Marcel Sternberger worked in New York City. To get to work he took the Long Island Railroad. He did this every day.
One day a friend of his became critically ill so he went to the hospital to visit him. That took his whole morning so he had to take the noon train back to work—a train he had never been on before in his entire life. He didn’t like the crowds. He got into the car. It was shoulder-to-shoulder and no empty seats. When suddenly, one guy realizing he just about missed his stop, jumped and bolted out the door. Voila! Right there and there was a seat for Marcel Sternberger. He sat down.
The guy next to him was reading a paper. It happened to be a Hungarian newspaper. Marcel Sternberger had been to Hungary numerous times. He knew Hungarian. He began to kind of read over this guy’s shoulder and then he said, “Sir, I see you’re looking on the want ads. Are you looking for a job?”
The guy said, “No. I am looking for my wife.”
“I don’t understand,” said Sternberger.
The man began an incredible story. He said, “In the Second World War, I was taken by the Nazis to help bury the German dead in the Ukraine. They took me away from my wife. After I was finished, I went home and my wife was taken, I thought, perhaps to a concentration camp to Auschwitz. I never saw my wife again.
“I live with this hope that she was rescued. You see, we lived in Debrecen in Hungary. We were happy. In Auschwitz almost 2 million people were killed. Still I cling to this hope that somehow, she may have been rescued by the Allied soldiers… Maybe somehow she found her way to the United States… Maybe even here in New York. I’m looking for her today in the want ads.”
As Marcel Sternberger listened to the story, something sounded familiar and he couldn’t quite put a finger on it and after a few minutes he said, “Oh, I wonder…”
Marcel took out from his wallet a crumbled piece of paper and opened it up. There was a name on it: Maria.
Marcel said to the man, “Sir, where did you say you were from?”
“Debrecen in Hungary.”
Marcel taught the city was familiar. He had met a certain Maria at a party about six months before. She said she was from Hungary, from the city of Debrecen. She said her husband had been taken by the Nazis in the Second World War. And that she didn’t know what happened to him.
And he thought in his mind, “I just wonder… Her name was Maria Paskin…” And there on the piece of paper was her phone number.
“What’s your name?” Marcel asked.
“Bela Paskin.”
“Sir, would you get off with me at the next stop?”
The stranger named Bela Paskin did. They got off at the next stop. Marcel walked over to a telephone booth and dialed the number. He kept Bela away from him. He said, “Hello.”
A woman answered the phone. She said hello.
“Ma’am, who is this?”
“My name is Maria,” she said.
“Maria, do you remember me? My name is Marcel Sternberger. I met you at a party about six months ago. You told me about your experiences in Europe and missing your husband. Can you tell me if you remember me?”
“Oh, certainly I remember you, sir. How are you doing?”
“Maria, what street did you live on in Hungary?” He had asked Bela before and she gave the street address and it matched.
“Maria, what’s the name of your husband?”
“Bela, sir. Bela Paskin.”
Marcel called Bela over and said, “My friend, you are about to witness the most incredible miracle in your entire life. Marcel handed Bela the phone. Bela put the phone to his ear and tears began to stream down his face and all he could say was, “Maria… Maria… Maria…”
Coincidence? Universal Mind? Or a God who writes our own life stories—who calls Himself the Author of Life? You decide.
06 October 2012
05 October 2012
The Second Circle, by Patsy Rodenburg
I devoured this book as soon as I received in but soon realized it needs a slower, more alert and careful reading. I just finished reading it the other day and I must say, Patsy Rodenburg's "The Second Circle" deserves a second reading (and a third, a fourth, and so on). There is just so much gems of practical advice in the book: it's a treasure chest!
Patsy talks about the energy we were all born with as our birthright. She explains the three Circles of energy, and her thesis that living in the Second Circle is the only way to live fully in the present life. She then gives exercises to initiate us into Second Circle and help us abide in it.
Now I am a slow learner. I don't read a book and then be able to say, "A ha! I got it! I know what the author is trying to say." This is good because this book deserves to be worked through. The exercises have to be experienced to be able to encounter Second Circle and BE in Second Circle.
The exercises work and I am seeing much improvement with my work and relations. I plan to integrate these exercises into my life.
