On Being "Fish-Fond"

Harold (hubby) and I are fish-fond people. When he was still single he owned rare saltwater fishes, one of which is an adorable dog-looking puffer fish. Two years ago, after coming back from our Philippine vacation we thought of setting up an aquarium for the kids.

Our first aquarium was a 50x30x30cm tank. We had five fishes that I bought from a pet shop near Charlie's kindergarten. Thinking about it now seems as though we spent a big sum of money for the fishes...hmmm...40 euros for all five?

We had two Afras (blue), two canary cichlids (yellow) both from the Malawi Cichlid species all almost 3 inches from head to tail. There was also an orange tail-black fish from the Sailin catfish family, which we commonly know as 'janitor fish.'

Hubby later on noticed one of the canary cichlids seem to have lost its appetite. He decided (the curious side of him took over) to look at it closely, ergo taking it out of the water.

He jumped in surprise when an egg came off the fish's mouth. He immediately put the poor canary back to the water and 2 weeks later 3 fries joined the family. Too bad the bigger fishes died one by one until only the 3 small one remained each of them only 2-3cm in size.

By the way, the big rocks and drift wood were taken from the lake, the kids helped us picked some lake stones too hihi.

More on the fishes next time...

On "Summer" Flowers

A Parade of (Macro) Flower Shots.


Missing summer...


Red heat...


Orange bursts...


Yellow sunrays...

On Utada Hikaru's Flavor of Life

Utada Hikaru is perhaps one of the best singers in Japan,her soothing voice made me listen more to Japanese songs. It even move me to be serious with learning Nihongo, not just romaji but kana as well. This song "Flavor of Life" is one of my most favorite and is the song used for the Live Action Drama Hana Yori Dango, literally Boys over Flowers.



Flavor of Life (Ballad Version) by Utada Hikaru

Arigatou to kimi ni iwareru to nandaka setsunai
sayounara no ato no tokenu mahou awaku horonigai
The flavor of life

tomodachi demo koibito demo nai chuukan chiten de
shuukaku no hi wo yumemiteru aoi furu-tsu
ato ippo ga fumidasenai sei de
jirettai no wa nande?

arigatou to kimi ni iwareru to nandaka setsunai
sayounara no ato no tokenu mahou awaku horonigai
The flavor of life

amai dake no sasoi monku ajike no nai doku
sonna mono ni wa kyoumi wa sosorarenai
omoitoori ni ikanai toki datte
jinsei suteta mon janai tte

doushita no? to kyuu ni kikareru to "uun. nandemo nai"
sayounara no ato ni kieru egao watashi rashikunai
sinjitai to negaeba negau hodo nandaka setsunai
"aishiteru yo" yori mo "daisuki" no hou ga kimi rashii janai?
The flavor of life

wasurekakete ita hito no omoi wo totsuzen omoidasu koro
furitsumoru yuki no shirosa wo omou to sunao ni yorokobitai yo

daiyamondo yorimo yawarakakute atatakana mirai
teni shitai yo kagiri aru jikan wo kimi to sugoshitai
"arigatou" to kimi ni iwareru to nandaka setsunai
sayounara no ato no tokeru mahou awaku horonigai
The flavor of life
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English translation (edited...)

For some reason it's painful when you say "Thank You"
Like a magic spell that isnt undone after "good bye," faintly bittersweet
The flavor of life

Stuck in the middle of being friends and lovers
Like an unriped fruit dreaming of the day of harvest
Unable to move one step forward
Why is it so vexing?

For some reason it's painful when you say "Thank You"
Like a magic spell that isnt undone after "good bye," faintly bittersweet
The flavor of life

Simply sweet words of invitation are a senseless poison
It sparks no interest in me
Life isn't something that you throw away
when things don't go your way

When I'm suddenly asked "what's wrong?" I just say "no, nothing"
The smiling face that disappears after "good bye" isn't like me
The more I want to believe in you, the more painful it is
It's more like you to say "I like you" more than "I love you"
The flavor of life

When you suddenly remember people you were about to forget
I honestly want to be happy when I think of the whiteness of the snow that builds up

More than diamonds, I want a soft, warm future
I want to spend my limited time with you
For some reason it's painful when you say "Thank You"
Like a magic spell that isnt undone after "good bye," faintly bittersweet
The flavor of life

Credit goes to: sunny0401 (youtube), akaiyubi (http://akaiyubi.wordpress.com) and St3p1onm3 (www.jpopasia.com)

On Winter Wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman...And pretend that he's a circus clown. We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman. Until the other kids knock him down...




