The Loss of the Little Darlings

Tragic incidents happened and cannot be avoided and the pain of losing love ones because of this sometimes hard to accept.

I’ve heard the news about these OSLO massacre, Tsunami disaster in Japan, Fire at a grocery store in my own country that killed numbers of staff, car accident in Qatar that killed several Hamad Hospital’s nurses  and so many others. These were the news that I just heard and little attention to pour, though I sympathize with the losses.

But this incident that happened last Monday (28 May) 10 am Qatar Time, is the most tragic for me that affected me so much. The fire in a mall that takes the lives of 19 people (14 children and 5 adult).

I’m in tears reading the news and looking at the pictures of those parents, and member of families crying in pain as they waited outside the mall. I can feel the anguish that they felt while thinking about their little darlings burned inside.

  I can’t imagine how these little tots struggled trying to look for an exit and ask help to save themselves from the fire of inferno.  They are innocent and helpless and very tender to suffer and die. 😦

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It’s three days now since the tragedy happened but still I am emotionally distraught, specially when I see the faces of  these innocent children flashed on TV and featured in newspaper. I don’t know them nor their parents, but the sympathy I felt toward them is very strong.

I could ask; “Why this happened? Should we blame someone or pinpoint fingers to those who are responsible on these.” As they say that, accident happens unexpectedly, and nobody wants it to happen, but if precautionary measures has been done, tragic  incident like this could be avoided.

We have been in Villagio Mall not only once but a dozen times. My 2 kids love to play inside the mall specially Friday morning as there are fewer people and ambience is very cool. The place where the fire started is in a Sports Equipment shop (according to some sources) and above is where the Gympanzee Nursery located. Going to that room you need to enter the narrow hallway and up to the wooden stairs. Since the fire started below, some assumed that the victims weretrapped inside because the wooden stairs burned first. The entrance and the exit was the same and no other exit way just in case situation like this happened. The reason why the firemen need to tear off the roof just to enter and rescue the victims, but sad to say the hours (estimated 1 and half hours) they spent were useless because most of the kids were already dead including 3 teachers. Sad but true, if the management just foresee the unforeseen occurrences, this could have been avoided .

Once and for all, I sincerely offer my prayers and sympathy to the families..

“ Getting grey hairs? Celebrate! Your getting wiser.”

“My idea usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living”
-Anais Nin

This is the inspiring quotation I noted after I posted my fourth topic.

Exactly true! Ideas flow everywhere.

A lot of things to see that can be an ideal topic. But wait a minute! Speaking of an ideal topic, just this morning while riding on a taxi going to the office I saw the above title in a Billboard posted near the street.

Enticing words! I pause a while and thought the meaning behind the lines. Though this has something to do with the products they endorse, for me it has something that reminded the past.

I was 30 years old then and a friend’s sister saw a white strand of hair from my head, and she said; “Eww! You got a grey hair now, your already old!’’ I got irked of course, who wants to be called an old lady, anyway! I was single then, and quite apprehensive when it comes to age matter. Teasing and name-calling comes after that. An elderly woman interrupted our conversation. She said, “Don’t deny your age and don’t be ashamed. You must be thankful, you were blessed with longer life. Imagine a newborn baby who died? He did not see the world, and enjoy the beauty of life.” We were speechless when the woman left our place and those words were enough for us to understand.

For many, especially those who reach the maturity, denied their exact age. Maybe out of insecurities. Which I precisely felt then. I was 30 years old, getting older and still single. I was worried, of course. Despite of that I still believe that the right man for me will come in the right time, which actually happened. 🙂

In life’s reality, no one can defy the increasing age. Grey hairs, wrinkled skin and soggy muscles will inevitably show-up as a sign of old age. Most likely, it is common to think that ideas of getting older to some people are unacceptable. Thinking of physical changes on their body worried them. And trying to preserve their youthful look, they resort to aesthetic surgeries and expensive beauty products which can only diminished the unwanted aspects of the body but cannot totally change.

But to some, reaching to this prime age is the most precious phase of their life. It is amazingly wonderful to reach a longer life where someone has enjoyed and experienced, savored on the blessings of our creator and successfully surpass life’s intricate journey.

So, are you having grey hairs? Celebrate!

“The beauty of young men is their power, and the splendor of old men is their gray-headedness.” – Proverbs 20:29

Vacation (Cancelled)

First week of January, I filed a vacation for July (summer vacation). Everyone in the family was excited, especially the children. My youngest even boasted to his teacher that we will have vacation to the Philippines and the teacher nodded smilingly at him. I made an early booking for a round trip ticket to avail the lower fare. We made plans and itineraries. Made a list of goods and gifts to purchase for the relatives in the Philippines. Lastly, I already confirmed my appointment to the hospital for my “Executive Check-up”. So, everything was set.

Yesterday, a colleague approached at my table and handed to me a paper and said; “Make me an LPO and issue the ticket.” When I read the booking, I was disgusted. He is also leaving on he same month! Departure on first week of July and return on September. He will spend two months vacation, and I cannot have my own. 😦

Before I made my booking, I told him my plan. He said that I am not allowed to file a leave on this month, as the bosses will leave for summer vacation and a lot of work to do before that. But, I still pursue my plan as I know that they will be out of the country once I leave.

