" So No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way..."

BLOGAPALOOZA

2013-10-24T15:24:00.001-07:00

The biggest event for Businesses and Bloggers is back.

Be there for Blogapalooza 2013!

What : BLOGAPALOOZA
When: Nov. 16, 2013 ( Saturday )
Where: SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City

Blogapalooza is the largest " trading post " ever organized for both Businesses and Bloggers.

The event will be packed with influential bloggers and online social media influencers who will blog about your businesses and your ware- abouts.

It would be my first time to take part in something eventful like Blogapalooza.

What is Blogapalooza?

Blogapalooza is a community.

It’s a link between big and small businesses who have something cool to share and the online community of people who love to share.

Blogapalooza is a blogger event on crack!

Lots of giveaways for the bloggers and online community and a chance for big and small businesses to present their product / brand / thingamajig to hundreds of influential bloggers and online social media influencers.

We invite the influential bloggers, tweeters, Facebook influencers and get them all into one room to see, hear, smell, feel, talk about and EXPERIENCE your product / brand / thingamajig.

So for Businesses and Bloggers,

Do sign in at :
http://Blogapalooza.WhenInManila.com

Let the blogs do the talking and let the cat out of the blog!

See you there!

- Pier Angeli Ang Sen

Location:Manila, Philippines

Pierangeliangsen.com ( The Soapbox Filipina )

2013-10-17T14:42:00.001-07:00

In a few more days ( I hope and pray ) ...soon this site will be redirected to a new one.

I will be moving home...

I will be writing as The Soapbox Filipina.

What is a soapbox?

" soap·box noun \-ˌbäks\
: a box or small platform that someone stands on to give a speech to people in an outdoor, public place
-1907 was the first known year soapboxes were used as platforms."

source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soapbox

" Socialists popularized the use of the boxes as podiums. Stacks of wooden soapboxes were common in the streets and alleys of American cities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries..."

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/08/paul_ryan_heckled_in_iowa_why_do_politicians_give_speeches_from_soapboxes_.html

The site is up an about actually but not as welcoming yet, with few things to iron including fonts and other important elements.
( as my sister and my husband commented.)

See you there!

At http://pierangeliangsen.com/

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2013-09-28T16:35:00.001-07:00

Five and a half years ago, several months after having my son, I decided to publish my personal diary of thoughts and experiences on the web; or as in this generation's parlance, blogged.

It came after a genuine realization that parenting really is a difficult and challenging task to accomplish.

It was also purely out of a deep gratitude for God and for my parents -especially with the home and the family they provided me.

My dad and my mom brought us all up, their EIGHT children in the best possible way they could.

My parents both taught me to value where I come from, above all.

They had enriched my childhood with stories about my father's hometown -Catarman, Camiguin and of Tagcatong in Agusan, where my mother grew up.

- Stories including that part where they had to walk for a few kilometers just to get to school.

- Or how my dad had to go up first to Bug-ho and
Si-siman, places uphill just to feed his father's carabao. (tigway Lolo Dodong's kabaw. )

- Or my mom's fixation over curtains, for they never had one, till she in her teens, relentlessly prodded her father (my Lolo Pedro) to buy one.

While my dad was often times away, working really hard for us,
my mom was there to give us the best care and learning in the home.
( read voraciously, write meaningfully, speak clearly and prepare food wholeheartedly. )

My mom had taught me innumerable nuggets of wisdom, -my whole blogsite falls short in presenting them all.
( excuse me, Yao.)

Today my siblings and I honor OUR MOM on her birthday...
( while I of course had already written something about my dad in this blogsite. )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!
May God always protect you, give you good health and peace of mind.

1. PIER ANGELI B. ANG SEN

Mother of Rafa, wife to Richard
Blogging as The Soapbox Filipina
at
www.Pierangeliangsen.com
( -to launch very soon )

" Mommy taught me to Eat, Pray and Love .

She taught me to love my family, my roots, my country and my God.

Mom taught me how to fold a mosquito net.
" Start at the sides and fold towards the center so it would not bunch in the middle. "
Although mosquito nets are not as popular nowadays in homes of Filipino families, I would still know how to fold one.
She taught me how to be Filipino in ways one could never imagine.

Growing up,
she taught me
to give all the time for ones children,
to fight for my man,
to be a proud Filipino,
to read books for mind-power,
to speak up from the soul,
to write truly from the heart
and
to laugh with all my might. "

- Pier Angeli

2. MIRZI REINA B. RAŃOJA

Mother of Kelly and Tyler, wife to Jong

Cum Laude, Bus. Economics, U.P. Diliman
and a Registered Nurse.

" Mom, you may have not taught me ALL the things I needed to know in life.

While it may be partly because I am stubborn at times, believing my way is the better way, I guess it was more on having a smart mom like you who allowed me to experience life in actuality, so it could satisfy my curiosity, spark my creativity and temper my personality.

Now that I am also a mother, and trying to venture into this exciting business of molding and guiding my children to find their rightful places in this world, I find myself trying to stay close as possible to the same motherhood path you have successfully walked with us.

I may not have the same experience of your sacrifice, hardship and trials, but in my own path of the good and the bad, I would want to take with me the same sense of pride, humor and quiet strength that you have even up to now.

Thank you Mom for being the wind beneath my wings.
My take-off in my life was already spectacular, but you still pushed me more with all your strength and might that only a mother's love could sustain, so that I could reach my fullest potential and pay it forward to the rest of the world.
Happy Birthday Mommy, I love you! "

- Mirzi Reina

3. ENGR. PERIOLO GIEREK E. BANAAG

Dad of Alexi, husband to Rubinett

Electronics Communications Engineer
Targo Bank, Singapore

Being a first time dad magnified my appreciation for my mom, nine times more.

I am grateful of her -nurturing, sharing, teaching, supporting and doing everything that she possibly can even up to this day.

To us her four boys, she will always be our very first girl-bestfriend.

Happy birthday mommeh!

-P. Gierek

4. ENGR. VITO FILIP E. BANAAG

Civil Engineer for S.M. Dev. Corp.

1. She taught us to look for things with our eyes, not with our mouth.

"Manang Linda ( our help ), asa ang akong brief?!"
When mom would hear/learn about this, she would scold us and constantly reminded us with her quote: "pangitaa kana sa imong mata, ayaw sa imong ba-ba!"
Mom, thank you for helping us learn to be less dependent.

2. She taught us to be more thoughtful and to share our blessings.

Before every meal time with our siblings, she would make time to equally distribute the food for all of us.
Thank you Mom for teaching us to be thoughtful and sharing, especially to our love ones.

3. She taught me to how to be good in public speaking.

During my grade school years, my Mom would always convince me to join the elocution contests whenever there was a chance. She would teach me how to properly deliver speeches with conviction and to deliver poems with great narration.
Mom, thank you for believing in me, for helping me build my confidence and for boosting my morale.

4. She taught us boys to do household chores.

I learned to wash dishes, do the laundry, iron the clothes, clean the house and run errands with dedication and pride. I learned to cook and prepare dishes too!
Thank you Mom for trusting me to do the household help. I developed my sense of responsibility and importance starting with these chores. I knew how to prepare pancakes, halo2x, polvoron and other desserts for my younger siblings even when I was young. My mom cooked and prepared meals with great love..
Now, I am cooking delicious meals for my girlfriend.

5. She taught me to re-build things... after I have them broken.

When I was very young, I had a curious habit of exploring things, especially gadgets and appliances at home.. I opened them up, unscrewed them and checked where the wires went and what the buttons were for. I had always tried to learn how to operate those things. Most of the time, I ended up having them broken.

Thank you Mom for your deep compassion and understanding. You still believe I can make things work again.

With that, I didn't stop my curiosity and pursued to repair and rebuild what I destroyed.

I learned a lot from my mistakes and dedicated a lot of my future in to building and rebuilding things...

Thank you Mommy.. I am now a Civil Engineer.

- Vito Filip

4. MARCO SANDINO E. BANAAG

Software Engineer - Accenture

Hi Mom,

Even though there are eight of us your good looking, talented and smart children, you never fail to make each and everyone of us feel special.
We all feel we are unique in every possible way because you showed that to us.
You had also shown us the importance of growing up as a team with my Ates, my Kuya and my other siblings.

Team Banaag that is.

I love you very much Mommy!
Mwah! Mwah! Tsup! Tsup!

- Marco Sandino

6. PIA LUCIA E. BANAAG
Registered Nurse

1. QOTD

In our family, it's not about the "outfit of the day". It's about the Quote of the Day.
For every situation or occasion, Mommy has a fitting quote for that.
An opportunity?
"Strike while the iron is hot."
Laughing at someone's bad luck?
"Do not laugh at the misfortune of others."
Angry at someone?
"Practice the pause."
Facing a possible adversary?
"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
Peer pressure? "Choose your friends."
And now, whenever I find myself quoting, I think of my mom.

2. Mind power.

When I was a kid, I was shy around strangers.
She immediately addressed that and enrolled me in a personality development class one summer.
While I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the class, I still had my Mom to thank for. She saw that I am a capable person and knew that I just needed a little prodding. I would say, things have changed since then.
Even until now, whenever I feel a little backward, I would mentally push forward and not allow my shyness to overcome the situation. And that's how I came up with my personal adage, "Mind over matter."

3. It's more fun anywhere I go.

While Mom is a tiger mom, like all tigers, she is playful.
She sees the comical side of things.
She appreciates the lighter part of life.
Growing up, I remember when there would be a birthday celebration at home (which happens 10 times a year), the celebrant would be given the traditional birthday cake.
While the rest of us noncelebrants would not have the opportunity to blow the coveted birthday candle, we were allowed to repeatedly poke our tiny fingers at the cake's icing and happily lick off the sweet.
"Tambal sa ibog," she would say.
But we were allowed to touch the back portion of the cake only as the front part was saved for photo ops.
She allowed us to play and run in the living room, destroying curtains and breaking vases.
She helped us squeeze into pillows so we could slide down our 14-step stairs.
She didn't say anything when my younger sister, Steffi and I murdered our Barbies (off with their heads!).
And with some resignation and to Dad's chagrin, she allowed me to experience what it felt like to be a caroler several Decembers ago.
Yes, going door-to-door showing off my singing chops was worth the gross income of P20.
And now as an adult, I can laugh off stress and take things one day at a time.

4. Mom taught me how to be maldita. Char lang. Pero tinuod. :D
Happy birthday Mommy!

- Pelucci

7. STEFFI REIZZA E. BANAAG

U.P. College of Law

Cum Laude- B.A. Philosophy, U.P. Diliman

" My mom is the walking dictionary, the book queen, the trivia machine, the resident atronomer, the hurt buffer and the most sought after counsel.

Being the youngest girl in a big family was challenge enough for me growing up.
Not to mention having to look up to my elder sisters and my elder brothers who really had strong personalities.

I thank my mom for helping me find my niche in this world.
She has made me see and believe in my strengths while keeping me grounded with my weaknesses.
She helped me organize my life and my dreams.
She had always been instrument in making me reach for the stars.
Mom, thank you for taking all my calls and listening to my rants and raves.
Thank you for listening to me talk about my law school heartaches.
Thank you for making me feel better after each and every phone call.
I love you mom! "

- Steffi

8. GEO SANZIO E. BANAAG

Computer Programmer- Accenture

" My mom taught me to place big faith in God.
And that even if you have done the best of your abilities and yet everything goes wrong, always have faith and remember that there is a God to help.
I may not have been the most religious person that time when she told me this.
But I know and I am sure that He exists.
This is one great lesson I learned from her that I carry with me as I go through life.
Thanks Mom!
Happy Birthday, I love you, mommy! "

- Geo

Location:Manila, Philippines

For Our Country

2013-08-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

" Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan at masunurin sa batas
Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan nang walang pag-iimbot at ng buong katapatan
Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino sa isip, sa salita, at sa gawa."

-original version, " Panatang Makabayan. "
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriotic_Oath_(Philippines)

Oftentimes, as local newspapers teemed with controversial headlines involving government officials, I remain unperturbed.

As a mother and wife -with duties to fulfill, I do not usually react strongly to issues about the country.

I would just carry on with my life's priorities.

I would just go on marinating a piece of meat for hamonado in time for lunch. Or help my son with his school work.

You see, I have a roof over my head. I have food on my table. I am with my family. I can go to the mall anytime I want.
I even get to receive expensive gifts from my husband on special occasions.
I get to go to church and pray for my family.

So, I leave the ranting-at-the-t.v.-screen-on-faces-of-the-corrupt-officials to my husband, as he demands back his taxes from the television set.

I leave it to the men in my family. ( that is their department. )

I, on the other hand, would have to contend with crying inconsolably, after watching documentaries about the country's poor children and the living conditions of their families.

I was resigned to the fact that I was, as helpless as they were, in changing their situation.

In fact my own family is just like that of many Filipino families.
We might appear apathetic to the country.
We might have lost faith in the system long time ago.
But when the need arises, we try our best to help in whatever way we can.

And just like most Filipinos, we just cannot stay indifferent to the plight of our countrymen.

Most Filipinos who:
- share what they could when calamities strike the country
- give small cash donations to institutions
- lend a helping hand to those who might be in need
- rummage closets for old clothes that may be passed on to victims of natural disasters
- swim back for their neighbor who might be trapped in the middle of flood waters

" The true soul of a Filipino."

But just like everyone else, we know so little about our country and our government.

( Sad to admit, but I do not know my constitutional rights. I do not even know what I am entitled to, as a Filipino. )

Like many of us who hear commentators over the radio say, " ninanakaw ang kaban ng bayan. ",

I do not exactly know the worth of our kaban ng bayan.
Or if we do really have a one.

Does anyone of us know how much money we have as a country?

" Mahirap naman daw ang Pilipinas sabi nila, tapos tamad pa daw tayo. At kasalanan natin kaya tayo ay mahirap.
Kaya ano pa bang kaban ng bayan ang sinasabi nilang ninanakaw? "

Now however, there is a paper trail on how much is missing.
( ang laki ng halaga, bilyon-bilyon talaga.)

" I had to step up from just marinating a piece of meat."

" So the Philippines actually have that large amount of money? "

" Talagang may laman pala ang kaban ng ating bayan, umaapaw. "

" So how do you spend a scandalously large amount of money like that?"

" Nakakalula naman yatang gastusin ang ganoon ka laking halaga."

The whole country knew about this large amount of money only after it was found out to be missing, stolen.

We were the last to know.

As taxpayers, we know that tax evasion is a crime,
-a fine or possible jail time might await us.

But how about those who steal taxes? What becomes of them?

Will the Filipinos ever get back what was stolen?

If not, then those who are liable should assume the payment of all the taxes of every hardworking Filipino for the next fifteen years or so.

Since they spent our taxes, they must " shoulder " the future ones.

Those taxes would have changed the lives of the poorest of poor.

( It broke my heart while writing a previous post. ) http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-poor-taxpayers-and-thieves.html

It can bring any Filipino to tears, especially when one would think of the poor children knocking on car windows along EDSA.

I look back with shame, when I thought of the times that I knocked back on our car window so they might go away.

I would guiltlessly justify my action as, " the people's taxes are working for them, anyway. "

Or so I thought it did.

Now it brings me to a horrible realization, that all along those taxes had been working for somebody else.

It was spent on European sounding names like Hermés, Chanel and Hublot but never for the true owners -The Juans, especially the little juans.( ones )

It would have been best spent on the children, their education and the future they deserved.

As Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said about bayanihan,

" Dapat sabay-sabay tayo sa lahat ng bagay."

Some of our countrymen do not have access to social media like many of us.

" No facebook, no twitter and no followers. "

Some of our poor Filipinos might have been at Luneta last monday.

They might have been there as a crowd of onlookers and not knowing what the protest was all about.

But many of us however were given the chance to speak for them and our country.

The state that our country is in right now,
is begging us all to step up and be heroes, -superheroes even.

" Hindi lang si Spiderman ang superhero."

http://markgosingtian.tumblr.com/image/28913840220

As one reporter said on t.v. about the successful and peaceful protest that was heavily attended by many hardworking Filipinos at Luneta,

" kung para sa bayan..."
" SAMPLE PALANG YUN. "

The rally at Luneta was just the beginning for our country.

Everyone made it all clear.

It was for the poor.

It was for the taxpayers.

It was for the OFWs.

It was for the future of our children.

It was for our country.

It was for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

It was for our flag.

Our flag is as precious as our country.

( While they said that it would take 7.8 million to build a new one,
may it never be forgotten that it was the blood and sweat of more than 98 million that kept it high up there.)

It is what our OFWs would look at -when they reminisce about home.

It was what Team Gilas was all about.

It was the pin on Mr. Jonathan Yabut's barong.

We all have to be vigilant for our country.
We must keep ourselves informed.
We must be there every step of the way.

Everyone must continue and keep on knocking.

So that the door will open for those children who scavenge for food in dumpsites.