So white and so lonely, yet still a wonderland.

On Autumnal Beauty

"It was you that set up all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter—you yourself formed them."—Psalm 74:17.

And so's autumn and spring.

I arrived in Vienna on October 14th of 2002. It was already autumn, the smell of dried leaves and the blow of cold wind were such welcomely feeling. Upto this day, when autumn comes, I remember the thoughts that I had upon seeing the orange-yellowish landscape for the first time.

So how or more appropriately, why does the green leaves of summer turns to yellow, orange or red during autumn? We know that leaves have the green pigment chlorophyll used in the production of plant food (glucose). Leaves also has the yellow (carotenoid pigment) and red (anthocyanin pigments) but is not seen much because they are covered up by chlorophyll. The leaves know that it is autumn when the days become shorter and shorter, since 'photosynthesis,' the process where plant makes food happens with the help of light.

As animals hibernate during winter, so does some plants and trees in the same way. Animals store fats and sleep off during winter while plant leaves store glucose and shut down their food making factories. The chlorophyll are then gone and now the yellow and red pigments are revealed, naturally when they combine, orange is produced.

As for maple trees, persimmons and other red colored leaves, the leftover foods plus the (occasional) sunlight and cool breeze of autumn makes this wonderful color comes out.

(read more: http://forestry.about.com/od/fallcolor/a/fall_leaf_color.htm)

Looking closely at nature, one sees the invisible hands of Jehovah at work. I myself am awed on how he set all the pieces of creation even preserving them, giving them sunlight, rain and rest. Truly, the inspired writer summarized it all.

"Jehovah himself in wisdom founded the earth. He solidly fixed the heavens in discernment. By his knowledge the watery deeps themselves were split apart, and the cloudy skies keep dripping down light rain." -Proverbs 3:19-20

On Being Plain

New page layout

My husband is a critic (of my photos, writing, cooking or whatever else I do), who could be harsh and direct and sometimes makes me want to just quit...But only for a few minutes. He would stay silent for a long time and later asks me, if I have reflected on what he has said. Well, it's his reverse psychology technique , and ironically it makes me see what I should.

I am a plain person, that's for certain. That's why I preferred to have a simple white background layout, no other condiments. He saw the layout of this page and I received a long sermon from him, the graphics expert.

After the bashing, he finally took the time to make a design. Whew!

He actually used one of my bug photos for the header.

So, I hope to keep up with this change, find new things and write 'em down. You'll still see the same format once in a while but surely I'll add more.

Hajimare, Watashi no nagai nagai monogatari... (So now begins, my long long story.)

On Dullness, Boredom and being Lazy

"Who has woe? Who has uneasiness? Who has contentions? Who has concern? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has dullness of eyes?" - Proverbs 23:29


When speaking of boredom, we think of "dullness, repetition, or tediousness," there are also "feelings of weariness and dissatisfaction." It often results from work or activity that does not stimulate or satisfy. But it is also true that boredom is a subjective state. What is boring to one person may be fascinating to another.

I created this blog with a hope to reach the readers about what the bible teaches. However, I stalled for a really long time and wondered what else to write...if I should keep doing this or combine other stuff.

I also realized that I am now 'kinakalawang' (rusted) when it comes to writing.

Also, apart from the daily routines of a mom and wife, I am too lazy to sit down and finish a post...or perhaps too tired, it took me more than a month (gosh!) to finally finish this one.

I guess I just need to be true to myself, to write about anything under the sun and have a little more concentration to keep this blog going.

Arthur Schopenhauer once said, Die größten Feinde des Glücks sind für ihn Schmerz und Langeweile. (The biggest foes of human happiness are pain and boredom). I could only say, "so true, so true!"

On Death and Grieving

"...Weep with people who weep." -Romans 12:15

Death, perhaps for everyone, is an enigma that's so hard to accept.

When death strikes, eveyrone in the family, as well as other relatives and friends are often at a loss, mostly asking the question 'why did this happen?'

The bible urges us to weep with those who weep. Helping a bereaved person calls for compassion, discernment, and much love on one's part. We should not wait for the bereaved one to come to us. We should not simply say, "If there’s anything I can do . . ." Find that "anything" , and then take the appropriate initiative.