We are five staff in our department and one is my boss. This guy and I have a common task, and we cannot both file a leave. He is superior to me so I consider his approval aside from my boss approval. Now, out of the blue, he has this booking pop out in front of me. I was so angry to the point of cursing him silently. So, he has this hidden agenda why he blocked my vacation!

The planned vacation was cancelled and the children have no idea about it. They are still excited. My youngest said that he is going to buy special gift for “Mama and Papa Gang”, my sister and brother in-law who takes care of them 2 years ago when I left them in the Philippines. My eldest said that he is looking forward to meet their cousins and bring them toys. Now, everything was cancelled.

I hope they will understand once I told them… and we will just look forward on the next summer vacation.

Best Weather for Me!

Winter time in Doha, the wind is gentle and chilly. Thanks for this season the weather is enjoyable, chance to relax from the miserable scorching heat in this country.

While walking along the Corniche (seaside park), I noticed flowers that seems to me is happily dancing with the gentle blow of the wind. I feel the sudden desire to take a photo of them. It’s nice and beautiful!

I am in this country for almost 5 years and yearly I am always looking forward for winter season to come. I even prayed that there should be no more summer, and dreamed that the whole year should only have winter season (which I doubt would happen) 🙂

Like these flowers, I also feel blooming every time the wind started to get cooler. I feel refresh, relax and energetic. 🙂

I can enjoy walking and playing outside which I cannot do during the peak summer heat. I take the pleasure of feeling the gentle winds blowing to my face. Refresh my mind with the calm beauty of the sea, and the amazing blue sky feisty with flying birds.

 Ohh..! The beauty of nature.. makes me remember King David’s song; “How many of your works are.. Oh God, All of them in wisdom you have made.” Psalm 104:24

The Second Wife

The tradition they have has given me this confusing thought. A man marrying more than one woman is acceptable, provided both are Muslim. I have no profound idea about the Muslim belief but in a simple thought of the situation I realized that this tradition does not show love toward fellow believers. Why did I bring out this issue, anyway?

A colleague will get marry to a family man. She told me she is very happy because the man already informed his wife and they can get married. I said no words out of her decision but behind my mind, I detest her for what she did. For me, she is selfish and un-sensible woman. How could she be happy when someone behind her is miserable because she took away a husband and a father? How could she truly experience the essence of a wife if she knows she hurt the real one? How could she explain to her future children that their father has another family that she ruined?

I might have been so pessimistic about the situation and got carried away with my thoughts, but realistically speaking, if your going to ask the first wife if she is happy to the second marriage of her husband, you cannot get an answer with a genuine smile, even the children with full of material support from a father. The presence of the husband and father to a family is more precious than any material things. Children who adore the father will be most affected.

I am not in the position to judge the second wife, just that questions of morality always follows to me. If you have empathy toward your fellow, would you let them feel miserable because you want to be happy? What if it will happen to you, how would you feel also? I remember a passage from the bible that said; “Anything you sow, you will reap. You sow goodness and you will reap it. You sow badness; it will come back to you.” This is one of the principles in life that most of the time forgotten by anybody.

Lastly, I really felt sorry for the wife and children who were deprived of chances to live happily with an undivided attention of a father.

Why do we need to erase?

While holding these stuffs I was thinking why they were created. How they are important to us? Although I have this question in my mind, whoever has the thought of creating these was a real genius and might as well has the idea that it is innate for every human to commit mistake even in a simple task. Ideally, these stuffs which serves its purpose has an implication to human life.

In our everyday life, we make or commit mistakes (intentional or unintentional) and the difficult part is to ask for forgiveness to someone we hurt, and correct the mistakes that we did.

But the question is, “How open is someone hurt to forgive and forget our mistakes?”

Someone has said: “You are forgiven and yet I cannot forget!”

A broken relationship due to someone’s mistakes is difficult to bring back. We always keep track of the grievances that sometimes the hindrance to continue the previous one.

In erasing the mistakes we made in our paper works, we make sure that it disappears, and no one can see it, more on if we input the corrections.

 Likewise, in dealing with someone who hurt us, it will be better if we also use our “symbolic eraser”  that will help us to move on.

 The result is beneficial! It will clear all the grievances stored in our heart and help us live a peaceful mind. 🙂

What to say…?

I want to say or write something but then nothing comes out in my mind. My brain seems not working though I want to write something. The ideas in my mind are limited and my vocabulary are scarce. Oh My!

I admit I’m not a good writer but I admire those people who could write and express what they feel and see around, which inspires me to write something also and create a blog. (aside from being bored and want to make use of my time while lurking on blog sites). 🙂

It has been several weeks ago after I signed in. I was thinking of a topic to post but I couldn’t make a piece. I was apprehensive somehow, that as a newbie I cannot achieve to make a good blog. Eventually, I came across to an idea that a blog does not necessarily confine to a piece of writing only, it comes in all shapes and subject (like display of  pictures, breaking news, commentary or a journal of a troubled soul).

Well, thanks to that! At last, I was able to open my ideas with some possible topic to post in my blog. 🙂