If you see "The Dog Whisperer" on TV, what the show host is talking about with dogs, that Presence, is exactly the same with what Patsy is talking about, but Patsy shows you how to use this Present Second Circle Energy into every area of your life.
The principles and exercises are applicable to whatever situation you are in. Read the book, try the exercises, experiment with the principles, and suit them to fit your life!
Patsy talks about the energy we were all born with as our birthright. She explains the three Circles of energy, and her thesis that living in the Second Circle is the only way to live fully in the present life. She then gives exercises to initiate us into Second Circle and help us abide in it.
Now I am a slow learner. I don't read a book and then be able to say, "A ha! I got it! I know what the author is trying to say." This is good because this book deserves to be worked through. The exercises have to be experienced to be able to encounter Second Circle and BE in Second Circle.
The exercises work and I am seeing much improvement with my work and relations. I plan to integrate these exercises into my life.
If you see "The Dog Whisperer" on TV, what the show host is talking about with dogs, that Presence, is exactly the same with what Patsy is talking about, but Patsy shows you how to use this Present Second Circle Energy into every area of your life.
The principles and exercises are applicable to whatever situation you are in. Read the book, try the exercises, experiment with the principles, and suit them to fit your life!
04 October 2012
The 33rd Manila International Book Fair
The place was packed when we got to the SMX Convention. Yeah, here are booklovers braving the rain and traffic to come together and celebrate literature.
Recently in the news, they said that reading is dropping among Filipinos. Fewer and fewer Filipinos are picking up books to read. I wondered how they arrived at that conclusion. In the news report, they showed a sharp decline in visits to local public libraries. That’s understandable. I think most readers in the Filipinos would rather a) download an e-book version, or b) buy from a bookstore. Bookstores are fine and all, but there’s nothing like owning your own copy.
Speaking of owning, in the MIBF I bought:
1. A coloring and activity book for Dana
2. The Wolf Gift, by Anne Rice. Fiction. I held out for so long from purchasing this book, and now I gave myself persmission. Feels gooooooood!
3. Mozart’s Ghost, by Julia Cameron. Fiction. A snail-paced romance. Will reserve for days I don’t like to think too much.
4. Secrets of the Alexander Technique. Non-Fiction. I forget the author just now, but Alexander is something I want to learn right now and add to my arsenal of acting tools for the next time I take to the stage.
5. The Bible in World History, by Stephen Leston. Non-Fiction. A sort-of almanac situating biblical events in world history. I just began reading it and I love the illustrations.
Today I finished reading The Second Circle, by Patsy Rodenburg. I’ll need to give this book a second reading, and a third, and a fourth. It’s one of those books I need to go back to over and over again to fully absorb. I don’t mind. I am a slow learner, but I don’t easily forget something I learned.
I’m racing through Stephen King’s On Writing, too, so I can finally focus The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde deserved his last name.
Recently in the news, they said that reading is dropping among Filipinos. Fewer and fewer Filipinos are picking up books to read. I wondered how they arrived at that conclusion. In the news report, they showed a sharp decline in visits to local public libraries. That’s understandable. I think most readers in the Filipinos would rather a) download an e-book version, or b) buy from a bookstore. Bookstores are fine and all, but there’s nothing like owning your own copy.
Speaking of owning, in the MIBF I bought:
1. A coloring and activity book for Dana
2. The Wolf Gift, by Anne Rice. Fiction. I held out for so long from purchasing this book, and now I gave myself persmission. Feels gooooooood!
3. Mozart’s Ghost, by Julia Cameron. Fiction. A snail-paced romance. Will reserve for days I don’t like to think too much.
4. Secrets of the Alexander Technique. Non-Fiction. I forget the author just now, but Alexander is something I want to learn right now and add to my arsenal of acting tools for the next time I take to the stage.
5. The Bible in World History, by Stephen Leston. Non-Fiction. A sort-of almanac situating biblical events in world history. I just began reading it and I love the illustrations.
Today I finished reading The Second Circle, by Patsy Rodenburg. I’ll need to give this book a second reading, and a third, and a fourth. It’s one of those books I need to go back to over and over again to fully absorb. I don’t mind. I am a slow learner, but I don’t easily forget something I learned.
I’m racing through Stephen King’s On Writing, too, so I can finally focus The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde deserved his last name.
