A Rain Drenched Night with John Mayer

October 1, 2010 on Mall of Asia grounds, a memorable date with John Mayer while drenched in rain, oh I just love it, sans the umbrellas it could have been a perfect party under the rain if all came with their raincoats/ponchos instead.  I admit it was "BITIN" having waited for him10 years  to come over and entertain his Pinoy fans but nonetheless it was an awesome night. Hats off and two thumbs up to his musicianship, excellent guitar skills and that raspy sultry voice that makes girl fans scream for more.

Aiza Seguerra opened the show at exactly 8pm, she's good but not much were paying attention 'coz everyone went there for John Mayer and the rain stopped during her set but fans wished her act would end soon so John can came in sooner. It took a while, maybe almost an hour before John finally showed up to a thousands of  screaming fans while heavy rains started to pour. Wearing a Motley Cure shirt, jeans and sneakers and armed with two Tagalog words "Kumusta Ka", fans went crazy seeing and hearing John Mayer right before their very eyes. It felt surreal, like a dream come true being  a big fan of his music.

Me and my siblings were seated at the Bronze section, not an ideal spot for a die hard Mayer fan, umbrellas were blocking our line of sight, and everyone was standing on their seats, hassle talaga but if  I came alone, I'd be seated at the VIP section (yeah right that's 12k, girl!)  or probably in the Gold section but since I already promised my siblings I'd pay for the tix, me gotta sacrifice!!! Anyway Mayer  promised to be back sooner, I really hope he meant it.

These were the ticket prices by the way, expensive huh :)  FYI, VIP and Gold section were sold out while Silver and Bronze were almost full.

VIP - 12,000 pesos
Gold - 8,000 pesos
Silver - 5,000 pesos
Bronze - 2,000 pesos
GA - 600 pesos

The rain was at its heaviest when he started the show, a sea of umbrellas was all we could see blocking even the video wall while already standing on our seats but the sound of his voice plus that guitar mastery are enough to make us all ecstatic. He opened the show with the song  VULTURES from his Continuum album and the list goes on below.

John Mayer's setlist:

• Vultures
• No Such Thing
• Ain’t No Sunshine(Cover from Bill Withers)
• Slow Dancing In A Burning Rooming
• Perfectly Lonely
• Your Body Is A Wonderland
• Stop This Train
• Heartbreak Warfare
• Who Says
• Gravity
• Why Georgia
• Do You Know Me
• Half of My Heart - Don’t Stop Believing(Cover from Journey)
• Last song: Edge of Desire

Halfway through, the rains started to trickle down, I gave up the umbrellas and almost everyone followed suit, that's when everyone had a blast while soaking wet. We then have a clear view although my digicam in full zoom was already wet but I'm glad it didn't give up on me, still working well.

There were songs that I wished he included in his setlist like Back to You, Neon, St Patrick's Day, Love Song for No One,  Friends, Lover or Nothing, Assassin  just to name a few.



The show ended on a high note with his encore performance "EDGE of DESIRE". It was a night like no other night. Everyone was still on their seat for sometime hungry for more and hoping John Mayer would show up again for one more song but that was it and we still went home with a big smile on our faces. Please be back soon John Mayer. I really don't care if  there's a truth to the rumor that you trashed your presidential suite room in Shangrila just continue to give us good music. You had me at Kumusta Ka, lol  ;-)

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May Blessings Abound this 2010

After relentless trips to shopping malls, bazaars, tiangges and the like, draining my wallet and my savings, attending reunions, parties and get together, eating, eating and eating with my waistline ever increasing, braving heavy traffic and heavy volume of crowd, now everything is back to normal!!! While holiday season is fun, crazy and cheerful, for me nothing beats a peaceful environment where I can get back to my comfort zone and do my usual stuffs like blogging. Its been a month since my last post and this will be my first entry for 2010. But before anything else, here's wishing everyone, a blessed 2010!!! May every Filipino enjoy 3 meals each day and may we be spared from the threats of natural and man made calamities!!!

