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Ruminating on my 42nd orbit around the Sun

This is really high summer. March 9 is high summer in the Philippines (although the start of spring in the USA and autumn in Australia) with temperatures reaching the 37 degree Celsius mark. Humidity is probably in the 80% region or more.

This is also my high summer. My hemisphere should be tilted to my Sun and supposedly I am at the peak of my cerebral powers. I should be at the top of a challenging career! (oooops some friends of my own age make 4X more than I do!) But this week was marked by two sad events. Pinoy rapper Francis Magalona passed away this week after happily battling leukemia. Jeepers FrancisM was only two years older than me! Think about reminders that we are all mortal!

Another shocker, a classmate from primary school whom I haven't seen in 29 years I found on Facebook. He told me he had a stroke quite recently.

Nonetheless my birthday cake by tradition has only one candle! Well at least that has less carbon impact on the atmosphere! LOL! :-) Anyway everytime I blow the candle off my cake I sing not the Happy Birthday song but

Bob Dylan's "Forever Young"

which goes

"May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young."

Dylan's song is traditionally sung on a child's 1st birthday. Hence I have only 1 candle on my cake!

BTW National Bookstore has again bargain hardbound books that sell for 65 pesos each! I got the last in the series of the Dalziel and Pascoe novels, Ten Days to D Day and Grace under Fire. The last one is appropriate reading for Lent since it deals with Soldier's letters about their faith in wartime. One thing is sure, there are really no Atheists in the foxholes!
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