( and may we not just be pounding on the door, may we want to break it open for those children. )

Every corrupt official should really get to live the lives of every Filipino,
before running for public office.

They should spend Christmas with families of OFWs, so they will find out how it feels to spend noche buena -with the absence of one family member.

They should spend days with our sailors in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and find out for themselves how high, waves can really rise and rock our sailors courage.

They should try planting rice with our farmers so they might find out what it is to live in poverty while planting for the whole country.

( So they will actually make the farmers beneficiaries for their P.D.A.F.s and not create bogus ones. )

They should at least spend one night in one over-crowded government hospital and find out for themselves, why patients are already lying down on floors while waiting for their turn.

They should walk around the state universities and get to know the poor and bright young Filipinos in the campus.

( So they will know what a college education really mean to these gifted young minds. And why they will take their own lives, just to get one.)

They should accompany those dedicated and inspiring teachers who crossed rivers and lakes just to get to their students.

They should try walking for a few kilometers with school children in the provinces -who do just that everyday, inorder to get to school.

( then they might understand why these children are clutching their notebooks and pencils, like their lives depended on them. )

Then maybe, just maybe, they would think twice in spending the taxpayers money.

They should go through an immersion program thrice a year and live for a week with families from the slums or far-flung barangays.

They should stay in the houses of our Filipino poor and eat with them while drafting bills for our country.

Then our country will be truly governed with laws that actually protect the interest of the people.

Maybe they could also try eating what those families are having for supper.

( and so that their palate might distinguish the taste, from foie gras, caviar and truffle mushrooms. )

They could read books to children from Smokey Mountain.

They can share with them stories narrating the adventures of Lam-ang or the courage of Lapu-lapu. )

Or maybe read to them our country's Bill of Rights so they will know their rights, especially section one.

Our corrupt officials might want to introduce the children to the country's
mga bagong bayani -all twelve million of them working abroad.

So these children will know how industrious we Filipinos really are, wherever we may be.

They might want to share with them their experiences in Boracay or Bohol so the children will believe that, " it really is fun in the Philippines."

Then perhaps, the children will realize how beautiful our country really is.

And they will find out the truth, that the world is neither that mountain of trash they see everyday, nor does food come from the garbage bins.

Then maybe, just maybe,
things will be different for our country.

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

THE POOR, THE TAXPAYERS AND THE THIEVES.

2013-08-18T06:34:00.001-07:00

All our lives, we were made to believe that our country is poor because Filipinos are lazy.

" Kaya mahirap ang Pilipinas, dahil tamad ang Pilipino."

We were made to think that we are poor because of our own doing.

We, The Filipino people believed all that.

Then, The Commission on Audit released a special report that a staggering amount of 6.156 BILLION PESOS was poured into 82 non-government organizations that never existed.

SOURCE:
http://www.rappler.com/nation/36609-coa-special-report-pdaf-misused

( all those money unaccounted for, just like that. )

While corrupt lawmakers of this country shamelessly believed that this monstrous amount of money was all theirs to spend.

When every single centavo of this pork barrel,
( euphemistically referred to as, The Priority Development Assistance Funds or PDAF)
was contributed through taxes, by every single hardworking Filipino.

We Filipinos, seemed to have been under mass hypnosis of sorts, for too long.

( Naniniwala ka pa rin bang mahirap tayo dahil tayo ay tamad? )

Let us wake up from that fallacious belief.

We are not poor because we are lazy. We are anything but lazy.

We are the most hardworking group of people in the world.

Haven't you seen our kababayans from call centers, who braved flood waters during the habagat, just to get to work?

It was all because they had to be of service to clients, calling from all around the globe.

How about our industrious countrymen abroad, who are highly praised by other nationalities?

What do the world say about us?

" What will the world do without Filipinos."

They have nothing but words of admiration for our Overseas Filipino Workers (O.F.W.s) :

Our domestic helpers.
Our hotel workers.
Our I.T.s
Our sailors.
Our nurses.
Our caregivers.
Our teachers.
Our engineers.
Our entertainers.

My country is poor because of our corrupt officials, no more, no less.

No matter how much hard work we put into our jobs and how much taxes we pay, we still remain poor.

It is because we have been betrayed by these corrupt government officials.

Do not even dare call these corrupt officials, Filipinos.

They had long renounced their right to be Filipinos,
the day they pinched that single centavo from the people's money.

They are traitors to the country.

Do our corrupt officials, actually know the faces of the Filipino poor?

Most of them happen to be children.

http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com/2012/03/analysiswhy-philippines-is-poor.html

THE CHILDREN who scavenged through mountains of trash, while deprived of that right to food, shelter, health care and education.

THE CHILDREN whom they should have provided with more school buildings, better health programs, housing and nutrition.

THE CHILDREN who now live on streets and are exposed to different kinds of abuses that one could only imagine.

THE CHILDREN whom they should have fed, clothed and given a bright future to look forward to, through the P200 million ( for senators ) and P70 million ( for congressmen ) worth of P.D.A.F., they received.

Yes, my country is rich in natural resources but filled with really poor people.

What else is my country filled with, aside from the poor and the working class taxpayers?

- Senators who think that it is not their main concern if the recipient-NGO was a bogus one or not.

( If they really protected the interest of the people and
for 'round and about one million pesos worth of money involved, they could have made it their main concern.)

- Congressmen who created NGOs that are funded and spearheaded by their own families.

( which is why, they do not know or need not to know, Janet Lim Napoles.)

- Generals and military men whose pocket money when leaving for abroad, could have paid for the tuition fees of hundreds of students.

And so that students, like sixteen year old Kristel Tejada, would not contemplate in taking their own lives.

- Government officials with dollar accounts that would put royalty to shame.

- Congressional spouses who appeared during the President's SONA in designer clothes, bags, shoes and jewelries.

- Various houses owned by our officials in Ayala Alabang, which would be enough to accomodate twenty homeless people.

And they don't even have goosebumps, the least ?

What again was it they said were the reasons, that devastating tragedies like HABAGAT, ONDOY and SENDONG happened?

Aside from the rainfall values of the monsoon and the strength of the storm itself, we are told these:

Overpopulated metropolis,
Informal settlers,
Professional squatters and
People residing on flood plains.

But why were those people there in the first place?

They have no place to go. While corrupt officials in my country own various mansions, villas and rest houses that could accomodate those people.

All those floods that killed our countrymen were caused by:

Encroachment of the river banks,
Insufficient drainage systems,
Inadequate garbage disposal system,
Silted rivers,
Blocked tributaries
and llegal loggers/miners.

And all of which could have been addressed by those corrupt lawmakers.

I was there the day after SENDONG happened.

I was stuck in the house while HABAGAT and ONDOY arrived.

A few days later after each of those tragedies, I would find myself infront of the
television set, CRYING my heart out.

I saw bodies of my dead countrymen pulled out of the debris -in a heart wrenching state.

And even until now, I cannot get over those images of helpless and heart broken parents,
hugging the small DEAD BODIES of their children!

I was crying my heart out, as a parent.

But I was crying most especially because I knew, I could not do anything for them.

BUT THOSE CORRUPT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND SIX BILLION PESOS, COULD HAVE MADE A GREAT DIFFERENCE.

The large amount of money in PORK BARRELS that our newspapers are talking about, could have changed everything.

How many housing projects could it have actually build for our so called informal settlers?

How many hi-tech gadgets and intruments could it have bought for P.A.G.A.S.A.?

How much would have it meant, for the waste management and garbage disposal system?

How much could it have made, in fixing our drainage systems?

How much of that large amount of money, could have helped in preventing encroachment of the rivers and unblocking useless tributaries?

Thousands of our countrymen would have not perished.

Lives would not have been even sacrificed.

Even before those tragedies occurred, many of our kababayans did not even, have food on their tables and houses to call their own.

They were already part of a bigger and devastating tragedy.

The tragedy of corruption.

These corrupt officials did not just steal money from the poor, they killed many of our countrymen by starving them and leaving them to die.

These corrupt officials should not only be tried for corruption, but for murder too.

I used to be forgiving when I hear my corrupt government officials say,

" WAG NAMAN I-ASA SA GOBYERNO ANG LAHAT. "

And you hear of these large amount of money floating around, like our country is not one of the poorest country in the world.

We are a country that boasts of beautiful islands and people.

We are talented, passionate, loving, industrious, hardworking, intelligent and TAXPAYING working individuals.

Other nationalities are amazed at our endearing traits and even our artistic talents.

THEREFORE, from now on, I am blaming corruption and these corrupt officials for anything and everything that had happened to my country.

1. The lack of funding for promising athletes.

2. The lack of funds for schools, for teachers, for books for everything that would
have made many poor Filipinos, literate.

3. The lack of housing, food and jobs.

4. The floods that drowned many of our countrymen.

5. The tragedies that were made even more difficult, by congressmen and mayors
who pocketed calamity funds.

6. The tragedies at sea, that were made even worse, by corrupt personnel who had
allowed overloaded ships to embark.

7. Those ships that collided at sea, because uneducated skippers were employed.
While OUR BEST SAILORS had been left no choice but to go abroad.

8. The young and courageous soldiers who were killed in battle because of under
par armaments and sub-standard equipments.

9. Our muslim brothers who were forgotten by these corrupt politicians.

10. Our OFWs who were raped and treated like animals abroad.

11. The babies with shaken baby syndrome who were left to the care of crazy nannies who maltreat them, in the absence of government day care centers and mothers who had to earn a living.

12. Our poor countrymen who chose to be massacred in SABAH, rather than come
home. ( -where nothing awaits them.)

13. The number of families who are divided by continents because family members had to work in other countries.

14. The homesickness that our kababayans who are striving abroad, had to endure.

15. The country's brilliant minds who are serving other nations when they could have
taught our children.

16. The innocent children, who may turn into hardened criminals someday, because of lack of basic needs, education and proper guidance from parents, who were always away, looking for ways to feed them.

Today as a Filipino, I am broken hearted because I may have something to do with the plight of my poor countrymen, I voted for those thieves.

I was once led to believe that they love my country, in the same way that I do.

I am angered and enraged by these corrupt politicians who lived glamorous lives,
while many of the children in my country are dying and starving.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-16/an-philippines-poor-problems-only-beginning/4204400

How can one even think of robbing from the poorest of poor?

While many of us, hardworking taxpayers shared some of our hard earned money through taxes.

We thought that our taxes had at least helped alleviate, the living conditions of our country's poor deprived families.

These corrupt officials and their crimes must not be left unpunished.

Let this not be one of those plunder cases, all forgotten, five years down the road.

Let our Ombudsman and Department of Justice prosecute them.

They have to answer to every Filipino -to every enraged Filipino like myself!

PUSO, PILIPINAS!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila,Philippines

PILIPINAS, SPEAK!

2013-08-16T17:25:00.001-07:00

It is time we speak our minds.

Nobody will champion for us.

If not for few journalists like Maria Ressa, CEO of rappler.com or newspapers like, The Philippine Daily Inquirer,
we will never find out about the scandalously large amount of money taken from our country.

And to start with, I would like to share my sister Mirzi's post.

And may we all share posts like this, so we become aware of the state of our country.

Thoughts of a Filipino Citizen

By: Mirzi Reina B. Rañoja

We Filipinos are so forgiving.

These politicians have been robbing us of our money in front of our faces, and yet we act as if nothing has happened.

Never mind that government cannot produce jobs because they are too busy transferring the collective money of the people into their dollar accounts,

maybe we just try our luck finding employment outside the country as domestic helpers where we are treated less than the domesticated animals.

Never mind that prices of goods are so high we can only afford to buy 1 kilo of rice for a family of 5 meant to last for 3 days - we have been used to eating once a day.

Never mind that some of us stop schooling, we will just wait for our turn when it comes - if ever that comes.

In the meantime, we cower with fear and ignorance throughout our lives.

Never mind that our healthcare system caters mainly for the insured and those who can deposit, we will just pray harder that our neighborhood manghihilot can cure baby's convulsion and dehydration.

We have endured so many hardships in our lifetime because we are so forgiving.

Forgiving for the wrong reasons.

Can we stop and think that if we let all these people get away with our money now, we are actually robbing our children and the future generations of their basic rights?

Can we allow our children to suffer the same fate - heads bowed and stomachs empty, while these very politicians' children stand proud and talk loud of their corruption, acting as if they were entitled to all these money that was meant for the good of all?

Bonifacio and Rizal fought 300 years of Spanish rule and gave up their lives just so we Filipinos can own back our country.

But now there is a new rule emerging, and that is the rule of the corrupt.

Do we want our children to suffer this kind of rule for the next 300 years?

By remaining indifferent and silent, we have just acknowledged that this rule has begun.

Well, I refuse to let my children suffer in the future, so I am doing something now.

I am using what I have learned in my 37 years of existence, to help the exhausted and weary Filipinos who have almost given up hope because of the extreme abuses they have endured.

If it means tearing up these cedulas like the Katipuneros did, why not?

The CTC is just an individual sale invoice for what these politicians and their cronies have been corrupting….

#IskolarNgBayanNgayonAyLumalaban

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

2013-08-15T05:41:00.001-07:00

The present team standing of the Philippine basketball team in Asia, after the recently concluded FIBA Asian Games, is pure happiness shared by many serious basketball fanatics in this country.

And that win,

( " a silver that glittered like gold ", as The Philippine Star puts it )

most definitely did not only belong with those die hard fans,
but with the entire nation as well, including the likes of me.

( the likes of me, who know little about basketball )

My knowledge regarding basketball or any sport for that matter, is limited maybe, to what Chino Trinidad, Quinito Henson or rappler.com might say the following day, after the game.

I would not know what a traditional 6'10 player in basketball would mean.

Or whatever they meant by saying,
that coach Chot Reyes' short term goal actually,
was that of June Mar to just SHOW UP
and try the least, to look the part of the Kracken.
( a monicker he holds, -levelled up by Philippine standard that is.)

I would not of course understand how L.A. Tenorio and Jimmy Alapag
made it happen for Gary David.

I even wondered if the Japanese players did a double take,
upon seeing Gabe Norwood when he swished passed right through them.

At one point were they also like me, who asked:

" You don't say...but was that just the 44th President of the United States of America? "
"...donned in a no.10 jersey, for the Philippines? "

Then you would let him pass your guard, wouldn't you?

1. My country, the Philippines, is a 7,107-island basketball country.

It is a country which owns a demographic fact, that includes ninety seven million as its population.

We are divided into ethnic groups such as:

Cebuano, Ilocano, Pangasinense, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano, Waray, Surigaonon, Hiligaynon
and basketball afficionados.

We may be further divided according to cities and barangays:

Lungsod ng Crispa at Toyota and Barangay Ginebra.

And sometimes, we are divided according to t.v. stations:

A kapuso, a kapamilya or a kapatid.

We as a nation come together, regardless of ethnicity,
through instances such as the Edsa Revolution and even occasions like afternoon soaps and primetime telenovelas such as,
" My Husband's Lover."

Nevertheless, basketball is a unifying component in a Filipino community.

( if only it would have been possible to conduct peace negotiations through a game of basketball: )

Sports headlines would then read as :

MNLF leading, Phil. Gov't. down by three ...
Nur at the baseline...Cabinet Secretary fast breaks and dunks.
Nur for three... or tri-poli agreement .

( if only it would have been possible to make the Filipino people run after our Government officials regarding the pork barrel, through a game of basketball: )

Janet Napoles, shoots and fades away...( where to?)
Senators, Congressmen... FAKE IT, then attempts a 3-pointer.
But the FILIPINO PEOPLE blocks ...then fastbreak, lay-up.

2. Almost every male in this country love basketball.

They are born with an xb chromosome with b=basketball, rather than the just predominantly male,
x chromosome )

They would sound like they swallowed, an entire handbook for basketball in their
pre-kinder years.

You cannot fool them.

Even before referees give out the exact call or violation made, the Filipino audience, the males most especially, already had.

Basketball referees in my country must have had, for certain, in this lifetime,
been cursed with various cuss words from at least five different dialects.
( especially when they made bad calls during a game.)

Most male local residents stand on an average height of 1.62 meters.

But it never was, enough a deterrent, from developing basketball players.

I guess, a 5'3"- Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues
and 5'7" -Anthony “Spud” Webb , were inspirations enough,
so there was no stopping my country, was there?

What our players lacked in height, we made up for, diskarte as Jonathan Yabut, the first winner of The Asian Apprentice reality show, might have said.

( yeah man, Tony Fernandez hired a Filipino for his airline. )

( Think Jayson Castro William,
as he drove and BLURRED through three gigantic Iranians, 7'2 Hamed Haddadi included. )

( photo credits: smartpilipinas.com )

( photo credits: smartpilipinas.com )

4. Basketball gives name to our children.

Other countries might have children named Roosevelt, Kennedy, Eisenhower and even a Kanye.

While there are persons and children in my country,
walking around in names like :

Michael Jordan, Magic, Kareem, Isaiah, Kobe, Lebron, Rajon, Rodman, Dwayne, Mïyame and Leíhkers.

