But what caught my attention, which has given me a great disappointment, is an article written by one of its writers, Christina Mendez—”Gallunggong price? I’m a vegetarian—Jamby.” It was written here that,

“..at a university forum when she was unable to…”

“…in a forum at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City yesterday.”

Just because PDI is a direct competitor should not mean that The Star would not and should not mention the name of the forum. For me, it seems like covering up an inconvenient truth.

Now I am made to wonder, up to what extent will this large circulation newspaper, or any other newspaper for the matter, is ready to hide the truth—any inconvenient truth?

How can newspapers, or media for that matter, give people “informed choices” which incidentally is the title of The Star’s main editorial, if this is how they behave?

Sigh

Villanueva, delos Reyes and Villar have made it clear early on that they are against the RH Bill because it promotes artificial methods of contraception as a means to curb our rapidly growing population. Being closely identified with the Christian doctrines and those of the Roman Catholic Church, respectivley, they adhere closely to their churches’ position on the issue. Villar is an active member of the Couples for Christ while JC’s Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) is the only party that includes a spiritual dimension in its platform of governance.

Read about the stance of each of the presidential candidates on the RH Bill here at blogwatch.ph.

Three months from its formal launch, I have personally met 7 (and some vice presidentiables) out of the 9 through Blogwatch interviews, attended forums and debates, listened on radio and watched them on TV, made some commentaries and observations—and more or less I have made my shortlist. There are 3 more months to go, and a lot is yet to happen…before I cast my vote.

ANC’s Harapan Forum at the UST College of Medicine’s Auditorium.

ONE of them will be President come May 2010.

JC delos Reyes

Nick Perlas

Manny Villar

Bro Eddie Villanueva

Dick Gordon

Gibo Teodoro

Noynoy Aquino

I am yet to meet Erap Estrada and Jamby Madrigal—interview schedules are being finalized by the Blogwatch Team, but I attended the Presidential Forum last month.

Here are the posts I have written so far:

• I am NOYNOY—say it NOW!
  
• The ‘Hard’ Dick and ‘Mr. Political Will’: a tandem for transforming the Philippines
  
• Gaining momentum: Nick Perlas scores support of Ayala, Torongoy and Alexander
  
• Championing alternative politics for a better Philippines
  
• Ang Kapatiran Partylist: Championing Alternative Politics


• Are Pinoys ready for a new kind of politics?


• Top 10 resolutions of the Pinoy voter
  
• Burning questions
  
• Dick Gordon- tried and tested?
  
• Strange bedfellows
  
• That’s CGMA to you
  
• Chiz Escudero—Was it youthful folly, idealism or plain “suntok sa buwan?
  
• Lakas-KAMPI-CMD
  
• Loren Legarda—The Political Butterfly
  
• Erap—second time around?
  
• Gibo for 2010?
  
• Voter’s registration extended
  
• Is Noynoy worth a vote?
  
• Understanding the ARMM Elections
  
• Absentee Voting
  
• Election Fever…and The Blog Watch
  
• Meeting Our Presidentiables: Nicanor Perlas—An alternative to traditiona “winnability”

Here are their websites, if you want to be kept updated on their backgrounds, activities and platforms:

1. Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” C. Aquino III (Liberal Party (LP))
2. John Carlos “JC” G. de los Reyes (Ang Kapatiran Party)
3. Former Pres. Joseph “Erap” E. Estrada (Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP))
4. Richard “Dick” J. Gordon (BAGUMBAYAN)
5. Sen. Maria Anna Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal (Genuine Opposition)
6. Nicanor Jesus III P. Perlas (Independent)
7. Former Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. (Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats)
8. Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas)
9. Sen. Manuel “Manny” B. Villar, Jr. (Nationalista Party)

WHAT:
UP ICU Launch
-Ayala Recyclables Fair
-Talk by world renowned environmental lawyer Atty. Antonio Oposa
-Environmental Gallery

