying times have brought upon us.

•  We are once again reminded that we do not own our life. In a blink of an eye, it could be altered or be taken from us. Yet we are all blessed with the understanding of living each day like there is no tomorrow. We remembered the value of spending quality time with our loved ones, we are reminded of the significance of seizing the day to make our loved ones feel important and needed. We are more aware of the importance of taking care of ourselves and one another.

•  That we can choose to rise or fall to any occasion. There are people who relentlessly complained out of anxiety and discomfort, yet there were people who have chosen to create opportunities for themselves and their loved ones at this time of crisis. We can see people who lost their jobs or people who did not have enough income or no income at all, because they were on a no work no pay rule. This was the time when we started seeing the complainers and the doers. The doers definitely had the attitude of real winners. We see them creating jobs for themselves. And honestly, I enjoyed ordering homemade delicacies and other stuff from my friends who acted like winners even at the worst of times.

• That there are unknown heroes among us. We see them every day, talk about the doctors, the nurses, and other members of the medical team. Talk about the policemen, our national and local government officials, the garbage collectors, the mall employees, and the unknown people who were there to help in every way they can. Think about our imperfect government, that no matter inadequate they may seem for some, they are still doing what they can to keep us safe and somehow overcome the grim that is upon us.

• That even in the darkest times, no matter how much some people give their best, there will always be imperfections. And at the midst of an almost perfect or simply imperfect help that they share, there will be people who will NEVER LEARN TO APPRECIATE THE GOOD. There will always be killers of goodness and emphasizers of the bad. There will always be complainers who unknowingly torture their own soul because of focusing on what is ugly. And there will be the thankful ones, who know how to appreciate even the smallest drop of grace and hope in times of darkness, they are the ones who harbor the smallest light that could brighten the world up, if only there were no obstacles called “the killers of goodness”. At this time, we learn that we could choose to appreciate and invigorate our own life or complain and keep our souls in total darkness.

• That no matter how much help we could get, it is our own choices and priorities that will determine our future. It is sad to see people being helped and even being given cashouts, just because they are considered as the less fortunate or even indigents. Yet they make poor choices of gambling or choosing to have a physical aesthetic done using the cash doled out to them. At the brighter side, there are people who started creating a new source of income for them and their loved ones out of the money doled out to them. It is vital to choose to be wise enough to create our own opportunities for better living while there are still people willing to help. It is not the help that makes us who and what we are in the future, it is what we do with it that creates our substance as a person and decide our tomorrows.

• That gratefulness helps us to overcome obstacles because it kindles our hope and happiness. This is the time when we see people who know how to be thankful for the little blessings. It gives them a positive mind to think clearly and do what is right even in times when they have to grope in the dark.

• That we are no supermen nor wonder women, no matter how powerful we are, no matter how much we own or even if we feel like we own the world, we can NEVER control everything. Yet we learned the value of entrusting our future to the One who has given us all. We realized that at the time of crisis such as Covid19, when we are at war to something we are not familiar of, to something we could not see… we learn the value of kneeling in prayers. We are reminded of the One who has taken care of us since the time of our conception.

These are just a few of the realizations I have come to appreciate at this difficult time. Let us be reminded once again my co-creators of ripples to behave and be resilient like the koi fish who manage to swim upstream a waterfall, no matter how turbulent it is. At this point in time, we can choose to be like the koi fish. We can choose to swim in this ocean of life no matter what the obstacles are because it is in the darkest times that we can see new opportunities and it is at this time that we can learn how far our own light can go. Let us always keep in our hearts, that if He who created us all, has blessed the koi fish to be so courageous, it is US who are made of His own image that should be more courageous and who are more willing to continue a positive journey in life. Let Him be the sturdy shelter that keeps us going. Believing and really knowing in our hearts that His love and grace will NEVER FAIL to keep us safe and see us through even in our darkest hours, always keeping in mind that we can create our own ripples of hope no matter what lies ahead.

I am still smiling… and now, with a very thankful heart to the HANDS THAT MADE US ALL.

May this song give you joy today! Stay courageous! :) 

(Video credit to Maylis Susan on Youtube.com, please watch it on youtube.com)

Halo- halo De Iloko 8th. Year Anniversary Summary of Events

(Image courtesy of Sir Xavier B. Mercado)

April 18, 2012 marked Halo- halo De Iloko's 8th. Year Anniversary. As part of the celebration, the management have started their art show entitled, "Ninuno ArtShow at Halo- halo De Iloko" last March 20, 2012. The art show aims to promote paintings and art works by Filipino artists, among them are some paintings of the renowned artist Dong Ilay who designed Halo- halo De Iloko's souvenir t- shirts. The art exhibit will culminate on the 22nd of April 2012.

Miss Chrisme of Halo- halo De Iloko showing us some of the masterpieces at the "Ninuno AstShow"

Sir Xavier Mercado- owner and manager of Halo- halo De Iloko, showing us more art exhibits

Halo- halo De Iloko's Souvenir T-shirt designed by DONG ILAY

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The 8th. Year AnniverSARAP Street foods event started last April 18 and the last day will be today! So hurry now, grab the chance to savor those street foods served at this really cozy place... for once, experience "street" foods in the ambiance of a "home" =)

Here are more images of Halo- halo De Iloko's foods, ambiance and everything in the place anyone would love to call "Balay"!

Catch some fresh air, and chat with friends at the lobby

We love halo- halo even more if it comes from Halo- halo De Iloko

Simple breakfast dish made special

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... and soooo yummmy!!!
(All images in this section is a courtesy of Sir Xavier B. Mercado- owner and manger of Halo- halo De Iloko)

 Visit Halo- halo De Iloko now at its NEW LOCATION at 12 Zandueta St. San Fernando City La Union!