Therefore, I share in the enthusiasm that someday, the next generation of children in my country, most likely will have more FIBA-GILAS sounding names:

Perhaps a Jimmy, Jayson, Ranidel, Japeth, Jeff, Gary, L.A. and maybe a June Mar.

5. The top five toughest occupations in the Philippines are as follows:

a. To be The President of the country
( and you have a sister who has a thing for basketball players )

b. To be congressman or senator
( and you have a pork barrel scam to your name. FIBA fever is over.
" So coming live from the MOA arena, back to you JANET. ")

c. To be Manny Pacquiao
( from boxing to running... running for congress that is.)

d. To be a basketball commentator
( you are dispensable of course, you have to cling dearly to your job, with 'round and about, 25 million Filipinos gunning for it.)

e. To be a coach for the Philippine team.
( you get bombarded by netizens on twi'rr for cutting someone like Beau Belga from the team. It is a tough occupation to be a coach for the Philippine Basketball Team.
You have to die trying. Thank you for trying to die out there Coach Chot.)

However, I may not be your proverbial, " walang alam sa basketball. "
( mukhang meron naman pala, ka-unti.)

To start with, I had my father and four brothers to influence me.

My father, like most in the Philippine setting, is a basketball fan.

As an N.B.A. fan, I could not remember though, if he was a Philadelphia 76ers or an L.A. Lakers fan.

Our old printing press back in the eighties, had posters of Julius Erving and the younger Magic Johnson on its wall.

As for the P.B.A., my father must have been a Crispa one.

In my childhood, I remember only of two people who my father spoke about, a lot.

The first was Homobono Adaza and the other one was Abet Guidaben.

The reason was obvious enough of course, for they come from Camiguin where my father hails from.

I had brothers, who played basketball in little leagues and/or summer leagues.

In my family, like any Filipino family, especially one with a great number of male members,
the living room is sacred, especially during NBA Finals or PBA Conferences or whatever basketball finals there is, on t.v.

Therefore, I knew a foul when I saw one.

I acquired a vocabulary which included:

the triangle offense, the number one draftee, the All Filipino, the MVP and the import.

When I came to the university, I had to watch U-double A-P to support my team.
(plus, it was of course a requirement for my P.E. 1 class.)

( " Gusto ko talagang makasali ng isang beses man lang ang Maroons sa U.A.A.P. Finals. "
" At sawa na din ma exempted lagi ang iskolar ng bayan sa finals."
"Siguradong all sparks na kwento yun sa, Narinig ko sa U. P...
at overheard na overheard yun." )

I did not come meeting my husband in the future, without knowing at least the team point guard, shooting guard, power forward or small forward and center.

My husband of course, who many experts may i.d. as an exact match to the profile of a serial Filipino basketball fan.

Need not to mention him having read biographies, of many NBA greats and PBA legends.

While incidentally, he once graced an invitation for a niece's christening, where he became co-godparent, with PBA basketball players.

My husband was at the M.O.A. Arena for five of those monumental games.
( games played against the countries: Jordan, Hongkong, Kazakhstan, Korea and Iran.)

He was part of the boisterous crowd that revved up The Smart Gilas.
or as The Philippine Star described it best,
" The 6th Man ".

( a shout out of thanks to his brother Chardy, my sister-in-law Avic, Avic's brother Jon Umandap, his good friend Fed Pang Jr, our friends Atty. Jomar and Marica Castillo for having thought of putting aside a ticket for him, for all those games )

I can never be prouder of my Philippine team.

Inspite all the odds, they never gave up. ( game after game... after game.)

As the coach said in a spiel, for a television show teaser:

" Remember who we're playing for, gentlemen. "

photocredits:imagejuicy.com

AND THEY REMEMBERED!

They were spilling their guts back at the M.O.A. arena last week, like it was the only thing that mattered.

They hustled for the the ball, like it was the world.

And for them, it was a do or die for EVERY game.

The heart, ATTACKED!

PUSO!

- " Marcus Douthit brought us to the second round. "

- " Buwis buhay- die first, before passing through Marc Pingris."

- " Gigil ni Larry Fonacier . "

- " Gabe Norwood- he was everywhere. " ( And June Mar too.)

- " Japeth Aguilar slams dunk like hell."

- " Jayson Castro William just blurred right through giants. "

- " Jimmy for three."

- " Sanib puersa ni L.A. Tenorio and Jimmy Alapag para kay Gary David."

- " Jeff Chan and five trigger happy triples in one game."

- " Crazy Ranidel de Ocampo rumbles for the ball. "

As in the lines of Ranidel de Ocampo :
( or was it Japeth Aguilar )

" Magugulat yung mga ibang teams sa Basketball World Championship next year, kung bakit may Filipino team duon."

#Kagila-gilalas!

After thirty five years, since hosting FIBA World Basketball Championship '78,
our team secured our country, a ticket to Spain,
where the world basketball cup will be held next year.

Oh yes, were back!
( channeling Laida Magtalas of the " It Takes A Man And A Woman " fame . )

I love My Gilas Pilipinas, I made sure I wrote about them.

I couldn't agree more with Coach Chot Reyes when he told the business mirror that :

Each one of us has his own story and I told them we already knew each other’s stories.

It’s our chance to write our own story, the Gilas story,” said the 50-year-old mentor.

“There’s no great opportunity in life to have a chance to write their own story and this team wrote it.”

SOURCE:
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/sports-news/17813-philippines-beats-south-korea-and-returns-to-world-stage-of-basketball?tmpl=component&page=

N.B.

SMART GILAS MADE ME SO PROUD, FOR BEING FILIPINO.

LET US RE-WRITE THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.

AND LET US RUN AFTER OUR CORRUPT OFFICIALS

AND " OUR PORK BARREL",

WITH THE SAME PASSION,

WE DO WITH BASKETBALL.

PUSO!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

Si Sir Chief (Mate)

2013-08-08T01:39:00.001-07:00

The life of a seafarer is never easy.

He may be earning more, than what a regular Filipino worker in the Philippines would make.

He may be contributing greatly to the country's economy.

However, he is faced with one of the toughest impediment known to the human psyche.

And it is not even a struggle brought about by the perilous voyage across the Atlantic, nor the laborious work on board.

But it is having to endure the battle of homesickness.

It is hard enough thinking of those lonely months spent away from his family and love ones.

It is an even harder ordeal to accept, that he had missed important milestones of his family's lives.

Adding to that would be having to regret terribly, that he may never witness those events again.

But despite all those heartaches, a seafarer perseveres -a Filipino Sailor in fact.

It is because this challenging occupation is held by many of our kababayans, courageous Filipino men who we pertain to as," mga seaman. "

We as a nation can proudly say,
that many ship owners of various nationalities entrust their shipping vessels to our seafarers.

" ...one out of every five seamen in the world is a Filipino. "
" According to an article in OFWGuide.com Salary Guide for Filipino Seamen one out of every five seamen in the world is a Filipino. "
" The Philippines is one of the primary source of seamen in the global shipping and transport market."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_seafarer

Moreover, I could also proudly say,
that my sister is married to one of these few courageous ones.

It is an honor to have a hardworking man in our family:

And because he is my brother-in-law, he occupies a generous space in my heart
and also in this blog.

Therefore, I took the liberty of sharing with all of you,

( from his facebook post ) a piece of his mind; a condensed and edited version of one of his beautiful writings.

I saw their lives as sailors, through his poem; it left me misty eyed.

May it open our eyes, to the hardships our seafarers endured.

May it make families appreciate their seaman-fathers, brothers and relatives more.

May students, whose tuition fees come from the hardship of a seaman's labor,
strive harder and become successful individuals too.

May wives save enough from the income sent to them, so their retiring seaman-husbands will have a beautiful future to come back to.

May we be grateful as a people that our kababayans generate income for our country.

May everything be all worth the hardwork that our seafarers rendered at sea.

Si Sir Chief (Mate)

Umpisa na ng araw ko
bago mag umaga,
ng alas- kwatro.

Mata ko’y maga pa,
ngunit kailangang
umpisahan na.

Nag-mamaniobra ng barko,
ng 'di bumangga't
makarating tayo,

Sa oras na gayon,
ako lang ang gising.

Kaligtasan ng lahat
sa 'kin nakasalalay.

Bago matapos ang pagwagwardya,
darating na si maestro amo.

Hinihingi sa akin
ang mga trabaho
sa araw na ito.

Ibinibigay lang, kung ano ang kaya.
Para maiwasan ang trahedya
at disgrasya.

Pagdating ng alas-otso,
tapos na pagwagwardya ko.
Akala ko’y pahinga na.
Subalit, kailangan pang iutos
iba't ibang trabaho.

Pagkatapos ng agahan,
kailangan sumilip sa kubyerta
Naglalaro ang mga daga,
habang mga mata ng pusa'y wala.

Lahat ng ginawa at ipapagawa
ay nakatara at i-rereport ko pa.
Kahit sabihin mo, ito’y sobra na
at nakaka-bangungot pa.

Mga paa at tuhod ko’y dapat maging malakas.
May kumpanyang naghihintay,
hindi puedeng isabukas.

Maayos na kubyerta
at gamit pang emerhensiya,
isama mo pa ang pangu-ngolekta
ng sari-saring basura.

Isa sa pinaka-importanteng trabaho ko,
ay ang pag-karga o dis-karga
ng mga kargamento.

Sa aking mga kamay,
nakasalalay
kinikita ng barko.

Dito maraming sumusuko
sapagkat ito'y delikado.
Isipa'y dapat may laman
at puso’y buong-buo.

Lahat ng kaalaman at husay
dito’y ibinibigay.
Malakas kailangan,
ang katawan at isipan.

Pag nasa barko
himbing na tulog, hindi uso
Nananaginip man o gising,
alam ko,
kung barko'y maayos pa ring
lumulutang.

Kami lang mga marino
sa PRC,
- ang may pang internasyonal na lisensya.
Kaya laging isina sa puso:
'wag gumawa ng bawal
upang hindi maisakdal.

Kita naming dolyar,
kailan man,
hindi namin dapat abusuhin.
Sapagkat may kasabihan,
“Kung may itinanim, may aanihin”.

Mataas man na antas
bilang marino,
maaring na abot namin,
wala pa rin tigil sa pag aaral o
kahit sa tuwing bakasyon nito.

Akala nila pag seaman
maraming pera.
Training na napakarami,
minsan kapos kami.

Subalit, mga training kailangan
kahit minsa'y kawawa,
sadyang
wala talagang magawa.

Minsan pa'y,
ginagawang palagatasan,
kaming
" mga sea man ".

Ang mahalaga ay
naisiguradong lahat
ay ginawa ng tama.
nakadepende kaligtasan ng barko
at mga pasahero.

Lagi ko ding
ipinagdadasal sa ating
Diyos Ama
kaligtasan ko
sapagkat
naghihintay pamilya ko.

Sa aking mga anak at asawa,
huwag kalimutan sana
kalahati man ng mundo
ang distansya
ng padre de pamilya n'yo,

Ilang dagat man ang layo,
kayo ang inspirasyon ko,
kaya’t naglalayag ako.

Kinabukasan niyo,
ang laging nasa isipan ko.

Malimit pa'y 'di nakakadalo.
Sa mga mahalagang okasyon,
tulad ng pasko
at pagtatapos ni bunso.

'Di abot tanaw man
at nasa malayo,
mananatiling tapat sa inyo,
pamilya ko.

Tapat na puso
at isipa'y laging nasa inyo.
Tuwing paglisan sa inang bayang,
bitbit ko ang karangalan.

Mabigat man na damdamin
at mga mata’y lumuluha,
sa mahal sa buhay mawawalay,
ilang buwan ding magkahiwalay.

Trabaho'y tapat
na itinataguyod
alintana samut saring
pagod.

Malahiganteng alon,
malakas na bagyo,
minsa'y tumatagilid na
ang aming barko.

Hindi maitago,
nangangatog nang tutuo,
ang mga tuhod ko.

Subalit sa tubig kami
kumakahig,
para pamilya’y
makatuka.

Mahal naming kababayan,
kami'y ipagdasal
lagi sa Poong Maykapal.

Kami'y inyong pakinggan,
ginagawa namin ang 'di pangkaraniwan
para makatulong din sa ating
inang bayan.

Pawis at dugo namin
kung tumulo man
ay di n'yo alam.
Basta't bayan umuusbong,
iyon ay inaasam.

By: CM Jong Ranoja
NM-7156

Felix Rey V. Rañoja functions in the capacity
as Chief Mate for an international shipping line.

He finished B.S. Marine Transportation from the prestigious PMMA
or The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy:
"Upon graduation students are commissioned as Ensigns (2nd Lieutenants) in the Philippine Navy Reserve. They have the option to start a career in the maritime industry or sign up for active military duty either in the Philippine Navy or the Philippine Coast Guard."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Merchant_Marine_Academy

MABUHAY ANG ATING MGA MANLALAYAG!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

ALL ABOUT KIDS BAZAAR

2013-07-27T17:28:00.001-07:00

What: “All About Kids Bazaar”

Where: Rockwell Tent

When: Aug. 10, 2013 ( Sat. 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.)

TAKE THE KIDS TO THE CARNIVAL WITH WORKING MOM’S ALL ABOUT KIDS BAZAAR!

The amusement is at all new heights this August as Working Mom Magazine’s “All About Kids” event ups the standards on shopping for the family with not just a great find-filled bazaar, but a unique, one-of-a-kind indoor carnival-themed shopping destination for both kids and parents to enjoy.

On August 10 at the Rockwell Tent, Working Mom will be putting together a day that’s filled with all sorts of dazzling sights—bringing more than just a shopping experience, but a fun bonding day for the whole family.

Super sales and discounts that go up to 70% off on baby, mommy and kiddie essentials, educational toys, apparel, school supplies and books are just waiting to be discovered.

Items from Babyland, Banana Peel, Nurture Nook, Baby Mama, GPG Bulilit Bookstore, Fatty Brain Toys and Rusty Lopez Kids are just some of the treats that are in store for the family.

What sets this bazaar apart from all the rest, however, is that there is so much for the kids to have fun with.

Being a miniature carnival in itself, jugglers, magicians, and other performers will be around to give the little ones an experience worth remembering.

Lulu Nails and Dry bar will be giving free Little Lulu manicures for the kids, and there will also be fun favorite carnival food stands that serve cotton candy, shaved ice and popcorn.

Even cartoon favorites Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star will be around to join in on the festivities.

The “All About Kids” bazaar is being brought to you by KOOLFEVER, in cooperation with Baby Company, and Jolly Corn; with the participation of Johnson & Johnson.

Don’t miss out on the “All About Kids” bazaar, organized by Working Mom Magazine.

Entrance is easy—just bring along a copy of Working Mom’s August issue, which will also be available for purchase on the spot, to take part in all the great festivities.

For more information, visit:
www.facebook.com/WorkingMom.Magazine
and swing by the “All About Kids” bazaar at the Rockwell Tent on August 10, 2013.

-Working Mom Magazine

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

Thirty Six And Above

2013-07-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

1. You may not be a singer,
but you do have a label: matured.

2. You have the need for speed. You do know that life is short.

3. The word " before " starts your sentences more often.

4. Michael Jackson and Madonna rightfully belonged to no one else's generation, but yours alone.

5. It is not only clothes which need a bit of ironing here and there -wrinkle free.

6. Prunes, and its skin, - presently relatable.

7. You now appreciate the simpler things in life.

8. Everything around, seemed to be a notch louder and bolder: The music, the mode of dressing, and the manner of talking.

9. You think hardwork, discipline and sacrifice were invented by you and your generation.

10. It would seem that for you,
the younger generation gained eveything from a string of good fortunes
while you earned yours through hard work.

11. You think you were far better than they are now, when you were their age.
You think you could have done better.

Therefore, " unfair-ing " the younger ones.

12. In an office setting, you tend to be less nice with the fresh grads.

13. You are now quasi-sentimental.You now appreciate friends and families more than ever.

14. More and more memories from the past seem to come pouring in.

15. You think technology is the root of many evil.

( Yet, silently thanking fate for your touch-screen gadgets.)

16. Yesterday is always better than today.
Everything about the past is huge, just as you think everything today seems so deceptive.

17. It is important more than ever, for you today, that you get more respect and care.

18. The word CUT, nowadays, is not anymore limited to paper cuts and chopping knives,
for you also CUT on sugar, salt and alcohol.

19. A dizzy spell or a migraine makes you panic.

20. The need for at least one sport, now arises.

21. You sleep late.You wake up early. Or YOU are the insommia.

22. You often have that coffee face. ( the face you have, before you get to drink your morning cofee. )

23. So many things to do, so little time.

24. Listening to old songs and watching family related t.v. advertisements,
would now bring you to tears.

25. Few or no wedding of friends to attend to...mostly wedding anniversaries this time.

26. You have at least one friend represented in all the types and categories of friends:

Gradeschool and highschool friends,
college friends,
office friends,
church friends,
gym buddies,
bar friends,
basketball or badminton friends
and co-parent friends.

