DI NIYO BA NARIRINIG?

Nakita ko ang bidyo na ito sa aking FB Feed, at sa tangin ko, kahit na limang taon na ang lumipas nang lumabas ang bidyo na ito, naaayon pa rin ito sa kung ano nangyayari ngayon sa Pilipinas.

Alam Kong magkakaiba tayo ng sinusuportahan, pero pare-pareho tayo ng gusto mangyari para sa ating bansa:

Ang makita Kung saan napupunta ang buwis na ating binabayaran,

Ang magkaroon ng suporta mula sa gobyerno sa panahon ng kalamidad,

Ang mamuhay ng kumportable sa sariling bayan.

Kahit sino pa ang ating sinusuportahan, dapat pa rin natin silang tanungin, DI NIYO BA NARIRINIG?

Bakit pati mga sinusuportahan natin, tatanungin natin nito? Diba dapat yung mga kurakot o kontra partida?

Dapat silang lahat na nasa posisyon ay tanungin natin. Dahil minsan, hindi taong bayan ang kanilang pinakikingan kundi kanilang kapwa kaalyado o kung sino man ang may hawak ng budget. Lahat sila may isinusulong, ang tanong, para ba sa ka kapakanan ng taong bayan? O para makuha ang suporta para sa susunod na botohan?

May problema o "loophole" ang ipinasang batas? Ipaliwanag sa paraang maiintidihan ng taong bayan.

Di sang-ayon sa batas o patakaran ng kontra partido? Basahin at intindihin bago kontrahin, hindi puro dada. Konstruktibong puna dapat, hindi opinyong mapanghusga sa buhay personal.

A New Year and On to Possible Opportunities - and Consistency

A pleasant greeting to everyone.

I started this blog in November 2009, and it has been 14 years since then. I do not regularly update, and I go on unannounced hiatus and return. But this year, I hope to revive my blog once again. Like the famous saying, "Try and try until you succeed."

Major update: I have migrated to New Zealand. The move was last August 2023 - it was in the middle of the winter season when we arrived. Four months have passed since we arrived, but adjustment is ongoing. I am grateful to everyone who has been helping me with the change - my friend Edelyn, Ley, and the principal and staff of my daughter's school.

The move from one country to another is a major change for me and my daughter, but this morning I received news about a major change once more. My husband's boss accepted a managerial position on a farm at a different region in New Zealand. Since they are a (dairy) team, we will be moving with him. The move is in June but as early as now, we are planning for it. Honestly, the move makes me nervous because my daughter and I have warmed up to the school community. This is one of the down sides of having a family while working at the dairy farming sector. Moving from one farm to another is inevitable.

Change is (definitely) the only thing constant in this world. The irony of the saying can be a hard pill to swallow.

There are opportunities I am looking forward to in the next two months. I hope I can give a decent update in the future.

I also have goals that I hope to accomplish within the first half of the year and one of those is getting a Learner's Driving License. Knowing how to drive is essential here in New Zealand. It opens up more opportunities in general and it is the primary mode of transportation here.

There are numerous events to look forward to this year and I hope I can be consistent in documenting it here.

For now, I wish everyone a happy a prosperous new year ahead of us all.

Till my next update. Ciao.

The devastating start of November 2020

 November 1, 2020

On the very first day of the month, the strongest typhoon this year made its landfall. It wreaked great havoc in every town and province on its way. The local government tried its best to minimize damage and casualties, but it was still a tragedy. The death count is not as big as the Typhoon Yolanda, but the story behind their death was heartbreaking. Some were prepared for the floods and the strong wind but weren't expecting the landslides. I read an anecdote by a survivor saying they expected the storm surge, but this was the first time that they had a landslide in their town. Had they known, they would have immediately gone to the evacuation center.

During the destruction, the national government officials had the most sickening response. The audacity of these officials, most especially the spokesperson of the president, to make excuses for their lack of preparedness is appalling. I won't go into detail about that as it is all over the internet, and thinking about it makes me nauseous.

It doesn't help that the loyal supporters of the president and his allies keep on defending their incompetencies. These supporters compared the response of former President Benigno Aquino III (Typhoon Yolanda) to the present administration.

Well, this is what I said,

"I see posts comparing the death toll of Yolanda vs Rolly. They said that the national government handled it better that is why there are lesser casualties.

The local government and the local chapters of different organizations should be the ones taking credit.

There are lesser casualties because the local government LEARNED from the devastation of Yolanda.