03 October 2012
Martial Law thoughts
We belong to the generation that asks of the Martial Law: "Was it really that bad?" We have poor or zero recollection of the past. It has been 40 years.
It is hard to write something that is foreign—outside of myself. About two months ago, I was invited to attend the book launch of Tibak Rising, stories of the Revolution. What’s more, I was asked to use my thespic skills and read excerpts from one of the essays in the book. Tibak Rising is a great read. I got amazing insight into the lives of activists during the Martial Law from firsthand accounts.
The closest I can get to exploring Martial Law in depth was through a play I did before: Griselda Gambaro’s Information for Foreigners. Under the direction of Anton Juan, we traversed lives of the desaperacidos, weaving in and out of the audience these stories that few newspapers care to report.
Today, on the 40th Anniversary of the Declaration of Martial Law, I remember the many Communists, men, women, rebels, activists, artists, who lost their lives because they rose against a dictator.
It’s been said that the only thing it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing. We’re Filipinos. The blood of dictators, traitors, heroes, and revolutionaries, run through our veins. The question is, which side are you on?
Look around you. There is still evil lurking around. Will you stand around and do nothing?
It is hard to write something that is foreign—outside of myself. About two months ago, I was invited to attend the book launch of Tibak Rising, stories of the Revolution. What’s more, I was asked to use my thespic skills and read excerpts from one of the essays in the book. Tibak Rising is a great read. I got amazing insight into the lives of activists during the Martial Law from firsthand accounts.
The closest I can get to exploring Martial Law in depth was through a play I did before: Griselda Gambaro’s Information for Foreigners. Under the direction of Anton Juan, we traversed lives of the desaperacidos, weaving in and out of the audience these stories that few newspapers care to report.
Today, on the 40th Anniversary of the Declaration of Martial Law, I remember the many Communists, men, women, rebels, activists, artists, who lost their lives because they rose against a dictator.
It’s been said that the only thing it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing. We’re Filipinos. The blood of dictators, traitors, heroes, and revolutionaries, run through our veins. The question is, which side are you on?
Look around you. There is still evil lurking around. Will you stand around and do nothing?
02 October 2012
Quitting Smoking, Quitting You
I will smoke my last twenty cigarettes
In memory of you.
One stick for your secret kisses in the Fire Exit
Two for those kisses when you bite my lip.
Four sticks I’ll burn for the times we made love.
Like our mingled laughter the smoke
dissipates and depletes the ozone.
Three sticks I’ll burn for your tight hugs
How I buried my face in your neck
And felt safe all through the night.
One stick for the smell of my cologne
That has rubbed off on your skin
When I pressed next to you.
One stick for how you kept my nails neat
And taught me what clothes to wear
And how you’ve always been there
When I didn’t expect you to.
One stick for the dinners, and the movies, and the plays
One more for getting my jokes even in the bad days.
Two sticks for keeping my heart’s secrets
And two more for entrusting me with yours
I tried to listen to the music on your phone
Two broken hearts strumming along.
One stick, I’ll keep, to carry a wish
That fate will cancel out all your regret.
I’ll smoke my last puff, down deep in my belly
I know it feels right as I know it is killing me
And your love, like a cancer, I will snuff right
out…
of…
my…
life
In memory of you.
One stick for your secret kisses in the Fire Exit
Two for those kisses when you bite my lip.
Four sticks I’ll burn for the times we made love.
Like our mingled laughter the smoke
dissipates and depletes the ozone.
Three sticks I’ll burn for your tight hugs
How I buried my face in your neck
And felt safe all through the night.
One stick for the smell of my cologne
That has rubbed off on your skin
When I pressed next to you.
One stick for how you kept my nails neat
And taught me what clothes to wear
And how you’ve always been there
When I didn’t expect you to.
One stick for the dinners, and the movies, and the plays
One more for getting my jokes even in the bad days.
Two sticks for keeping my heart’s secrets
And two more for entrusting me with yours
I tried to listen to the music on your phone
Two broken hearts strumming along.
One stick, I’ll keep, to carry a wish
That fate will cancel out all your regret.
