Happy Chinese New Year! Let’s eat some Tikoy…

My friend Mhai is selling this pre-owned Violin that looks really good. I told my friend Richard about this because he once mentioned that he is interested to get one for his daughter, who is learning to play the violin at that time we talked about him wanting or needing one. So immediately after seeing the violin in Mhai’s for sale list, I informed him. But today, he replied that it’s a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar that he is looking for because daughter Liza is now interested in playing the electric guitar. Cool huh? On the other hand, Lili was telling me that she would like to get a guitar as well as a violin for she would like to learn both. Now, I am left speechless. My golly!  But then, we’ll see if by summer she will still be interested with the two instruments…

Lili and River celebrated Math, Science and Technology Week in school, and yesterday, when we went there for the Parents Teachers Conference, we saw these questions posted for the stunts to answer.. I was quite amazed at how each problem is asked.. Surely it takes time to figure out the answers..

Can you answer them? Smart people who do not need wubbers looping pliers to stretch the mind can answer those questions.. On the contrary, time is of the essence as it is on a context week, so one has to stretch the brain further..

Now that our city is picking up the pieces after Sendong, people are busy with rebuilding their homes, their lives and some are even relocating to new environments. While other are still waiting for the government to help them rebuild their lives, others are already busy doing it on their own or with the help of family, friends and loved ones. While this may be the case in my city, other people in other parts of the globe may be busy looking for the best provider of Garmin GPS. Well, maybe when everything is settled then we can think about that as well.

On the other hand, my sister and I are now back to thinking about the menu to prepare on a daily basis. We are also busy with laundry and all other home chores. It is indeed different if the house has not too many people in it Makes me wanna sing La Vida Loca, lol..

I found this at Mata na CDO, as posted by my dear friend and classmate in my Psychology days, Jennifer R. I am reposting this here because I for one feel the same. I am even hoping that children be given more time before classes would resume, but then again, there are schools, like my daughter’s and lil’ brother’s school who sent word that classes will resume tomorrow as posted during the Christmas break.

I wish 2011 ended with smiles as each year did before. But we all know for Cagayanons 2011 will be remembered not for the graces received but for the tragedy that devastated not just a city but a community of friends, families, and children who can no longer be children again after bearing witness to a horrible catastrophe in this small simple city. I tried hard to feel christmas, trying harder to welcome the new year. But how does one rise again from nothing? How does one even begin to forget a son, daughter, father and mother who is until now missing? How does one begin to accept death this way? It is easy to say to forget the past, face the future and start rebuilding your life. It is the same as saying to the victims, “it’s okay, everything will be alright” when we all know very well it is not going to be alright. Losing an entire home after having worked all your life for it is not okay. Losing a child and never finding her will never put her parents soul in peace. Most of all, losing faith and the balance of perspective will pierce us repeatedly at each raindrop. Victims or not, we all saw death before us. A death so cruel to forget. So, I’d rather that we give everyone time to grieve. I’d rather cry until my tears run dry that i may not have the strength to grieve again. I’d rather be angry, hateful and doubtful now than pretend all is well as nothing can be done, and then later suffer in my relationships, work and perspective because of confusion brought about by trauma. Allow me to grieve. Don’t say it’s going to be okay. Not just yet. Perhaps in the black hole I can find some answers. When my heart has bled everything out, then I will tell you I am ready to move on and build a new life. Until then, let everyone grieve.

We must be sensitive with our dealings and every word we speak, especially to those who have suffered much in the Sendong tragedy. Some friends and family have commented to my parents that things are just things and that, they will be replaced in time. But saying that to someone who is retired from work and a senior citizen is surely even more devastating. To start over in this age is somehow difficult to even start with. My father said it feels awful to be displaced and to live in someone else’s house. And truly, it is even more devastating for those who lived in the evacuation centers since the 17th. A woman I rode with in the motorela spoke of losing her business when the waters washed away her home and all her materials for making Puto, which was supposedly a thriving business for the holidays. Psychologically, it pains people who have lost their hard earned possessions than those who have nothing even before Sendong came to our city. Some even enjoy the current situation, for they do not have to beg anymore, for food and things are simply given to them. They are used to having nothing and now they have abundance. While those who are not used to dole outs are currently swallowing their pride and accept what they are given. Which they are not used to. So people should stop saying niceties in order that they be able to say something, because words are beyond the loss that Sendong victims feel.. Perhaps asking them how they are would be enough words to say. Provided it is meant to be sincerely uttered, and not a mockery of some sort.