WHEN:
February 9, 2010, Tuesday
8:00am-3:00pm
4:00pm-6:00pm

WHERE:
School of Economics Parking Lot
School of Economics Auditorium

WHO:
Entire University of the Philippines

Be a part of the first ever university-wide environment campaign, ICU or “Isko Cleans UP” by attending the ICU LAUNCH with the Ayala Recyclables Fair, a talk by world-renowned environmental lawyer Atty. Oposa, and a gallery on February 9, 2010 at the School of Economics parking lot and auditorium. Turn your trash to cash by selling your recyclables to Ayala, then learn more on how to take care of environment by attending Atty. Oposa’s talk. Be a part of UP’s green greatness! Let us make the BEST university be the CLEANEST university as well. Isko, Clean UP! I C U there!

Brought to you by: Team ICU together with different environmentally- concerned organizations.

Start collecting those recyclables and earn lots of cash!UU

WTF

Yesterday was the Senate’s last day in session, a day which supposedly should have been spent on a lot of important things for ratification and for reporting—two of which were the C5 and the ZTE-NBN deal. And yes, the Proposed Freedom of Information Act.

AND there was no quorum, AND the Senate had to close shop to resume only by the end of May after the elections.

WTF

Yesterday’s last session in the Senate, because of the absence (boycott is more apt) of a number of senators, important laws were bypassed and committee reports are now left pending, un-reported—IN THE AIR Archived in the meantime, among others, are:

-    Senate Committee of the Whole’s report on the C-5 controversy
-    Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s report on the national broadband network deal
-    Proposed Freedom of Information Act
-    Reproductive Health Bill
-    The Early Voting Bill
-    Philippine Immigration Act
-    Proposed Philippine Tax Academy
-    New Central Bank Act
-    Cybercrime Prevention Act
-    National Telecommunications Commission Reorganization Act
-    LPG Industry Regulation and Safety Act
-    An Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance

It is the same Senate that spent a lot of time investigating (I mean screwing up) on the ZTE-NDN deal and demanding for the release of the committee’s report.

While the following senators were present in yesterday’s session—Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Gingo Honasan, Richrd Gordon, Mar Roxas, Noynoy Aquino, Jamby Madrigal, Kiko Pangilinan, Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Migs Zubiri, the following were absent (boycotted)—Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Manny Villar, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Edgardo Angara, Manuel Lapid, Ramon Revlla, Jr., and Miriam Defensor Santiago. Panfilo Lacson has fled the country, escaping from the Dacer-Coribito charges while Antonio Trillanes IV remains in jail, thus he has no voting power.

This was seen by Enrile as an apparent move by Villar and his supporters to prevent the disposition on the C-5 controversy that was supposed to be tackled in the last working date of the Senate. This report could have been a basis for the voting population in making an informative decision.

Is the Senate a venue for any of our senators to serve their personal motives? For whatever will suit and favor them? What did we vote our senators for? To draft legislation and create policies, of course, as their most primary task. Now, why do they, in their last working day renege on their responsibilities? Sarili muna has been the norm rather than the default.

For another, why flee before the Senate closes? Oh well, it is obvious.

YET, they have the guts to run as the next president of the land, as the next vice president, run for reelection (am not sure if there is one among them running for a lower position in the government just like you know who).

It is SAD! It is sickening! It is tiring. Our senators have a huge responsibility to the Filipino people—and they have to be made accountable for their misbehavior. We censure our children to do good in school, to be empathic, to follow the rules, and to be law abiding citizens. It seems like there is very little left for our children to emulate. What example do they get—when our leaders, from the highest in the land to them who walk the halls of the Senate do not behave the way they should. Their integrity is tarnished by the day, it is tarnished now more than ever.

Well, we voted for them—this is the glaring truth. This time, let us vote intelligently—know the issues, listen to the candidates, ask questions, discern the truth, and know our options before finally casting that important one vote.

Nick Perlas on Blogwatch. Watch the livestreaming of Blogwatch’s interview with Nick Perlas on Monday, 18 January, from 6 pm to 8 pm. Watch at ustream.tv/channel/blogwatch and justin.tv/blogwatch. You may send in your questions in advance (post a comment, if you wish), and we will do our best to ask the questions on your behalf.

