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i know that the world stopped and watched with bated breath the much awaited oath-taking of the president of the United States of America – Barack Obama. watching the rites on television, i could not helped but admire the great US of A. it is but befitting to call them a superpower. it reaffirmed my belief that there is no place like the US of A, when it comes to democracy – how they welcome the people of different colors into their country, live there and called them their own. and of course, i am but proud to say that, because they welcomed charice, and let her performed in this momentous event. she is not, an American citizen but a Filipino. and she sang GOD BLESS AMERICA! what a feat! i guess it will not be long, charice will become an American citizen soon. and i don't know whether to be sad, for our country will loss a world-class performer or be happy for her that eventually her dreams will come true. anyway, to charice - GOD BLESS!!!

i’ve had a feeling that 2008 dealt me a very bad blow. First, there was the uncertainty of my job. Second, it took both of my parents away. Father left us last April, and mother just last December 30. I’m still feeling the loss. We are. I’ve felt I lost a part of me. A very essential part. And I’m hurting. So much so, that I felt I’m floating and just flowing with the tide. I felt that I lost an anchor. We (my siblings) were so focused on them for years. They were our reason for getting together on special occasions - birthdays, Christmases, new years, coming home, weddings, fiestas, successes, losses. They were our tradition that we are trying to impart to our children. And suddenly, they were gone. Of course, we have our families to turn to. But still the feeling that we lost something vital in our lives is palpable. How can we celebrate again? Maybe that is what Father Andy (a family friend) felt. He administered the last rites of both my parents. He told us that there is a reason why Mama left us on this particular day- she wanted us to be together on Christmas and New Year and continue the tradition. Why Tatay (my father) left us on April – because he wanted us to be together on summer. Where everyone especially the kids are on vacation from school. What remained in my mind during Father Andy’s homily was what he said – that even in death, our parents were still thinking about us – their children.

it christmas time once again! and everyone's busy going to-and-fro, buying-unwanted-things-and-what-not! this is the time of the year that always amazes me. if you read in the papers and hear the news, the world economy is in tumble and how!  yet, when its christmas, everybody, somehow, got what they wish for: a new shirt, a dress, a bag, a pair of shoes, new pants. kids got their toys. food on the table. money to spent. gifts to give. and blessings to share! humanity is awash with kindness and love. everybody is wearing a smile on their faces. and it seems for a day our worries and pains are erased. just saying merry christmas to a friend, to an acquaintance, to a sister, a brother, to the parents begets a feeling of belonging and radiates to the community. sharing one's blessings on this day, has more meaning and deeper impact to the person concerned. it seems that happiness, joy, laughter, prayers and other positive feelings felt doubled or tripled.  the christmas season is abundant with goodness.

maybe this is so. GOD is rewarding us with this season blessings to lighten our burdens. recharge ourselves. renew our faith. deepen our trust in HIM. so, that with the coming new year - we will be inspired again to live our lives. appreciate our past and enrich our present. and welcome the future with gusto!

merry christmas everyone and happy holidays!!!

for the last weeks i was into meetings.meetings here and meetings there and everywhere. meeting with other agencies. keep updates on different programs and projects. meeting with an old and dear friend. keep up with the lost times. meeting with co-workers. updates on their reports. Meeting with my siblings. renew old ties and reminisce and to keep in touch with loved ones and how they were doing in their lives. meeting with the kids. to see how they are doing in their studies. meeting with the teachers. to know how they are doing in school and coping with the requirements and assignments. meeting with the provincial committees. to know if they were complying with reports. i also found out that meetings were not the same. even if with the same group, there is always that nice feeling of meeting-once again the people you like working with and living with. there is always the excitement of knowing new-news, latest updates, gossips, trends, who’s who, ad nauseum. i’d say am looking forward to the next meeting.

we were glued to the television set yesterday, watching the elections in the U S of A. it was history- in-the- making-since-day-one-of-the-campaign-period. watching the coverage in the CNN channel, i can’t helped but be amazed at the technology they employed for the viewing public to understand and comprehend their electoral processes. even my 6th grade daughter said – mama, when was their election held? i replied, today. She answered back-today?why they already have the results! And proclaimed the winner! i said, yes, because they are not in the Philippines, which takes months and years to count the votes and proclaim the winners.

i truly appreciated the computerized voting. how i wish that come 2010 when we will be electing our president, voting would be fast and results be known immediately. as far as i know, the bill proposing for computerization of the election process is still at the congress since it-was-filed-jurassic-years-ago. but then, that’s making history, too!

i can't imagine how time flies!!! its been sixty, 60, sesenta, days since i had my last blogged. thanks a lot for sending me notice - blog.co.uk. i really was behiiinnnnddddd-of-what's-happening-in-this-whole-wide-world.