The local government was PROACTIVE. They tried their best to evacuate everyone even before the initial landfall.

The national government was REACTIVE. This was clear in the response of the presidential spokesperson when asked why the briefing regarding the typhoon was late."

The local government has learned from previous storm incidents, planning and preparation were good. Unfortunately, there were still unexpected circumstances like landslides and problems in evacuation centers due to this pandemic.

Kudos to the local government. National government, make your move, our countrymen deserve better. 

________________________________

As of writing, there is a typhoon (Ulysses) ravaging the same areas Typhoon Rolly hit. This is disaster over a disaster. :(

Civilized

I had a conversation with my sister Rei a few months ago about the notion of being civilized.

Unpopular opinion: "The notion of being civilized is subjective."

A little history, the Philippines was under the Spanish rule for 333 years. Most if not all notions about being "civilized" was highly influenced by the Spanish priests and officials who stayed here in the Philippines. The old rich families in the Philippines can trace their roots up until the Spanish occupation.

During the Spanish regime, the Filipinos who supported and mingled with the Spaniards considered themselves more civilized and looked down at their fellow Filipinos. At present, those who have achieved better education, those in high positions and those who had the opportunity to live outside the country consider themselves more civilized than their fellow countrymen. 

Personally, I think you were blessed to have the opportunities mentioned above, but that does not mean your are immediately more civilized.

Civilized is defined in Google as "at an advanced stage of social and cultural development" or being "polite and well-mannered."

Being socially aware that culture is different in every country/continent, and consciously adapting to it, and respecting the difference in every culture, I believe is what a civilized person is.

Comparing and belittling different cultures just because they are different from one's own culture is petty, disrespectful and uncivilized.

Even different tribes here in the Philippines have rules that they follow and respect but sometimes they are the ones called uncivilized and barbaric just because their culture is different from the westernized culture.

There are those who might disagree with us and we respect that. We are not forcing our views on other people. We simply want to share.

We are open to what others might think about civilized, what we don't like are people forcing their views on us and arrogantly announce to the world that they are more civilized. (#-_-)

Mishandled and poor planning (part 2)

This is a follow up to my previous post last July 28 (link).

In the news, a Solon got angry at the media for the viral photo of the Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) who were crammed at the stadium (I posted a photo on my previous blog). Please see the article in this link.

I reiterate what I said in my previous post,

“The program would have been a great idea if safety protocols were followed.”

In addition to safety protocols, there should have been foresight of what they should do if there was an influx of LSIs, which is what happened.

Given that they did resolve the issue of crowding after the photos were taken, they should have released their own photos that they did resolve the concern (this was suggested by a professor). Yes they acknowledged that they had a problem, but did they have to get angry at the media who was simply doing their job?

Another reason for a follow up to my previous post is because of a TikTok post of a LSI who was able to go back to his province and he was of course elated and thankful to the government.

Like any other program, there is an upside and the downside to it.

The upside is the LSIs were able to find relief in finally able to go back to the comforts of their province.

The downside is this program increased the spread of the pandemic.

Yes they were tested before they boarded the bus, ferry or plane. Unfortunately, a person may still test negative because it takes hours after exposure before symptoms manifests inside the body. By the time they arrive at their province, they are actually carriers and have spread the virus to their province.

For those who will say, “All you do is complain, what would you have done? Have you even done anything to help the people?”

My answer is this. I would have looked for a facility (with adequate ventilation and observe physical distancing) for the LSIs, have them tested but not allow them to leave yet, and provide for them food in the duration that they are in the facility. Too much money and funding needed? Where did all those loan money go?

“Your answer is too simple. It wont work.” Actually it is so simple that it might work. The local government has implemented this, why not the national government?

Second question, have I done anything to help the people?

Yes I have in my small way. Me and my family were able to provide rice and food for some LSIs. We don’t put it in social media, because we don’t believe anybody should know. 

Just saying. I am not a Dilawan nor a DDS. I am a concerned citizen who is getting annoyed at the national government and someone who pities the local government who are suffering because of the wrong decisions of the national government.

Mishandled and poor planning

My province closed their borders for three, almost four months and they have limited the number of COVID-19 cases to less than eight cases. Almost all of them have recovered. It came a time when there were no active cases.

Then one of our senators decided to have a program to help stranded citizens back to their provinces.

In a span of three weeks, our province has ten active COVID-19 cases and still counting.

The program would have been a great idea if safety protocols were followed. Unfortunately, the first batch of people who went back to their provinces were not even tested before they travelled back to the province. This not only happened in my province but other provinces too.

