Secret Lover

a man leaves his lover but she comes back ...for her,  their love was too great.

It was a chilly evening, wet and windy. The rain fell through the gusts of wind. Leading assemblies of leaves down the road. I had gotten out of a dull and tedious day at work and finally arrived home. ‘What I need is a smoke, a good book by the fireplace, a touch of whiskey and I shall be content.’ I walked over to the library, not bothering to take me coat off, eager to relax.

The reading room was a tall and fairly large room, and I have not the intention of bragging but my library was larger than the average household, for I am an avid reader and specialize in rare books. The fire was already blazing in the fireplace and the flames beckoned to me, as their shadows danced upon the spines of the many books lining the walls. Just as I sit down I hear a voice,

"Welcome home my love. Your lover has returned to you. Aren’t you happy? I missed you so much. Did you miss me? It was so dark down there. There where you placed me. I was scared, scared that you didn’t want me, that you didn’t love me. But no, I realized that that can’t be true. Our love is far too great, just a test this was. We shall never be apart, my love."

That voice, I could never forget, that voice. But why? Why is she here? I sit in my chair erect, chills going up and down my spine. My body is going numb, my hands are cold and sweaty. I try to say something but my lips are numb and clammy. My heartbeat is irregular now, as I struggle to breathe calmly.

"Why are you so silent? Why do you not look upon the face of your lover? Here I stand, the earth upon my feet, my robe of red embracing my pale skin, dripping to the ground. Perfumed of the soil; of nature.

Look. Am I not the one whom you took to bed? Did you not whisper sweet words into my ear during lonely night? You reassured me that you would love me forever. Now will you not act on it? I came for you my love, to be reunited with you. Why? Why do you look so tense? Do you not want me here? I’m sorry then. I will leave - after only I’ve got what I wanted."

She has gotten closer now. As she whispers in my ear, the stench of soil invades my nostrils. I didn’t think she could get out, I didn’t think she would come back. I thought she was gone! My breath is coming in silent hitches, harmonizing to my irregular heartbeat. My mind becomes foggy in panic. She’s come back - she’s come back for me! My eyes are becoming unfocused but I’m too afraid to move to rub them into focus.

"Don’t worry my love, nothing shall ever separate us again. We’ll be together forever." Slowly she walks around the chair to face me, ever so slowly does she walk, so silent. No! I don’t want to look, don’t come here! Go away! "Together forever," she murmurs to me as I recognize an icy hand stroking my face and stone cold lips against my own, then all goes black.

It was a sunny and bright day, despite the violent storm that appeared last night. The maid walked into the library humming as she went about her tasks. She then recognized the reclining form her master in the chair. "Oh, I’m sorry sir, I hadn’t realized you were -" when suddenly she screamed. The butler and another maid rushed in, wondering why the young girl screamed, they then caught the sight of their master. He lay in the chair, mouth-open and his eyes were misted and rolled back. His lips has a blue-ish color to them, bits of dirt sprinkled upon them, and his skin was pale and grey in color. He was dead.

The wind blew in sounds of laughing children and chirping birds into the somber room. The young maid sank to the floor sobbing, as the butler rushed out to get the police. The older maid just stood there in shock as the wind ruffled her hair. 

more at buzzle.com

Unconditional

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Loneliness

Are you lonely? Depressed? Do you feel abandoned? Forsaken by family and friends? Our loving Heavenly Father has words of comfort and hope for you! Hear these words with your heart:
God has promised, "Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me." [Psalm 27:10] And "a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." [Psalm 68:5]
God caress about justice: "But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless." Psalm 10:14 and "You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." [Psalm 10:17, 18]
Our Father cares for the stranger, the one who has come from a far place: "The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked." [Psalm 146:9]
God will deliver you from depression: "He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains." [Psalm 107:14] and "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, because you are called an outcast... for whom no one cares.'" [Jeremiah 30:17]
Would you like a personal relationship with God, our Father? You can through His Son, Jesus: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" [John 14:6]
God promised to end your loneliness: Psalm 68:6 says, "God sets the lonely in families..." You have a family right here at The Father's Heart Ministry Center. Come join us... and welcome home!

The Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man  was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and   families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military  service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the  man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where  his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and  color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while  children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite  detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.  Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive  words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see  anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt  ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He   began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that  window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window  began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man   watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking  stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no  words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he  could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his   first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.


What we should learn:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like   programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips  just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.

final blog entry

Your final blog entry is an essay about your philosophy in life.

The type of essay required for this blog is descriptive.

What do I mean about Philosophy in Life?

Accordingly, philosophy in life will vary depending on one’s life experience. And, it is believed that no two people will have seen life in the same way. The way we experience life will let us identify who we are, what we are, and who we want to become.

Philosophy in life answers this question- What is my purpose in life?

That’s a question that we all deal with- Why are we here? What is the point of life? What realizations do I have about life?

There are so many questions too that maybe involved every time we are asked about our philosophy in life. But the main goal is to be able to identify who we are, why and what is our purpose.

Since this is your final essay, I encourage you to apply everything you have learned in class. From the discussions, to the sharing of significant experiences regarding the themes of the different literary genres we have taken. All of those imply about life. In writing a good philosophy paper, you need to be concise but at the same time explain yourself fully.

To improve, review on how descriptive essays are written. And the same drill, they should include the basic parts it. Write your own title for your essay as well.

Your essay should consist of 400-600 words. Make sure that it will be posted on or before October 22, 2010 at 12midnight HK time. If you have clarifications about your task, you may email me personally at ignatiusjosephestroga@gmail.com or you may see me anytime at your convenience at the CAS faculty room. Have fun! :-)

We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep…
William Shakespeare, The Tempest

LIT001 6th Blog Project

LIT001 6th Blog Project

Your sixth blog entry is to write a essay about the conflict of a drama.

The sixth blog entry requires you to share your own idea and significant experiences from the conflict of the drama "Tatarin"  by Nick Joaquin.

The type of essay required for this blog is narrative. Take note on how narrative essays are written from the previous blog entries you made. It should also include the basic parts of an essay.

Your essay should consist of 300-500 words. Make sure that it will be posted on or before October 16, 2010. Good luck.