I have seen people become devastated because of the death of someone they love...though uncalled for, the verses below are the only comforting words I can give...

"Death is swallowed up forever. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?"—1 Corinthians 15:54-55

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"...the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out. " -John 5:28-29

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This is a wonderful promise that we can be sure of happening...but then, the resurrection hope raises some questions on where are the dead? Are they in heaven living in a peaceful state? If they are, then why would there be a need to resurrect them? Or are they being tormented in a fiery hell?

Let's look it up soon...

On teaching and being taught

"YOU again need someone to teach YOU from the beginning the elementary things..."

-Hebrews 5:12

Sometimes, small but meaningful lessons can be learned from kids. When kids get hurt, fights with a playmate over toys, gets frustrated for not getting what they want; they cry a little, grumble a bit and that's it.

(Aug 2006)

Then they calm down, stops crying, plays again and smiles. How nice would life be if adults are as forgiving and as easily forgetting as they are...

Every child has a certain grace that is hard to define and unique in each one. A small child is so innocent. And it is able to amuse itself with almost nothing. With a piece of paper, a flower, or even a string it is happy and contented.

 
(June 2004)

Further, compared with many adults, children are more teachable and not as prone to pride. They accept corrections without the feeling of being looked down. Truly, Jesus gave us the best example of humility through kids. (Matthew 18:3-4)

(sometime 2007)


"Good teaching is not a matter of specific techniques or styles, plans or actions. . . . Teaching is primarily a matter of love." -Anonymous

On Creation

"The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling."—Psalm 19:1.

There's just too much talk about Evolution versus Creationism. Though those who uphold Evolution did lots of research and stuff to prove it, I still believe what the flowers, the bees, the birds, the ants even the spiders have to say.

"Denying the existence of a Great Designer is as illogical as denying the existence of the artist who made the blank canvas a work of art."

Little bud, where did you come from?

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 27 March 2008.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Marie Khan aka Mirage2g (mirage2g@gmail.com).

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

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This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.

Thank you.

Inheritance

"Sons are an inheritance from Jehovah. The fruitage of the belly is a reward." -Psalms 127:3

Having 3 kids at my age, stirs different reactions among friends and people I see everyday on the way to school, to the grocery, in the bus, the tram or the underground.

Friends back home think its cool that they'd grow up not far from my age and we'd be like barkadas. Them growing up with no big age gaps is also a good thing, they say. I often get comments like: "Buti ka pa 3 na anak mo, ako kahit isa wala pa!."

I have an older neighbor (Austrian) whose age I'm guessing, is around 68-73. She has a cane to help balance her walking and everytime she sees me with Daniel (youngest, 18months), she suddenly becomes energetic as though nothing is wrong with her feet. She would talk to Daniel,who does not respond even with a smile, I guess he hasn't grasped much of the language yet (German). Still, the old woman would talk to him as though he understands.

From one of her stories she told me, she was able to conceive but miscarried all...she was almost crying when she said: "Why is it sometimes, those who wanted to have babies didn't get them, while those who does not want them, gets them?" For her, and my friends, I am blessed to have 3 kids even at a young age.

Others have the opposite reaction though, especially those pinoys here who would see me with all three wandering about. To them, it's being irresponsible since I got no one else to help me but my husband in taking care of the kids. They would comment: "Ang hirap naman nyan, 3 bata."

True, taking care of 3 kids could be difficult, if one sees it as a burden...But when one sees it as an iheritance in life, there goes all the difference.

About

Mirage: something illusory, unobtainable.
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"This blog is a journal of a 30-year-old mom’s journey down the exciting road of motherhood."
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I was a photographer and a writer by profession but I don't claim to be an expert. I have stayed a stay at home mom for sometime now yet I never put aside my love for writing and photography. I’ve lived the cliche “a picture paints a thousand words.” I love photography but it cannot be discounted that writing is and will always be my first love.

Here you’ll find the real stories behind my photos.

–

I have 3 kids, whom you'd often see featured here, they are my inheritance and though life isn't always easy, it gets lighter with them around.

You can call me Marie or Mirage, whichever you prefer.

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I love the Bible, I heed its advices.

“The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man.” -Ecclesiastes 12:13

"Behave as free men, but do not use your freedom as an excuse for badness, but use it as bondslaves of God." - 1 Peter 2:16




Click here to learn more about me. Thanks!