Good Times with Mo,Mojo & Grace Lee (Notes from George's Diary) January 27, 2009 blog

Notes from George's Diary
Crawford, Texas

I find my circumstances quite surreal. I'm glad I'm in Crawford now, just lolling about, with lots of free time on my hands.

I've even learned how to use the computer, and boy oh boy, I thought the words 'surfing' meant you had to be in the ocean to cruise the waves.

One day, I chanced upon this funny radio show hosted by Mo Twister, his 'gay' friend Mojo and an Asian woman named Grace Lee laughing it up. I listened to it, and have been hooked ever since this so called 'ridiculous' retirement foisted on me. I don't mind even if it's based in the Philippines, a country I visited maybe three years ago? Boy, that visit was quite funny. A vehicle in our convoy stalled right in the middle of Quezon Boulevard, and the people in charge of my security almost fainted, until a quick thinking female security specialist revved the engine, bringing it back to life.

Anyway, this funny letter has been circulating around about my supposed letter to Barry upon his ascension to the WH role. THis is not true, although it looks a lot like my writing.

I could just imagine Mo Twister having a lot of fun with this one, even at my expense. It's nice to see someone happy; it's nice to forget about one's own misery, for a change.

It's not a miserable time for me. I'll be building a library and looking forward to a new role in the coming years. In the meantime, let me go back to my taped radio shows. It's nice to find the time to just laugh.

It's a good, good feeling.

(Postscript : 'Notes from George's Diary' is fictional and comes from the imagination and point of view of this blogger. Good Times!

The letter is created by Lee Camp, from the Huffington Post)

Good Times with Mo,Mojo & Grace Lee (The Purpose of Your Life) : January 13, 2009 blog

Notes from Aderyn's Diary

Brrr! The weather is turning so nasty, and road conditions around most of the country look like the Arctic express. In a few days, a polar bear in the middle of a street in any Midwestern town would not look out of place. Weathermen have warned that in a few hours, temperature would drop in their teens. Holy Moses!

Looking outside my office window, I see midtown Manhattan ablaze with lights and people running to and fro from their busy, busy lives. It's 7 pm and office hours are over in this part of town, and yet here I am stuck at my office, not because of work let me tell you, but because I'm struck mesmerized by what I've been hearing from a magical radio show based in Manila.

I discovered this radio show quite accidentally when I was working, as usual in overdrive, as a high-powered executive in a law firm. As day turned into night, then into day again, I would work, work, work till I drop for a few hours of sleep, get up and work again.

I listen to this Magic 899 show with hosts Mo,Mojo and Grace Lee as a way to lighten up my work load, and I listen from 6 to 9 in the evening, and usually when I'm done, there's a smile in my face that can't be erased. For a few short hours, I've forgotten most of my worries for the day.

My worries are not just professional, you see.

Here I am, in a corner office, a partner in a highly regarded litigation firm in Manhattan, seemingly happy and content in my killer lawyer outfits, defending presidents, CEO's, CFO's in their high finance crimes.

Love it? I hate it! I've hated my job for quite sometime, but I've managed to keep a tight lid on what I really feel. I've been in a high state of agitation for a time, unsure of what to do.

The pay's terrific, and I have a lovely apartment with a view of the Hudson River. I go to Europe for pleasure every time I want to, and life's pretty good.

But hearing Charisse Pempengco sing made me cry. I just realized that I don't want to be a lawyer anymore. I want to kick my job right here and now and just sing.It's pretty insane I know,but I just want to explore this career direction before it's too late.

Will this career direction ruin my personal life? I don't know. Maybe.

I've been reading this book "The Purpose of My Life" by Carol Adrienne for the past weeks. It's a book helping people find their calling in life. I flip it open it to a bookmarked page :

"If you picked up this book - curious about what it might tell you about your own life purpose - you may be feeling vaguely restless. You may be feeling that time is passing, and you are not far enough along in something that seems 'meaningful'. You may be longing for work that has shape and promise, and that makes you look forward to getting up in the morning. .

"Your calling has already made itself known though what motivates you (past and present), what attracts you, what you resist, and what frustrates you. Your calling may have made a brief appearance between the ages of three and eight, or revealed itself through a sudden interest in adolescence. Your calling can also be glimpsed in what you admire in others. It can be seen in those abilities you have that you don't even think are special. You are almost always working on purpose when you lose track of time.

"Some part of your purpose is also being served as you deal with obstacles and problems (resolving obstacles brings you great power and knowledge of a specific kind - necessary for your specific purpose). A piece of your life purpose may be fulfilled by the knowing that results from pain, struggle and illness. However, if your life is only a mountain of continual obstacles, then you are going to have to take another look at the kind of beliefs you have about life. Generally, when you are on the right path, thins flow. When you are attracting nothing but obstacles, you need to stop and ask yourself, 'What do I need to change in my thinking?'

