Monday, February 18, 2008

I've Learned...

I turn 37 at the end of this workweek, and found myself awake until the wee hours of the morning ruminating on whatever lessons I might have come away with in my short life... and so far, I've learned that:

- a trip to the bathroom can sometimes yield happiness for one's spouse when he sees a new toy while waiting for you to come out;

- a side trip can prove more fruitful than the initially intended journey;

- long conversations with people who "get it" make time pass so quickly that you wonder where it's gone;

- disappointment will exist, no matter how you try to avoid it;

- you can't have your cake and eat it too... something will always give... the bigger the cake, the bigger the give;

- clean and freshly painted toenails can give joy beyond compare when having a bad day;

- if you use the right stuff in the first place, replacement won't be necessary;

- acting on one's impulses can prove right some of the time;

- great heartbreak can only follow a great love... and that great hate is usually prefaced by the same;

- you don't always get what you want, but pray that you always get what you need;

- there is beauty in unexpected places;

- there is such a thing as "enough";

- eventually, we all grow up and out of whatever we needed to grow up and out of;

- no one is pure evil;

- it would have been more prudent to wait, after all;

- every day is a gift to not be wasted doing absolutely nothing;

- nothing and no one is worth the loss of one's dignity and self-respect;

- after a break-up, you can't be friends... not really... not until time has healed every open wound that you'll then be able to face the once beloved without pain;

- a sticker can give a child more happiness than can be dreamed of;

- most of the time, there's nothing on television;

- that minding someone else's business can be counterproductive... I mean, we have our own business to mind;

- one well-chosen curse word can be far more perfect than a clean paragraph;

- it's smarter to start developing the mind while young; it has a longer shelf life than the body... long after my boobs have drooped to my waist, I'll still be able to ruminate on the changeable and changing meaning of life;

- it truly is better to have loved deeply and lost than to never have loved at all;

- there is nothing more peaceful than seeing your child sleep;

- you can really only be hurt by the ones you love and hate with a passion... those you're indifferent to can cause no suffering (unless they throw a beer bottle at your head);

- we as a country can overcome whatever is ailing us... the power does not lie in the hands of those seated in the halls of government, but in the hands of the constituency... once we realize this, only then can we start to build from the ground up;

- as a nation of 7,107 islands, if we each fix our own part of the island, we can then fix the nation;

- the truth about someone always... always comes out in the end;

- once you have a child, nothing else matters.

99 comments:

Bill みつる said...

Amen. :)

Jamie Wilson said...

thank you for watching hamlet. it was great to see you! you were a breath of fresh air, positive and supportive and quite bubbly!!! my best wishes to you on your birthday, and my deepest love to you and your family. mwah!

agnes del rosario-cortez said...

well said, Lea! Advance happy birthday to you!

tin samson said...

nice!
advanced happy birthday! :D

len lara said...

when all one does is go to work and come home to do more work because you don't have a maid (here in the US at least) , doing nothing on your day off can be pure bliss and absolutely necessary for one's sanity.

Cathy Babao Guballa said...

great lessons learned :) very true.

moy ortiz said...

thank you for sharing this Lea. I love it when a truth is delivered with a lot of humor.

Dzie Ruiz said...

Hi...Advance happy birthday po on Feb. 22 i will not forget that date because the next day will be my birthday too...

KarinA ... said...

ah...i made a similar reflection on my 34th birthday: http://karinaraneta.multiply.com/journal/item/116/34_Things_Ive_Learned_about_myself_and_life

the day you turn 37 will mark 22 years (?) since we met. un-believe-able!

Chinky Fuentes said...

Have a blessed birthday, Lea!

TJ De Luna said...

Hey manang happy birthday...Can't wait to see you here in Honolulu for your concert.

aileen gamboa said...

very well said Lea! You are truly an inspiration to me..may you have a wonderful birthday...God bless..

Emma Simmons said...

Well said Lea!
I hope you end up having a great birthday.

anne mendoza said...

Happy Birthday Lea!

Dana Cosio-Mercado said...

Lovely list. I especially like, "the bigger the cake, the bigger the give."
Oh and, "once you have a child, nothing else matters." SO TRUE!
Thanks for sharing this.
Happiest of birthdays! from Paolo, myself and the boys :)

Rika Mimula said...