And now, the second batch of those who tried and wanted to go back to their provinces were asked to go to a stadium, have themselves tested, and if negative will be allowed to go back to their respective provinces.

Photo credit: Rappler

This is the situation of those who went to the stadium with the hopes of being able to go back to their respective provinces. Crowded, no physical distancing, uncomfortable and down right atrocious.

How can the national government do this to their fellow men, women and children, in the guise of “helping them” return to their provinces. This has become more of the culling.

Most of those who went to the stadium are those who got retrenched from their jobs and are the poorest of the poor. All they rely now is their luck and the “goodness” of the national government.

I do not blame them. I too want to go back to the province. The difference is I have options, they don’t and they are left in the mercy of this national government.

If you notice, I keep on saying the “national government” and not simply the government. This is because Most if not all of the local government officials are actually trying their best to prevent/ limit the spread of the pandemic in their province. There are local government officials who flat out deny entry to their province because they know that they do not have the capacity to deal with the pandemic in their rural area. There are provinces who never had a single case because they handled it very well and they took care of their constituents by providing food, and safe protocols. And like what I said earlier, they refused entry to their province specially if those who want to enter the province are from red alert areas.

The national government though is a different thing. They are the ones worsening our situation by pursuing this appalling program of Bong Go, Senator of the Philippines.

I read a commentary once (unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the author) that said the Philippines, being a country of islands, would have been in an advantage since some provinces are literally islands away from the country capital. Unfortunately, because of this program, the cases have increased, and has obviously spread to the provinces.

I see no silver lining in this situation. All I can do is help in my small ways the people who are stranded and pray for them.

My thoughts on the Anti-Terrorism Bill

I tried my best to read up about the bill. I read summaries and I acquired an online copy of the bill itself.

Here is a link The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020

Just to make it clear, I am not a law graduate nor a law student. This is how I understand and interpret what was written. If I do get anything wrong, or misinterpret anything, I am very much open to talk about it. What I write here are informal so you may see remarks that can be inappropriate or sometimes juvenile.

On my initial reading, I tried to see the bill from the standpoint of a defense officer who is tasked to defend the country, regardless of who is president. Just the notion that I have to defend the country (Generala Gabriela?).

I have to admit that on initial reading, the bill does try to “protect” the people. It attempts to prevent the act of terrorism, tries to make safeguards for the general public, shows what government agencies are involved, and it shows also show the “ideal” process on how everything will supposedly work.

Note that I used quotation marks and the words “attempt” and “try”.

Upon reading it again, this time, I took into account the country’s current status. Yes, the bill does sound like it is attacking the government critics. The definition of terrorism in this bill, despite the attempt to make it “specific”, has made it more broad to the point that anybody who has a say against the government can immediately be called a terrorist (See Section 4 of the bill).

• It is stated in this bill that a person or group is identified as a terrorist based on the list of international security agencies like the United Nations Security Counsel (see Section 3b), but it is also stated that the Anti-Terrorism Council may also designate who are terrorists “upon providing a probable cause.” (see Sec 25 par. 3) It would make sense that a council would have this kind of power in an ideal world, but in our current situation, any critic can be found probable cause just based on the definition on terrorism in this bill. And knowing about the great skills of our government, it’s not impossible that they will make-up a probable cause just to fixate on a critic or group. Admit it people, it has and is happening right now.

• In this bill, if a person in suspected of terrorist act, s/he may be followed, wiretapped without once knowledge, and detained for 14 days, and even be extended if the counsel or the person of authority deem that s/he is still a threat to the public. From a standpoint of someone in-charge of the security of the country (most probably a victim of PTSD, highly anxious, had his/her own time in the battlefield) this is reasonable. It is also stated in this bill that the person, even when detained still has rights to legal counsel, rights to a doctor, rights against torture and even visiting rights from the family.

It sounds good on paper no? The sponsors attempt to create safeguards and rules to uphold human rights. If only this a perfect, law-abiding and honest government, maybe this would work? The effort is there but the way our country is run right now, I doubt these rights will even be allowed to the suspected person.

Suspected person. Please let that sink in, the person has not gone into trial yet, only suspected and his/her privacy and freedom is compromised.

The bill did mention and even assigned specific tasks for the Commission of Human Rights (see Section 47), which is supposed to be another safeguard. Unfortunately, seeing how the government treats CHR, I doubt those in power will give heed to them.