I wish I can give my brother personalized and monogrammed gifts, or even buy him even the simplest clothes and a closet to match. After Sendong hit my city hard, all our lives have changed.  My brother used to have a huge closet for his clothes and things in his room. After Sendong, this is what he uses as temporary clothing box..

Literally, it’s a box. The box where clothing donations were placed when they were given to my family.

It’s been six days after tropical storm Sendong hit the city of golden friendship badly. Most stores are now lacking in bottled water, slippers, mats, and all necessary items to survive the aftermath. Good for those who can still afford to go to larger stores like malls and huge grocers where everything runs through a barcode scanner, that they can buy some of the dwindling number of said items. But for those who do not have the resources, they wait till someone or some people will hand them some water.

Everyone is in need of water. Water is synonymous with life itself. Without water, we will never survive. That’s why rich or poor, water is the fervent necessity. But, it is usually the one who has the money that is able to get the need realized sooner, unlike the one who has none..

There’s one cozy food place that I wanna visit in Butuan City, which I have not been able to since I didn’t know where it was located. Their goodies are so good, people are raving about it online. So I told myself that the next time we visit relatives in Butuan, we also take a chance to visit Margie’s Kitchen..

There are two things I wanna try.. First, the Brownie thins..

And of course, the Nelusko Cake…

I have got to try them..

So it will be December tomorrow. Two weeks before Christmas, and bells are already ringing. Carolers are already singing and most people already have their wishlist noted and posted. My daughter’s wishlist is quite simple. She just wants the toy that she wants, as well as the food that she wants, with matching travel that she also wants. Of course, how can anyone have a wishlist about things that they do not want? It will always be what one wants. Whether it’s the latest phone, iPhone, htc desire hd or whatever gadget in mind. It could the best travel destination or the clothes seen on the runway.

I used to have a wishlist, and some of them have not been met so I stopped making wish-lists. But I do not discourage my little girl because wish lists are fun lists. And if they do come true, well, it’s a bonus for you.. At the same time however, I tell my Lili not to expect too much so she won’t get disappointed when she does not get what she wants.

Ah, December comes after tomorrow. Christmas in twenty four days after that. But now I am beginning to realize that I have less funds for Christmas, let alone some dough to splurge on shopping or even simply buy myself a new titanium watch bracelet. Not that it matters a lot to me, but I could have more than enough if I didn’t buy this new gadget. Oh well, I need this for my current money making, so it is important. Hahahaa.. Just to justify the purchase. But then, it is true. I just hope it will give me much returns.

I also wish DAs would flock my newly transferred site. Paid hosting for it, so it should work.

I am still in the process of finding the most effective way to save on water. Not that I do not already know how, but surely it will help a lot to learn a few more tricks. I always go online whenever I need to know somethings. The world, as it seems, are full of people who share their experiences. And from there, we can actually develop our own. What I like about technology today is that information is just about anywhere. Everywhere you turn, there you will be able to find something. Take for instance recipes, I have managed to cook Adobo in a hundred different ways now. But then again, Adobo is not just a dish inherent to thy native land. I have also learned to cook Singaporean Adobo, Lebanese Adobo, and so on and so forth. And where did I learn all that? Online—-

Life online is never a bore. It is challenging, it is fun. It can be whatever you want to be. You can even make it dangerous if you are that risky. So better leave that one out and focus on the challenge and the fun. When I was younger, or let’s just say, a few years after graduating from college, I have liked playing bingo at the community center and even at school, during bingo socials. Now that I am a parent, we have also done a family bingo at my daughter’s school, but never really won anything. It is not always that a family bingo at school happens. Maybe just once a year. But an online worker that I am, I rest in the joy that I can actually play online bingo games whenever I want to. So with that, I am also thankful for technology.. I am actually having much fun  online than offline, lol. Seriously!

I have just made Itlog Maalat (Salted Eggs) and I made them in an Ovaltine Bottle..

Look at what the bottle when it was yet an Ovaltine bottle..