what-do-you-know this day i had to really sit on the computer to read my mails, and-forward-and-answer-them. my mails were piling up soooo fast. really, i was so caught-up with surviving-and-in-keeping-my-head-above-waters that everybody passed me by. i think even the turtles passed by me. yesterday, a friend from riyadh, called me - she said i haven't answered her emails. as far as i know, i've sent a reply to her email, but she informed me that the address i sent it to was now obsolete. really! and all along i was thinking- why, she hadn't replied to my mails. maybe she's sooooo busy! i guess, i just have slow down for quiet a bit. maybe inhale-and-exhale. admire the flowers. feel the rain. listen to the sounds.

mmmmm...just maybe!!!

these days, i’m focused on surviving the rat-race and go through the motions of life. I was so focused on living day-to-day. praying. look for money. food. pray. give thanks. pray some more. money again. food again. pray more and more. give profuse thanks. and on and on. i was so caught up in this world, that when i looked-up the days, months, years had gone by.

my kids have grown. the Beijing Olympics had ended.my sister left for Norway. my niece gave birth. the town fiesta came-and-gone. the American idol-season-7 ended. the amazing race has a new season. the high school musical-is-now-in-their-final-year. tyrone has grown. the oil prices goes up and then down. the prices of commodities goes up. the Peso-Dollar exchange is on the upswing. my first son had his capping ceremonies. i’m missing my second son so much who is studying away from home. and lately, i’ve done some long walks. importantly, i haven’t been laughing for a while and haven’t said i-love-you for a long time.

GOD really love me. i know that my love ones are still there for me.

i am now experiencing what my parents were feeling when we were still in their care - meaning, still depending on them during our growing-up years. and we were eight, at that!

me, i have three kids. all in their "schooling-period". two are now in their third collegiate year, while the young one is in grade six and preparing for her high school years. being a mother, i want them to have the best in life - specially education. studying in a public school, i enrolled my children in a private school, buy them toys, clothes and things that we (my siblings) didn't/couldn't afford when we were children. their life now is much more "betterer" than ours. they have computer, ipod, celfons, television-, etc. all those "instant-things of life". they did not have to walk to school, fetch water, look for their younger siblings, share clothes, etc. i know that these are things in the past. but i can't help but look-back at the time when our parents were raising us - eight children!

now, they are only three - but this did not make our life any easier. especially when the time came - paying their tuition fees and providing their daily needs. i am hoping that despite the "era-difference" of our times, we have raised them just like what our parents did - strong, loving, responsible, GOD loving, and embracing life to the fullest.

hello, world! i was preoccupied these days - just surviving and trying to keep afloat with what life is dealing these times. but that's not what i'm going to talk about, it will just depress us. there is another thing that kept our community preoccupied.

the whole city of tacloban, is all agog about this phenomenon. one will see people looking-up-and-staring-with-their-mouths-agape. the drivers, were all taking about it. the media discussed it on air. and each-and-everyone-of-the-citizenry-were-giving-their-unsolicited-opinions
-and-their-pros-and-cons.

and what is this that have the citizenry all abuzz? well, our city just acquired their first ever (roll the drums, please!) - traffic lights!!! its a first for this city. so, you well find people congregating in these areas - watching the lights changing from red-to-yellow-to-green. and police officers guiding the people-on-how-to-cross-the-streets. you'd think that in this century-and-age, the traffic lights are a common sight? no, siree! its a first for us. and this pre-occupation will stay until the novelty-wore-off! until then - i'm off-to-see-the-lights!

for the last days, i was stumped of what was happening around the world - soaring prices of the oil, the floods, tornadoes, bushfires, etc. as much as i want to "say" something on this calamities, another one happened. i was stupefied. so i just gaped and wonder what will come mext. and he came.

tyrone is a gift. literally. at first, i have reservations in accepting him. the husband said - "why, he is cute!" when my daughter saw him, she was ecstatic! she readily cuddled him. when my son arrived from school! he was overjoyed! that leave me - alone. i declared, okey, he can stay, but just a teeny-bit-of-mistake-he-will-be-sent-out-of-our-house. so, i observed the 3 of them with tyrone. my daughter now come home early. she doesn't like going out, because tyrone would be alone. my son made it a point to come home with a piece fried chicken for tyrone. my husband asked "where-is-tyrone?" upon arriving home.and me? secretly, i am thawing. i laughed at his antics. i took pity whenever he looked at me dolefully. i reprimand them whenever they got mad at tyrone. and i asked everyone - "where is tyrone?", when i don't see him around. really, who could resist a cute black and white puppy? you're not that hard-hearted, are you?