About a month ago, Nicanor Perlas, a candidate for the 2010 presidential race, was disqualified by the Comm ission on Elections (COMELEC) from the 2010 elections, much to his and his supporters’ dismay. Dismissed by COMELEC second division as a “nuisance candidate,” Perlas allegedly did not have the capacity to wage a nationwide election campaign and did not have enough supporters—he did not even have a political party. Naturally, Perlas and his supporters waged a legal and awareness campaign to reverse the ruling. The move proved successful, resulting in the issuance of Resolution 8743 where the Comelec en banc allowed Perlas and Liberal Party (LP) senatorial bet Danilo Lim to be included in the final list of candidates. The resolution recognized Perlas’ public service track record and his ability to wage a nationwide electoral campaign and that he had a network of supporters and ability to access national media. With this development, there are now ten candidates on the Presidential slot and 62 vying for Senate—the biggest number for both posts to date.

Let’s say, this is a blessing in disguise for Perlas and his supporters, who surprisingly are gaining in number. Talk about new politics and the power of the Internet.

Read more on Nick Perlas and PANGMASA’s platform in Blogwatch.

Just like in previous years, I was there at 7:30 am to witness the delivery and installing of the tarpaulin announcing Best of the Best SY 2010-2010 and at exactly at 8 am, the delivery of the bulletin boards and their unveiling for all to see.

Silence at first…people almost wanted to clap, then when the results were bared—there were students cheering, shouting to their hearts’ delight, saying YESSSSSSS—they passed.

Yet, there were some who were crying, sobbing, or walking away with sadness in their faces—they didn’t pass.

Yest still mixed feeling of thanks—this is almost it, by students and parents—they are waitlisted. Good enough, those who are waitlisted have a big chance of being accepted. It’s a matter of making a good appeal. Instructions on how to go about the appeal will be given in ADMU’s official website.

As for me? I am very happy with the results.

See here—PICTURES OF THE RESULTS.

Because I found this:

In 2007, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association in the United States, whose members include Hershey, Nestlé, and Archer Daniels Midland, lobbied the Food and Drug Administration to change the legal definition of chocolate to let them substitute partially hydrogenated vegetable oils for cocoa butter in addition to using artificial sweeteners and milk substitutes. Currently, the FDA does not allow a product to be referred to as “chocolate” if the product contains any of these ingredients.

In September 2008, MSNBC reported that several Hershey chocolate products were reformulated to replace cocoa butter with vegetable oil as an emulsifier. According to the company, this change was made to reduce the costs of producing the products instead of raising their prices or decreasing the sizes. Some consumers complained that the taste was different, but the company stated that in the company-sponsored blind taste tests, approximately half of consumers preferred the new versions. As the new versions no longer meet the Food and Drug Administration’s definition of “milk chocolate”, the changed items were relabeled from stating they were “milk chocolate” and “made with chocolate” to “chocolate candy” and “chocolaty.”

So, this is the reason why Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Bar, Kissables, Mr. Goodbar, and Krackel have tasted—somehow differently, somehow lacking in umph! in freshness, somehow notches lower than how they used to be. They no longer melt in my mouth the way they used to—rather crude or grainy I would say. And they’re crumbly—not as smooth.

Hershey’s Kissables Milk Chocolate is now called Hershey’s Kissables Chocolate Candy. Whoa!

Replacing cocoa butter with cheaper vegetable oil—to cut costs? Maintaining the size and weight instead of making them smaller and lighter? (at the same time keeping the packaging the same).

And they’re not telling! They would have at least informed us and explained to us that the taste would still have been the same (?)

They’re Hershey’s Chocolates no more! They’re Hershey’s Mockolates as coined by many.

I love Hershey’s Chocolates—I truly do. Now? Hershey’s Mockolates? So sorry, it’s like giving me a poor substitute. They’re just candies, as their very heart and soul—cocoa butter is there no more. From “milk chocolate” they are now “chocolate candies”, “chocolatey”, and “made with chocolate”.