After watching Puss in Boots the other day, Lili now wants a pair of Spy Sunglasses for Christmas. Funny because Humpty Alexander Dumpty actually uses a telescope, but Lili wants hers to be more funtional, lol..

After the movie, we went to the washroom and she pretended that her 3D glasses were spy glasses, so she kept them on and tried looking for some clues for her pretend mystery, lol..

Good thing she didn’t try looking for the magic beans. That will surely drive me crazy, lol.. Anyway, Puss in Boots in 3D is so much fun. I had a great time myself. Lili and I enjoyed the movie so much we wanted to watch it again but we had somewhere else to go after passing time at the movie house. At least, the P 500 spent just to watch it was not wasted.

Although I have issues with the ticket price which was P 225 each but we were charged P 250, plus complimentary drink from the snack bar. I suppose we paid for our drinks actually, lol..

My Avon Manager sent word that there is an on going sale at AVON but I have not been able to go there today. I think it’s because I saw this website where I can get my girlfriend Christmas gifts at Shari’s Berries. Well, actually, I am not just thinking of one girlfriend but all of them. You know how we women are. Oh and I would also include my sister and daughter in that.  Now, I am tempted to go there and get some really great products for myself and my girlfriends, especially because Christmas is just around the corner. It would really be great to have lots of options.

My friend Donna has just had two sessions of aspirations which drained her stomach.. At least with the help of our grade school class, she has confidently hurdled the process with financial ease. I think that is also the aim of an actos attorney who helps a patient suffering from bladder cancer due to the use of Actos. It is never easy to battle an ailment, go through the process of medication and surgical operations without worrying about how much they would all cost. Finances alone is stressful enough, how much more with surviving it.

I salute these lawyers whose aims are commendable.

I have known a lot of friends who are now working outside the country as OFWs and they do so because they not only have kids or wives to support, but they are also supporting siblings and even nephews and nieces in their studies, as well as send money for sick relatives and all other expenditures. Some of them have really thankful relatives and family, that when they are home and back to their country of work, they are remembered through phone calls and emails and even letters and greeting cards. But not all OFWs are treated that way. Some are only remembered when money is needed. So sad that they are even called as “Bagong Bayani”, yet some of them are not treated faiurly, even by their own kin.

In this day and age, apart from being called as ”Bagong Bayani”, a more suitable term for OFWs is now, “Global Pinoys”. Why? Well, of course, global just means Pinoys are everywhere in the world— Europe, Asia, Middle East, even Africa. Anywhere where a Pinoy is called for, he is there.. And we should thank the Global Pinoys, because they are deserving of our gratitude because of all the time and effort they put in for their families and our country as well. As for them, Global Pinoys have a lot of reasons to say thank you – thank you to their families for accepting their absence, thank you to their relatives and friends for helping to take care of their families.

Here is a movement which is born out of this thematic way of saying Thank you. That is, the Thank You Global Pinoy. And this movement is supported by the following partners:

Toblerone – the key proponent of the Thank You Day Campaign, beginning in 2007, Toblerone has helped Filipinos revive their value of saying “Thank You”. Through this initiative, Toblerone has helped the Filipino thank so many people, including the Unsung Heroes of Edsa, our Epic Friend, our Mothers and 2ndMoms, and even our first Thank You Day Awardee, Pres. Corazon Aquino

Commission on Filipinos Overseas (Office of the President) – directly under the Office of the President, their policies, programs, and projects aim to strengthen and empower of the community of Filipinos overseas.

Duty Free Philippines – operates the duty-and tax-free merchandising system in the Philippines, giving Filipinos a memorable “pasalubong” shopping experience.

Anyway, do you have a Global Pinoy to say Thank You to? Here is how you to do it…

·       Special Rewards Passport

o   Special passport coupons that includes additional incentives shall be given to Overseas Filipino Workers who purchase the PasPack bundle

o   Each Special Rewards Passport will allow the Global Pinoy to redeem gifts and special discounts from partner establishments depending on the mechanics provided by each partner.  A total of  Php10,000 worth of perks will be given to each passport coupon bearer.

·       WEBSITE:  thankyouglobalpinoy.com

o   This is where people will discover the campaign. Its main objective is to give people information on what’s happening within the campaign as well as to gather nominees and votes for the Global Pinoy Awards.