Based on experience, it's futile for me to make resolutions, so I didn't make one. But there's a guideline which I posted earlier in this blog that I really would like to cultivate.

Just sharing, here's a video of our fascinating countdown celebration to 2010. We deviated from our usual out of town celebration of new year and went right into where the real action is, getting away from the hazardous noise and air pollution in our neighborhood, the reason why we always go out of town on New Year's Eve. Now we've found a perfect alternative, its the GMA7 countdown party at the bay area of SM Mall of Asia with awesome fireworks, good show, good food and very organized event!!! KUDOS GMA and SM!!!

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CNN Heroes 2009 Nominee : EFREN PENAFLORIDA

Finally, a good news about Filipinos! A selfless man with a good cause, Efren Penaflorida is making us proud by being considered as one of CNN's TOP 10 Heroes for 2009. I hope our country would be blessed by more EFRENS to help move our country forward! GOD BLESS YOU! To hear his story watch below ...




Let us show our support by voting for our HERO. We can cast our votes multiple times, so lets start now!!!

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STOP ERAP FROM RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

Last Wednesday, Ex President and convicted plunderer Erap Estrada declared his intention to run in 2010 presidential elections in front of thousands of followers in the slum district of Tondo amidst legal deterrents.

He can fool the slum settlers of Tondo with all his charms and promises but not us. Let us all join hands once again and show him that Filipinos are not stupid to elect to the highest office again a convicted plunderer and a morally inept person.



Let us STOP ERAP FROM RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!!! Join this group and make a statement! Just click the image to lead you to the Facebook group.

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What's going on at DSWD warehouses?

I'm reposting this from Gangbadoys blog to let DSWD explain their side on what's really happening to all those donations that were just found lying inside these warehouses. If they really need volunteers, I'm willing to donate my free time to help repack and distribute this goods to all typhoon victims who badly need them. Time is of the essence!!!

REPOSTING FROM: http://jenniepperson.com


According to Blog Ni Ella, these goods have not been distributed to the typhoon survivors. WHY?

Ella wrote on her (now blocked) blog: (her blog was ellaganda.com and it is now blocked)

Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a volunteer)

Oct 21st, 2009 by ella

Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.

Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.

For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.

Please read on and good luck to us.

Ella

(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)

Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:

Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.

This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya - “Walang volunteers”.

I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.

In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000

“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.




Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,





Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.




The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”

During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy. “Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.

kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?

From Stella Arnaldo’s blog:

“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.

At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.

They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!

Photos by Leah Navarro

GMA asked world for donations

Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.

But these donations must be coursed through DSWD

Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.

This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.

A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!

As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!

Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)

The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.

What “volunteers”? Nasaan?

Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?

I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?

Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international

Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.

The relief goods are not going anywhere

We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.

The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers.

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING

Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I wonder why.

“Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse.”





Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.

Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na kaldero

At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit





Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon





Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon





(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga “special victims” kaya ito? Ire-repack kaya ang mga “imported” camp pads na ito ever?

Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa “ordinary victims”. Ito ang kasama sa inimpake namin. Sayang ‘yung imported.

Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ‘yung mga kumot)

Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.

(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. “Imported” are not included, we have concluded.

Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa tabi ng sikyo.

PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you’d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans lang ‘to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,

Naaah! “Imported” pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin included

Now let’s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD

Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.

Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.

Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.

Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.

Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas

Do not delay

YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean “do not delay ang dati nang delayed”?? Shet.

Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse ang nasa loob ng compound na ‘yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga nasalanta. Halatang-halata.

Marami pang pabubulukin

Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.

“The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days ago for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”




The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.

Sige, ideretso ‘nyo ulit ‘yan sa DSWD warehouse. Para AMAG naman ang abutin ng biskwit… at sapot ng gagamba.

Conclusion

Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods. 150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ‘yon that day. At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and packed as the day they arrived.

Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina. Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.

Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din ng mga tao…sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods na ‘yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.

Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:

Alam ‘nyo palang walang mag-volunteer sa inyo, bakit hindi kayo mag-hire ng mga tao? Bayaran ‘nyo ng arawan para mag-repack. Ang daming walang trabaho, makakatulong pa kayo. Hindi naman malaking kabawasan ‘yon sa bilyong pisong donasyon na natanggap ninyo.

Isa pa, gaano ba karami ang mga sundalo natin? Hindi ba puwedeng ipagawa sa kanila ‘yan? Baka isang araw lang, tapos na ang problema ‘nyo

Bakit hindi ‘nyo ibigay ang trabaho sa mga NGO, churches, private charities, TV stations? I’m sure they are more than willing to help. Time is of the essence. Huwag kayong suwapang. Obvious ba, hindi ‘nyo naman kaya.

Kung talagang gugustuhin ninyong makarating agad sa mga kawawang biktima ang mga donasyong ‘yon, nagawa ‘nyo na ‘yan. Maraming paraan…kung talagang gusto ‘nyo lang.You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

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Our Typhoon Ondoy Experience

Our place was not one of those hardly hit but still affected us in many ways like what most Metro Manila residents had gone through. The experience was worth noting for the lessons it brought to most of us. The wrath of Nature is calling our attention and everyone must cooperate to halt the effects of Global Warming

It was one lazy rainy Saturday morning, the bed weather is very inviting so I woke up later than the usual. Everything started normal, went down and drank a glass of water, went online, posted a 1 day late blog entry for my fix it friday meme, check my email, and updated my Facebook account with the status "Ondoy Ondoy Go Away!!!" and then went down again to make some coffee. Outside our house, the flood water was rising, and after a while, we felt that the water was slowly seeping inside the corners of our house. My sister then started removing things from the floor, then we lifted up some appliances and placed it on higher ground except for the huge refrigerator that obviously we can't lift. My father just had a cataract operation last Friday, so the work was left to my sister, me and my mom.

It was probably 10 years ago when flood water would normally enter our house during heavy rains, not since we had our flooring elevated and our street as well. The heavy rains brought by Ondoy was really unusual and alarming. After we had our lunch, the electricity then went out, after a while my cellphone was beeping a low batt sound but I was able to access my Facebook account via my mobile before it went dead totally, updating my status to "Terrible ONDOY and the rains keep pouring! First time after many years that flood entered our home!!!"

Without electricity, there's no water as well. Lucky for us we were able to stock up a drum of water the other day and have something to use to wash our dishes and to take a bath.The hard part was bringing the water upstairs, it was really energy consuming! By late afternoon, water inside reached almost knee deep and the rain hasn't stopped, each one of us were upstairs already including the dogs. We were praying and hoping that the rain would stop soon. We instructed our youngest sister to just stay put at her work and just go home the next day when water has already subsided. I was feeling restless, had no idea what's going on at the other parts of Metro Manila. We don't have batteries to power up our radio to get the latest news. So I was thankful to find out that my sister's mobile has an FM radio, soon enough I was trying to locate a station that would veer away from the regular FM programming and thank GOD there is JAM 88.3. The hosts Gang and Lambert proved to be very helpful to those who had no electricity and no access to AM radio. They were doing public service by taking calls of those who need assistance while updating its listeners of important information, numbers to call for assistance and providing comfort to those who feel helpless. I was tuned in until 3am, you can sense they were already tired but trying their best to be of service. I can't sleep as well, checking up downstairs because our front door was only partially closed since the wood expanded and wont fit the frame. Thank God for candles, amidst the darkness, we can sense some security by giving us some light, offering some prayers and reading the word of GOD for comfort and assurance.


Thank God again, it was no longer raining the next morning and water subsided fully inside the house although outside it was still a foot high. We settled eating canned goods for 2 days, but that's ok, others had nothing to eat. Cleaning the house was the biggest challenge, but that's nothing compared to those who lost their house and their loved ones.

We are still blessed and thankful that GOD is there to listen to our prayers. I've proven many times that prayers can really make a big difference. When people unite in prayers, miracles can happen. Super Typhoon Pepeng, predicted to directly hit Metro Manila after the wrath of Ondoy shifted its direction affecting only a smaller part of the archipelago. I believe that's the power of prayers!!!