Hope you have a nice birthday, Lea:)
Where did you go in Hong Kong? I am very interesting in which place that the tourists feel interesting.

marysse villanueva said...

Happy birthday. you are getting lovelier each year that passes. Not only are you beautiful but very intelligent as well...

Lloyd de Leon said...

i love this blog ;) but i'm too tired to post my comment. will definitely come back ;)

nimfa macabitas said...

- after a break-up, you can't be friends... not really... not until time has healed every open wound that you'll then be able to face the once beloved without pain;
VERY TRUE....
Advance HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

betsy . said...

Advance Happy Birthday Manang!!!

ann reyes said...

well said !
Advance Happy Birthday....!

elaine yeung said...

advance Happy Birthday Lea!
wish you have a Happy Birthday with Nic and Rob!

JANE AREJOLA said...

Very nice! ADVANCE HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEA! :)

Kai Delen-Briones said...

Happy Birthday! Thanks for sharing all these lessons learned. Your are truly a great inspiration to all us! Wish you many more!

Ronald Manaron said...

Lea - it's great fun watching you wax philosophical on the eve of your 37th birthday. I love the quotation above. God always knows what we need in order to become truly happy, even though they are things we never asked for. Sometimes I get too caught up in my own "agenda" to realize this.

I do wish you a very happy birthday and many more blessings to come!

Denise Linsangan said...

the "being friends" part with the ex is sssoooooo true! i am a living proof of that. haha!

Ricardo Rivero said...

Great lessons learned. Naka relate ako sa karamihan. he he he
Happy happy birthday Lea. Mwah!!!!!

C. S. said...

Learning all these things you've listed, in your short life of 37 years, I must say that you've learned well. Keep on learning. There's always something to learn and life's experience is the best teacher.

Annabelle Malibago said...

Lea - Do you still get carded when you order a drink here in the states?! You look so young :)

jhunnelle sebastian said...

Happy Bday, you don't look like 37.

jhack telan said...

So true.
Advance Happy Birthday, Manang!

bobby rodriguez said...

Hayyy Lea ang sarap basahin ng mga sinabi mo. It sure inspires me. Happy Birthday gal. YOU ROCK!

arlin dizon said...

Happy bday Lea! God created an awesome person in you. Thank you for sharing your gift of music and a little bit of yourself with us. You inspire us in so many ways not just by being an artist but as a person. Wishing you more power and happiness in your life ahead!

jeff aguiman said...

Advance Happy Birthday!

lynette m said...

belated happy bday!

Mylene Lava said...

A very Happy Birthday to you Lea! May God continue to shower you and your family with His blessings . . . you truly are a remarkable individual. May you continue to have the gift to touch people's lives thru your music. God Bless!

Joroli-Emma Almeria said...

How I pray na sana lahat tayong mga Pilipino ma-realize to. It's so frustrating to see in the news people complaining like about garbage when it's there own at 'yung talagang pwede nman nila magawan ng paraan. Oh well...let me not spoil your week.

A blessed birthday to you...enjoy! ;)

mrsvd * said...

Happy Birthday in advance, Lea! See you on March 8th...hopefully with your Mom! Blessings!

Traffic Like Me said...

Great insight...

Advanced Happy Birthday!

Jason . said...

Happy B-day Lea.....I learned that no matter how much you hide things from the kids (in this case - their gifts)....they will find it!!!

~MamaJoy~ *_* said...

very well said idol. :) maligayang kaarawan! ^_^

Urane laderas-cabantog said...

and there's nothing such as less evil, too....

Urane laderas-cabantog said...

great words of wisdom lea.....
advance happy birthday!!!! more blessing to come...

Guy Gustafson said...

HAPPY BIRTH...WEEK!!

"no one is pure evil"...that's if you don't include Satan and are talking about humans only, and even then, some come real close...Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot to name a few.

"nothing and no one is worth the loss of one's dignity and self-respect"...hmm, isn't this what happens to Fantine? Although she's a fictional character, there must be real situations like hers. I pray that someday all people will be more compassionate and Fantine's experience will be archaic.

"clean and freshly painted toenails can give joy beyond compare when having a bad day" & "...long after my boobs have drooped to my waist..." these don't apply to me...at least, I hope that latter never applies to me!! But I know what you mean, and there are things on a bad day that can give me joy...like hearing your singing! As for the other, I'll just say that losing my mind is what scares me the most about getting old.