"At the deepest level of consciousness, our collective question is : What are we here to do? We know there is something we should be doing. What is it? How can we all help accomplish this evolutionary task?

"Because we live in a world where we divide things into hot or cold, good or bad, light or dark, right or wrong, our mind naturally separates everything into either/or or black and white concepts. Interestingly, the reality of life and the underlying universal laws are usually formed into a paradox - which means both/ and rather than either/or. To be on the path of your life purpose is to learn to be comfortable with paradox.

"The first basic paradox of our lives is that nothing is fixed; and yet nothing is randomr or accidental, either. We cocreate with our spiritual source. We have free will, and yet we are not in control. The second paradox is that when we set our intention for what we desire, we achieve it usually only after we have released our need to have it. This is the paradox of intention(personal desire nad will) and surrender (letting God or the universe provide what is best for our highest good). You are both a finite earthly being, and an infinite soul of great spiritual dimension. You are both/and. You are the drop of water and the wave. You direct yourself, and you are directed."

Heavy stuff huh?

My life until this moment has been quite a seamless journey, meaning that what I did before as a lawyer is still part of my life purpose. But now that I've been restless and not feeling right in my skin, then it's a sign that perhaps I should attempt to answer the question - 'What am I here on this earth for? What is my true purpose?"

Adrienne answered this question herself when she said that "beyond any narrow category of occupation, the purpose of our life is to develop our capacity to love. Our purpose is to create life out of who we are and who we are becoming."

The ultimate aim is to develop our capacity to love. I am not nearly halfway there.Perhaps when I try to find a way to sing and spread happiness through this, then I spread love.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at a singing gig in one of the bars near 7th Avenue. Perhaps they'll kick me out, and demand that I take singing lessons, which perhaps I'll take in the next few months. These obstacles will be expected, but I know I'm nearer my life's purpose.

I try to listen to Charisse Pempengco battle against Mojo Jojo. There really is no competition.This little lady definitely knows her life purpose and I am very happy for her. Listening to her inspires me to pursue my dreams more. There's no stopping me now.

(Postscript: "Notes from Aderyn's Diary' was inspired by Charisse Pempengco's visit to the Good Times show. This is one girl who has discovered her true purpose in life.

Listening to her makes one wonder what would have happened if she purposely decided not to follow her true calling.

A life of mediocrity and pain, I guess.

For the New Year, I wish all of you to find your true purpose in this world. Imagine what the world will be like! I wish you luck!

"Notes from Aderyn's Diary" is purely fictional anc comes from the imagination and point of view of this blogger. Goodtimes!

Photos of mid-Manhattan by mudpig)

Good Times with Mo,Mojo & Grace Lee (Emotional Infidelity) : January 6, 2009 blog

Notes from Fr.Joey's Diary

If the weather is good, I usually walk to my usual spot where I meditate, a grassy knoll beside the football field, a tiny corner where no one goes except perhaps the red ants that I see crawling up and down my usual seat. What I usually see is a spectacular view of the rising sun amidst the mountains in Antipolo. I just marvel at the colors that seemed to burst from the sun: pink, orange, bright yellow. Amazing.

This precious few moments of silence offer me a respite from my hectic day as a priest, teaching a full load in college and graduate school, offering my services also as a psychologist in the Health Center of the university I am affiliated with. Aside from this, I give daily masses at noon and early evening at the university chapel. It's such a busy life, and yet I can't complain because this is the life I chose to serve God.

My daily schedule has been quite altered recently. I've been waking earlier now so that after meditation and prayers, I could tune in to the Goodtimes radio show to listen to Mo, Mojo and Grace Lee for an hour or two. I am usually amused by the synergy of the three hosts. They blend well together because it seems Mo,Mojo and Grace Lee represent different view points. I also like the way Mo's mind works - I consider myself a wide reader, and yet this guy seems to find one more news event, a piece of new observation that I have not considered, a point of view that's oftentimes controversial, but very current to the pulse of the times. This helps since most of the troubled people I talk to are young people, and this show gives me a sense of what they're going through now.

I found myself laughing at today's show though. I had to laugh when I heard Mo asking his co-hosts and his audience what they'd do if they found their partner caught red-handed cheating with another person. I found Mojo's answer quite hilarious. He said he'd cut his partner's nuts and push the 'people's elbow' against the other offending party. Such violence!

If only they knew the truth. There are many kinds of adulterous behavior, but the most common kind of infidelity is not physical, but emotional.

