Merry Christmas Daddy

Hi Dad,

I wanted to talk to you today, however, I know that you know how my situation is nowadays. I hope I didn't disappoint you. I'm going to visit again, soon.

I worried about you last night. Is it cold there? It must be such a crappy feeling to be all alone at Christmas. I know that feels. I experienced that. Can't help but cry in a corner. Did you see me long for the warmth of family? I don't want to go through that again. I'm staying put. No more working abroad.

Dad, I wanted to give back some of the blessings I received this year. I made a personal promise to feed a hungry child at Christmas. Guess what? I did not find one single hungry street child. They must have been out caroling. I decided to feed a homeless man instead. I prepared a meal pack containing a slab of grilled pork, some beef steak and potatoes, hot steamed rice and some fruit. I searched the neighborhood for him, I knew he always made a bed for himself in the jeepney waiting shed. When I found him huddled against the wall of the elementary school, I immediately gave him the paper bag with the food in it and said "Merry Christmas! Here's some food for you. C'mon and eat while its still hot." This man looked up at me - the very first time I actually saw his face, and in a very soft voice he said "Thank you." He put the paper bag beside him and fell silent again. I spoke to him once more and said "Please eat." He did not look up anymore. I started walking home after greeting him Merry Christmas one more time. 

I did not know how good it feels to be able to do good to somebody who has nothing in life. Such a small gesture but it feels like I've made a difference in someone's life. Dad, I will be doing this again with every milestone achievement I make in life. I will be paying it forward from now on.

I hope you had a good Christmas where you are. I guess you did. You're with grandma and grandpa, and with your brother and sister. You're at the peak of your health and free from all pain. Most importantly, you are with Jesus and His Choirs of Angels.  I keep forgetting that you are not there in that cold place under the ground. You are with God and all the angels in heaven and that you are watching over us. Your tombstone is just a reminder that you have moved on to a better place.

Merry Christmas, Dad. I love you so much and I terribly, terribly miss you.

Hugs and kisses,

Eileen

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" - Uncovered

On my home from work everyday, I pass by the church to say a little prayer of thanks for the blessings I have received for the day. This particular church, the Pope John Paul II Parish Church (formerly The Holy Family Parish) in Eastwood City is a beautiful little church in the middle of a high end residential and business district.

The Church's foyer has little prayer booklets and reading materials that are given free to parishioners. Yesterday, I picked up a little reading material which really caught my attention. I am sharing it with you.

The Real Meaning of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

Much more than a haunting melody with nonsensical lyrics, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written by the English Jesuits during the 15th century as a catechetical device.

By Father Edward T. Dowling, S.J. (Source: catholic.net)

I'm sure you have all head the Christmas carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." with its haunting melody. The carol dates back to the 15th century and its precise author is unknown. It has generally been assumed to consist of twelve nonsense verses built around a pretty melody. But in a fascinating article in Our Sunday Visitor (12/20/92), Fr. Gilhooley, a chaplain at St. Mary's College, informs us that the carol was written by the English Jesuits of the 16th century as a catechetical device and it is far from filled with non sensical verses.

The carol is akin to the apocalyptic literature of Scripture that used to obscure symbols to hide its true meaning from the enemy in time of persecution. To understand the background that gave rise to the carol, let us look briefly at the history of Catholicism in the 16th century England.

When Henry VIII was rebuffed by Rome in his bid to divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, he declared himself head of the Church in England replacing the Pope and demanded that all swear an oath of allegiance to him as such. St. Thomas More, the Chancellor of the Realm, the equivalent of the Prime Minister today, refused the oath supporting the elimination of the Pope's authority and Henry had him publicly beheaded. Catholic convents and monasteries were closed and looted. The situation was worse under his son, Edward VI, and better during the short reign of Catherine's daughter, Mary Tudor. She was succeeded by her half sister Elizabeth I, an ardent Protestant, the daughter of Anne Boleyn. The practice of the Catholic faith was banned. Priests were exiled and forbidden under the pain of death from returning or performing the sacraments. It was a desperate, dreadful time.

With this as a background we can see the need for secrecy and deception 'The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written to educate the faithful in the doctrines of the faith and yet not be so obvious to the persecutors. The numbers are simply a mnemonic to help Catholics remember some basic facts.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany.