The rest are so true! And so many of these sayings are just perfect for fortune cookies! I'd like to see you someday start writing books...but I'd rather see you perform in musicals or concerts!

Jasper Po said...

-- " a side trip can prove more fruitful than the initially intended journey;"

and that the memory of the sidetrip is what usually lasts.

c",) sharon ira said...

hi i chanced upon your site while browsing KC Concepcion's contacts... i myself will be 36 at the end of this workweek! yeah if you're 222 im 22272 hehehe.. anyways.. thanks so much for saying the things i want to say myself! i think i got lucky today having found your blog to read... but i specifically like the quote above and this part: "- as a nation of 7,107 islands, if we each fix our own part of the island, we can then fix the nation;" Very true... very true indeed!

isabel capillas said...

Happy Birthday, Lea!

moana marie pagaduan said...

Yup, i couldn't agree more. Advance Happy Birthday fellow febrarian :-)

moana marie pagaduan said...

I super agree. Advanced Happy birthday fellow febrarian :-)

dylan reyes said...

Happy Natal Day! Wishing all of your dreams will come true.

Sylveth Ong-iko said...

it was nice of you to share these. Happy Birthday!

AnnaGhia Erasquin said...

happy birthday to the lady who sang "tomorrow" on the milk commercial ...the one and only tv ad that never fails to make me teary eyed whenever i see it. i'm so proud of you, ms. lea. i'll always be a fan. :)

reginee tan said...

Advance Happy Birthday :D <:P

Bon~Bon Quirog said...

heLLo Lea... advance HAPPY BIRTHDAY...
i love this blog... very true talaga...
i'm telling my ne'er-do-well peers about this... they could use some inspiration from you...
anyway, i sense something... i don't quite know what... hehehe!...

ingatz..
^_^

Gina MS said...

How dirty the mind can be....I got stuck with the bathroom and the toy....yikes! Yes, even at this age, we all still have a lot to learn, but at least now we can say that we are a lot wiser than we were the year before. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEA!!!!!! :-)

Rob S said...

2 more days till your birthday. Happy Birthday in advance Lea. We'll be seeing you in Maui in 2 weeks. Enjoy your birthday and the weekend that follows with your family!

Sophi DelCarmen said...

Hi Lea, my mom is such a big fan of you. Matter of fact as a birthday present to her, I bought her your opening show for Cinderella (July) last January. She visits your multiply site EVERYDAY. She also has printed your voluminous wikipedia entry for her "scrapbook". She's a fan of yours since the Annie days. BTW this is my dog puppy Sophia :) pls add us to your contacts. Thanks!

Happy Birthday Too. My mom's name is Josie.

dianneLouise ♥ said...

Yay! Advance HAPPY BIRTHDAY ^_^

Celeste MD said...

An hour before midnight and youre online! Happy birthday in advance, manang. May you continue to inspire your fans all around the world and may God bless you and your family not just a thousand but a millionfolds.

mike&nette lim said...

happy happy birthday!!!

take care and god bless.

thina tienzo said...

Hello Lei,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
may all your prayers be answered!.

Piper Holly said...

Happy Birthday Manang, Glad you're sharing your Awesome Thought, We are learning drom your. You can add this one.

- Always think about little things that makes life great.... and you never be lonely..never be,,,

Piper Holly said...

Multiply is a cool place to hang around di tulad ng newsgroup before....

BTW. Hope you still remember me from the newsgroup day

Piper_Holly :-)

Gladys Gatdula said...

Happy Birthday! =)

Edcel Bergado said...

Happy Birthday Lea!

winnie ... said...

happy 37th today, LEA!

all the best to you, Rob and Nic!

Spaced Out In Space said...

a trip to the bathroom can sometimes yield happiness for one's spouse when he sees a new toy while waiting for you to come out

i can soooo relate. LOL. what toys is your hubby into?

kristine suin said...

very well said! happy birthday!

elaine yeung said...

Happy Birthday Lea!

rose co said...

Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Master T c",) said...

Very well said and totally true! => A very Happy Birthday to you Lea and the best of everything to you and your beautiful family. God Bless! Cheers! =>

Alexander Cohen said...

It's your birthday -- you matter!

(Not that you don't on other days too, of course.)

Happy birthday!

Jojo Terencio said...