• The Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) which will be the governing body once the bill is passed (see Sec 45), is made up of the President’s Cabinet Officials. The agencies involved makes sense right? Except, these secretaries in position in the said agencies have been dubious, notorious, questionable and scandalous from the very start of this administration. Personally, the level of trust in this council is an all-time zero. I am trying my best to be civil here and avoid using derogatory terms. The cabinet members in question have been greatly criticized by the public and I believe the fear of most of those against the bill is that they use their position to “get-back” to their critics. I would say this is not an impossible scenario as some government officials have recently admitted that they subjectively decide on the laws and issues that are being tackled in the Congress. Oh wait, I slipped... Oh well... 😏😏😏 They said it publicly so I not making up this statement right?

• Lastly, is this really a priority bill in the middle of the pandemic? This is also one of the main concerns why everyone, including yours truly is against the bill. The senate, the congress, and even the president is pushing for the bill to be passed as soon as possible... In the middle of a pandemic? Now? When most of the citizens, specifically the ones in the metro are in need of help - medically, socially, physiologically, and psychologically - but the government seems to have decided to just pass the responsibility of “caring” for the citizens to the private sector. 😒😒😒 I am generalizing all the public service officials, for there are public officials who are going out of their way to help their constituents. I am referring to those in public office high up in the ranking system - congress, senate, cabinet members and even the president.

It’s quite clear in my statements and comments above that I am not satisfied with the movements and decisions of the current administration. Other would say that I am “Dilawan”, no, I also criticized the previous administrations and their constituents, but this current administration has really been disappointing and disheartening.

From what I understand, one of the main factors that this bill in being questioned is because of the people who are currently in power, who can use this bill to their advantage and abuse their power.

Everyone is feeling agitated and uneasy because of the pandemic, it does not help that the government is suddenly pushing for a bill that will magnify this fear. People are thinking about their health and how to support the needs of their family, and now, they also have to worry about their own security.

If people are pushed to the limits, I would not be surprised if there would be a civil unrest. Oh wait, maybe that is why the president is trying to push the bill forward? In case there is a civil unrest, the bill can be used to “defend” the public? 😱😱😱

Just a thought.

Now, here are other thoughts that came to mind:

• “If the bill was passed during a different administration (previous administrations or possible future administrations) would there still be the same amount of people who are against the bill?

• If there was no pandemic, would it really be a big deal if this bill was passed?

• If there was current high threat, would people accept the bill?”

• Like I mentioned earlier, on paper it looks tangible and justifiable. Yes there would still be critics, but will the people be as opposed to it like now?

I don’t think anybody will actually read this. I just wanted to write my thoughts about the bill, so in the future I can look back and check if there have been positive or negative changes since this whole fiasco has happened.

See ya~

2minutes

long distance relationship is difficult, specially if he is in a different country.

personally, what makes it difficult is that i am pregnant with our first child and he is not with me.

the best that we can do at the moment are leave messages for each other in facebook.

of course, it was more difficult years ago because communication was more limited.

but the feeling is undeniably the same.

simple joys,
simple communication,
simply love.

 even if it was only for 2mins, it was well worth it.

Baby Beatriz Joy Sagalis

A midst the tragedy happening on the middle and southern part of the Philippines. A "miracle" baby is born as a testimony that there is hope.

what touched my heart was the meaning behind her name.

Beatriz = bringer of joy
Joy = happiness of heart

this child will bring joy and happiness tenfold to the people around her the those lives she will touch.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/miracle-baby-born-philippine-typhoon-rubble-080548792.html

untitled entry

Lord, heal our land.

there have been a number of calamities happening recently, local and international.

we pray for healing, for our land, our country, our world,

prayers for those affected and in pain, for those in doubt, for those struggling,

for those who have hesitations to help, for those burdened to reach out,

for the people

and most of all,

for ourselves.

Amen.

interesting space

i saw this article in yahoo about the "smallest house is Italy"

based from the photos, it sure is interesting.

great use of space indeed. (^_^)

weather

the rainy season is in!

are we already ready?

umbrellas? boots? extra clothes? jackets?

my oh my, it's going to be difficult to wake up again because it's really tempting to snuggle in that warm bed. (~_~)

take care everyone!

theory

i know it's long due and it has passed but i just really had to share it.

this is a theory from my friend/officemate, rizell.

there have been fuss, rumors and jokes about the end of the world on dec 21, 2012 (12/21/12)

as this is the end of the mayan calendar.

being one of the ancient civilizations that believed to be advance in their time,

it is said that they predicted the "end of the world," 12/21/12.

now, this is where the theory of my friend comes in.

the mayans lived in south america.

since they were the ones who "predicted" the end of the world based fro their calendar,

doesn't that mean that it supposed to be december 21 on their calendar?

meaning dec 22 in the eastern part of the world?

it sounds like a joke... well, we later on passed it as a joke. (^_^)

in the end, the mayan calendar simply has a new cycle.

it's like the end of 2012 and the start of 2013.

a new year, a new cycle begins.