"My true love" refers to God and "me" is the individual Catholic. "Twelve lords are leaping" are the twelve basic beliefs of the Catholic Church as outlined in the Apostles Creed. The "Eleven pipers piping" are the eleven Apostles that remained faithful after the treachery of Judas. The "Ten ladies dancing" are the Ten Commandments. The "Nine drummers drumming" are the nine choirs of angels. The "Eight maids a milking" are the Eight Beatitudes. The "Seven swans are swimming" are the Seven Sacraments. The "Six geese are laying" are the 6 days of creation. The "Five Golden Rings" are the first five books of the Old Testament called Torah, which is generally considered the most sacred and important of all the Old Testament. The "Four Calling Birds" are the four Gospels. The "Three French Hens" are the three persons in God. The "Two Turtle Doves" represents the two natures in Jesus - human and divine. The "partridge" is the piece de resistance or Jesus himself and "the pear tree" is the cross.

Fr. Edward Dowling is the author of  Have You Heard the Good News. Reprinted with permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Say a Prayer for the World this Christmas

Ten days before Christmas and I have come across this video on youtube. It opened up all emotions and tears started flowing down my face. The unspeakable pain of Mary watching her child suffer and not being able to help Him. 

In this Blessed Season, please take a moment away from all the festivities and say a silent prayer of thanks. Through Mary, our Lord Jesus was born to offer His Life to save us from our sins. May we put it in our hearts that in this season of giving, let us share our blessings with the less fortunate. Teach our children to be loving and compassionate towards others.

Keep in mind all those who are far away from their families; the homeless; the orphans; the sick and dying; the victims of war and famine. Say a prayer for the world. 

I am thankful to have been raised a Catholic and I am proud of my Christian faith. I am paying it forward by feeding a hungry child this Christmas. Please do the same if you can.

If you have never thought about exploring religion for yourself, now is a better time than ever. Check out these Living Church of God reviews today to find out more.

My prayers of peace and happiness to everyone. Have a blessed Celebration of Christ's Birth. 

"And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of God shone around them and they were terribly frightened;  and the angel said to them "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for all people; for today in the city of David, there has been born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger." (Luke 2: 9-12)

Video credits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbysUxwQqNQ

How I keep my Sanity - A Decade Long Dilemma

I have been working for the Call Center Industry in the Philippines for a decade, and the best way to describe this experience is that everyday is a wild ride. I have made lifelong friends, some of whom have moved on to different careers, while others are now living and working abroad. The younger ones have saved enough money to go ahead and finish their college courses. I have met all sorts of people, some warm and friendly, some funny as hell, others are snotty, and of course, the members of the Royal Legion of Brown Nosers (can't have any company without them brown nosers!) 

A decade of doing the night shift can make you go crazy. Lacking sleep, having to deal with fast food for sustenance, and infinite trips to the coffee vending machine is the norm. I try to make my life easier by having a "touch of home" in my workplace. I have come to a point where I am already experiencing SSA or Severe Separation Anxiety.

In the past three companies I worked with as a Quality Analyst including the present company I work for now, I always have my little stuffed bear with me. I have a reason for this. I call my hubby "Poppa Bear." During those long hours at work, I maintain my sanity with my little stuffed bear sitting on my desk. This is one way to keep the feeling of connection with home and family. 

Another motivation strategy that I use is to keep pictures of my loved ones pinned on my wall. Instead of cluttering my cork board with schedules and reminders, I use most of the space with pictures of my family. Every time I look away from my computer monitor, I see the smiling faces of my angels.

In another company I worked with, my buddies and I had a standing joke about Manny Pacquiao's mispronounciation of the word "ethic." He pronounced it as "itik," a Filipino word which means "duck." Since then, the "WORK ITIK" was born. We had little rubber ducks on our work stations - to remind us of our "work itiks" (work ethics). We all had different kinds, one with a surfboard, one dressed as a ballerina (complete with a tutu). Mine was dressed in a blue printed Hawaiian shirt. I taped a little paper umbrella behind him and positioned him in such a way that it seemed like it was always looking at me, to remind me of the company's work ethics.