This must be the reason why nowadays I buy more of The Kit Kats, the Meiji Macadamia Chocolates (still a favorite), the Ferrero Rochers, the Toblerones, the M&Ms, Snickers, and the Cadburys. Or have they also reformulated?

And not to forget our very own Choc Nuts!

photocredit: here and here.

Like the North Star, principles guide and provide directions to those who look upon it. Inflexible, principles do not bend for exigencies, the practical and the here and now.  Principles govern the future.  Ang Kapatiran Party may be strapped for cash, but it is not short on principles that guide their group.

Formed sometime in 2004 by Chairman Emeritus and Founder Reynaldo D. Pacheco, Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) or The Alliance for the Common Good is a Comelec-registered national political party associated with the Roman Catholic Church.  The group, however, is open and has members coming from other denominations willing to adhere to their advocacies. The group made its political debut, so to speak, during the 2007 elections, fielding three candidates in the persons of former executive director of the Presidential Commission on the VFA Zosimo Jesus Paredes II, Gastroenterologist Dr. Martin Bautista and family law and taxation lawyer Adrian Sison (a fourth candidate, lawyer Mario Ongkiko dropped out because of diabetes and hypertension, on doctor’s orders). Despite the positive remarks from famous columnists about the personal merit and integrity of these candidates, their staunch adherence to a clear platform of government and a favourable endorsement from no less than the influential CBCP (no doubt because AKP’s platform of governance hews closely to Church teachings), none of AKP’s senatorial candidates won. JC De los Reyes is perhaps the group’s only local candidate who won an elective local post—as councillor in Subic.  And even that victory was not the sole work of AKP but shared with the Gordon clan to which De Los Reyes happens to belong.

Read more from Blogwatch here.

There is something grievously and monstrously wrong about how our political system works and our collective mentality towards politics, which we consider always in conjunction with the adjective “dirty,” though the Greeks who coined the term “politics” never intended it to be so associated. The mockery we make of our electoral processes prove this point. Countless of times have we seen it in the national and local elections—the popular, the rich, the powerful, and the well-connected and oftentimes even the incompetent candidates win! We are practically run by “trapos” and political dynasties bent on seeking and keeping power over and above the collective good, thus leading to and feeding off of systemic and pervasive corruption in government and all levels of our society, much to the detriment of the Filipino people.

Read more here at Blogwatch

All the Single Babies
This cute video was posted to be watched by a couple of relatives, but little did the parents know that the video would be passed on and on until it was watched by millions of viewers the world over. The donations received for the video is set aside as his college funds. Now, isn’t that precious?

David After The Dentist
“Is this real life?” This is a question a lot of people have asked at one point in their life, especially after watching the movie ‘The Matrix.’ This was exactly the same question a seven-year-old has asked after he woke up from the drugs given to him during dental surgery. The immense popularity of the 45-million-viewers video has led to the creation of a website which sells t-shirts and stickers. The money that the website receives goes to Operation Smile charity.

JK Wedding Entrance Dance
Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz, more popularly known as JK, got their wedding entourage to dance to the tune of “Forever” by Chris Brown. This delightful video was watched by about 32 million viewers—some of them have donated to the Sheila Wellstone Institute which aims to end domestic violence. It was even pointed out to cause the rise in sales of Chris Brown’s albums.

Deadline Post-It Note Animation
This video was made as a project for the Savannah College of Art and Design. The video is a stop-start animation which makes use of a lot of differently-colored post-it notes which form a visual display of what really goes on with meeting deadlines.

Amazing Beatbox Kid
In the quest for the Beatbox Battle wildcard, the Japanese 18-year-old Daichi has posted this jaw-dropping video. Though he didn’t win the wildcard, he is listened to by more people around the globe than the actual winner, 17-year-old Julia Dales.