I've been reading this book of Gary Neuman called 'Emotional Infidelity: How to Affair-Proff your Marriage and 10 Other Secrets to a Great Relationship' and I'm struck by what he said on the first page of his book:

"All of us know that adultery - sex outside the marriage- is one of the gravest blows to a marriage as well as a painful rejection for one partner. But you don't have to have sex with anyone else to be unfaithful. Emotional infidelity is just as - and at time even more - destructive to your marriage. . Studies show that 73 percent of men and 42 to 52 percent of women meet their extramarital affair partners at work.

"Couples I counsel are absolutely outraged when I tell them that they could well be committing emotional adultery when they flirt with coworkers, send around funny e-mails to colleagues or hand out with members of the opposite sex at gatherings...

"There are ten rules for avoiding emotional infidelity:
Rule 1 : Keep It All Business at the Office
Rule 2 : Avoid meetings with members of the opposite sex outside of the marriage
Rule 3 : Meet in groups.
Rule 4 : Find polite ways of ending personal conversations.
Rule 5 : Avoid consistency in the relationship.
Rule 6 : Don't share your personal feelings.
Rule 7 : Be unflinchingly honest with yourself.
Rule 8 : Avoid cordial hugs and kisses or dancing with members of the opposite sex
Rule 9 : Don't drink around the opposite sex.
Rule 10 : Show your commitment to your spouse daily."

I know it's tough to hear this, but Gary Neuman has nailed the issue of emotional fidelity in the head. I hope more people would read it to educate themselves about the different kinds of adultery, not only the sexual kind.

The sun has started to become quite warm, and it's a hint for me that it's almost eight in the morning. Time for me to move out from my tiny piece of paradise and get moving to the realities of the world I move in.

I listen to the three hosts of Goodtimes, and they're having such a fun time. I'm happy that this show has given some moments of happiness to a great number of people. I look up to the skies and say a prayer of thanks that this show exists - to entertain, to educate, to provoke one not to stay complacent in their stale places.

I feel the sun beating down my skin. Time to move and face the daunting realities of the day.

(Postscript: 'Notes from Fr. Joey's Diary' was inspired by the show's topic of adultery in the January 6 show today. It was quite funny how the different hosts would react if they found their partners in an adulterous situation. It's interesting to see a priest/therapist's points of view regarding adultery.Contrary to what people believe, 'emotional infidelity' is much more common today, and more harmful.

If you have a chance to grab this book, read it and take notes on Newman's ten other secrets to a great relationship with your partner.

Goodtimes!

Photos by ῨᾂῄὐἄṜ )

Good Times with Mo,Mojo & Grace Lee (Timothy Hutton's Aha! Moment : New Year Blog)

Notes from Natalie's Diary

Just before the holiday break, I was mindlessly going through my daily routine when I stopped with what I was doing when I heard that Mo was leaving for a trip to Paris for the New Year. At first I was so shocked that he could go off to Paris just like that. It felt so romantic to just drop everything and leave family and friends behind to spend holiday festivities somewhere.

I'm a singleton in her mid-30's(Bridget Jones' term for single ladies. . Oops, even referring to Bridget Jones' vocabulary sounds so dated. Ugghh!), quite attractive, yet timid with regards to new experiences, new adventures outside my comfort zone. I'm a doctor slaving away in one of the major hospitals in Makati, dedicated to my patients, a loving daughter to my parents, a loyal friend. You can say I'm one of those nerdy bookish girls who have never minded schoolbooks as their constant companion(although I bloomed when I started wearing contact lenses and my body seemed to burst from its pre-teen boyish mold to what it is now.)

I listen to Mo, Grace Lee and Mojo every morning, right before I start my rounds and I sometimes laugh crazily inside the car, by myself, listening to their show. Sometimes, the show is the only break I give myself in my daily work facing patients with serious conditions dealing with cancer (I'm an oncologist, and it's heartbreaking sometimes to deal with patients who have a few months to live).

I am content with my life. Yet, something tugged within me to break free from my regular life when I heard that Mo was going to Paris. I realized that something was missing, yet I wouldn't do anything different until I read the January 2009 issue of Oprah magazine, and I read Timothy Hutton's Aha! Moment.One mention of Paris would make me think that it's a coincidence. But finding an article again about Paris later that day made me wonder whether there must be a meaning behind the one-two punch coincidence. Was someone trying to tell me something? I read and re-read the Timothy Hutton article:

"I was 19 when I got my first passport as an adult. I had moved from California to New York City and was living out of a suitcase, staying with friends. I'd just finished filming my first movie, Ordinary People, but I didn't know whether acting was what I wanted to do with my life.