Let's keep on Praying!

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Lessons From Ondoy

The floods have subsided and reality sinks in. The death toll is climbing by the day and the damage to properties and crops have reached to almost 5 billion pesos. Despite all this, the Filipinos remain hopeful, MABUHAY TAYO! Let's get back on our feet and start to rehabilitate our nation. Things can only get better!


Let's keep the Pinoy spirit that despite the adversities, we can still manage to put a smile just like the photo above.

What have I learn from ONDOY?

• To be more aware of our environment and take care of our trash
• In the event of heavy rains, cancel all your appointments and remain at home
• Have a disaster plan ready
  
• Keep a stock of ready to eat foods and bottles of mineral water
  
• Have a ready flashlight, fresh batteries and transistor radio
• Keep my cellphone fully charged
• Invest on life jackets for every member of the family
• Keep a list of important numbers to call in case of emergency
• In choosing a place to build your home, stay away from low areas and river banks
• Material things can perished in a blink of an eye, let us instead invest on things that money cant buy like meaningful relationship with our fellowmen and with GOD
  

I'm sure everyone has learned a lesson or two. Let's all be prepared as another storm is approaching our shore according to PAGASA.

To Help the victims of ONDOY, you can make online donations by clicking on these links:

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Free Photoshop and Lightroom Courses

It's really flattering to be receiving questions like, "are you a professional photographer?" For me it's some sort of validation that I'm doing something interesting, enough to capture their attention. But really, I'm no pro, not even near it. It's a hobby that I find so therapeutic just like blogging. It's one way of squeezing out my creative juices and sharing it to my friends.

Actually there are no secrets, a lot of helpful resources are available on the web guiding us how to come up with meaningful photos. Of course, familiarization with your camera, be it dslr or point and shoot, and knowing its functions are the initial steps followed by creativity, instinct and practice and ultimately a knowledge in photo editing will definitely create a big difference.

I've been introduced to Photoshop7 along with Illustrator since 1997, took a short course required for my work and since then had been very useful for me in many ways. Now there's Photoshop CS4, packed with more features but I'm still using my older version since I'm more familiar with it. Just recently, the in thing among photographers is LIGHTROOM.

What's the difference between Lightroom and Photoshop? Lightroom is where I manage my photos, from importing it from my camera to processing it and then showcasing from there all my images. It makes the life of any photographer more organized and more polished. While Photoshop is my major editing tool where I have the freedom to do anything I want to my subject.

Interested to know more about this and learn, you can sign up to this free webinar course for Photoshop and Lightroom. I've already enrolled for these two courses as I'm interested to bring my knowledge to a higher level. Just clicked on the image to direct you to their webpage. All the details are enumerated from there.

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Photohunt 13 : ENTERTAINMENT

More than a week ago, I got an invite from a good friend to watch the full length film directorial debut of her brother Milo Sogueco. The film was entitled "SANGLAAN" or pawnshop in English, one of the entries in this year's Cinemalaya Cinco Festival. The event was held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theatre and was a full packed event with cocktails served before the showing.


The movie director, Milo at the center with the rest of the gang and her sister Cha at the lefmost side. This was after the showing after congratulating him of a job well done.

A few days ago, the winners of this year's Cinemalaya film festival were announced and Ms Tessie Tomas got the Best Supporting Actress nod.

While Ina Feleo's acting won the Best Actress Award. I really love her subdued but meaningful acting in this film.

My congratulations to the entire team and to the good ensemble of actors. The awards is a good testament that Milo Sogueco's directorial debut is on the right track.

This my Entertainment entry for this week's PHOTOHUNT.
Check out the other entries here.

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My Thoughts on PGMA's Last SONA

The truth is, I'm one of those who applauded when I heard her speech, not because everything she said was accurate and true but because it was well delivered and fierce. She may not be popular but no one can discount her intelligence and the dedication she puts into her job. And she looked pretty in that pink terno made by Inno Sotto.