Michael Jackson Medley
At first you may think that the video is just a bunch of men singing in a choir, but take another look and recognize that all of these people are just one person times 6 performances. All of these sights and sounds combined make a spectacular performance and a viral tribute for the real King of Pop.

School Answering Machine
Teachers and school administrators can relate to this video well. This video was originally uploaded in Facebook. The video is said to be a recording of a real answering machine message in an Australian public school. Demanding parents: may this video teach you a lesson or two!

Minnie Ripperton’s Lovin’ You by Sungha Jung
This Korean boy continues to amaze a lot of people—he’s so talented, and at a very young age, he has a good line of songs that he played beautifully in his repertoire.

Kseniya Simonova’s Amazing Sand Drawing
This winner of “Ukraine’s Got Talent” has what it takes to capture the world’s attention with captivating sand paintings. Watch and be amazed at the way beach sand is transformed through light and a bucketful of imagination.

New Zealand Book Council – Going West
Every book lover knows that books are passageways to a whole new world. In line with their mission to promote book reading, the Zealand Book Council has created a very visual video depicting the images and events that unfold within an open book. The video is made of paper cut animations and is based on “Going West”, a novel written by Maurice Gee.

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Here’s sharing with you a video on Mucci, our 2-year old Golden Retriever whom Monica has trained (following YouTube tutorials).

More of Mucci’s tricks here:  DIY-Training DOG.

In closing , here are some lessons from DOG (you’ll find more from myepinOy’s BLOG), like:

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

And MOST of all…
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

3 January 2010 (original post)—Find UPDATES below

Sometime in September last year, I was surprised to receive a comment in this blog from a former classmate in college—my barkada at that. She said she was searching the Internet using “UST Med Tech Class 78” and she found me. Mind you, even I could not find a single soul when I used those keywords when I made a google search. Until now, the wonders of the Internet still continue to amaze me.

We have been in contact since then and became friends in Facebook, sharing updates, reliving the good old days—yes the good ole days of fun, frolic and folly.

And the rest is history—now there are 8 of us friends in Facebook and we hope to gather as much of our batchmates as we can.

We’re 19 as of 3 February, who knows in a few days, or months, our numbers will increase as the days pass by:

(1) Marivic (Meme) Bueno (Ma. Victoria Bueno Barba on FB)
(2) (Felicisimo Thong) Luna (Felicisimo Luna on FB)
(3) Francis Gutierrez (same name on FB)
(4) Ma.Victoria (Vicky) Gautane Mangrobang (Ma. Victoria Mangrobang on FB)
(5) Reuel Enriquez Dimalanta (same name on FB)
(6) Flor Mordeno (Ma. Flordeliza M Sanchez on FB)
(7) (Elizabeth Beth) Pineda (Elizabeth Pineda on FB)
(8) Bernadine (Dine) Baluyut (Dine Racoma on FB)
(9) Estrellita (Talits) Paras (Estrellita Barretto on FB)
(10) Doris Villa (Doris Villa-reyes on FB)
(11) Romeo Valles (Romeo Raul C. Valles in FB)
(12) Cynthia Santos, section C (Cynthia Ruth Santos Abelgas in FB)
(13) Ma. Flor (Maphle) Pizarro (Ma. Flor P. Manuel on FB)
(14) Teresita (Tess) Navalta (Tess Agda on FB)
(15) Lynne Manulid (Lynne Bayani on FB)
(16) Ma. Fe Vendiola (Fe Villamor in FB)
(17) Imelda (Meldee) Quiballo (Imelda Q. Tiglao on FB)
(18) Laulet Yambao (Laulet Yambao-Laquindanum on FB)
(19) Vicente (Vic) Perez (Vic Perez on FB)

Ma Socorro Manalangsang Crooc is from the UST Faculty, but she is our connect to UST@400

Thong Luna has been suggesting a grand reunion. Most of us missed the one in 2003 at Club Filipino. Oh well, we did not know about it then, and Facebook has not yet born at that time.

UST’s 400th anniversary is on 28 January 2011—we should have enough time to organize Thong’s dream of a grand reunion.