27. Why do you think sometimes that the younger ones are wasting so much of their time and opportunities.

28. A pair of reading glasses is now a necessity.

29. You have recently run a marathon and you desperately want to run - a size smaller.

30. Everything around seem to have grown taller and larger, people and buildings alike.

31. Your own parents now seem to be acting like children while you are the adult.

32. If you have children, your worries are now centered on your children's tuition.

( Be blown away by a P 50,000 to P 100,000 tuition fee for a pre-school.)
If you are single, you may now purchase a husband or a wife. ( Or that is if you do want one. If not, go on a cruise.)

33. You know COUGAR ain't just an animal.

34. Your one-upon-a-time-neo-natal-godchild is now taking an admission test, The U.P.C.A.T. may be.

35. If not for a recent stem cell's ( lamb cell ) allegedly ignominious failure, you could have considered saving for it.

36. While some of those thirty six and above, I know, would be blogging the world away, because they have more experiences to share this time,
than they ever had before. It comes with age.
http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

Born On The First Of July

2013-07-04T00:02:00.001-07:00

One remarkable day in my childhood,

I received a special gift from my parents.

The day was July 1st.

It was a resplendent day for a beautiful present.

The present was wrapped in swaddling pink clothes.

On it was a magical tag that said,
" sister . "

And it was mine, all mine.

My sister, Mirzi Reina, arrived first,
among the many special gifts my parents gave me.

I collectively called them,
" siblings " .

She was my first ever sibling.

And of course, the first one ever,
who called me, " Ate. " (or big sister )

She had been aptly named Mirzi Reina,
perhaps because, she just teemed with royalty.

( MIRZI is a variation from the Persian/ Turkish
word " Mirza ". It denotes a nobleman's rank. And when translated in English, meant, " Royal Prince of the Blood."

REINA in Spanish, meant, " Queen " . )

And nobody else befitted that name.

She was just well, eveything " Mirzi Reina ".

I know for a fact that, I could not go around in this world bearing her name.

It won't suit me. I will redefine " nobility. "

I really am more of a Pier Angeli, with flair and flamboyance on the side.

While she, on the other hand, has rightful claim to her name.

She is a blue blood through and through.

She is profound not only in appearance but more so in her endeavors.

She is all genuine without any trace of superficiality.

This year on my own birthday,
she wrote about me and said,

" It was safe to be real with my sister. "

While with her I say,
" You will feel SAFE with my sister. "

In the midst of a crisis, you can count on her to protect you.

She will hold the fort as they say.

She's the tough one who will get going,
when the going gets tough.

No matter what the circumstance may be, she will encourage you to go on.

While everyone else might give up on you, SHE WON'T.

My sister Mirzi Reina was born ( and still is ) my exact opposite.

Our physical attributes to begin with, were already very dissimilar.

I was an eight and a half pound new born while she came into this world cute.
( though, you could not say the same with THE brains that came with it. )

( She was a consistent honor since pre-school while finishing with honors in college at the premiere university.

She has two degrees and she is a registered nurse. )

She was on the petite side while I seemed to be, even as a child, on the larger side.

She had fair skin like most of my relatives from my mother's side of the family.

While I was " morena ", taking from the chocolate brown colored skin of my Dad.

My sister had really chinky eyes while mine was large and round.

As little children, it would always come as a surprise to many, to find out that we were actually siblings.

( My two and a half year old self, on the left,
with my then one year old sister, Mirzi, on the right.

It was her first birthday celebration. )

Even our personalities as little children, were like night and day.
( and even until now.)

I was more outspoken, while she chose what to say and who to talk to.

I used to tell my mom, that my sister Mirzi, chose her friends just like her choice of words - precise and concise.

It was always a privelege I guess, to be called her friend,
for there are only a few of them belonging to her elite circle of trust.

( " piling-pili ang mga kaibigan ", as we say in Filipino. )

Need to mention that I, on the other hand can be friends with anyone.
( google me, let's be friends.)

She exudes that no-nonsense calm which is a telling impression of her personality.

While I , on the other hand, tend to be melodramatic.

Her personality would match closest to Christiane Amanpour's, while I may be a Joan Rivers. ( yeah.)

If we were books, we belong to a different classification.

She would be on the mystery/suspense genre
while I might be on the humorous and comic side.

Oh, but not that my sister is unfunny, she can really be hilarious, once you get to know her,
but first, you have to go through the mystery of finding out yourself.

( I salute my brother-in-law, her husband, for having painstakingly gone through the process. )

My life would seem like an open book. ( like, a blog site is never enough )

While hers on the other hand, is classified information and limited edition.

Our choice of books when we were younger, could already tell us apart.

Just by looking at the titles of the books scattered in our living room,
my mom without even asking, already knew whom they belonged to.

In gradeschool, she was already reading " Lord of The Rings " while I was reading " Alice In Wonderland: Through The Looking Glass ".

In highschool, she was into Stephen King's books while I was hooked with Barbara Cartland's.

I was an average student with maybe a few ribbons and medals.

She was an achiever with all the medals, awards and trophies since pre- school.

As children, I got medals from public speaking while she got both trophies and medals from either math, science or essay writing contests.

We actually were, more different from each other, rather than alike.

But we were each other's bests.

We complimented each other's uniqueness.

In other words, my sister Mirzi, had taught me many things.

She had helped me shape my personality.

She had inspired me to achieve, dream and believe.

She taught me to toughen up when trials come my way.

She showed me how to set a goal and never be side tracked by trivialities.

She has imparted to me, the importance of being organized.
( especially organizing one's life. )

She had inspirited me to keep on going whatever the odds.

She had made me believe greatly, that all talents, are indeed gifts from HIM up there.

MY STRENGTH IN CHARACTER TODAY,
I truly owe to my younger sister, Mirzi Reina.

She is my hero, someone I look up to.

And I have always been proud,
to be called her " Ate. "

She takes charge of EVERYTHING while her husband works abroad.

She takes good care for her two children, an eight and a two year old, without any househelps or nannies around.

She manages to tutor her eldest child, who like her self is quite an achiever and a gold medalist since nursery.

She handles the bills, the upkeep of her cozy house, the maintenance of their car and including the care of their dogs.

She is the mother, driver, cook, handyman and nurse.

She is everything to her family, including ours.

And she does not even look the part.
( Or however should a stereotypical harassed parent looked like. )

She runs her household just like she did way back when she was in school, -with flying colors.

Sometimes, when I go through tough times, I think of how my sister go through hers and I try to emulate her.

For years, my sister had been my room mate, my confidante, my counsel, my school mate, my shopping buddy and my dorm mate.

She was sometimes, both friend and foe, antagonist and protagonist,
as well as ally and adversary.

I missed those times.

We now each have our own families and priorities.

But I will never forget that she was my first friend, first room mate and first classmate in this big classroom called, LIFE.

Just like anyone else who have sisters, we never spoke as to what lengths, we would we go through for each other.

But more than having our unquantifiable love for one another,
we hold our deepest respect for each other.

Therefore, one thing will always remain,
aside from her being my sister,

she will ALWAYS be my GREATEST FRIEND.

( to my sister Mirzi, thank you for being so generous, in helping our siblings go to school, in giving gifts and sharing your love and time with all of us. )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER,
MIRZI REINA B. RAÑOJA!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

Of Rains And Floods...

2013-06-18T02:16:00.001-07:00

Everytime news anchor persons on Philippine television,
would cue in the weather girl or guy, by saying something like,

" A lot of people right now worry a lot, everytime they hear rain falling so hard on their roofs...." ,

I couldn't agree more.

I have just recently included the rain on my list of,
" Things That Terrify Me The Most."

According to DOST-PAGASA, on an average, around twenty typhoons hit the Philippines per year.

I had never given that serious thought, before.

In fact in college, I do remember coming home for Christmas break, aboard Superferry 8, on a stormy December month.

However, as you grow older,

you just cannot " throw caution to the wind."
( especially those top winds, travelling at a speed
greater than 240 kph )

And most importantly, what is frightful about the rain in Philippine setting , is the flood that comes after.

SENDONG

December, more than a year ago, " Sendong " happened.

I was there in Cagayan de Oro City, the day after it did.

I arrived there, for a supposedly class reunion, on the morning of December 17, exactly the morning after the catastrophic storm passed by.

So imagine the grieving people I rode with on the plane,
the somber mood and the devastated place that greeted me.

And yes, the number of broken homes, broken hearts and broken people.
HABAGAT

OR as our dear meteorologists placed it,
" Southwest Monsoon enhanced by TS Haikui on its way to Taiwan. "

And that was one Tuesday morning when I woke up to a submerged Metro Manila.
It was just so surreal, as spending the night before, filled with fear and wondering;

(when will the rain stop? And why do these flood waters outside keep on rising like it never did before?

With the waters it brought, one would have though Habagat was a storm too.
or " Did Habagat follow Gener in alphabetical order, as that of being a storm too?" )

" WALANG BAGYO, PERO MALAKAS NA HANGING HABAGAT. "
(" NO STORM BUT ENHANCED MONSOON ." )
Habagat paralyzed Metro Manila.

PABLO
Eleven days of monsoon rains, Doppler radars, satellite imaging, PAGAASA-DOST and Project Noah, most especially .

Mang Tani, Kuya Kim and Dr. Mahar Lagmay had now occupied a generous space in my heart, after those rainy days. Seriously.

( I had a brilliant dorm mate in college by the way, who had Dr. Lagmay as teacher.)

But the likes of me, who was overly dependent on sample exams
on Nat. Sci. 2 in college therefore, followed him as Nababaha on tweeter.

And plus, I have little or less understanding on our rainfall warning system
with green (then changed to orange), yellow and red color codes.

WHERE ARE ALL THESE FLOOD WATERS COMING FROM?
TIME AND AGAIN THESE ARE WHAT WE ARE TOLD:

1. Large scale rainfall values
2. Overpopulated metropolis
3. Informal settlers
4. Professional squatters
5. Encroachment of the river banks
6. Insufficient drainage systems
7. Inadequate garbage disposal system
8. Silted rivers
9. Blocked tributaries
10. Illegal loggers/miners
11. People residing on flood plains
12. And lastly, the most hackneyed yet truthful, would be the lack of political will.

HAVE WE NOT MEMORIZED ALL OF THOSE ABOVE MENTIONED?

Unless the problems that needed to be addressed are prioritized,
a forever flooded Metro Manila will now be commonplace.
( as if it isn't already.)

DAMS READY OR NOT.
Angat,
San Roque,
Ipo,
Ambuklao,
Binga,

THE RAINY SEASON IS HERE.
AND HERE COMES MY SCARIEST TIME OF THE YEAR.

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

If I was the Dad instead of the Mom...

2013-06-15T15:55:00.001-07:00

If I was the Dad instead of the Mom,
I do not think I will make it far.

I will panic everytime a fuse bursts or a tranformer explodes.

I will never be able to kill a flying roach.

I will lose all sensibilities while in a car,

caught in a storm, in the middle of a flooded road.

I will have a hard time knowing if I was being duped.

I will cry in front of a broken pipe and wonder
why I do not have the plumber's number.

I don't think I could ever play wrestling with my son.

I will faint at the sight of a dislocated bone.

I will lose our own car in a huge parking lot.

I will never ever get over Manny's defeat and Kobe's injury.

I will be too angry at boxing and everything NBA.

I couldn't appreciate, " The Hulk " or " The Thing. ";
they are too violent for my liking.

I will never be able to climb the great wall of China, alone.

I will not be able, in a spur of the moment,
organize a charity drive
and collect donations for victims of
" Typhoon : Sendong " .

I will never be able to run my own store
and deal with unpleasant customers, abound.

I will lose my calm and be too melodramatic about it all.
I will never have small talks with my son's barber at that. ( especially when he does not know his job.)

I don't think I will have the strength to stand back on my feet when everything else starts to crumble.

I will have a hard time distinguishing a genuine article from a fraud.

I will never be able to suppress tears when I feel like wailing.

I will always forget a name, a face and a place.

I woudn't know which wire goes with which.

I too, wouldn't find the switch.

I cannot decide on a blink of an eye.

I will be too judgmental on somebody's past.

I will be too hysterical to act upon a situation at hand.

I would willingly hand out my five hundred pesos
to a corrupt traffic enforcer and starve all day,
than fight for my rights.

I will not be able to eat midnight snacks with my son.

I would collapse and breakdown during desperate measures.

I cannot keep all emotions inside, when all I want to do is scream.

I would never be able to answer an emergency call,
with my phone always on a silent mode.

I will be too critical to enjoy the moment

and seize the day.

I will lose all directions.

I will never find my way home.

I will be asking too much and nagging wouldn't be enough.

I will have a hard time keeping everyone safe.

I can never look tough when I'm dying inside.

I am fine thank you, with my role as domestic goddess and mom.

To my husband and all the fathers out there,
thank you for assuming the role.

No one could ever fill your shoes.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila , Philippines

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS.

2013-06-14T16:00:00.001-07:00

Not so long ago, my five year old child was that child in class,

" who did not want to write, at all. "

But I am very thankful that his teachers, from his previous school were dedicated educators.
They did not force it upon him.

Although, I myself was wondering why it made him sad,
to see a crayon and it made him cry ( genuinely ) to see a pencil.

I had to consult one of his pre- school teachers, Teacher Coco, on why he was behaving that way.

And by virtue of deduction and the process of elimination, guess who got the most votes as culprit?
" Me, of course, who else? "

I was this parent, who kept asking teachers on how to improve his son's skills.

But sadly, I failed see that I might had been the hindrance most especially, in his writing.

I decided to retrace my steps and pick up the pieces.

I became fully aware that I was at fault, somehow.

First, I never made time for his writing.

Even it did seem that I had given all the time for my child,
I never made a friendly but consistent schedule for him, to include some writing.

I too, together with my son, gave up easily, when he declared,
" I do not want to write. "

I was TOO lazy to find time and discover other ways.

I never went AROUND the problem nor did I find creative ways to solve it.

Second, I never made the introduction to writing, fun for my child.

( everything else like reading, singing and reciting poems were fun for my child.)

Of course he did not want to write because he did not know how fun it was.

Our writing sessions were as bland as pencil, paper and eraser .

His teacher advised me that I should encourage him more often, to play with play-doughs, lego pieces and clothes pin.

And that he should also twist open, then firmly close,
water bottle containers at home, so to strengthen his pincer grasp.

( anything and everything which had nothing to do with a paper, eraser or pencil.)

( T'cher Coco, thank you for the tips.)

Third, I know for a fact that I was practicing hover or helicopter parenting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_parent

I seem to do so much for my child including opening water bottles for him when he could have done it himself.

Small tasks appeared as great obstacles to him.

They were thrice magnified from what they actually were.

Writing became a heavy challenge in his daily routine.

Last, I expected my son to be quick in writing as he was in reading.

He had a way with words.
He had so many sight words like I was, when I was about three.

Therefore , I presumed that my son would somehow be just like me, romancing with reading and writing at a very young age.
( though I do not boast of a great penmanship. )

I pressured him to write.

And for all of those, I deserved to be CRUCIFIED!

LATER ON, I WAS ABLE TO CORRECT SOME MISTAKES AND I AM THANKFUL TO THE FOLLOWING:

-TEACHER COCO
( Of M.S.S. )

-TEACHER IRIS
( my cum laude best friend who is a very brilliant special education teacher. )

-MY MOTHER
( for always telling me, " AYAW PUGSA, PAGDULA RA MO. " Do not force him.Play with him. " )

And the latter really made me wonder, for MY SON MUST HAVE BEEN PLAYING ALL HIS LIFE! )

and

- EHOW, WIKI and GOOGLE

And to give one an idea, on how our journey in writing was,
this was how my son wrote his alphabets, last summer:

If he would be writing vowels : a, e, i, o, and u,
he would be unable to complete it, or write it at all.

It was because, by the time he would reach the letter
" u ", tears as big as pebbles would be rolling down his cheeks.

His writing wasn't a pretty sight and so was his face.

While today, roughly two months later, this is how his alphabets are:

I wrote down the sentences
and he copied them below .

But as my husband would say about my son's penmanship today, it is now somewhat a bit difficult to distinguish, which handwriting was mine and which was my son's.

He now enjoyed answering reading comprehension questions,
for he could write the answers legibly.

He could now answer mock test papers I made for him.

And he sometimes did a bit of addition.

You see, our writing journey was never easy, I promise you that.

It took all the patience I could muster and the prayers I could utter.

And I had to make ammends for my past crimes.

Therefore, equipped with helpful tips and advices,
I devised and customized a summer of learning for my son.

My son and I had to start all over again.

1. Allot time for writing.

LEARNING begins at home.

As parents, we have to allot time for our children especially in their writing practices, even at least thirty minutes.

I scheduled ours, one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon.

And we used a timer to strictly implement our schedule.