Unfortunately, we had a fall out with the way the company was being managed. It seemed that everyday, there was a new "corporate realignment" going on. We lost our best managers. We were stifled with very strict guidelines that would seem beneficial only for robots, not human beings. Slowly, we felt that the company was losing its work ethic. And so, we had to change our desktop mascots to define our sentiment. We named it "The death of the 'Work Itiks'" 

I have experienced working long, long LONG hours. Going overtime even on an 11-hour, 4 day work week. I felt that I needed an intravenous line started, and a catheter and urine bag so that I would no longer have any reason to leave my seat. It was so stressful that my brain refused to process information and left me stumped. For a time, I used the picture below as my desktop wallpaper at work.

It will still be a few more years before I leave the corporate world. My boys are still in college right now and they are the force behind my patience and perseverance. In this industry, most have gone gaga over gadgets, parties, team building activities, or out of town drinking sessions. I am part of the minority. My priorities are still Family, Home, FAMILY. I am proud of being just that - a homebody. I guess that is better than being a "somebody" at work, but a turns out to be a "nobody" at home. Priorities change when responsibility sets in.

It is amazing how workers of the Call Center Industry In the Philippines maintain their sanity. No matter how unforgiving the corporate world can be, at the end of the day, I still come home to the warmth of family life. Happiness and contentment replaces frustration and physical exhaustion.

I have kept a poem sent to me by my colleague when I first started out in this business. In parting, allow me to share it with you:

Midnight coffee,

Birthday pizzas,

Accentuated English,

Dashing clothes,

Irate customers,

Mood music in cabs,

So much money,

but so little time.

Late night parties 

and sunrise beer.

Crush on Team Leads,

The fight for appraisals,

Die hard friendships

and tears for love.

Nothing missing

Just everything!

People call it Call centers.

WE CALL IT LIFE.

Decorating a Child's room: Creativity within Budget

A child's creativity peaks at around the age before he/she starts school. By the time they are of school age, their potential declines as they become more preoccupied with schoolwork. To encourage them to keep their creative juices flowing, careful planning must be done to renovate and decorate their niche - their bedroom. 

Decorating a child's room must be done is such a way to make it more ergonomic, comfortable and cozy. It is in their bedroom where their ideas are formed, when play time allows a child goes into his own imaginative world, where they are allowed to express their feelings.

A reputable company, nurserykidsdecals.com allows us parents to do just that - encourage our children's creativity. They provide beautiful and amazing baby wall stickers in bright colors. I love their nature and animal designs. It creates awareness of the beauty of nature in a young child's eyes. The smiling animals, pretty flowers and colorful trees encourage a child's imagination and happy playtime.

Big Eyed Baby Owls and Butterflies on a Tree design

Colorful tree and colorful animals decal design

As the child grows older, he/she may need a little more personalized design for their room. Not to worry, there are hundreds of baby wall sticker designs to suit every age. There are princess castle designs, robots, and quotes. 

The best part of it is that these decals are outrageously affordable and easy to install. Made of the company's innovative self adhesive woven fabric, these decals are removable and reusable. Simply remove the decal from its backing paper and position on a clean wall. Because there are no special tools, glues or pastes needed, these decals will not damage your walls. Innovative, classy and fun. 

Visit the website at http://nurserykidsdecals.com and choose from their wide variety of baby wall sticker designs and other products. All with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

Let's foster our child's creativity and imagination. They will, after all, be the innovators of tomorrow.

The New "DO RE MI"

Found this on the web and thought I could share some smiles with you today.

Pretend you find yourself zapped into the set of "The Sound of Music" and you were asked to sing "Do Re Mi"

Here goes:

DOUGH.. the stuff that buys me beer
RAY...the guy who sells me beer
ME...the one who drinks the beer
FAR...the distance to my beer
SO...I think I'll have a beer
LA...la la la la la beer
TEA... No thanks, I have my beer
That will bring us back to..(Looking at an empty mug in hand)
DOUGH!!!

Happy Sunday!

I Love Wine up to the Last Bottle

I love having friends and family at home. I love the warm feeling of belonging and sharing stories about life. I do not mind spending hours in the kitchen, preparing a wonderful meal for my guests. Their compliments on my cooking expertise are just priceless. 