(^_^)

no idea if this entry even makes sense,

but hey,

"c'est la vie!"

update

hi everyone! been a very loooooonng time since i last updated. though, mind you, a lot of events has happened that i can be sure of. (^_^) the pictures are all stacking up in my laptop. unfortunately, i do not have the internet connection to upload them all. maybe i'll pust a post and a link for all my pics since i last updated. (^_^) anyways, right now i am using the desktop of my dad. let me remember what i have been doing since my last update... hmmm.

/looks at facebook, twitter and her mobile phone.

well... it's been a year since i offcially became a member of Singles for Christ. (^_^) me and my batchmates sponsored the food for our Christian Life program. it was our way of giving forward or giving back, however way you look at it. i would say a lot has changed since last year and i hope the change still continues for the better. (^_^)

i have attended a wedding for a cute couple who are also our fellow SFC members. we were the ones who sang for the wedding. i would admit that it was a bit of a disaster but we were all just very happy for them. (^_^) we will be singing in another wedding this monday for another couple from SFC. i hope our singing is better this time around. (^_~)

a bunch of us also performed at the Saterdotal anniversary of our parish priest. aiza and i were the ones who chose the music. bjoy and i did the choreography and i also did the editing for the songs. it was fun but there were a few misunderstandings and bad blood bad the way. thankfully, we were able to overcome this and we were all in good terms after the performance. (^_^)

oh! i went to hong kong last weekend with my officemates. it was an all-expense paid trip by our boss. we went to disneyland and had dinner at the Peak. it was my first time to go to hong kong so i was very excited. i had fun but i wish i had more time to walk around though. (^_^) as i said earlier, pictures will be uploaded as soon as i have enough time and the right internet connection. sorry! m(_ _)m

oh by the way, the first few things i looked for when i was in hk? FANTA! hahahaha! and yes, i did find it. unfortunately, i could not bring it here in the philippines because it was not allowed on the plane. (^_^)

christmas is just around the corner. (^_^) been taking pictures of "christmassy" thingies these past weeks. i hope i get the chance to post them in the near future. and i mean NEAR! (^_^)

i'm very sure i'm missing other details of what i have been doing recently but i really hope i could share them here. (^_^)

chiao~

another super update

hi everyone! it's been really hard for me to update my blog recently due to work and limited internet access. there have been a lot that has been happening lately, and to tell you all the truth, i can't even remember some of them. i do have pictures so... i'll just tell you all about these pictures are. (^_^) we will start with the albums.

1st SFC Big West Conference

we are all proud to say that we are the pioneer members who attended the conference. (^_^) the venue as at my alma mater, Miriam College. There were 3 talks, praise fest, mass and dances. i also bought shirts, but no pictures yet of the shirts. you will all see them in my future pictures. (^_~)

next, the birthday celebration of Rex, our manager, and also the quarter celebration of our company since we reached our quota for this quarter. yosh! it was all a treat from our boss, James. thank you! (^_^) the pictures will tell it all.

next, pictures i have "edited"

there has been an on going campaign to lessen the garbage and plastic usage around the world. it's now advised to bring your own bag for groceries and stuff, or they use paper bags. one particular establishment took it a notch higher. the design of their paper bag is a copy of a painting by a filipino painter. really awesome! i couldn't throw the paper bag because it was eye-candy for me. i kept it for myself. (^_~)

second picture? it involves cold treats! korean ice cream, because my friend at office wanted to try it for the first time. the second treat? earl grey ice cream! no kidding (^_^) best only when served cold though. if it melts, it's not that enjoyable anymore. then again, that's just me. it was the first time a tested this flavor in an ice cream. i mean, i drink earl grey tea, but ice cream? i just had to try. (^_^)

you have all heard of the sandwich shop Subway right? well... i only at there recently and i realized ho much i as missing! hehehe! the sandwich as just great. i would definitely buy there at least once a week. (^_^) i am so behind with a lot of stuff so don't be surprised hen you see "first time" in my entries. (^_^)

rarely do i go to Starbucks because i have this notion that drinks and food are overpriced there. but i do admit that there is that rare moment that you think you just really deserve it after busy days and stressful tasks. (^_^) choco-glazed donut and strawberry and cream frappe. (^_^)

our team leader treated us to frozen margarita and snacks is celebration of those e have hired for the client company, kampai! (^_^) yes, another first time for me. (^_^)

and lastly, friday was a holiday here. but i went to work for half day. i jut had to take a picture of myself. i don't know why, i just had a feeling i had to. (^_~)

there are so many things i missed telling in this entry, but as i said earlier, i can't remember the other events anymore. please forgive me. m (_ _) m

chao~

work is a killer but hey, i'm still alive

minna-san!