Using a timer was crucial, for it prevented me from over teaching and it kept my son from writing too much.

In addition to that, my kid's,
" WAIT A MINUTE MOM " just drove me to the wall.

While writing, he would suddenly say, " WAIT A MINUTE MOM ", I want to scratch my head. " ( or maybe ears, arms or legs .)

And he would scratch his head ( ears, arms or legs ) longer than what was permitted in the history of scratching.

Or,

" WAIT A MINUTE MOM, I want to pee . " ( for the nth time )

I, on the other hand, would be gritting my teeth so hard, enough to have chipped them all.

But through the timer, I was able to show him how long a minute really was.

(since my kid, like most children, did not have a concrete idea on how long a minute was.
So with the timer he now knew, that a minute would mean him, having written ten letters. )

During our lessons, I gave him three sets of one minute.

So he could do what he wanted to do.

Yet, if he wouldn't be able to use all the three sets of one minute, till our hour lesson was over, I rewarded him.

As the days went by, he began forgetting his three sets of one minute, for he became engrossed in writing already.

I too, forgot about perfecting the art of gritting or grinding my teeth.
( Thank God. You know how costly it is to go to dentists nowadays? )

2. Make it fun, one step at a time.

One step, one character, one letter at a time.

I do remember having once read, something in the lines of :

Wouldn't we rather have our child ,
draw a crooked slanted little stick " / " , with a very proud smile,
than make him write a perfect little " Y " ,
with tears in his eyes.

But of course this led me to asking, how in the world would I ever let my son take that first step of making a stick, with a grin on his face, when the sight of a pencil and a paper, brought him to tears?

And how would I make him write, without me feeling wretched and horrible inside?

We do not force our children of course.
But we would at least let them try, through creative means.

So on the first few days of summer,
I did not show him any lined papers or pencils, that reminded him of that personal tragedy of writing.

We used my husband's sign pens.

We wrote on used telephone bills and credit card statements.

We used old newspapers.
He encircled words that I asked him to look for, on the headlines.

We played a game of circles , crosses and checks.
( a tic-tac-toe variation. )

For every circle I made, he had to place a cross over it.

And for every cross he made, I placed a check on it.

And for every check I made, he placed a circle over it.

Until our paper was filled with the craziest doodles of circles, crosses and checks.

It went around, for two days.

We also had another game.
Since teachers already taught him his cvcs, beginning and ending letters,
I asked him to write the beginning letter of the sound an animal made.

Cow was " moo ". So he wrote the letter " m " .

He also wrote beginning letters of his favorite superheroes.

Batman was " B. "
( or something that resembled a letter " b ". )

Somehow, he was starting have some fun.

Plus, he now wanted to perfect his letters especially his letter" i ",
for Iron Man.

Then, we went back to writing vowels, just like he was taught in school:

And that time, he was now able to finish them.

Apart from making him write vowels, I included few words which interested him a great deal, like:

Spiderman
Wolverine
Hulk

One small writing step for the kid,
one giant parenting step for mommy.

As my best friend, Teacher Iris, told me over the phone,

" He HAS to write, kaya mo yan mommy." ( " you can do it mom. " )

Those words jolted me back to reality.

It was not up to my son to have a pleasant attitude towards writing, but it was up to me.

His attitude towards writing was dependent on how I would guide him towards it.

And with my child, my sister's kids and some of my friends' children,
(though, I could not say the same with other children,)
I realized there is no such thing as ADVANCE learning in children.

I think, children do not get bored in school because they know a lot.
But they sometimes get tired of going to school because they DO NOT know or at least have a little idea, on what their teachers were talking about.

They are like sponges.
They can absorb anything and everything in their environment .
As long as the environment is educational and learning friendly.
As long as the child had fun doing it.
As long as the parent will have time.

( That was our environment when my siblings and I were younger children running around our house. WE HAD FUN LEARNING! My mom made sure of that.)

If my son will not start learning now, then when?
If he would not start writing now, then when?

2. Create a writing ambience.

One herculean obstacle in our writing session was that,
I was always competing for my son's attention.

My son had TOO many toys.
While the television set and the ipad beckoned.

I had no fighting chance with Spiderman, Wolverine and Captain America.

While juniors, Nick and Disney are too irresistable for my son.

Although, I made those super heroes work to my advantage;
my son loved copying and writing their names, but that was it.

They were always the center of activity in my son's life.
They had us surrounded.
And they had to cease and desist, quick.

Yet, I could not just take them all away from him abruptly.

So I had to chose a gradual slope, a path that will take him away from those distractions, little by little.

I chose a different venue for our writing lessons.

We did not spend it in the house or in his room were all Marvel and D.C. took residence.

Instead, we went to my husband's store which was just a walking distance.

While my son was there, it left him no choice but to do as he was told. And that was to write.

It was because the television there belonged to The NBA while no super hero can lure him.

Eventually, we were able to take out, ALL of his toys from his room and strictly implement television time.
And instead, his crayons, colored pencils, books and all writing supplies were placed within his reach.

4. Stock up, on necessary writing supplies

* Writing Books

* Blank Flash Cards

( He copied words here. And it is helpful too, when writing down some sight words. )

* Crayons and other colored pencils

( and I had to draw some of his favorite super heroes, for him to color. )

* Pencils

* Lined pad paper

* Reward tokens.
( rewards which included certain minutes for watching television )

And my punishments on the other hand, would be giving him demerits.
( It would be reducing television time or taking away minutes from his favorite past time which was drawing super heroes.)

I had to be stern and consistent in my rewards and demerits, so he knew that I MEANT IT.

And I did not want to chip all my teeth off.

BUT EVERY CHILD IS UNIQUE.

SO SOME OF THOSE I MENTIONED, MIGHT WORK WITH YOUR CHILD AND SOME WOULD NOT.

BUT YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE SOME, ACCORDING TO YOUR CHILD' S NEEDS AND INTERESTS.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I GUESS, IS TO LET HIM HAVE A BIT OF FUN.

WHILE US PARENTS, HAVE TO PRAY HARDER THAN WE EVER HAD. :)))))

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

Salita

2013-06-06T15:32:00.001-07:00

Sa " Pinagtatawanan " at
Sa " Nakakatawa ".

Sa " Hindi ipinagkaloob " at
Sa " Bukas ang loob ."

Sa " Buo ang loob " at
Sa" Lakas ng loob ".

Sa " Tunay na kaibigan " at
Sa " Kailangan maging kaibigan."

Sa " Tunay na ikaw " at
Sa " Mag-panggap na iba ."

Sa "Tanga " at
Sa " Nagtatanga-tangahan ".

Sa " Mang-gagamit " at
Sa Nag-papagamit.

Sa " Niloko " at
Sa " Nagpapaloko ".

Sa " Walang maibigay na dahilan " at
Sa " Nag dadahilan ".

Sa " May katuwiran at
Sa " Nangangatuwiran ".

Sa " Akala ko, alam mo " at
Sa " Kailangan malaman mo ".

Sa " Walang alam " at
Sa " Walang paki alam ".

Sa " Hindi makapaniwala " at
Sa " Ayaw maniwala ".

Sa " Nasaktang damdamin " at
Sa " Masakit tanggapin ".

Sa " Ayaw tumanggap ng kamalian " at
Sa " Tanggap nalang ng tanggap ng pagkakamali ".

Sa " Ayaw mag sorry " at
Sa " Sa sorry ng sorry. "

Sa " Mali na ginagawa mong tama " at
Sa " Tama, na pilit mong mina-mali ".

Sa " May patutunguhan pero hindi gumagalaw " , at
Sa" Gumagalaw pero wala namang patutunguhan ".

Sa " Katotohanang pilit ipinamumukha "at
Sa " Mukha namang walang katotohanan ".

Sa " Ipinagtatanggol ang kamalian "
Sa " Malaking pagkakasalang pinagbigyan " at
Sa " Maliit na kasalanan, pinarusahan " .

Sa " Iginugol na panahon,
duon sa walang kwentang bagay " at
Sa " Kapabayaan naman sa mga importanteng aspeto ng buhay " .

Sa " Walang alam " at
Sa " Walang paki-alam at
Sa" Nakiki-alam " .

Sa " Walang magawa " at
Sa " Walang ginagawa ".
Sa " Hindi kayang gawin ". at
Sa " Dapat nuon pa ginawa ".

Sa " Huli na ang lahat " at
Sa " Magsimula tayong muli ".

Hindi lahat ng tama ay tutuo.
Tama na, itigil na at huwag
gawing tama ang mali.

Sapagkat hindi lahat ng tutuo ay tama.
Dahan-dahan sa pananalita at paniniwala
Wag madala sa mga haka-haka,
Kilatising maiigi
Hindi lang sige ng sige.

Sapagkat iisa man ang pinag-uugatang salita,
IBA-IBA pa rin ang diwa.

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad
http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/

VIRAL

2013-06-02T08:41:00.001-07:00

The word " VIRAL " should be the most hackneyed word in present times.

1. The infectious agent

" VIRAL " , the doctor said,
of the red left eye, that my son woke up to, one morning.

( It was pink eye - which may be bacterial or viral conjunctivitis or in laymen's term: sore eyes. )

Viruses are something most especially feared, by parents like myself who have young ones.

They ranged from either the common colds or stomach flu virus types
up to those unexplainable strain, which many dread very much.

These viruses survive in host organisms.
They attack cells and replicate very quickly.

2. The web circulation

" VIRAL " was also what gave life to
# AMALAYER.

Indeed it involved some cells or cellular processes,
a cellular phone, this time.
It uploaded a video of a woman not so politely arguing with the guard.
After which, was a viral take over.

Another occurrence, which was also viral in origin and involved a different kind of cell,
was the " CEBU IN-MATES, DANCING TO MICHAEL JACKSON'S THRILLER " .

Viral is that deranged animal that suddenly went wild and free,
straight to the jungle called, " The Internet " .

HARLEM SHAKE
K-POP
GIYOMI
OPPAN GANGNAM STYLE,

are just few of those, that made it to the internet and turned viral.

While the BARRETTO Sisters, ( actresses here in my country )
beautiful and talented at that,
seem to have weaker immune systems, than most of us,
for they just keep going viral, to no end.

( Gretchen, in a lip locked kiss with an actor. )
( Claudine, involved in a brawl with a news personality at the airport. )
( Marjorie, in an indecent exposure. )

3. The kindness bug

KINDNESS is contagious.

It can be passed on, from one person to another.

Well, I guess, I need not go far, to prove my point.

My father sent some of his siblings to school.

Later on without even being asked, my sister and I helped some younger siblings too.

In all our best effort, we could say we had contributed one way or another in making their lives better through helping them financially, till getting them settled in their jobs.

Now those three younger siblings, who we had extended helped to before,
are now helping the other younger siblings, especially the youngest girl in law school.

Kindness when put into practice, multiplies the effect.

I can not wait for the day, when those random acts of kindness would infect the whole world, really.

I loved that video entitled, " Kindness Boomerang " created for
Life Vest Inside .

http://youtu.be/nwAYpLVyeFU

4. The Success zone

SUCCESS can also be viral and contained in ones locality.

If only to map out an " out break " of success, there seemed to be a deluge of it, in General Santos City.

( And being the TUNA Capital of the Philippines, success in this place, should be gastric in nature with tuna being rich in OMEGA -3 and B vitamins.)

" The City of General Santos (Filipino: Lungsod ng General Santos, Cebuano: Dakbayan sa General Santos, also known as Dadiangás, and abbreviated G.S.C. or GenSan) is the southernmost city in the Philippines. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Santos_City

It would always give me goosebumps when Michael Buffer,
( of the, " Let's-get-ready-to-rumble fame " ), on the microphone,
would loudly introduce Manny Pacquiao as,

" The Fighting Pride of General Santos City, Philippines... "

*The city boasts of three professional boxers:

Nonito Donaire,
Rolando Navarette
and of course Manny Pacquiao.

* While XB (Extreme Boyz) dance group,
the first grand champion of "Showtime " a talent program of the television station, ABS CBN,
hail from General Santos City.

The city boasts of three movie personalities:

Gerald Anderson,
Ethel Booba
and Melai Cantiveros.

*The 2011, 3rd Runner-Up for the Miss Universe Pageant, the beautiful and intelligent,
Shamcey Supsup also grew up in Gen-San.

* YouTube singer sensation
Zendee Rose Tenerefe came all the way from that city to establish her niche in Manila.

* Also a YouTube singer sensation, Aldrich Lloyd Talonding who sang,
" Dance With My Father "

is yep, where else ?,

...from General Santos City, PHILIPPINES!

I hail from Cagayan de Oro City and I have never been to the place.

But I would love to change postal codes, especially if the achievements of their famous residents would rub on me.

I am so enamored with this city, especially because SUCCESS there, seem so VIRAL.

How could many of these successful personalities, coincidentally come from just one place? ( it must be the tuna. )

And well, for all these goings ons,
for the most common place word, " VIRAL " ,

may we have the immune system to handle it;

the tenacity to face it, on t.v or the web, despite the trials;

the time and continuum to be kind to one another;

and the indebtedness and gratitude for ones roots and origin.

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad
http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/

" ANY GIVEN SUNDAY. "

2013-05-27T16:47:00.001-07:00

Often times, LIFE could over ratedly,
be tough on us.

Out of an already-ardous struggle,
LIFE, in its game of Russian Roulette would decide to give us, an ultimatum:

" Make or break. "
or
" Do or die. "

Just when we only wanted to appear on a cameo role,
we suddenly get the title role in,

" DAYS OF OUR LIVES ".

( and we were not even
gunning for a Golden Globe. )

Evidently, those endless games with success:
of peek-a-boos and hide & seeks, did not suffice.

Life, would in fact, dare include us, in a series of
" undesirable " events.

As if we were part, of its lexicon of unparalleled personal amusements.

" You gotta be kidding me, "
I would often hear myself say,
when something-of-this-battering-ram-sort-of-trial,
would keep on advancing towards me and my life.

THEN,

AL PACINO COMES IN.

He steps inside the room which is reeking with FAILURES and REGRETS,
and he SAYS:

" On any given Sunday you're gonna win or you're gonna lose.

The point is - can you win or lose like a man? "

In the movie, ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, Al Pacino's character, "Tony D'Amato " delivered those words in a too compelling manner,

that my take on those words, might had slightly differed, with how others might had perceived it.

More than having understood it as :

" Either you give out your best shot, in achieving something and winning it real hard
OR you just put on your best effort in accepting your loss. " ,

I had imbibed it as:

" If you do not know how to lose like a man, then don't lose,
WIN. "

And in trying times, it can be one those great tenets of wisdom to abide by.

Besides, if we just do not make a good loser, then let's try winning.

We want to win, then, lezzzzzzgo win it .

Besides, losing had already broke our hearts, bodies and souls.

It is not anymore about losing, because we already did and we already are.

We lost.

We failed.

We sulked.

We self pitied.

We were filled with regrets.

We thought of what might had been.

We wasted our time. (anything and everything else )

We made a sore loser.

We became miserable and we spent a grand time, in making others miserable too.

AND of course we DID get tired of staying there.

Therefore we try something else, like winning.

It might suit us better, you know.

IF we want to un-fail then we have to succeed:
( what else is left to do? )

We want it.

Then we will it.

We get up.

We dust ourselves off.

We pattern our lives after it.

We spend time for it .

We work hard, harder and hardest for it.

Then we work hard, harder and hardest for it AGAIN.

We shun away from the very same things that brought us to failure, in the first place.
We focus on nothing else, but winning.

After which, we go back to AL PACINO and in a room screaming of success this time, we say,

" You were an even effective actor, as Tony than you were as
Michael Corleone,
SO THANKS."

From now on,

Let this be our battle cry,

" ANY GIVEN SUNDAY! "

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

FILIPINO: PITCH PERFECT

2013-05-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

Not the type of pitch however, that catapulted LEA SALONGA to international stardom.

But the type which causes a stir or a HYPE in product endorsement.

( or maybe something related to a prize fight that might have been promoted by Bob Arum, as my brother would say)

The Filipino is the right culture to pitch any product to, ( may it be food, clothing or service ) as long as a bustle or a hoopla would involve it.

A hype will always be more appealing to the people in my country,
than paid advertising which is heard over the radio
or seen on print and television .

( in fact when a nearby street is on fire, people would rush towards it and watch firefighters put off the fire.

While police enforcers in this country know, that a yellow cord is good as nothing here.)

www.depositphotos.com

We are a hyped culture, so we are attracted to the hyped type of advertising.

It indeed appeals to the greater nature of the Filipino.

Filipinos like me, seemed to have a built in sensor,
installed, encoded and encrypted in our DNAs which recognizes this kind of promotion. Then our minds process and qualify it, as something to be acted upon immediately.

Thus, bringing myself down to memory lane,
years ago, one day, I told my supervisor that I was not going to serve overtime.
I had an important matter to attend to, something in the breadth of life and death, I even added.