However, as the cliche goes, it is difficult to satisfy everyone. This happened to me once, when a close friend gave an honest opinion about the wine I served. I admit, I rushed myself into picking up just "a bottle of wine" at the local wine store. This dear friend referred me to Last Bottle Wines. She told me about their amazing way of providing me the best bottle of wine for any occasion. Curiosity got the best of me and I started getting online to read about this company. I loved what I saw at the Last Bottle Wines Homepage. Aside from getting up to 75% off the retail price per bottle of wine, I can sign up for my own account and get an instant 2% credit per purchase! Their referral scheme is wonderful! As a client, I could get $20 credit in my account when I refer my friends, and these friends will also get a $5 credit when they purchase! Great deal! I have never received such valued treatment before. That's not all they offer. This company gives me an additional $25 credit if I happen to be the customer who buys the actual "last bottle" of a particular wine being offered. Fantastic! That's not all. Last Bottle Wines also has free shipping when you buy more than one bottle. With these prices, how could you not?! 

Choosing your bottle of wine is a breeze. I can simply go online to see the wine of the day at lastbottlewines.com. I can read about every detail - the wine variety, vineyard source, age, and alcohol content. No shady deals, I would say. Last Bottle Wines sells over 1 million dollars worth of discounted wines a month. However, discounted prices do not necessarily mean that the quality is also cheap. The people behind Last Bottle Wines have spent decades building trust with the best wineries, brokers and distributors giving us the assurance that we get quality wine at the best prices. Being based in Napa Valley gives the company an edge over its competitors. To stand testament to their good business, Food and Wine lists Last Bottle as Top Ten online wine shops. Amazing!

I am totally sold. As a way of paying it forward, I will refer my friends too. I would love to share this great find to them and make their family gatherings a memorable experience. This holiday season, I will be the perfect hostess. My guests would enjoy good food, good wine and good company. 

I raise my glass to Last Bottle Wines!

This is a sponsored post by Markerly for Last Bottle Wines. I have been compensated for my time and all opinions are my own.

Send Hope

An appeal to your kind hearts. Please help my beautiful Philippines.

Post by Its More Fun In The Philippines.

Typhoon Yolanda: How she snuffed the life out of countless innocents

Recently I published a post about my beautiful country, the Philippines. Today, despite the havoc brought about by the super typhoon Yolanda, my Philippines is still beautiful. It is the pure heart and compassion of everyone to help each other to start anew. There has been pictures going around and the best that I like is - "The Filipino Spirit is stronger than any typhoon." Very true. 

"Haiyan" is the international name of the typhoon that hit my Philippines. The irony of it is that the name "Haiyan" sounds the same as the Filipino word "Hayan" which means "There it is."

I am sharing you some pictures of the devastation of the storm that ravaged central Philippines. With over 10,000 feared dead, my beautiful Philippines has now been placed under a state of calamity. 

 

View more pictures here: http://news.ph.msn.com/aftermath-of-typhoon-haiyan-in-the-philippines-9

We appeal for your help. Filipinos, let us stand together and rebuild the homes and lives of our brothers in Central Philippines, most specially, those in Tacloban, Leyte. Give the poor children a Christmas to look forward to. 

To my friends and readers in other countries, please pray for us.

Music, Leisure and Sports

Music player technology has improved so much in the past few years. Music and leisure always go hand in hand. People walk around with headsets listening to their personal playlists. But how about those who live a more active lifestyle? The ancient practice of fitness enthusiasts was to do their routines to the beat of gym owner's music of choice or use regular in-ear headsets if they want to listen to their own music. Sports and outdoor folks who want to take their music with them have to be content with using bulky headphones. The only drawback was the risk of  these headsets slipping off or sweat damaging the device itself.
 

Today, we say goodbye to such problems. Jaybird has introduced Bluebuds X with Liquipel. Its Sweat Repellant Nano Technology provides a lifetime warranty against damage due to sweat. It has a patented secure fit for the active lifestyle. Bluebuds X is the MVP of secure fit wireless buds. Reasonably priced, Bluebuds X is a wise investment for sports, outdoor and fitness enthusiasts. With this new technology, we can engage in our favorite sport without having to part with our music.

As a mother of three music lovers actively engaged in their own sport, Jaybird's Bluebuds X is just the right headset for them. And its for made for me too! Now I can wash the dishes, do the laundry, vacuum, mop and do other tasks without listening to the drone of those household appliances. What is more exciting is I can now do my dance exercise routines without my kids complaining about me playing "ancient jurassic" music.

Oh and did I mention that Jaybird is giving away one free headset everyday? Join now and you might be the next recipient of this wonderful product!

It time to get into those sweat pants and cross trainers, ladies!

This is a sponsored post. I have been compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.