While riding the subway uptown, new passport in hand, I flipped through its pages and imagined them filled with stamps. I had a lot on my mind that day. My father had passed away two years earlier, and soon afterward I found myself working full-time as an actor, so I hadn't had time to reflect on his death. Plus, I was trying to decide whether I wanted to work on a film called Taps. I started to put a lot of pressure on myself- I had to get home and make phone calls and read the script.But then I realized I didn't have anywhere I actually needed to be; therefore, it was time to be somewhere else.

A thought came over me: I have a passport, I have my first credit card, and I have $7,000 in the bank". I figured the best thing to do with a credit card, a passport, and a lot on my mind was to head to the airport and then decide on a destination. I'd done some spontaneous things before - an occasional road trip, a last-minute weekend skiing trip but nothing like this. Yet it seemed like such a perfectly reasonable and logical thing to do.

I got out of the subway at the next stop, hailed a cab, and went straight to Kennedy Airport. I had absolutely nothing with me, just the T-shirt and jeans I was wearing. The cabbie drove me around while I looked at all the different airlines and destinations; I finally settled on Air France. That was it. I plopped down my new credit card and asked for a ticket. When the counter agent asked me if I had any luggage, I answered No. A carry-on? No. Soon I was on my way to Paris.

I took a taxi to the one French hotel I'd heard of - the Ritz, where the only room available was the $2,000-a-night Chopin suite. In three days, I'd be broke. But instead of freaking out,I booked the room and went for a long walk. I had time to think about my life, about the intense couple of years I'd just been through.

In Paris, I felt free for the first time in years. Over three days,I must have gone to almost every museum and jazz club in the city. I saw Deer Hunter and was blown away by the soundtrack and the passion of the artists involved. Things settled down, and I felt a sense of peace. I returned to New York with a depleted savings account but a good idea of what I wanted to do with my future.

That trip made me a spontaneous person. My life's different now; I have two sons and responsibilities to juggle. Just last year,I found myself on the spur-of-the-moment drive from New York to western Pennsylvania, because I had the time and a desire to be alone. What I learned at that moment on the subway 30 years ago, staring at my blank passport, was this: If you have an impulse to do something, and it's not totally irresponsible, why not do it? It might just be the journey you've always needed."

After reading this article, I thought about it for days, then I've made a decision. Three days ago, I informed my shocked family that I was about to leave for Paris for a two week vacation. I never in my life spent a vacation without my family. But to vacation alone? They looked like I needed to be tied and sent to Nutsville City. My siblings asked me a lot of questions - Was I with a tour group? No. Will I go with a friend? No. Where will you stay? At the Ritz, of course (I was able to get a small room). What do I plan to do? Walk around Paris with no schedule, and with time to think about what I really want to do with my life. Was I going to go on any side trip aside from Paris? Yes. I was going to Amsterdam for a three day tour.(They were very puzzled about my choice of Amsterdam, but I wanted to go after I heard Mo describe the city). Did I have any problems that they were not aware of, which they could help with? No, no problems. I just want to travel and explore the world by myself. It's about time.

My parents saw that I was very determined. Since they've trusted me with my choices from the beginning and I never gave them any problems, I saw the shock at their faces at first, and then after a while, I could see the trust coming back, and relief? Were they happy that I was showing my independence at last? That I could stand on my own two feet, without them worrying all the time? My parents hesitated at first,and there were a lot of tears, let me tell you. But today, the day before I leave for Paris, my father wakes up early to catch me before I left for work and without saying anything gave me an envelope with a wad of cash.

"Have a great vacation, Natalie." My father was tearful, and then hugged me. "Here are some euros for you to spend."

It was so unexpected that I embraced both my Dad and Mom.We all hugged and cried. They didn't need any explanation. I couldn't really explain in detail what I also needed to do.

"I'll be back, Dad. Two weeks is just fourteen days without you and Mom."

One thing's for sure. I needed to find my own Aha moments, try to discover that sense of wonder to my life, which I felt I lost when I was mindlessly treating patients without any real inward purpose, except to gain monetarily. There must be a better way to live. That's what I intend to answer in the next few days. Paris, here I come!!!

(Postscript: "Notes from Natalie's Diary" was inspired by Mo's recent trip to France and Amsterdam a week ago. Fortuitously, I also read about "Timothy Hutton's Aha!Moment" at the January 2009 issue of O Magazine, and wondered about the need to go out of our comfort zone and explore untapped possibilities in our life by just being open to what the universe has to offer.

Be spontaneous! Be advenurous! Think outside the box! Those are brave words as the new year unfolds. A blessed New Year to all!!

Picture of Paris courtesy of innusa. Timothy Hutton's pictures courtesy of fortunecity.com)