My religious affiliation still observes the Feast of Tabernacles. It is the time when families go out to assemble in one place and each family builds a temporary dwelling place ---- tent, booth, hotel room, whatever you can lay your head and body on at the end of each day ---- for the next eight days. The venue is usually held in a remote place which means leaving behind some sort of convenience usually found in your own home.

While for this piece, I’m leaving the Biblical significance of the Feast of Tabernacles to Bible experts, I personally think of this occasion as a special moment to ponder on the temporariness of life and the things around it. If you happen to find yourself in a rat race of a game called “career,” if you’re facing midlife crisis and even facing retirement mode, this realization is very important to remember. Whoever we are, whatever we do, we are all temporary sojourners here on earth. It’s as sure as the sun shines and sets each day. So there’s no point in holding on, in tightening your grip on something you are deeply attached to.

The irony of this is that it makes you value and treasure life. Like you got to give it your best shot while you are still blessed with the ability to breathe right here and right now.

As I write this piece, only one song plays inside my head, it’s Dust in the Wind by Kansas. Behold the captivating lyrics and tune:

I close my eyes, only for a moment,

This is a theme song from a 1984 movie called "Irreconcilable Differences," starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, a young Drew Barrymore with special appearance of Sharon Stone.

Here’s a quick summary taken from the Internet Movie Database Albert written by Brian W. Matrz: “Albert and Lucy fall in love, get married, and have a daughter Casey. Everything is wonderful, till success in business distract Albert and Lucy from each other and Casey. They soon divorce and start fighting so Casey beats sues to divorce her parents, to go live with the maid who has been taking care of her.’

It’s sad that some relationships do not work because of difficult circumstances such as financial difficulties. This is probably more understandable than relationships not working amidst financial abundance. It is sadder when success becomes a reason why a relationship falls apart.

The first time I heard Emy Fujita’s version of “First of May” was sometime last year while our family was on the way to Tagaytay and it was playing on the car’s CD player. The moment I heard it, I was transported back to the mid 70 when I was barely going to school. I remember a moment in my life when all I did was play. My world was pretty simple --- I always played with my friends, I also played the piano and with lots of toys. In our house back then, “First of May” frequently penetrated our house and it was originally performed by the Bee Gees.

I was very happy then. So happy that I hated the thought that such phase was over. That whether I like it or not, I’d have to grow up because the world I live in keeps growing and changing. When I was a child, I did not have a sense of time. I’d do whatever I want and whenever I want. I am so grateful that my parents allowed me to be me and I do hope I can also do the same for my child who happened to be sitting on my lap on the way to Tagaytay… oops, I realized I am a mother now. Time to go with the flow of this life cycle.

I can seem to tell if a song is being sung for the sake of it. A song may carry excellent tunes and lyrics, yet if the performer doesn’t seem to understand what he or she is singing about no matter how amazing his or her voice may be, somehow one can sense that something is missing.

Most often than not, songs that are performed for the first time turn out to be best versions. There are a few exceptions, of course, especially when the song manages to stand by itself no matter who’s singing or who is singing --- I find these songs in the standards.

I believe that the biggest challenge of every performer lies not in expressing his or her originality as much as in giving life to the song --- in living the message of the song when it is being sung. If there’s only one singer I should mention who best exemplifies this, it is Frank Sinatra. I mean, think about Frank Sinatra’s A Day in a Life of a Fool, You and Me, We Wanted It All, My Way. I am not surprised if every home has his album worldwide.

“How do you want your kids to remember you?” This question was posed in one of the teambuilding activities sponsored by the company I work for among employees with families of their own. I was still single and pretty new to the company around this time and I have been working with brainy colleagues, so the question did not take quite long to be answered. I was amazed by how varied and how deep they were. Then, Sandy, one of them, answered something that struck a chord on me. He said, “I just want my kids to remember happy memories every time they are with me and I am with them when they grow up. It’s so important that they associate me for “happy memories.”

I thought I just heard the most beautiful answer at that time. I thought I would like to answer the question exactly like he said it by the time I have my own family. And now that I have Kyle David, I hope and pray that one day, if someone ever asks him what he remembers about me, he will recall happy memories. When that happens, I would consider myself the happiest mother in the world.

There are many films I enjoyed watching and some of them I wish I can keep in a treasure chest for my son and son’s children. I realized some films are worth a second look, and some even more.

Here are some of the “collectibles” by my standards. I will just keep adding as I’m listing down from top of my head:

About Last Night (Demi Moore, Rob Lowe)
About Schmidt (Jack Nicholson)
American Dreamz (Mandy Moore, Hugh Grant, etc)
Blame it on the Bellboy (Dudley Moore, Bryan Brown)
Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks)
Hasards ou Coïncidences /Chances and Coincidences (Alessandra Martines, Pierre Arditi, Marc Hologne)
Hanging Up (Meg Ryan, Dianne Keaton, Lisa Kudrow)
Irreconcilable Differences (Ryan O’Neil, Shelley Long)
La vita è bella / Life is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni)
Nuevo Cinema Paradiso (Marco Leonardi, Philippe Noiret)
Schindler’s List (Ralph Fiennes)
The Bucket List (Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman)
The Girl on the Bridge (Vanessa Paradis)
The Godfather I-III (Al Pacino, Marlon Brando)
Y aura-t-il de la neige a Noel? (Will it Snow at Xmas) (Dominique Reymond, Daniel Duval, Jessica Martines)
Young Again (Jack Gilford, Jeremy Ratchford, Keanu Reeves)
You’ve Got Mail (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan)

I can define relaxation in four words: “two for the road.” Every time I’d listen to this Henry Mancini genius, I’m transported to a different setting. Suddenly, I see the beautiful me under the bridge, afloat a boat somewhere in Venice, seated with my head leaning towards the arm of a man anyone would wish to have and to hold.

There’s no stress, no worries, no deadlines, no watch to keep and no one else riding in the boat but us --- there’s only love and nothing in between.

The boat is sailing smoothly as our time together has been.

The most wonderful part is that the river that we tread on never seems to end.

If you're feeling fancy free,Come wander through the world with me,

And any place we chance to be Will be our rendezvous.

Two for the road, we'll travel down the years,

precious memories,

Selecting souvenirs and living life the way we please.*

In summertime the sun will shine,

In winter we'll drink summer wine,

And every day that you are

Will be a lovely day.As long as love still wears a smile,

I know that we'll be two for the road,And that's a long, long, while.

(Instrumental interlude and pick up at *.)

In summertime the sun will shine,In winter we'll drink summer wine,

And every day that you are mineWill be a lovely day.

As long as love still wears a smile,

I know that we'll be two for the road,

And that's a long, long, while.