Soul Friends

Linking into the 'Blogging and Friends' blog hop at

Bongo Is Me

and 

Living with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease.

I met with some friends this day. We've known each other since we were ten and somehow even though two of them already reside in the US, we've managed to communicate all throughout these years.

Our traditional lunch at Abe (from L-R: Hazel, Ella, Me, Hazel's parents) 5 May 2012

Sto. Domingo (5 May 2012)

Then I went on a date with my childhood friend. I have not visited Him for a while and I longed to see Him (He was waiting for me ).

I came home and spent time with my friends online...

It was while reading Bonnie's post that I became reminiscent of how my life started in the blogging world.

It was January last year when my ARTner and friend for two years in Tagged asked me if I was interested to publish my ideas. I read Fher's blog but made comments on my online journal for discussion.

I was a bit hesitant but I did open one eventually. As soon as I did, he introduced me to Abhisek Panda and Alpana Jaiswal of We the Bloggers.

It was there where I met my soul sisters Rimly Bezbaruah and Sancheeta Biswas and several other bloggers who became my most trusted friends like Jessica Mokrzycki,Jim Brandano and Sulekha Rawat.

Fernando Ymas of The Art of Realizationism

I also met JR Nova, Lisa Marie Farfalla, Alejandro Guzman and Kriti Mukherjee there.

It was through Jessica Brant that I met Bonnie and subsequently through a guest post, Jan Neel.

I haven't seen any of them in real life. But Fher, who was the only Filipino friend I had back then, had been very supportive of me. He allowed me to create and use my energy for art's sake in those two years that I didn't work. I met many artists here and abroad through him. It was he who encouraged me to open an FB account.
Well, I guess,the seeds of friendship were planted by my dear friend and from there the branches spread out.

Thanks ARTner :)

Alpana formed Bloggers Reflections and Jessica M invited me over to Blogplicity. SJ Klemis and Savira Gupta became my friends after that and so did several Filipino bloggers Corinne introduced to the group: Irene Cortez and Joyce Soriano. I bade goodbye to some groups but these two remained closest to my heart aside from our Tagged ArtLover page. Through BP, Roy Durham graciously invited me to illustrate a Christmas book for him (via Corinne) and it's now out in the market.

Comments that Corinne Rodrigues,  Mary Hudak-Collins, Linda Lee , Becky Owen and Debra El-Ramey made inspired me to follow their blogs. Their words are very soulful and soothing. My reflections widened through them and through Martha Murdy Orlando whom I just recently met in BP.

Jim B highly praised and recommended Tameka Mullins as a writer and friend. His networks allowed me to reach Ma Faye Liana Balatbat, mia pianticella (whom I met in the mall a few days after my birthday),Mari Sterling Wilbur, Aaron Offord, Syed Alfandi and Raven Myth.

I do not usually send friend requests but I did for three exceptional people I saw in BP after my October break: Andy David, Janaki Nagaraj and Leah Griffith along with Manisha Bhatia.

I also have my spiritual daughters and sisters/brothers in the field: Portia Burton, Simran Kaur, Mohinee Puranik, Geeta Singh, Monu Awalla, Saravana Murugan.

I truly miss the conversations we used to make over at BR and the personal messages that greet me everytime I open my FB. I find repose after work sharing experiences with  friends. In the morning, I'd catch up with Nelieta Mishchenko, Jenni dela Torre and Pamela Rossow.

Once a person enters my intimate circle I put my whole self into it boundlessly. I don't confine myself in a playpen--- on the contrary, I make sure that I share with them the LOVE I'm experiencing from my friendship with Christ.

Our relationship is like a prayer. Mother Teresa wrote, 

"To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it."

I am very grateful to all of you who've shared yourself with me.
You are all Heaven sent.