Well, it's July. Six months had gone by and what I intended to do simply failed.
Now I know why I never bothered with New Year's resolutions before -- I cannot keep them!
Sep 28 2009
Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (International name:Ketsana)
It is a sad time for the Philippines. It was raining in the morning of September 26 when people started their day. But before noontime, something was not right. The rain continued to pour in heavy torrents and water on the streets started to rise - fast! And traffic jams were everywhere!
The first six hours of "Ondoy" brought a month's worth rain.
Then reports on landslides and floods in Metro Manila and surrounding areas started filling the news. Facebook walls showed pictures of water-filled roads and submerged houses and vehicles. Twitter messages were all about the situations in different places, and asking for information on areas where friends and relatives live. Phone lines were down, so they resorted to any information they can get online.
The netizens came out in full force - posting information that they gathered here and there. Help hotlines, updates, relief aid and donations, news reports and address of people still trapped were posted in a lot of social networking sites, reposted nth times over so that it will reach those who need them.
As of 6pm tonight, the official report from the National Disaster Coordinating Council has reached 73 confirmed deaths, with hundred still missing. Affected Population: 69,513 families / 337,216 persons, and the partial number of evacuees: 11,967 families / 59,521 persons in 118evacuation centers.
The rescue operations are on-going. A lot of places are still submerged in water, and darkness. Hundreds of men, women, elderly and children are still out in the cold and hungry. Lot are still stranded on the streets. And a lot still cannot be traced by their friends and families.
Continue reading "Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (International name:Ketsana)"
May 09 2009
Stay-at-Home Mom
Re-posting an old post...
Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and to all mothers.
As I was going up the driveway this morning, I saw my neighbor getting into a waiting car. She was in uniform, fully made up, not a hair out of place and dragging her luggage. She looked so different from me in my jeans and shirt, pony tails and unadorned face since I just came from the supermarket after buying the groceries.
I recognized the uniform as a flight attendant’s. It made me smile, since I used to look like that, too, almost everyday a few years back; manicured nails, well kept hair, and always ready with my overnight bag.
But then, after my stint with the airline industry, I’ve chosen another career: motherhood.
After the birth of my first child (I have two now, of ages 4 and 5 years), I decided not to rejoin the work force. My friends would tease me, ”Sayang ang brains mo!”. I would just smile because being a full-time mom doesn’t mean that you’d stop using your brain! I may not be thinking about the usual marketing plans or business strategies, or mastering the procedures in case of emergency landing. But, yes, I still use my brain, thank you.
Some people may look at the things that a mother does as ordinary (I did too, before), but it doesn’t matter what other people think because they are not. They are a great responsibility, and they involve the whole family’s life, especially the kids,’ and their future. And that is the most important of all.
The kids didn’t ask to be brought into this world. It was the parents who decided that. So I believe that parents owe it to their kids to take care of them and love them the best way they can. I am not saying to the working mothers out there that they are bad mothers. It’s a different story for every woman.
I consider myself lucky to have the choice of staying home and taking care of my kids. Some women want to do that, but just can’t, especially in these hard times. I’m very grateful that I have the opportunity to be able to spend the whole day, every day, with my growing kids. I am happy to witness their first steps, hear their first words, feed them their first solid food, or even wipe them when they make a mess. Those are memories that I will always cherish. Before I’d know it, they will be going away to college and living their own lives.
It’s not always easy, but staying home to care for the kids has its rewards. Sometimes when the newspapers are scattered all over the place by my 5-year-old son (he has been reading and spelling words like “inquirer”, and “headlines” since he was 4) even before I get to read them, I would get mad. But then I’d realize that, at least, he is reading the papers!
Since they learned how to use the computer, there have been many times that we would argue who would use it first. For me, that means less time to chat online, but then I remember they are even the ones teaching their grandmother how to surf!
Yes, I think I made the right decision. At least I don’t have to wake up early and endure the traffic on Edsa. I can take naps in the afternoon with my kids, or go to the mall anytime of the week if I want to, or just sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee while watching my kids play. Ah, life’s simple pleasures.
When I opened the door to our unit, laden with grocery bags, the sight that greeted me made my grocery trip worthwhile. My 4-year-old ran up to me, a radiant smile on his innocent face, and proudly said, “Mommy, look what site we’re at! Nickelodeon.com!”
Matching his enthusiasm, I said, “That’s great, baby! But how did you find that website?” He answered, “Google”.
Feb 22 2009
Disgusted
I don't normally watch TV. Not because I don't like to, but because I have absolutely no time. Today was one of the few days that I have enough time to sit down and hold the remote control.
My habit is to start scanning the channels - starting from Channel 1-100+ - to see if there's anything interesting for me. I started with the lowest one, Channel 6, which is the assigned channel for ABS-CBN, one of the largest network in the Philippines. I don't really watch local channels, so I was ready to press the 'next' button on the remote when the video on Channel 6 made me stop.
On the screen were girls and BOYS wearing black leotards and stockings, gyrating to the tune of "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Okay, for some, there's nothing wrong with it. But not for me. It was not right!
It was supposed to be a children show, for goodness sake! Children shows should be entertaining and educational at the same time! But where is the educational value there when they show kids, again, girls AND BOYS, wearing skimpy clothes and gyrating their bodies on the dance floor.
Call me prude, but I have two boys who are asking me why those boys are wearing leotards and stockings, when they are not dancing the ballet? Should I tell them that it's normal and that's the way to go?! No way!
I dance. I like to dance, and I also dance those moves sometimes. Nothing wrong with it, yes. So why am I so worked up with this show? Well, because I don't want my boys to think that it's the norm for their age, including - and especially - cross-dressing!
For a TV network who has the responsibility to teach young kids right from wrong, where's the sense in all that? That dance number wasn't funny, nor cute at all. It's was very much in poor taste.
Oct 28 2008
Grinch Moment
It just stopped raining, so I decided to walk to the grocery store a couple of blocks away to get some things needed at home, and to clear my head at the same time. I had so many things going through my mind. I needed to shake off the cobwebs in my head.
You know the feeling when you have so many things in your mind that you don't know what to to figure out first? On top of that, you feel hopeless because you haven't started on one single thing yet? That's how i felt. It's like you're writing a blog and you don't know what category it falls into because you are writing about diverse things. Continue reading "Grinch Moment"
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