Only later on, she found me, in a queue,
infront of an american doughnut cafe;
it was on its first day of opening here in Manila.

I was intensely watching from a store window, the life and death of freshly baked doughnuts as they were being gobbled up by customers.

There could be three types of product campaign which have hype effect, made and cut to precision for the Filipino mentality or culture.

1. WORD-OF-MOUTH

If advertising has WORD-OF-MOUTH to fuel a hype, the Filipino lingo,
has something called, " CHIZMIS. "

It may not necessarily be hard core gossip,
but small talks and chit chats that transform later on, into full blown gossip.

An average Filipino day starts by engaging small talks with any one, an officemate, a househelp, or a customer. It may be personally or over the phone.

There should be nothing wrong with that, for it just showcases the easy-going trait of Filipinos.

But when the small talk with anyone, takes another predicate as in,
" small talk about someone. "
then " Chizmis ", is taking place, and fast.

In my old office our average morning are moments spent,
when a few of us, would all be huddled up in one person's cubicle.

With me of course, having spearheaded the narratives.

( something from before that I most definitely am not proud of )

Then our Boss would pass us by and he of course had to disperse us like pigeons.

( nice fellow that man. He would just say, " C'mon everyone, end with the chit chat. I didn't pay you for that. ")

Then the Chizmis on whoever and whatever the topic of the day was, got to be passed around like flu virus.

CHIZMIS adheres to a type of Hype generating ad campaign which is
" The Word Of Mouth " .

Thus perhaps, when the office talked about this yummy empanada or delicious pastry that tasted so heavenly,
the information quickly gets passed on from one person to another,
till this person arrives in front of the doughnut shop and finds out for himself if Al Capone really rocks?

THEREFORE, as you see the VERY long queue on JCo Donuts,
let us agree to disagree in calling those people, including myself,

" Mga Nakapilang Chizmosa o Usisera
sa labas ng J Co Donuts sa Sm MOA." :)

2. EXTREME EXAGGERATION TECHNIQUE

Overkills in ad campaigns are taken literally by many in this country, like myself, who are great fanatics of the overrated and the improbable.

We are fanatics of teleseryes. ( myself included )

Of the totally aping-api or someone overwhelmingly maltreated then suddenly rosed from her situation, through an incredibly exaggerated
course.

Not only are the portrayal of characters sometimes unduly magnified,
but even dialogues are delivered in an unrealistically husky voice,

" alikabok sa himpapawid, maliit man, nakakapuwing din."

While after which, the action hero pulled his gun and defeated all his
forty or so adversaries, while he remained unscathed.

Some movies would have villains that refuse to die, even if a frontloader would run over them twice.

Even the Filipino language itself is not spared of exaggeration.

A notably ample number of words in the roster of Filipino morphemes,
repeat itself, in an excessive form such as :

tuwang-tuwa,
maligayang-maligaya,
malaking-malaki ,

as if one word alone, does not suffice to describe the state of being.

I don't think english grammer permits happy-happy to very happy.

( and in fact the nickname of my country's president happens to be a double assertion. )

Was it not here in the Philippines,
that an exaggerated and misleading broadcast,
made television audience leave their homes
and flock to a certain venue
to watch a television show, live?
While later on, some of them were trampled over, after a disastrous stampede that errupted thenafter?

" Pagpapakalabis " or exaggeration,
most likely was the magnetic attraction which lured my husband and I's genetic
make up,
to try an american pancake diner, that recently opened here in Manila.

And as the hypnosis came to an end ,
my husband and I found ourselves staring at our plates full of diner pancakes that were
smiling back at us,
as if saying in agreement,
" Yep, were selling like hot cakes,
man." ,
while the viscid marmalade said , " hands on the air, this is a stick up! "

We've been had.

Au revoir, for " a fool and his money are easily part."

3. THE CELEBRITY FACTOR

On " how our local celebrities ( or artistas ) fared ",
in the recent senatorial election, more or less,
gives one an idea, of the level and the intensity of celebrity idolatry in this country.

In the Philippines,
" you just do not mess with an actor, for he could be senator or president someday."

So when a group of celebrity cliques composed of youthful, stylish and trendy,
" artistas ",
with one of them having three million followers on twir'r,
posted this particular ice cream,
#magnum hashtags came to be.

And the Filipino consumer was " it " in the game of advertising tag.

( Tom Selleck is already a thing of the past, all the more was it elevated to fossil status, when an ice cream took the Magnum from Magnum P.I. )

No celebrity campaign has effective success rate, as that in Philippine setting.

And my greatest fear, is in fact having to face the day when
the three stars in the Philippine Flag
would be super imposed with the faces of the three big stars in my country :
Kris Aquino, Erap Estrada
and Fernando Poe Jr. ( deceased)

THE PEREFECT PITCH, PITCH PERFECT

But that is just the psyche of most Filipinos:

And it is of course because of those traits and vulnerabilities that we become target markets by many companies, with their ad campaigns and their perfect pitch for a product:

We will queue for it.
We will spread the word around.
We sometimes even feel compelled to exaggerate about its quality.

And those traits are which makes us, an indiscriminatory market, -another best thing about pitching products to our race.
( except when it comes to talent shows and concerts, the Filipino crowd knows good entertainment from mediocre.)

But this just how I see many of us Filipinos.

We love artistas.
We love exagg.
We love chizmis.

All because we are fun loving people who just love entertainment and gossip.

HOWEVER though,
even if we are easy to pitch products to
we have a certain trait called.
" masawain. "

We get fed up easily.

Therefore as the novelty of the product/service would wear off, we search for something new.

We are easy to pitch products to,
but I could not say the same for sustainable market.

So bring on the PANCAKES, DOUGHNUTS AND ICECREAM!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

MAN CANNOT LIVE BY BREAD ...AND SLEEP ALONE.

2013-05-18T18:21:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, when I was a freshman -staying in a college dormitory, I was deliriously homesick.

It was a difficult time coping with,
first, being uprooted from a beloved city
and second, having left the security of a happy home.

I was lonely and thinking of home all the time.

I sought people who came from my area.

I not only became closer with my classmates from highschool,
but also with kids from Cagayan de Oro City, who, like me, also took the challenge of leaving our city and families,
in exchange for the University.

I kept myself busy,
playing " the boat is sinking " ,
group yourselves according to...PROVINCE.

I gravitated towards, those who spoke my dialect, which was Cebuano.

Yes, but of course, I bonded with people who reminded me of home.

I too, formed friendships with kids from places like, Surigao, Davao, Iligan, Bukidnon, and Butuan.

Not to mention having had the chance, to polish my geography; including having to say, " Cagayan de Oro City " completely, when asked-where I was from.

It was because, someone would suddenly speak to me in the Ilocano dialect,
when I answered plainly, " Taga Cagayan ko". ( I'm from Cagayan.)

But it was quite a happy memory for me,
because it paved way to many of my future friendships,
including that with a blockmate from Tuguegarao, Cagayan who suddenly spoke to me in Ilocano on our first meeting.

I valued those friendships I have formed way back then,
because they were what I needed the most, that time.

But of course, that was not enough to beat the loneliness.

So it was pure blessing that one time,
our dorm head invited us " KALAYAAN KIDS " to attend an every friday prayer group, which was held not far from the dorm.

It was ideal for me and for most of us, for it was held every friday night.

Therefore after a gruelling week comprised with a battery of exams,
terror teachers,
and a knapsack filled with self pity, The FRIDAY NIGHT encounter proved to recharge our spirits.

It was my special group.

My happy place.

And we were just a bunch of kids, wanting to relax and be inspired with the love of Christ.

1. BREAKING OF THE BREAD

Ate Annabel, our mediator,
once re-enacted the breaking of the bread with us.

So we would have a deeper understanding on the importance of the body of Christ in our Catholic life.

But for freshmen like ourselves,
with meager allowances,
growling tummies and food palettes so limited to dorm food, ( with meal cards and no refills )

the " BREAKING of the bread " most definitely,

did NOT spark so much interest,

as that of the BREAD itself, which really impacted!

After meditation and sincere prayers,

we proceeded to
the re-enactment of the, " Breaking of the Bread."

by dipping the bread in juice, ( I think ) while having to pass it around.

However, there were two from the group who,
instead of taking just a pinch of it and then passing it to the rest of us,

GOBBLED them all up, like it was the first meal of the day.

I surely will name them, NOT.

( sapagkat sila ngayon ay tinitingala sa lipunan at may kanya kanyang reputasyon na pinangangalagaan...)
( they now hold either careers in law, education and business, so I dare not. )

While the rest of us kids, wide eyed stared at the culprit/s.

Imagine how we kids that time felt beartbroken,
thinking we would not be able,
to partake in the breaking of the bread.

The culprits on the other hand, bowed down in...
(??? but it was not out of shame),
when they realized,
that they have completely gobbled up what was suppose,
to be THE representation of what will supposedly bring them, err us, closer to Jesus,

" Sometimes,( ano), in our lives,
we seem to love Jesus so much, too much,
we just cannot get enough of Him, we would like to have,
ALL of Him,"

were the words that our very kind mediator, Ate Anabel managed to say.

Unfortunately for dear Ate Anabel, she had to get up and go to the pantry and check if there were still some more bread to break, but there were none.

She rummaged for the next best thing available from the cupboard, till she found one.

And the rest of us kids had to settle with the next best thing available.

BISCOCHO

( toasted bread from Ilo-ilo, that is.)
http://jeanmonique.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/bacolod-souvenirs-food/

And it was only the remaining " pan" . So the rest of us had to take biscocho instead....

It was a very HARD path to take towards Jesus, if I may put it that way.

( So you know who you are, you owe my childhood,
some bread. )

2. JUST LIKE A BABE

We usually meditate before starting our actual prayers.

We close our eyes and listen not only with our ears but with our hearts.

We only listen to Ate Annabel-our mediator, who by the way HAD THE MOST SOOTHING VOICE.

( Her voice used to be heard at Radyo Veritas.)

She would start by saying some prayers, while beautiful intrumental music was being played at the background.

We all missed home.

Sometimes during meditations like those, we couldn't help but sigh, cry and really long for home.

It would be a common occurence to hear sniffles, stiffled sobs and weeping.

But there will always be, this one particular mediation,
which stands out in my mind.

In the middle of our mediation,
while Ate Annabel in her beautiful voice was offering her prayers of thanksgiving,
a sound came to be heard .

It was a sound that we could not distinguish at first, for it was far from the usual sniffles or stiffled sobs.

The sound was at first faint,
then it became louder and louder by the minute.

It sound like the buzzing of a bee and escalated to
the sound of the engine of an old rusty car:

" Zzzzzzzz.
Zzzzzzzzz.
Zzzzzzzzz.
Vrrrrrrrrrrroooooooom"

Somebody was meditating too,
with full blast snoring sounds
while sleeping the sleep of the innocent.

" Come to me and I will give you rest."

3. MY FORTUNES

In that prayer group, let me share you this important prayer that I have learned there and treasured in my heart.

We started our prayer activities with Ate Annabel usually reading to us,

this prayer, from Psalm 30 :

Psalm 30 - My Life in Your Hands

It soothed me.
It took away the stress.
It took away the hurt.
It reduced the disappointments from broken promises.
It calmed my soul.

It told me, that life will always be beautiful, no matter what,
for Somebody up there, holds my love, my life and my fortunes.

This has always been the prayer I recite during turbulent times in my life:

AND WITH OUR COUNTRY'S STATUS WITH OUR ASIAN NEIGHBORS,
WE NEED THIS BEAUTIFUL PRAYER:

My Fortunes:

" You are my God; my fortunes are in your hand.”

“You are my God; my fortunes are in your hand.”

A sense of relief sweeps over me, a feeling of satisfaction and safety in the midst of a troubled world.

“My fortunes are in your hand.”

Whatever happens to me, whatever life brings to me, whatever winds blow and waters flow on the fields of my life..., all that is in your loving hands. I need no more.

“My fortunes.”

Good fortune, bad fortune; things I like and things I dislike; occasions I look forward to and occasions I fear; pleasure and pain; joy and sorrow. All that is in my life, and all that is in your hand.

You know the time, you know the measure, you know my strength and my lack of it, you know my longings and my limitations, my dreams and my realities.

All that is in your hand, and you love me and want the best for me. My best fortune is to know that my fortunes are in your hands.

Let that faith grow in me, Lord, and put an end to worry in my life. I surely will continue to work for my “fortune”,

I am too much of an achiever and a compulsive worker to let go of things and lower my efforts; I will continue to work, but with a happy face and a light heart.

Because those “fortunes” are in your hand. I can look up and smile and sing, because now the burden is light and the yoke is smooth.

My effort will still be there, but the result is in your hand, and so out of my own hands and out of my mind.

Peace has come to my heart because “You are my God, and my fortunes are in your hand."

A BLESSED SUNDAY , EVERYONE!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

CHARMED

2013-05-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

Several months ago, my sister and her husband, after coming home from New York City, gave me this really elegant bracelet which I recently admired closely,
too closely in fact.

The CHARMS of the bracelet spoke so much of my being a woman: daughter, mother, wife, sister and friend .

And most especially, they relate with the different facets of motherhood.

1. A skeleton key.

Or a pass key that should in fact open any locks.

Mothers like myself are pass keys.

We seem to find ways for anything. ( we try our very best. )

We unlock talents and capabilities of our children that even they themselves thought, did not have.

We not only help them find their talents,
but find their own selves as well.

Sometimes, ( unapologetically)
we push and nag just to make them at least, take that first ladder rung.

We pave the way for them.

We help them reach out for their dreams.

We assist them in their endeavors.

We equip them with what is needed.

We teach them to be better individuals.

Mothers are the keys that help unlock the doors of opportunities for the children.

2. A family tree

While the fathers generally take the role in the family, as captain of the ship, the mothers remain the anchor.

Just like the tree, the mothers keep the family grounded.

One fact that contributes to this would be that,
the mothers most of the time are the storytellers in the family.

So it is her stories about her own family, her relatives and her own childhood,
that entertain her family, educate her children and make them appreciate life and family more.

3. A leaf

We have a saying in Filipino,
" Ang Ina Ay Ilaw Ng Tahanan."

or that , " The Mother is the light or the light bearer of the home. "

How apt, that this charm would be included.

It reminded me of a song in a cd that my son loved listening to.

http://pierangeliangsen.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/they-must-be-giants/

It has a song entitled, " Photosynthesis. "
(Light converted into Energy.)

So where else does photosynthesis take place?

Mothers are the leaves-where light is transformed into energy.

We are the source of light and life.

4. A four leaf clover

" Each leaf is believed to represent something:

the first is for faith,
the second is for hope,
the third is for love,
and the fourth is for luck. "
- WIKI

And aren't those what mothers are, in their families?
FAITH, HOPE , LOVE and LUCK.

5. A time piece

A mother will always find TIME for everything:

- take real good care of her children
- manage all household chores
- give inspiration
- encourage
- whip up something delicious
- learn to cook her family's favorite
- look presentable
- tutor the children
- keep reading and writing
- and keep believing ALL THE TIME

6. A flower

The flower represents the children who make mothers, -mothers.

The beautiful flowers of spring or better yet, offspring.

The children are the flowers, who the mothers dote upon.

The children are the flowers of life and their mothers' treasures.

They are the buds, after having been nurtured by their mothers,
will bloom and grow into the beauties, that life will appreciate someday.

And they will also someday,
be grateful to their mothers, who sacrificed everything,
just to be their sun, air, water and soil.

7. An oval locket

Mothers help build memories with the children.

In the case of my own mother, it would be those beautiful memories
of cooking hamonado and spaghetti,
writing in our journals,
reading books and listening to her stories.

And it would be those interesting things she taught me that helped me read and write.

http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/2013/05/five-things-my-mother-taught-me-that.html

8. A heart

The mother is the heart of the matter.

She puts a smile or wipes the tears on her child's face.

Her children's heartaches and happiness are hers too.

9. The symbol, the emblem,the insignia: A Lioness

The charm is in fact a Lion but for the sake of conformity, I would like to think of it as a Lioness.

The Lioness represents the strength and power of the mother,
especially during those times when she may get territorial
and assert her self in the mouth of trials and threats.

It would also be that fierceness that a mother exhibits,
especially when the well being and safety of her cubs-children
and her whole pride-family are concern.

And how timely, for MOTHER'S DAY falls on this Month.

Happy Mother's day to all the mothers in the world.

Most especially to the one who carried me in her womb for nine months.

http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/2009/09/journal.html

P.S.
Though I might have received this charm bracelet as a post Christmas and advance birthday gift, this bracelet does make a pretty Mother's Day present.
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/anne-klein-watch-womens-gold-tone-charm-bracelet-10-8096chrm?ID=211828&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

SIX DEGREES of FPJ and KRIS AQUINO

2013-05-15T07:15:00.001-07:00

In the game of six degrees of Kevin Bacon,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon

if we try any further, if we really try and look for all the six links,
ALL FILIPINOS ARE RELATED, ON A SIX DEGREE OF SEPARATION, TO FPJ and KRIS AQUINO.