·       Blogger engagement

o   Bloggers promoting stories of Filipinos who’ve been very influential in the growth of the country and presenting Filipinos in a positive light on the global stage.

o   Honoring them by showcasing stories of a select few Pinoy Expats who we should thank for exemplifying key Filipino values. (hardworking, ingenuity, creativity, etc.)

·       Global Pinoy Awards

o   Toblerone will search for the most outstanding Global Pinoys by crowd sourcing participation online

o   These entries will be shared with the community, and all the top entries would have an editorial blurb

o   The awarding will be done in March 2012

1.     All nominees must be a Filipino citizen, either by birth or naturalization, must be of legal age.

2.     All nominees must be living, must be currently working overseas, for a minimum of 2 years.*

3.     Presenter (one who nominates) should be currently residing in the Philippines to nominate an OFW (nominee).  OFWs from other countries can participate thru voting and connecting to their families

4.     Entries shall be submitted from September 1, 2011 to February 28, 2012.

I can not imagine myself looking for a snow chain for our cars’ tires. But then, I do not have to imagine anything as reality is, I really do not have to look for them as we are a tropical country, thank God. Snow is cute, especially if you imagine yourself playing with snow. But if you are stranded and could not move your vehicle because of how thick the snow is, then it is a problem. Not cute and definitely not funny!

Since we are leaving tomorrow for my birthplace, I have decided not to start the bridal shower invitations that my friend ordered along with some birthday party invitations that another client asked me to do. I would have finished the design sooner if I had not gotten sick weeks ago, but then, it’s still for next year so no worries. What  I am worried now is if I get to finish my online tasks on time. See, I have to be up and about at six in the morning… err.. later. And here I am still awake..

Anyway, I know I can finish. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I’m joining the Mindanao Bloggers Summit in Iligan City because I want to see Iligan City after two decades or more of not setting foot in it. I heard there had been so many new developments, and there are already new establishments as the city is booming. I also heard that when you go drop by Maria Cristina Falls, there are already added attractions that await you. OMG! It is just an hour’s drive actually, but I have not been there for quite a long while. Perhaps it’s because I do not really feel that it is quite far, as my friends from Iligan are most often online or here in Cagayan de Oro City taking a short course or driving through every so often.

Now, why join the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011? Well, I have joined the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2009, and it was actually my first time then. But that experience gave me so much knowledge and learning that a blogger should know.  So this time around, I expect it to be so, as well as fun and entertaining too. Bloggers need to build a network of online friends, who may be one’s friends offline as well, and what better way to find them but by joining the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011. There is so much to learn from all the speakers, and more by comparing notes with fellow participants, and perhaps get freebies from sponsors too.  Last MBS, I sure got lots of freebies that filled my bag when I left. Not only me, but most bloggers who participated.

Now, speaking of sponsors, Globe, the leading communications company in the Philippines, is a co-presentor of Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011. And with that I am even more excited as I know that mobile internet can be very useful for  a blogger. And what better way to power up mobile Internet than the use of Globe Internet connections. Globe is  actually promoting “You’re On with Globe: Taking mobile internet to the next level“.

This aims to help anyone move about in the blogosphere with ease and fast! So bloggers, I am sure this is just what we need when we are on the go. Everything that we need, just within reach, anytime, anywhere. For as long as we carry with us our mobile gadgets. So whether we use Globe Postpaid PowerSurf or Globe Prepaid PowerSurf15, we shall always have mobile Internet to our advantage. So we continue to earn online, have fun online, or pretty much do whatever we do online. And because Globe is a co presenter, I am sure someone from Globe will be giving us more insights about what Globe is currently promoting.

So, guys and gals who have a blog, I am inviting you to join us at the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011 which will be held on October 29-30 at Celadon Pensionne House, Iligan City with the theme “One Green Mindanao: Mobilizing Bloggers to Promote Sustainable Lifestyle”. This summit is not only open for Mindanao-based bloggers but also to the bloggers from Luzon and Visayas who would like to come and join us. There shall only be 100 slots available for the event, and if you want to raise awareness on environment issues and explore its impact on blogging and sustainable lifestyle, do not miss it. The Php 200.00 registration fee entitles participants to a Summit Kit, 3 Meal Coupons, Raffle Ticket, Certificate of Attendance, Evening Socials and City Tour Passes, and again, as I mentioned above, more Freebies!