Happy, happy birthday, lea. All the best and God bless you and your loved ones!

Rika Mimula said...

Happy Birthday Lea:)

Tiffany Guevarra said...

happy birthday Ms. Lea! man! i look older than you and im only 20,,tsktsktsk..good for you though.. =D have a very blessed birthday and thank you for inspiring us all!.. Godbless you and your family!..

hermione 0826 said...

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to-oo M.s Lea, happy birthday to you!!! (sing)

Michelle S said...

Wishing you all the best of luck, health, and happiness as you turn 37 today!

Your insights were invaluable, how I wish I had a wise big sis like you while growing up (just an older bro and myself)....anyhoo, thanks for these =)

Melissa Rivera said...

Happy Birthday Ms. Lea! Hope God blesses you with more birthdays to come :)

Arlene Teves-Du said...

Happy Birthday Lea!

jobeth zerrudo said...

"we as a country can overcome whatever is ailing us... the power does not lie in the hands of those seated in the halls of government, but in the hands of the constituency... once we realize this, only then can we start to build from the ground up;"
- very well said, ms. Lea! I remember you also said that in one of your concerts. It's truly an honor that god made a person such as you and for knowing an inspiration like you.

"as a nation of 7,107 islands, if we each fix our own part of the island, we can then fix the nation"
- your words of wisdom never fails to make me happy and I'm sure the whole world happy.

Belated Happy Birthday & may God always bless, love and care 4 u. good day 2 u!! : )

criscoboi . said...

Happy, happy birthday, Lea! I hope you're having a fun day. :)

JET SANTOS said...

Most of my memorable journeys were made of just pure impulses. Just live the moment.

Happy Birthday!

Ayrin Greyz said...

"meaningful changes comes from personal sacrifices"
this quote seems to apply to some of what you've mentioned ... live and cherish life to the fullest with your love ones ... happy, happy birthday!

Kyra Alas said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEA!

khristine weigle said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS. LEA!!!

ashley ramos said...

*happy birthday to you! mwah! mwah!
i visit during weekends but i'm too lazy to comment.(sorry!) hehehe!
my blog --- > http://ashleypigtail.blogdrive.com

ashley ramos said...

i visit during weekends but i'm too lazy to comment.(sorry!) hehehe!
my blog --- > http://ashleypigtail.blogdrive.com

ashley ramos said...

i visit during weekends but i'm too lazy to comment.(sorry!) hehehe!
my blog --- > http://ashleypigtail.blogdrive.com

sugar dizon said...

ashley my dear, i visited your site and haysus the nerve of you to practice self-promotion!
and the nerve of you to have Lea's name misspelled: LEAH Salonga as a link to this site. for sure you don't want your name be spelled as ASSley ha?

Rick B. Ramos said...

Wow! I just read so many comments. What can i say except Enjoy Life with your Family. My wife and children are the greatest joy to me. Rick P.S. By the way, I just remembered that I wrote you a letter via snail mail and the same through email at bigsis222 re Pilipinas Heritage Foundation, but received no reply.Wonder if you got them.

Melissa Ongsue said...

wow that was a good blog entry!

Andrea McClimans said...

truth...truth...and nothing but the truth...especially the last one...

i enjoy reading your entries...da best!

makes me want to go back to writing...been on writer's block for...oh...more than a year now? some block eh?

oh well...

thanks for always inspiring (me!

advanced happy birthday na rin! :*

Gina Balagon said...

Happy birthday Lea, you still look young..

lily lily said...

happy late birthday~
and you love your daughter sooo much, it's soo cute :D
your love for her makes others want kids too

anjela bolivar said...

i have always looked up to you as a performer. now, i look up to you as a blogger. hehehe. you are very sensible and level headed. no wonder you are a superstar. thank you for inspiring us all, lea.

Mia BellaMare said...

you should say, "I learned that... I will still get carded because I don't look anywhere near my real age."

Tina N said...

I could relate to most of it, it was one of those "that's totally true" readings :)

joy weimer said...

Once you have a child nothing else matters, true..gave me perspective with other aspects of life that at one time I thought was the first priority-great insights.

christine grace bustillo said...

i am at work & been in sloth mode so i sat in front of the computer and surfed the net for almost the entire afternoon. it's a good thing i came upon your blog, it gave me a hard kick on my a** =)