The midterm election, specifically the senatorial seats, spoke volumes of the Filipino mandate:

A. FERNANDO POE JR.

1. FPJ's daughter: GRACE POE

was once offered a seat in the LP by Mar Roxas, who was number one himself in a senatorial election, like Grace Poe.

He is the husband of Korinna Sanchez who USED to be good, and almost best friends and now supposedly, not in speaking terms with KRIS AQUINO.

In addition to that, GRACE POE of course, is very much supported by Mother Lily, the favorite movie producer of KRIS AQUINO.

2. FPJ 's running mate: LOREN LEGARDA

supposedly, is in a rift with PETER CAYETANO whose brother Lino, used to be the boyfriend of Bianca Gonzales -great friends with Mariel Rodriguez who is now married to Robin Padilla who was once rumored, to have almost married KRIS AQUINO.

But well, PETER CAYETANO's brother
LINO is at present, romantically linked to KRIS AQUINO.

3. FPJ's spokeperson: CHIZ ESCUDERO

was co-host at one point in Kris' t.v show, Kris T.V.

While Chiz' girlfriend Heart shares the same birthday with Kris, February 14.

His ex-wife Tin-Tin is now with Jason Zamora of the Maneuvers dance group, managed by Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano,
sister-in-law of Sharon Cuneta,
whose ex-es, namely: Richard and Robin were also ex-es of KRIS AQUINO.

4. FPJ's campaign manager's daughter: NANCY BINAY

FPJ's 2004 campaign manager then and now Vice President Jejomar Binay and Kris' mother Cory are very good friends.

Not to mention that Jejomar Binay used to be Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Authority in Cory's cabinet.

While it can be noted that Cory's death was just days before Jun-Jun's wife, Kennely Ann, passed away .

Kennely Ann was a former child actress who appeared in " John En Marsha ",
a t.v show of comedy king Dolphy, father of Eric Quizon -real good friends with KRIS AQUINO.

And Kris was once romantically linked to Jun-Jun Binay brother of NANCY BINAY who was in a misunderstanding with VICE GANDA who starred in a movie, Sisterakah with KRIS AQUINO.

All of the senatoriables mentioned above, made it to the top five, in the recent senatorial election.

5. The son of his best friend, ERAP : J.V. EJERCITO

J.V.'s brother Senator Jinggoy confirmed, that he once courted KRIS AQUINO.
While J.V.'s dad Erap's arch enemy Chavit Singson's son, Ronald is the current boyfriend of Lourdes Virginia or Lovi Poe, daughter of FPJ.

6. The son of his party's Trojan Horse: EDGARDO ANGARA
His father, also Edgardo, one time ran as Vice President to ERAP who later on, appointed him as Agricultural Secretary but was eventually accused of sabotaging FPJ's bid.

And the elder Angara during the 1987 campaign, after suffering a heart attack once said, he stopped smoking because of President Cory, mother of KRIS AQUINO.

B. KRIS AQUINO

1. Her cousin : BAM AQUINO

Bam Aquino is of course, also the nephew of Ninoy Aquino, staunch political rival of President Ferdinand Marcos- who was primary sponsor in the wedding of Susan Roces and FPJ.

2. Her mother's good friend's son : KOKO PIMENTEL

Kris' mother Cory is good friends with Nene Pimentel, the father of Koko Pimentel, whose ex-wife, beauty queen Jewel Lobaton is now romantically linked with Rep. Anthony Golez of Bacolod City, the province of Susan Roces, wife of FPJ.

3. Her mother Cory's adversary: GRINGO HONASAN

Kris' mother President Cory's presidency, was once threatened to be overthrown,
by a coup d'etat led by Gringo Honasan,
who used to be with ENRILE, Minister of Defense,
of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos-who was supposedly linked to Rosemarie Sonora sister of Susan Roces, wife of FPJ.

4. Her brother P-Noy's rival's wife: CYNTHIA VILLAR

Kris Aquino's son Bimby in one of the campaign in Bacolod, blurted the name of Cynthia Villar's husband Manny Villar, rival of P-Noy to the presidency.
Manny Villar was also rumored to be in tactical alliance with P-GMA,
who supposedly cheated the presidency from FPJ.

5. Her ex-partner's good friend's brother: J.V. EJERCITO.

Kris Aquino's ex-partner Philip Salvador was " Lizardo " in the remake of Panday.

He is also very good friends with Senator Jinggoy Estrada, brother of J.V Ejercito and with Senator Bong Revilla who played the lead role, in the remake of Panday, a movie attributed to FPJ.

Senator Bong Revilla's son Jolo Revilla is now romantically involved with Jodie Sta. Maria, ex- wife of Pampi Lacson,
the son of Senator Panfilo Lacson and the brother of Jay Lacson-who vied for the Vice Governor seat in Cavite, which was won by the son of Senator Bong Revilla, Jolo Revilla who was once romantically linked to Lourdes Virginia or Lovi Poe, daughter of FPJ.

6. Her ex-partner's father's seatmate at the senate : LOREN LEGARDA

Kris Aquino used to be romantically associated with Mark Lapid, son of the seat mate of Senator Loren Legarda in the senate: Senator Lapid, who appeared in the movie,
" Calibre. 45 " with FPJ.

7. Her favorite movie producer's bet : ANTONIO TRILLANES

Kris Aquino's favorite movie producer Mother Lily has a soft spot for Antonio Trillanes,
who led the Oakwood Mutiny at Oakwood Hotel in Makati where the mayor there,
was then Mayor JEJOMAR BINAY, 2004 campaign manager of FPJ.

LASTLY, Kris Aquino and FPJ connects with each other,
first, through Kris former partner, James Yap of Escalante
and second, FPJ's wife Susan Roces from Bacolod City,
they both come from NEGROS OCCIDENTAL.

( Therefore, in my country, running for a position in government requires a certain degree to qualify, and it is not even a law degree must be within six degrees of links to either of them both. )

If FPJ supposedly, was the rightful winner in the 2004 President Election,
then make a good guess who is going to leave her talk show,
for the next presidential elections?
___________________________________________________

I even tried it on myself:
Years ago, my dad went to:
# 1 Polk Street, North Greenhills, San Juan
because my dad once ran for mayor under the slate of ERAP,
bestfriend of FPJ whose spokeperson CHIZ ESCUDERO was once a co-host of KRIS AQUINO in her t.v. show.
At U.P. was where CHIZ ESCUDERO was once a law student-whom I, together with my friends Iris and Emily-who is now neighbors with Chiz, pertained to as the " articulate Francis na A.P.B. "
Senator Escudero spoke at the Kalaayaan Dorm while I was a university freshman in 1991, the year after which, was when my dad ran for mayor under the slate of ERAP.
TRY IT ON YOU,
GO!

Location:Manila, Philippines

FIVE THINGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME, THAT HAVE HELPED ME READ AND WRITE.

2013-05-11T00:25:00.001-07:00

1. ONOMATOPOETIC

In gradeschool, one of the high-faluting words I learned from my teacher, teacher Lydia R. Maagad was:

" Onomatopoeia ."

or as WIKI puts it,

" a word that phonetically imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. -WIKI

The sound of the word suggested the meaning or at least the sense of the word.

Clap
Ding-dong
Baa-baa
Meow
Crash

THEN came my mom:

She had her own version of onomatopoeia in our household.

" Ang dako nga iro gigukod ang gamay nga iring. "

( "The big dog chased the small cat " )

As much as possible, when we were smaller children, she would want us to read aloud words, according to how they might mean.

Our manner, in reading words aloud, was dependent on what the word meant.

And the words:

a. dako ( big ),
had to be uttered with a big voice with maybe a decibel higher than the rest.

BiIiiiiG

b. gigukod ( chased) ,
had to be said in one quick beat, like you, yourself, are being chased.

Chāsed.^

c. gamay ( small ),
had to be pronounced in a more tiny voice.

Small.. always in a small voice,
in contrast with saying BIG , with a bigger voice.

So as little children, ( for we did not anymore, when we grew up ) words like:

" Soft, "we said it softly.(like in a whisper-"Soffft. ")

" Slow ", we said it as slowly as we could. ( maybe a beat slower this time, than the other words in the sentence.)

" Large " , then we had to say the word a bit louder or bigger: " LAAARGE. "

Same goes with the word GIANT.

( and which is why I never forgot the word HUMONGOUS. )
( though my son has his own analysis of the word.)

And to quote my mom:
" ' dili ra gabasa basa ka, unya wala ka kasabot sa imong gibasa."

(" 'never be reading words and not understanding what they mean." )

THEREFORE, just by saying the word or pronouncing it according to how it sounded, made COMPREHENSION and REMEMBERING ITS MEANING a lot easier.

' Guess, that would be my mom's take on onomatopoeia , as practiced in our household when we were kids.

2. MORE POWER

a. TUDAHI KANA! ( Louder. )

As children, my siblings and I would join elocution contests in school.

While our mom had to be our designated trainor.
( of course we could not afford one.)

As my brother Vito who was an elocutionist too, recalled, our mom would ask us to recite our elocution pieces in the middle of our living room, while she would be walking around.

She would suddenly walk to the left side, the right side, go to the kitchen, to the bathroom or to the bedroom.

I remembered this irritated me a lot.

More so when from the kitchen, she would suddenly shout, " TUDAHI! "

I remembered as a young child, what went through my mind was this,

(" pa tudahan nimo , kay dili ka kadunggog,
alang-alang niabot na ka ug kusina,
ako naa ra dinhi sa sala. " )

( " you want me to recite stronger and louder since you say cannot hear me,
but of course you cannot hear me,
you are right there in the kitchen
while I am in the living room.")

I could have never, of course ever, said that to her,
till in my teen age years, I asked her.

Then she offered this answer:

" You will be speaking to a very large audience in an auditorium, every person in all those corners should/must hear you.
You need to know the power of your voice
and SHOULD the SOUND SYSTEM GO WRONG ,
you know your voice got you covered. "

b. TUDAHI. ( not necessarily very loud but with more power.)

As we prepared for periodical exams, we answered mock test papers that she made.

Thenafter, we did not only read aloud our answers, but we had to read it WITH MORE POWER. With conviction.

" The capital of FRANCE is PARIS. "

In grade-two, I once said that sentence with less or no power at all,
which initiated a discussion between my mom and I, that might had sounded something like this:

My Mom:

" Pier Angeli, unya, sigurado ka?" ( " Pier Angeli, are you sure ? " )

" Your voice did not sound like you believe that the capital of FRANCE is indeeed PARIS. "
" Tudahi."

My Young self: ( impatient and slightly annoyed)

" OO lagi uy Mommy, the capital of FRANCE is PARIS! "

And then she would leave me just like that, after I had said it with conviction.

- a converted believer.

Yes, folks, " I BEEELIIIIEEEVE that, " The capital of FRANCE is PARIIIIIIIIIS. "

Most importantly, by saying it aloud, I had also memorized the answer.

TUDAHI and TUDAHI KANA is something from my childhood that I have carried on, and recently applied on my five year old son.

3. READ ME

Long before I heard of DOLCH and FRY in my adulthood,
I think my childhood had introduced me to a distant relative of theirs, through my mom.

Everywhere, anywhere and anything was a reading opportunity for us.

My mom made sure of that.

She familiarized us with SIGHT words, literally,
if Dolch and Fry may permit me.

We read anything on sight.

She made us read not only books but also, anything and everything that our eyesight connected with.

As one of my blog post entitled " READ ME ", revealed:

"On my first trip to the airport,as my parents were about to fetch an uncle who just came from Saudi, the signage "Airport 45 kms ahead" never missed my eye. And the numerous signages
thenafter....."Dangerous.Men at work.".."Sorry for the inconvenience, your taxes are working for you"..."House for rent"...."Wanted Driver..."Or that blue and white plywood which hangs on our neighbor's house and which had the words : "Atty-at-law" under his name. And even the words......"In loving memory of wife, son and daughter"...Epitaphs, that too. "
http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/2008/05/read-me.html

4. B.M.E.

Beginning, middle and end.

My mom encouraged us to also know our:

*PREFIXES
*SUFFIXES
*ROOT WORDS

Prefix

My first appreciation for prefixes, would have to be the prefix: " Amphi ".

Mom introduced that prefix by pointing out the venue of the " Amatyure " in Cagayan de Oro City was.

When I was younger, the " Amatyure " or
The Amateur Singing Contest of the local radio station, DX-C.C.
( or was it DX- O.R.) was held in the city's,
AMPHItheater.

Something I really appreciated as mom pointed out the semicircular shape of the venue while it was curved or concave at both sides or ends.

(The prefix AMPHI : which meant, two, both sides or around.)

Suffix

It was in wanting to know what the probiotic in Yakult was,
that I was introduced to the suffix, BIOTIC.

It meant " way of life."

My mom and I, researched it in the dictionary and we also came across related suffixes such as:

BIUM
BIA
BIAN
BIONT

It also somehow meant " way of life " .

I was in grade four when my science teacher introduced to us, a new word...

AMPHIBIAN.
An animal that has the capability of living both on land and in water.

It was a word I would always remember, while never having to confuse it with any other word, really.

Looking at the two words placed together, more or less , helped me remember the definition or meaning of the word.
TWO and LIFE were my key words.

5. THE JOURNAL

The Chronicles Of Narnia and The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid.

We were encouraged to keep a journal.

And we had a name for it.

My journal had a name.

My mom helped me named it.

It was named: ALEJ ( Alēé )

( after my great maternal grandmother ALEJANDRA, whom I was supposed to have been named from,
had not been for italian actress PIER ANGELI's
untimely demise.)

It was not plainly called, " The Diary " nor addressed to as " Dear Diary. "

My entry began with, " Dear Alej. "

It was like writing to a long lost friend.

I would even go so far as asking it or her,
how it or she felt.

Dear Alej,

How do you feel today?
I hope you are well.
For I am not....

Thus, writing on my journal seemed very personal, always.

However, I could not say the same for my four brothers.

I know they would not have managed any diary,
but somehow they turned out to be effective writers too.

Perhaps, their form of practice, would have been having to write love letters, to those girls, they courted.

And in my son's case today, I encourage him to write how he feels or what he thinks.

He writes small notes to me.

And sometimes, like maybe after answering an activity book, my son surprises me with his notes.
( e.g. " I love you mom. ")

I must say keeping a journal, writing love letters or just writing plain notes would encourage children to be more expressive and articulate.

They not only help give their written words and own literature spontaneity, but personality as well.

Today, I write like I am just talking to a friend.

As if to someone, I could open my heart and share my thoughts with.

Something in the line of , " Dearest Alej, ".

So which is why, I guess, my style of writing had been influenced by that journal from long ago.

I have thousands of things to thank my mother for.

And those are just five of the thousands.

Thanks Mom, they helped me read and write.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

Location:Manila, Philippines

The Wise Man from the South

2013-05-10T04:43:00.001-07:00

The Wise Man from the South. ( REVISED )

My Dad was born and raised in the island of Camiguin, in the town of Catarman to be exact.

http://pierangeliangsen.blogspot.com/2012/04/camiguin-island.html

His parents valued education like he did.

He is a very hardworking man.

Being the business man that he is, his business ventures helped him send us to good schools and buy us good books.

His printing shop opened at eight a.m. and closed at six p.m.

The karaoke bar and restaurant opened at around the same time the shop closed.

He slept around two am and woke up at five or six a.m. He rarely got to sleep.

He is a “stage dad”, literally and figuratively.

He always got to be “on stage” to pin medals and help receive awards.

He somehow managed, to attend school activities like quiz bees, math olympiads, elocution contests, closing ceremonies and sportsfests,
pinspite of his busy schedule.

He never failed to be there, in ALL the milestones of our lives.

There was this time, when one of my brothers took his oath taking at the Manila Hotel. ( He was to pledge-in then, as a newly licensed Civil Engineer. )

We were very much aware then, that our finances surely, could not allow a round trip plane ticket for any of our parents to be with him.

So, I being the one working here in Manila that time, was the one designated to accompany him.

As we left my apartment, my father suddenly sent a message that he was already waiting for us at the hotel.

Having envisioned him to be in the province, we just shrugged it off as one of my dad’s usual antics.

And how surprised was my brother and I, when indeed,
in the middle of the lobby of the Manila Hotel, stood my father in his well ironed barong and brief case.

I knew it meant so much to my brother, for a second there, I knew tears welled in his eyes.

Daddy believes so much, in each of us, that none of us felt that we are inferior to another.

He talks about us to other people, as if we are the greatest children a parent could ever have.

But sometimes to our mortification he does go overboard.

He once paraded in a shirt which said “ Taga U.P. Mga Anak Ko?” written on front
and to our chagrin had a back that said,
“Eh Sa ‘Yo ? "

But then again, my two sisters Mirzi and Steffi who both finished with flying colors from the university,
should be genuinely relieved that the shopping center never sold,
“ Cum Laude Mga Anak Ko” for there would be no argument as to which patron would purchase the most.