I’ll smoke my last puff, down deep in my belly
I know it feels right as I know it is killing me
And your love, like a cancer, I will snuff right
out…
of…
my…
life
01 October 2012
Hotel Stotsenberg
We're back from Clark, Pampanga where we did absolutely... nothing! Haha! While Veck was out on the pediatric conferences, Dana vegetated in front of Nick Jr., and would release excess energy by jumping up and down the beds or running up and down the halls screaming so her voice would echo. I whiled the hours away reading "A Bottle of Storm Cloud Stories" by Eliza Victoria laying in a hot bath. When I got bored I sang "Sana Maulit Muli" out loud. I wanted to go to Zoocobia but we couldn't fit it in our schedule. So we opted to stay in the hotel premises instead.
Hotel Stotsenberg I imagine resembled a nun cloister or a boarding school in London. The building is a square, with a wide square courtyard, with a fountain in the center of the courtyard. Our room was 305C, which meant Hall C, third floor.
The place was empty except for the pediatric delegates. There were very few other guests. Walking up and down the halls trying to locate the swimming pool and the gym with Dana trotting by my side, I plotted a novel in my mind I can set in here. I have been writing fiction for the longest time. It's a joy that matches the exhiliration of being onstage. But I usually just hide my fiction in drawers, or lose them. I have an ambition: be published. But to be published, I first have to write a novel, and a good one. That I plan to do a few pages each day after shift. What are long bus rides home for?
The Manila International Book Fair 2012 is open at the SMX Convention Center near SM MOA only until Sunday, September 16. I haven't gone but I must! Who's going? When? Once a week Dana asks to be brought to Pandayan, the only bookstore in Malolos. A trip to the bookstores excites her. I want to see her eyes pop out when I bring her to MIBF! Halls and halls of books of all kinds!
Back at the Hotel Stotsenberg. The water costs P44 per 500mL bottle, so in the evening after dinner Veck and I decided we'll just go to the nearest 7Eleven and buy water from there. The "nearest" 7Eleven turned out to be a full 30 minutes walk away, and I carried Dana in my arms who loved to be up in her Daddy's arms. We passed by vacant lots, abandoned buildings, rows and rows of trees. Naturally I saw some elementals that let's just say the normal eye wouldn't see.
Veck kept asking, "What is it? What is it? What are you looking at?" Of course I didn't want to scare my wife so I steered the conversation into what the convention was about. Veck then told me about the advances in the study of Autism and ADHD in the Philippines. Now that's a topic that isn't scary at all! Apparently, it wasn't a good idea to walk out at this time of night. There were no other pedestrians beside us. I whispered a prayer under my breath.
Sometimes Dana would wave at the shadows and Veck would laugh. "She loves playing pretend games," Veck said. If only Dana was pretending. I saw what Dana was waving at.
When 7Eleven was near sight, there were three tambays quarreling over a cellphone, and some scantily clad girls at the corner. I knew they were up to no good, so I squeezed Veck's hand as a signal for us to cross to the other side of the street. A car stopped in front of tambays. One of them, the one who "won" the cellphone by wrenching it out of the others, approached the car window. Then one of the girls came over, opened the door, and got in the passenger seat. Neat.
It must've been the unfriendliest 7Eleven ever. When we got there the other customers eyed us curiously. We bought a tall bottle of Wilkins and debated whether Dana deserved chocolates that late at night. On the walk back home, Dana promptly fell asleep on my shoulder. (She would remain asleep for the rest of the night.) My eye fell on a tree a few yards in front of us. Beside the tree there was a child with a frozen look of horror on her face. Then the apparition disappeared.
I pretended I didn't see anything. I told Veck maybe we should just wait for a jeep to pass by that we can ride back to the hotel. We waited but no jeeps passed by. Then a car passed by. Its windows were down. The driver looked at us. Then it stopped right in front of the tree. The child appeared again and then was gone.
Veck said, "I don't feel comfortable approaching that car." Better listen to a woman's intution. Not only that, in my head I heard the child's scream: "Stop!"
The car remained parked and flashed on its hazard. Veck and I crossed to the other side of the street and started walking again. After a few moments the car started again and sped past us.
Then it hit me. Prostitutes at the corner. Few people out in the dark. Did the driver think we were selling our daughter? Yikes! Which leads me to thinking. All these "elementals"... they can't hurt you anyway. There's no need to fear them. Sometimes it's fellow humans we need to be wary of. Is it any coincidence that the apparition chose the form of a child when it warned us?