To highlight the main points of her speech ...

1. "I didn't become a president to be popular"
2. "Better health care, more roads, education system"
3. "Kilalanin ang mga magsasaka bilang backbone ng bansa"
4. "Paid the political price to do the right thing"
5. "For standing up with me to do the right thing, thank you Congress"
6. "We have built more and better infrastructure"
7. "Subic Tarlac expressway is an example of building better roads"
8. "We have built airports of international standards"
9. "We are developing wealth through PPO and tourism"
10. "Tourism doubled. It is now a 2B dollar industry"
11. "Cash handouts produced the most effective immediate relief"
12. "Sa pamamahagi ng milyon milyong hectariyang lupa"
13. "Hinihiling ko sa congreso ang pagpapalawi ng CARP"
14. "165 Million Pesos for MicroFinance Loans"
15. "Nakinabang ang isang milyong pamilya sa pabahay"
16. "Our highest rate of inflation is the lowest since 1966"
17. "We increased indigenous electricity"
18. "There is decreased use of fossil fuels"
19. "Taxes should come from tobacco and alcohol, and not from books"
20. "We have provided 8M jobs"
21. "We have decreased the number of poor by 2M people"
22. "My term does not end until next year"
23. "I will fight for the ordinary Filipino"
24. "We cannot be complacent"
25. "Thank God, we did not let our critics stop us"
26. "To the candidates for the next election, build a nation rather than tear down their opponents"
27. "My critics called it dictatorship. I call it determination"
28. "Mabuhay ang Pilipinas"

I'm not going to check the accuracy of those numbers but I've felt developments despite the worldwide crisis and I'll give her credit for that. There's just too many critics out there, that if only words can kill, GMA must be long gone by now. That's why I really enjoyed the part when she finally lashed back at Mar Roxas, Erap, JDV , etc... and to quote her ...

"Those who live in glass houses should cast no stones, if you really want something done, just do it. Do it hard, do it well. Don't pussyfoot, don't pander and don't say bad words in public."

“They, who so vehemently oppose Charter Change today, pursued it vigorously when they thought they were going to benefit from it. Now that they won’t, they rally against it.”


I really cringed at the sight of these politicians like they are all pure and clean and have honest intentions to serve the country. C'mon, give me a break!

And to Mr Palengke, everytime I see you driving the padyak makes me want to shut the TV down. That is so pretentious!

Its just unfortunate that a lot of people are being mislead by speculations, like on one paper the headline reads "GMA, hindi bababa!"This is obviously a blatant attempt to mislead the public and poor Juan dela Cruz would readily believe when in fact GMA said she will step down in 2010.

I will take her word that she will step down when her term expires, no more analyzing what she didn't say, leave it to those negative thinkers!

I'm hopeful that next year, real change will happen. Let's get rid of the same trapos we hate. Let's analyze who among those presidentiables can offer real solutions to the problems of our country other than kicking out a president. Let us not equate eloquence with good leadership, gaining popularity because they can charm everyone with their good vocabulary. Good leadership means action and progress, and I have someone in mind who qualifies.

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Dealing with Curses, Hexes and Spells

"Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." ..... Ephesians 6:10-12

This is an unusual topic but I've got this urge to share this recent experience to acknowledge God's power over the schemes of the devil.

A month ago, my cousin received her Working Visa to Canada. She is the 4th member of the family to have been granted this opportunity to work in Canada, of course acknowledging my uncle and my auntie's efforts who made all this possible.

While waiting for some papers to be finalized, she went home to our province to see her family and friends and say her goodbyes and then came back after a few days. We booked her flight and everything's all set. But 2 days before her flight, that was a Thursday, she became ill and was diagnosed with Respiratory Infection. We had no choice and rescheduled her flight, paying an additional of 6,000 pesos for the rebooking charges. After a few days of medication her fever subsided and so we thought she's already in good shape. But I noticed something really unusual since the day she arrived from the province, I always catch her staring at the window or the ceiling and always in deep thought and not her usual bubbly self, sort of in a floating mental state. I thought, it must be the nerves, young and just got out of school and now will be working abroad .... I will be scared too, I mumbled........