Or had there been a shirt that read as,
" Licensed Engineers " or " Registered Nurses " or
" Programmer Analysts " mga anak ko,
(for he has two of each.)
then he most likely would be parading in it.

There also was this particular time, when one of my brothers, who, after having passed his engineering board exam,
got the shock of his life,
when the local radio station Bombo Radyo CdeO
began congratulating him on air, every thirty minutes or so.

And this of course, years later, inspite of my other two siblings staunch disapproval, did not exempt them,
from hearing their names over and again on the radio,
for having passed their respective engineering and nursing board exams.

My mom’s words really were “ si daddy pa, uk-uk nalang ang wala na hibalo.”
(with daddy, only the bugs are the ones not aware”... of his children's achievements that is. )

All these of course, used to make me cringe until I became a parent myself; you can never be more proud of anyone else than your children.

Admittedly, their achievements are your glory because a part of you is in them.

Inspite having eight children, my dad never made us feel that we had nothing.

He just made us think, that we may not have a lot but we had enough.

Sometime in 1991 at Kalayaan dormitory, in one of my rare “neighboring” ( read as :chatting the night away and pigging out in another person’s room beyond curfew hours ), the topic that came to be was " parents' sacrifices ".

A dorm mate who came from Cagayan de Oro City, volunteered a story, related to her by her dad.

Her dad told her of a passenger he rode with, in the Superferry going home to CdeO.

He shared a bunk across his.

At first he said, the man seemed very arrogant when it surely showed, he had no penny to his pocket, for they went together to the ship’s canteen during mealtime.

The man he said “just had coffee" for breakfast,
had the most inexpensive viand for lunch
and just had the free soup for dinner.”

Then upon getting to know the man, my dorm mate’s dad said that what he mistook as conceit, was actually pure confidence and pride.

He was most especially very proud of his children and their achievements .

And in fact, he was to be envied, for he seemed pretty optimistic, that his children will turn out well.

I did not wait for my dorm mate to mention, if the man his dad rode with, had eight children. ( which she did of course.)

Tears already clouded my vision, for I remembered my mom’s exact words:

“ si daddy baya paghuman hatud sa imo diha sa U.P. , wala na siyay kwarta.
Ni sakay siya sa Superferry wala halos kaon-kaon, gigutom pag abot dinhi sa balay.”

( “your daddy did not have money anymore, after leaving you there in U.P.
He rode the Superferry with almost nothing to eat and he was very hungry when he reached home.")

This was after he bought me a brand new watch, a new shirt and some stuff for the dorm.

Not to mention the relatively large allowance he left me with.

And this was without any hint whatsoever of his pockets being empty.
The boat ride must have taken thirty eight hours really.( roughly a day and a half )

I could not imagine how a seemingly-arrogant-person like him, had managed to look alright despite the hunger and the exhaustion.

I really do not know how that had affected me but since then, I vowed that I will surely return my father’s sacrifices.

My dad dreamed with us and through God’s grace, it was not put in vain.

Dad did everything to place us where we are right now.

Today, my Dad still gets free meals and free soups,
but this time, it's on us.

I and my two sisters, Steffi and Mirzi went to U.P. Diliman.
( And the TWO of them finished CUM LAUDE. )

My youngest brother Geo is a Programmer for Accenture.

My brother Marco is a Programmer Analyst also for Accenture.

My brother Vito is a Civil Engineer for SMDC.

My brother Gierek, also an Engineer, an Electronics Communication Engineer,
is now a banker working for a bank in Singapore.

He is married to my beautiful and kind sister in law, Rubinette, also a banker.
My sister Pia is a registered nurse.

My youngest sister Steffi is now on her fourth year at U.P. Law.

I am married to my husband Richard Ang Sen. We have one child.

My sister Mirzi not only has a Business Economics degree but
she is also a registred nurse.

She is married to my brother-in-law Jong Rañoja, a chiefmate for a foreign shipping line.
They have two children.

Eversince, I have always made sure that people knew, how all of us,
eight kids: four girls and four boys turned out.

Even if others might get tired, of hearing me talk about it,
or read my writings about it.

It is because our feat, had always been my foot note, reference point and bibliography when the thesis, on the importance of fatherhood vis á vis motherhood, needed to be affirmed.

HAVING EIGHT CHILDREN is no laughing matter and providing for their education is an even less amusing crusade.

It is disheartening of course, when we sometimes read about young people who take their own lives for the lack of college tuition.

Imagine the pain of those children's parents, the fathers most especially.

A pain brought about not only, for not having been able to provide for their children's education,
but perhaps also, for not having been able to INSPIRE their children, to believe and keep on fighting, whatever obstacles come their way.

( may it be college tuitions, bills, rejection or a broken heart.)

Dad would always say this line: " Daug gihapon bisag gi daug -daug. "

Something like, " 'Think like a winner, even if you may be losing a lot."

We are very grateful that Dad did those, for all of us,
not to mention having chosen our Mom to be his partner in life.
And Mom too, for having chosen Dad.

He is the Captain of our ship, through the calm and the storm, he took hold of our future, just by believing in all of us.

We are now living " that future."

He made us claim it, now we own it.

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

" Finding My True North. "

2013-04-12T14:54:00.001-07:00

A road trip.

A convoy composed of ten vehicles.

A group comprised of fifteen families.

An assembly of dried fish vendors and their families, all taking that much needed vacation.

Northbound.

" ARE WE THERE YET? ",
should be the most overrated question of the day, err, night to be precise.
( we left Manila, 7 o'clock in the evening.)

A twelve hour road trip is serious matter.

( Most especially for my husband who made the ultimate sacrifice of driving, during the entire trip.)

It was our first longest road trip as a family.
It was our first trip to Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.
It was also our first caravan trip so to speak, as we were travelling with other families, as well.

Most, if not all, had that trip as a first, to the Ilocos Region.
Everyone was responsible for each other, while having to look after the cars, ahead and/or behind us.

Not to mention, the numerous pit stops which included,
having to wait for three other cars,
that took the old road through Tarlac City, instead of taking the exit at SCTEX.
Then of course, having to regroup later on, at Gerona, Tarlac.

Then there is of course, us, who were following the lead of two other cars,
which suddenly back tracked, after having realized that the direction taken,
had a sign that read:

" To Baguio ."

( Had we not, then this blog piece you are presently reading, would have been about strawberries, PMA and Baguio City, instead.)

It had also made me conclude that the words, gas station and free range chicken were actually forgotten synonyms for the word, STOP.

You most surely would, when you saw any one of them along the road.

The way leading to Ilocos, terrain and all, appealed to me,
as something that took the more serious sides, to the meaning of the words,
BEND, CURVE AND FORK.

I now see all of them, in the same light, as OVERTAKE and O.M.G.

BUT IT WILL ALWAYS BE WORTH IT.

Not that I could say the same for my husband, who must have been exhausted, driving all the way, just to bring us there.

But I guess, having seen our son enjoy his vacation, might had made it all his while.
I, on the other hand, am just grateful.

Most especially someone like me, who was born and raised in Mindanao.

I've always had the least of all chances, to frequent the north.

In addition to that, my perception on " places in the Philippines ", aside from my own, was as lonely as the words in my gradeschool text books.

Besides, our history books' words did not leap from the pages, just as those did, in story books.

( The story of Lam-ang would be a better read for me, than the place called Concepcion, where Gregorio del Pilar died defending Pasong Tirad. )

Therefore, the beautiful people, the picturesque land, the rich history of what embodied the place, pertained to as Ilocos Region,
was to the best of my knowledge, represented in my mind only, as a mere chapter of a Zaide history book:

Chapter 3: The Ilocos Region

Sad but true.

Admittedly, my knowledge on the captivating north was just too naive if not ignorant.

Something that could be enumerated as,
Diego Silang, Gabriela Silang , Tirad Pass, President Ferdinand Marcos,
Manang Biday, Tobacco and the 1991 Film,
" Hihintayin Kita sa Langit" which was shot entirely in Pagudpud.

But all that, had changed.

A very special thank you, to my husband who brought us there.

My son enjoyed his vacation immensely, for he did not want to part with the beach, the pool and the sun.

I, on the other hand was in commune with nature, as I strolled along the shoreline of Pagudpud.

I definitely enjoyed our stay at Hannah's Beach Resort, Pagudpud.

I felt a different sense of awareness while walking, on the cobblestone covered street of Calle Crisologo where the old spanish houses were.

The trip had enriched my vocabulary pretty much, with shall we say, beautiful " sight words " such as:
" Pilapil, tanawin, bukid, bundok at lawa."

A far cry, from how it used to be a week ago.

What used to be, just a mere chapter of a book, in my mind, had now turned into, a recollection of a beautiful vacation.

It was a vacation filled with treasures of rich experiences, interesting historical information, naturally beautiful sceneries and of course, undeniably palatable dishes.

Despite the long drive, the sunburn and the prickly heat, nothing compared to the fun we had and the knowledge acquired.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN...
NO BRAIN.

Best believe, I have found my true North!

All in three dimension and true living color.

It is more fun in the Philippines!

Pagudpud beach front

Pagudpud: Hannah's Beach Resort
http://www.hannahsbeachresort.com/

Paoay Church

Malacañang of the North

Vigan City: Baluarte

Vigan City: Hidden Garden

Vigan City : Old Spanish Houses at Calle Crisologo

Vigan City: Cafe Uno

Lechon Baka
( not necessarily an Ilokano dish, but we thank our host for this treat.)

Thank you to our host in Laoag City, Manang Dioning and her family.
( salamat sa lechon baka at lechon pabo.)

Thank you to our host in Vigan City, Kuya Alex and his family.
( especially Ella, who brought us around.)

Thank you for the company,
to the families and members of The Dried Fish Association of Balut, Tondo.
( Simple lang ang buhay sa tuyo, pero rock!)

And of course, thank you to my husband, Richard Ang Sen, for bringing us there.
#kuyagerms #walangtulugan #extrajoss

- Posted using BlogPress from Pier Angeli's mini iPad

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A Speaking Engagement

2013-03-19T01:30:00.001-07:00

May I assume, that perhaps it is my son's gift of gab, wit and verbal skills that reflected on me.

His pre-school invited me, to speak to parents and guests of the entire school for the school's closing ceremony,
while I myself was wondering, if I could still speak to a crowd.

Presently, the avid listeners I could confidently hold as avid fans, are but two people, a five year old and a grown up.

So my husband and my child could not count as listeners, for they have unwillingly agreed,
I am The Speaker of The House.

The last time I faced an audience, was when I was appointed emcee for my previous company's christmas event.
(that or no christmas bonus.)

Or that the large audience I have last addressed to, was a class limited to thirty students.
( a requirement for a communications-3 class, in college.)

And it was but eons ago, when both my parents were in attendance and listened to me speak. ( an oratorical contest back in highschool.)

My audience: children, parents and grandparents.

" It is because education is a legacy of a generation."

It is my love for my son that made me speak at Phil-Am Life Auditorium in front of about two hundred people, I guess.

( a mother's love would have been an apt title.)

I surprised even myself, as ad-libs, came out naturally
and many of my words, were not from the original piece I wrote.

And I even omitted two words, " and choosing " from the sentence :

" Therefore, I thank all the teachers for teaching (and choosing ) a career in teaching ..."

And while listening to my speech, it came out all differently.

It made me really laugh hard, for I did not even notice it, till after watching the video posted on facebook.

( Thank you Marlon Bondoc for the vid. )

I stand corrected dear audience. :)

But I stand proud as Rafa's Mom, always.

For METAMORPHOSIS 2013
by Pier Angeli Ang Sen

Goodmorning to all of us here and congratulations.

Congratulations, to the children, for having accomplished, a school year of learning, through a remarkable pre-school experience.

- to Mommy Emi, to all the teachers and the staff of the school, for the hardwork and dedication, in providing our children, the teaching expertise and developmental activities, that we parents, cannot fulfill at home.

- and of course, to the parents like myself, for having given, all the love and support, to our children, who at these impressionable ages, need them, the most.

This morning, may I quote Isaac Newton, when he said,

"If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

Just as he had attributed his successes to past thinkers, us, parents, on the other hand, we want the best for our children.

We want them to be, on a vantage point - with the upper hand.

We want them, to have the best of what life has to offer,
that perhaps in our own childhood, we might have missed and have not experienced.

We want them to expand their viewpoints and broaden their horizons.

THEREFORE, WE WANT OUR CHILDREN, TO STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS.

So that even as SMALL children, they may see more,
learn more and experience more, of everything that there is to life.

We want them to show up for life,
knowledgeable, well equipped and confident in every aspect.

SO, with that in mind, my husband and I, spoke of, having to enroll our child in a good pre-school.

But of course it was only when we were at it, that we realized
that the hopes, for the best pre-school,
proved to be as challenging if not taxing,
as that of applying for the university or choosing a career path.

Pre-school will be crucial for our child, since it would be one, of his first experiences with school.

It is more significant than investing on something, like buying a house or a car.

It is an investment that would directly affect our child's perception of school.

" Mahirap pala. "

And I am sure many of you parents, here, were just like my husband and I when we were scouting for a school, for our child.

" Nag google, nag internet, nag search ng blog."
" Kung sinu-sino na ang aming napagtanungan. "

We have asked family, friends , acquaintances even friends of relatives and family.

We asked around and walked into several schools, as we sought for high recommendations.

Even my wallpost on a popular social network would read as ,

" Can anyone please recommend a good pre-school somewhere in this so and so , area. "

You see, my son learning his Abcs and his 123s, were not necessarily primary objectives, we wanted for him.

But then again, we ALSO wanted a school, that will provide him structure and organization at the same time.

We wanted him to read and write, not because he was forced to,
or that I have coerced him, because other kids could already do so.

But we just wanted him to love and enjoy going to school,
for we know, eventually, everything else will follow.

So we found ourselves one day at MSS , sitting in front of Teacher Haidee, anxious and hopeful, while partially enumerating, what my husband and I had in mind for our son, which were:

First, we wanted our child, to love going to school.

Second, we wanted him to look forward to seeing his teachers everyday.

Third, we wanted him to enjoy being with his classmates.

Fourth, we wanted him to miss school, when he is away from it.

And lastly, we wanted him to learn how to read and of course write, English and Chinese.

At the end of this school year, our expectations were in fact, met.

As we saw in his worksheets, he could now read and write a few words in English
and some characters in Chinese.

He knows his consonants and vowels enough to have known
the usage of " A " and " An "
He could now figure out " opposites "
He now knows how to add and subtract.

Moreover, his out-of-the-classroom experiences had enriched him greatly.

( - from having ridden a fire truck, an ambulance
and then riding the jeepney with his classmates,
to buying and selling in a mercato. )

He enjoyed school.

We know he did, as proven with that time after, the school brought them to a popular fastfood chain.

He of course ranted about how big the fridge was,
how he made a sandwich and how he was able to place his orders, with the order takers of Jollibee.

He was, I guess pleased with himself, for having imparted to me and my husband, information that us his parents, know little of.

My husband and I of course, have not gone beyond the dining area of jollibee.

Unlike my son, who now has a better understanding on how the chicken and fries looked like, when they were not served yet.

These are experiences, which my husband and I, could not provide for our son.

And we thank the school for having given those to our child.

The school was able to feed his curiosity using the right tools, that would prepare him for the big school and life in general.

Oh, but of course, my son is as playful as he was before , for he still roams around the classroom like he was just playing around.

But I thank the teachers and staff of the school, for their patience,
and the discipline, that they have infused in my son.

They were able to instill structure and organization in my child's play.

In his play, he was learning.

Thank you Teacher Coco, Teacher Gelaine, Laosher Mimi and Yaya Vicky.

Most importantly, school seem so appealing to him now.

I too, must also mention that the teachers in this school are very talented.

They could have brought their talents and gifts somewhere else.

Like for example, Laosher Boon.

A very good dancer, agree?

Yet, even with her great talent in dancing, she chose to teach.

So thank you, Laosher .

Our children are now learning, because you chose to teach.

Therefore, I thank all the teachers for teaching and choosing a career in teaching,
and teaching younger children at that.

Had you not chosen to be teachers, then our children would not have been priveleged, to learn from all of you.

I thank you also, Mommy Emi, for choosing your teachers well.

Thank you for running the school efficiently.

Thank you for providing the mould, for the little children.

And my husband and I , also pray that God will bless us with one more child,
so we will have a " Caterpillar " next time,
to enroll here, at M.S.S.

Today, I, together with my husband, stand prouder, as parents,
because we did the right thing for our son.

We brought him to this school.

Thank You , M.S.S

And to all the parents like myself, may we all continue to believe in our children just as the teachers and the school do.

Thank you, to all of us here , for we are the GIANTS, whose shoulders, the children perch upon.

And someday when they will become giants themselves,
they will thank us, for the patience and sacrifices we have made, for all of them.

Thank you everyone, and a good day.
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