TOPAZ HORIZON

Last Saturday, I joined some Nuffnangers on a visit to Sunshineville in Las Pinas. Sunshineville. You gotta love a place named like that! And you know what? The people who live there truly are filled with sunshine. And look at how they decorate their windows! I was just so delighted!

Sunshineville is a community development project of the Gawad Kalinga Foundation. The place used to be an ultra-low income neighborhood. In today's PC terms, informal settlers. In other words, squatters. But through the efforts of Gawad Kalinga and many corporate sponsors, these people are now living in their own homes (they pay Php500 a month!). They all have a sense of ownership and belonging. And these can do wonders to the soul!

Going around the colorful neighborhood and talking to the people, I was amazed at how confident they are, at how proud and happy they are. Many times when I meet people, they regard me with resentment--insecure and ashamed of how different they are from me. And I'm not even talking about poor people--some people who are so fantastically blessed can be angry just because your skin is lighter or you're thinner. Or they look down on you because of the same shallow reasons. I can't understand this!

In Sunshineville, I felt none of that nonsense. In Sunshineville, they didn't make me feel like I was better than them. I felt like I was with equals. And I truly was! The people at Sunshineville not only are paying for their mortgage, they also built their houses. They also have a livelihood that gives them self-worth (I'll talk about this livelihood later!). No one talked about how many cars you owned or what new fitness fad or diet pill you're taking or what designer brand you just bought. What we talked about was our work and how wonderful it is to work!

It is a most beautiful thing to witness how an honest day's work gives people dignity. I'm so inspired! Can you imagine if the entire country was transformed like this? Now I want to put up a business so I can give people jobs and make more people happy!

*for more photos of Sunshineville (especially the people! Haha, sorry, was so fascinated by the windows I forgot to take pictures of the people!), click here!

Air pumps used to mean nothing to me as they usually meant car tires, balls and basketball shoes. Then I spied these on a shop shelf.My new forest green Cole Haan pumps. With Nike Air technology! I feel like I'm wearing sneakers! Cole Haan is on a huge sale this month--these babies were 75% off. Yes. Originally at Php19,000! Great deal!!!

They're a sensible style and since my style isn't so sensible, I got it in not-so-sensible forest green! Except that when I tried them on with my all-black ensemble (Bench tank, Kate Moss for Topshop pants), they also looked black. So now I just ended up looking like a career bitch... in high heeled sneakers! Now I'm thinking fondly of that scene from Stepford Wives when Matthew Broderick's character tells Nicole Kidman's character about their new life:

Walter: First of all, we're in the country now,
so no more black.
Joanna: No more black? Are you insane?
Walter: You heard me. Only high-powered, neurotic,
castrating, Manhattan career bitches wear black.
Is that what you wanna be?
Joanna: Ever since I was a little girl.

Oh! I've also always dreamed of being a career woman when I was a little girl! Whenever my Papa would start saying things like, "One day, you'll be married..." or "When you have kids..." I would tell him very loudly, "I'm going to be a working woman!" and Papa would shake his head in disapproval. So it's very strange now that he's actually proud of me!

My, my, wasn't yesterday's post petulant (and mildly grammatically incorrect in some parts!)? I blame it on PMS. Migraine, mood swings, more tired than usual and you get whiny me. I guess I got envious of the women around me--efficient and impeccable because they have an army of assistants and maids to help them out.

But my reader Nikki of AskMeWhats, whom I've never met, saw through all my complaints and observed quite accurately, "I have a feeling you're someone who'd rather do things themselves as you know 'the right way' to do it, just like me. That's why I'd rather do things on my own than ask someone to do it then, at the end, not be satisfied!" Indeed, Nikki. That is who I am--I complain of all the work but when people help, I get more annoyed than grateful. And it's because I have a way of doing things and if it's not done just so, I get angry. So I end up doing everything myself! So I should stop complaining!!!

Goodness, I also want to add that my house is always perfectly clean and that I need not think about washing the dishes. I just want to put that out there because my darling sweet husband doesn't want you to think that our house is a mess. It isn't and that's because Vince is such a sweetheart with tidying things up. Why, just today he waxed and polished the floors! Thanks, Vince! Whatever would I do without you?

Yes, I'm in a better mood now. Had spicy tuna maki and tuna sashimi and miso soup--this always puts me in a good mood, this and tinolang manok and my mother-in-law's caldereta. Also went shopping recently. Bought a nice dress, got some seriously cool shoes. Booked an appointment with beauty maestro Louis Phillip Kee. I'm also preparing to leave for an all-expense-paid trip to Singapore this weekend. Well, there you go! What should I be complaining about when I'm the luckiest girl in the world? Shame on me indeed!