What to do:

(1) email me at bracoma@gmail.com /> (2) be friends at Facebook
(3) contact classmates that you know and suggest that they be in our loop
(4) form committees—the the most important committee should be, secretariat committee that will find and coordinate with all batchmates, then the finance committee
and program committee
(5) organize chapters, Philippine chapter, USA chapter, Canada chapter, Europe chapter, Middle East chapter or what-have-you-chapter considering that Filipinos are everywhere and assign coordinators per chapter
(6) set up an egroup
(7) make a class directory, and update it regularly
(8) send suggestions
(9) send pictures of our college days which we can post in a blog
(10) good luck to us and let’s keep our fingers crossed

Here is a list of the top ten resolutions for 2010:

1.  Go on a diet. Ah, the ubiquitous resolution for virtually everyone, specially in the aftermath of the festivities and parties during the Christmas season. The key to remember is that we should not just concentrate on losing weight, but we should also prioritize having a healthier body. Once we become more conscious of putting the right food inside our body, and living a healthier lifestyle, we’d just be surprised at the weight loss – and the improved appearance – that will go with it.

2. Be more of a blessing to others. Have you ever heard of the parable of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea? The River Jordan is a fresh water river because it continuously flows out to the sea, while the Dead Sea is desolate and unhealthy because it stores up all the water that comes into it. Lesson: the more we give, the happier we become.

3. Learn a new hobby. Learning a new hobby will help you develop hidden talents, and numerous other benefits await you depending on what particular hobby you choose. Plus, studies show that you can beat age-related degenerating diseases such as Alzheimers and dementia by keeping your mind active. Choose a hobby according to your interests, and scour the internet for possible ideas and inspirations.

4. Take better care of your appearance. With all the fables and stories we grew up with, we were somehow programmed to believe that being conscious about our appearance is equivalent to vanity – an unforgivable sin. However, we could look at taking care of our appearance from a different perspective: as a way to respect our bodies, and to show respect to others as well. Also, studies show that appearance has a sizeable impact on success (whether we like it or not). The thing is, beauty doesn’t involve trying to look like another person. We should just focus on letting our true, unique beauty shine through.

5. Save more money. If nothing else, the recession showed us that we will pay, literally, for all our mindless consumerism. Learning to save more in the bank would start first with the realization that joy doesn’t necessarily have a high pricetag; that most of the time true pleasure can be derived from something as simple as a shared joke with the family. Make it a family project to save more and invest smarter, and the benefits – both monetary and otherwise – would surely abound.

6. Break a bad habit. Or two.  The good news is, habits are not impossible to break; we would just really need to exert conscious effort towards putting a stop to it. And for good reason: bad habits, when done in the long term, could cause serious ailments that could have been easily prevented. Some of the top habits to break include smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and practicing poor hygiene. Look around the internet for tips on how to break these bad habits.

7. Be more environment-friendly. Right now we’re living in an eco-revolution, where it’s becoming the trend to be more conscious about preserving the environment. Some steps to becoming environment-friendly include taking your own bags when shopping (so you wouldn’t need to have the items placed in plastic shopping bags – just don’t forget the receipt); not drinking from straws; recycling as much as possible; and starting your own compost pit at home.

8. Be more organized. Taking the time to be organized will bring numerous benefits, such as not having to spend too much time looking for important files or papers, making the best use of your time, and avoiding the hassles and pressures of having to rush for something.

9. Never be late for anything ever again. This resolution works in conjunction with  another important improvement area: learning to practice time management. Some steps to effectively manage your time include keeping daily, weekly and monthly checklist of things you need to accomplish; breaking down big projects into more manageable tasks; and learning how to prioritize, delegate and say “no”.

10 . Smile more. Enough said.

They may not necessarily be mine, though a lot of them may apply.

A lot of them, too—I have been doing from day to day for years now, though I succeed, I stumble, I gain (friends, weight, lessons and all), I fall, I pick up the pieces and I move on. I guess it will be this way again in 2010, beginning on 01-01-10, what nice numbers!