Came Thursday again, 3 days before her flight, we all thought she's already in better shape. I told her to get some morning sun, Vit D is good for the lungs I said, so she went outside for a while. A few moments passed, I heard someone panicking and crying, my cousin was trembling and she cannot breath. My sister instructed her to breath thru her nose, checked her vitals and looked for a paper bag where she can breath. She's hyper ventilating, I said .... that's anxiety attack! We were also panicking but when her vitals normalized, we decided to postpone bringing her to the emergency room.

My father was urging us to bring her to the hospital and even articulated the need to postpone permanently her desire to work in Canada. My father has that habit of over reacting and worrying too much. Of course, I disagreed and downplayed the situation by citing some facts. He listened for a while but still insisted. But after the panic mode died down and my cousin's condition normalized, I talked to her and asked what's bothering her ..... with a little difficulty uttering the words, she finally revealed, she's hasn't been sleeping well at night since the day she came back from the province and constantly seeing signs related to death. Everytime she reads the paper, all she can see are death signs. Puzzled, I gave her reassurance that there's nothing to worry about as long as she puts her trust in the Lord and continually pray for His protection. After hearing all this, only one thing came to my mind, my cousin needs a lot of prayer for deliverance and protection. Somebody must have put a hex or a spell against her when she went to the province. We are not sure who it was but have someone in mind as we can recognized the pattern and the reason behind it .... ENVY, GRUDGE !!! Immediately we know what to do and that is to have her prayed over . I asked my other cousin to call her church and request the church elders to pray for my cousin's deliverance from what's ailing her.

The prayers of the righteous worked like magic, the Real Magic .... sans the rituals and the chantings. I acknowledge the reality of curses because its real, the Bible have mentioned about it plenty of times. And to quote a Christian missionary .....

" The good news is that breaking curses can be surprisingly easy for Christians because we dwell under the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ. Curses have greatest power where the person who has been cursed has committed some great act of wickedness such as involvement in the occult. The reverse is also true, curses have little or no power over a righteous person and Proverbs says that a curse without cause will not alight on the head of a righteous man" .....

That episode is history and my cousin just arrived Canada yesterday in high spirit and full of hope. Thank you God for your unfailing love and protection.

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HAPPY FATHER's Day !!!

4 years: My Daddy can do anything!
7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot.
8 years: My father does not know quite everything.
12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does not know that either.
14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly old-fashioned.
21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of date!
25 years: He knows a little bit about it, but not much.
30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks about it.
35 years: Before we decide, we will get Dad's idea first.

To our dearest PAPA, HAPPY Father's Day!
We love you dearly.

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Araw ng Kalayaan at Fiesta

Dalawa ang selebrasyon sa lugar namin ngayon, Fiesta ng aming baranggay at ang Araw ng Kalayaan. Masaya at makulay ang paligid, may bandiritas at mga watawat. Nagising ako ng maaga dahil sa malakas na anunsyo sa mikropono ng kapitan ng barangay na may misang gaganapin nitong umaga sa maliit na kapilya sa aming baranggay. Pagkatapos ay may malakas na tambol at tugtog ng kombo na hudyat ng umpisa ng selebrasyon. Gusto ko pa sanang matulog pero grabe ang ingay sa labas.


Bilang pagpupugay sa Araw ng Kalayaan ay maraming watawat ng Pilipinas ang nakasabit kasama ng mga bandiritas.

Meron ding dragon dance ......



May Kombo na tumugtog ng Sabay Sabay Tayo, Chiquitita at iba pang kantang pinasikat ni Marianne Rivera.

Palambitin na pinagkaguluhan ng mga bata pati na ng matatanda.



At syempre ang Prusisyon ng mga Poon na kultura na ng mga pinoy upang ipakita ang pasasalamat sa mga biyayang ipanagkaloob ng ating Poong Maykapal.

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