Finally, when you have God's protection, you've nothing to fear. We arrived at the hotel without incident. I put Dana to bed. Veck put diapers on her. We saw some episodes of Dog Whisperer and drifted off to sleep.
Hotel Stotsenberg I imagine resembled a nun cloister or a boarding school in London. The building is a square, with a wide square courtyard, with a fountain in the center of the courtyard. Our room was 305C, which meant Hall C, third floor.
The place was empty except for the pediatric delegates. There were very few other guests. Walking up and down the halls trying to locate the swimming pool and the gym with Dana trotting by my side, I plotted a novel in my mind I can set in here. I have been writing fiction for the longest time. It's a joy that matches the exhiliration of being onstage. But I usually just hide my fiction in drawers, or lose them. I have an ambition: be published. But to be published, I first have to write a novel, and a good one. That I plan to do a few pages each day after shift. What are long bus rides home for?
The Manila International Book Fair 2012 is open at the SMX Convention Center near SM MOA only until Sunday, September 16. I haven't gone but I must! Who's going? When? Once a week Dana asks to be brought to Pandayan, the only bookstore in Malolos. A trip to the bookstores excites her. I want to see her eyes pop out when I bring her to MIBF! Halls and halls of books of all kinds!
Back at the Hotel Stotsenberg. The water costs P44 per 500mL bottle, so in the evening after dinner Veck and I decided we'll just go to the nearest 7Eleven and buy water from there. The "nearest" 7Eleven turned out to be a full 30 minutes walk away, and I carried Dana in my arms who loved to be up in her Daddy's arms. We passed by vacant lots, abandoned buildings, rows and rows of trees. Naturally I saw some elementals that let's just say the normal eye wouldn't see.
Veck kept asking, "What is it? What is it? What are you looking at?" Of course I didn't want to scare my wife so I steered the conversation into what the convention was about. Veck then told me about the advances in the study of Autism and ADHD in the Philippines. Now that's a topic that isn't scary at all! Apparently, it wasn't a good idea to walk out at this time of night. There were no other pedestrians beside us. I whispered a prayer under my breath.
Sometimes Dana would wave at the shadows and Veck would laugh. "She loves playing pretend games," Veck said. If only Dana was pretending. I saw what Dana was waving at.
When 7Eleven was near sight, there were three tambays quarreling over a cellphone, and some scantily clad girls at the corner. I knew they were up to no good, so I squeezed Veck's hand as a signal for us to cross to the other side of the street. A car stopped in front of tambays. One of them, the one who "won" the cellphone by wrenching it out of the others, approached the car window. Then one of the girls came over, opened the door, and got in the passenger seat. Neat.
It must've been the unfriendliest 7Eleven ever. When we got there the other customers eyed us curiously. We bought a tall bottle of Wilkins and debated whether Dana deserved chocolates that late at night. On the walk back home, Dana promptly fell asleep on my shoulder. (She would remain asleep for the rest of the night.) My eye fell on a tree a few yards in front of us. Beside the tree there was a child with a frozen look of horror on her face. Then the apparition disappeared.
I pretended I didn't see anything. I told Veck maybe we should just wait for a jeep to pass by that we can ride back to the hotel. We waited but no jeeps passed by. Then a car passed by. Its windows were down. The driver looked at us. Then it stopped right in front of the tree. The child appeared again and then was gone.
Veck said, "I don't feel comfortable approaching that car." Better listen to a woman's intution. Not only that, in my head I heard the child's scream: "Stop!"
The car remained parked and flashed on its hazard. Veck and I crossed to the other side of the street and started walking again. After a few moments the car started again and sped past us.
Then it hit me. Prostitutes at the corner. Few people out in the dark. Did the driver think we were selling our daughter? Yikes! Which leads me to thinking. All these "elementals"... they can't hurt you anyway. There's no need to fear them. Sometimes it's fellow humans we need to be wary of. Is it any coincidence that the apparition chose the form of a child when it warned us?
Finally, when you have God's protection, you've nothing to fear. We arrived at the hotel without incident. I put Dana to bed. Veck put diapers on her. We saw some episodes of Dog Whisperer and drifted off to sleep.
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