YOU—what are your top New Year’s Resolutions?

1. I as a Filipino voter, resolve to cherish my one vote and make best use of it.

There are many lazy people who claim that one vote ceases to make a difference. If everyone in the country thinks that way, there will be no future for the country. I have only one vote, and I ought to make use of that one vote. It is better to think that I spend that one vote added to deserving candidates. That is also one vote less to corruption and indifference.

2. I will refuse to be bribed by garbage politicians who will just use their position to generate illegal wealth for their own interests.

I need money. Everyone needs money to survive. But this year, I will refuse to take in bribes, no matter how many digits that bribe contains, because my one vote is priceless. My vote is something that helps shape a nation, and I will not allow politicians to intimidate me. I will also discourage other people who will receive bribes. I’d rather stay where I am financially than take the bribe, improve my lifestyle and succumb to the downfall of the government in the future. Plus, I will have a good night’s sleep knowing that I have not done anything drastic enough to contribute to the country’s future ruin.

3. I will be proactive and stand for what is right and lawful, even if other people around me will do otherwise.

There are no rewards to doing good in a political world where corruption seems to be the norm and ill shady deeds are rewards. But I refuse to lower my standards just to accommodate what I see around me.

read more at BlogWatch…

And that someone special in my family is my children’s “Dad” who is celebrating his 56th birthday today. He is someone special to 7 wonderful kids—ain’t he lucky?

Or shall I say, aren’t the 7 wonderful kids lucky?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD…from the bottom of our hearts “We love you”—Angelo & Caren (Pia, Cate, Raphael and Michael), Monica, BA, Vince, Chato, Pau and Alan Jr.

HAPPY 56th from your other half—and that is me!

Luxuriate in its chocolate mousse, moist brownie fudge loaded with chopped walnuts, and Hershey’s dark chocolate in the form of chocolate ganache, long curls and sprinkles. I did!

And we’ll be having it again in the New Year!

also found here

When Jesus taught his disciples to call God as ‘abba’ or ‘father’, the literal Aramaic term for biological father, there must be a reason. It is because there is something divine in fatherhood. Hence, the same is true, when God became a baby born in a manger. He could have chosen to be an ‘avatar’ or a reincarnation of sorts as Hindu gods are wont to do. But God completed the human “incarnational” cycle beginning with being conceived in a woman’s womb to being born. There too must be something divine in a baby and in human reproduction itself.

Married couples would know the unexplained excitement over the coming of a baby into their lives. Consider the sweetest smile cast on a baby asleep peacefully on crib, where the joy is mum but ecstatic—-as if in a mystical state both for the baby and the beholder. Oh yes, the baby may be the weakest creature in any person’s arms, but when it cries, it becomes the most powerful summons greater than a king’s or a dictator’s.

God began his divine mission in a human fashion, giving him all the leverage and reason why man could never accuse the Christian god of alienation from man himself and his mundane affairs. God was right into the thick of it, including suffering and injustice.

Still the question ‘why a baby?’.

When you see a mother’s arms all wrapped around a baby’s fragile body, you would understand that a baby’s absolute need is care and protection. Some mothers would die to protect their offspring. As Christ presents Himself as a little feeble creature in a manger, God would like to ask man, “Can you wrap me around your arms and protect me?’. Oh, yes we have been used to God protecting us instead. But when Jesus became an infant, it was God’s turn to ask us if we could protect him.

There must be something divine in a baby and God is asking if we could protect that ‘baby’ in all of us.

A society therefore that kills its babies is a society that has shunned God out of its life since it no longer sees that something divine in a baby. Christmas is not only a celebration; it is a challenge. And this precisely the challenge: Can you protect God?

The D Spot would like to thank Fr. Larry for this timely Christmas message. Fr. Larry invites you to visit mamamary.com.ph (Mama Mary’s Movement (Uniting and Healing the World, regardless of race, color and creed), where he has a corner called Fr. Larry’s SMS (Sharing Mary’s Secrets).

Photocredit: here