how are you?

sorry i have been super behind with updating my blog. m(_ _)m

busy. tired.

thats all i can say.

due to the obvious lack of time in blogging,

i decided to cram everything in one blog or two.

depending on how far i can go.

rather rare but this may be the only time i would be able to blog.

work has been unbelievably stressful.

nobody in our team was expecting this.

i remember i tried to have a tea break during one of the stressful days,

but it was only effective for a short time.

remember the sweets used to eat/drink just to have that sugar rush to boost myself for the day?

doesn't work anymore. (TwT)

so how do we survive?

carbo loading is our temporary solution.

when we are given that CHANCE,

rizell and i would go out to eat food that has HEAVY CARBOHYDRATE just to fulfill that hungry, tired feeling.

all the work these past few weeks are definitely a killer.

if we did not have a sense of humour left in us,

we wouldn't survive.

so how do we amuse ourselves, other than the usual jokes and all?

we notice the things around us that we rarely appreciate. (^_~)

an example is the old, dilapidated, looks-like-does-not-work-anymore-but-it actually-works-well vendo machine.

proof is the coooooolllllddd mango juice i ordered from it.

plus, what made me notice it is the face that it was the type of vendo machine you see in japan.

yes, it was obviously made in japan and no part of the machine was in english!

what else amused me recently?

oh yeah, that time when our company phones were all waiting to be charged.

yup. all our phones look the same, but rarely are they all in one place like this one time.

oh! what really amused me this week was when i was trying to get my phone from my bag then...

click!

i accidentally clicked the capture button of the camera phone.

and here everyone, is the outcome. (^_^)

my oh my!

work is definitely a killer,

but hey!

i'm still alive and surviving!

"seeing beauty in chaos"

minna!

how are you all?

sorry i have not updated my blog for almost a month now.

i have been busy with work and i'm so tired when i arrive from work.

anyways, this week, we experience a heavy downpour that lasted for almost two days.

a great portion of the city was flooded and there were a lot of people who had to be rescued from their homes.

medical missions, clean up operations and giving of donations/help are on-going.

i would like to take this opportunity to thank God for keeping my family safe during the floods.

to the unknown heroes, the rescuers, the volunteers and those who gave a hand of help in their own way,

thank you very much.

to those who were affected, we pray for your recovery, resiliency and safety.

to all the filipinos,

thank for your smiles despite this great tragedy we experienced.

here is an album of a photographer who saw "beauty in chaos"

in the end, it all depends on one's point of view in life. (^_^)

cold rainy weather

it has been raining everyday for a week now.

it's been really difficult to wake up in the morning,

fight that urge to go back to sleep,

and force myself to prepare breakfast for everyone.

anyways, i would like to share with you all a drink that can warm up the body specially for those who have errands to attend to and have to run through the rain and the winds. (^_~)

it's a simple concoction of hot chocolate and orange-flavored vodka. (^_^)

that's it.

just be wary of the amount of vodka you put. (^_^)

cheers everyone!

dream board

last saturday, we attended our household at ate jen's house. (^_^)

i was with aiza but she was not allowed to join our household.

anyways, before the household itself,

i took a bath and we ate dinner at ate jen's place.

for our household activity,

we made our own dream board.

mine was about performing in theater,

traveling in asian countries and learning their culture also to be able to perform them.

included in the travel is tasting the different delicacies of different countries.

also to do pilgrimage and visit different churches in our country and in nearby asian countries.

it is also my dream to be able to go to different rural areas and have interaction and exposure with them. (^_^)

and lastly, to have inner peace. (~_~)

i really enjoyed this activity.

i do pray that i may be able to fulfill my dreams and may lara and ate jen be able to fulfill their dreams. (^_^)

independence day art

last june 12, our country celebrated independence day.

here is an art that was featured at one of the malls here in cubao in celebration of the holiday. (^_^)