Are You Really Rich?

It is a sad reality that we have been engulfed with a false sense of fulfillment brought about by materialism. We immerse ourselves in work to be able to get the latest gadgets, and flashy clothes. The phrase "one day millionaire" is so true when payday comes. We try to convince ourselves that it is not at all bad to partake in good times because after all, we earned our keep. True? Very.

During the Papal Visit, there were so many lessons I have learned by listening to Pope Francis' messages. I have learned not to shun the convenience of technology, but to use it to do good. Compassion towards the less fortunate, learning to weep for the marginalized, and "learning to offer your hand out of your very own poverty."

The street child, the homeless and the abandoned elderly who do not own much are those who we can turn to for wisdom. How they have learned to survive, how they never lose hope, and how they can still love despite being in dire straits. They are those that are truly rich.

I know New Years Resolutions are nothing but wishes, I hope that one day, this year 2015, I will be able to do something for someone in need. I am still coping to survive financially in this corporate jungle, however, money is not the end all and be all. I really really want to be a Messenger of Light. I would want to be able to pay it forward. This is not my wish. This will be my goal.

I am at a loss for words, just thinking of how many children are now laying down cardboard boxes on the sidewalk. How many of them will go to sleep with an empty stomach. How much more are forced to do things against their will just so that they can survive another day. Let us open our hearts to our brothers and sisters, those dressed in tattered clothes, curled up on the sidewalk, begging for food. 

We can do without most of our worldly possessions and yet be rich in faith and trust in the Lord. Let us be feel and be one with the less fortunate. They may be able to give us life lessons better than any gadget can.

James 2:5 - Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom he promised those who love Him?

Dean Electric Guitars: Easy on the Budget, High on Performance

Are you currently looking for a great sounding, easy on the budget electric guitars? Look no further. The Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar is a lightweight, high performing electric guitar you can use for practice, jamming, and small venue performance. 

Its body is handsomely crafted out of the finest paulownia hardwood, with a bolt on maple neck and rosewood fret board. Other that its visual appeal, the sound is just great. You cannot get anything better that this for the price it is currently offered. Did you ever experience first love? If not, then you surely will when you hold your very own Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar. 

The Very Touching Homily Of Pope Francis For The Survivors of Typhoon Yolanda

My country has been blessed by the arrival of the Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis. Although I did not have the chance to go to the places where he will be celebrating Mass, I watch the live, uninterrupted coverage of his visit on television. 

Seeing his smile, watching him hug the children, wave to the crowd is enough to bring me to tears. This is as close as I can get to God. There is such a strong emotion that moves me, that tells me of God's love for me. Early this morning, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Tacloban airport. It is this province that suffered the most damage and loss of lives during Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Typhoon Yolanda). At this time, a storm made landfall in the same place. Nevertheless, this was not considered an obstacle. The Pope donned a raincoat and continued to celebrate Mass and bless the hundreds of thousands of people in attendance.

Photolink

I am sharing with you the homily of His Holiness, Pope Francis.

I prefer today to speak in Spanish. I have a translator, a good translator. May I do it? [crowd responds ‘yes’] Thank you very much.

As delivered by translator

We have a high priest who is capable of sympathizing with our weaknesses. Jesus is like us. Jesus lived like us and is the same us in every respect, except sin because he was not a sinner. But to be more like us he assumed our condition and our sin. He made himself into sin. This is what St Paul tells us. And Jesus always goes before us and when we pass an experience, a cross, he passed there before us. And if today we find ourselves here 14 months afterwards, 14 months precisely after the Typhoon Yolanda hit, it is because we have the security of knowing we will not weaken in our faith because Jesus has been here before us.

In his Passion he assumed all our pain. Therefore he is capable of understanding us, as we heard in the first reading.

I’d like to tell you something close to my heart. When I saw from Rome that catastrophe I had to be here. And on those very days I decided to come here. I am here to be with you – a little bit late, but I’m here.

I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord. And he never lets us down. Father – you might say to me – I was let down because I have lost so many things, my house, my livelihood. It’s true if you say that and I respect those sentiments. But Jesus is there, nailed to the cross, and from there he does not let us down. He was consecrated as Lord on that throne and there he experienced all the calamities that we experience. Jesus is Lord. And the Lord from the cross is there for you. In everything the same as us. That is why we have a Lord who cries with us and walks with us in the most difficult moments of life.

So many of you have lost everything. I don’t know what to say to you. But the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you have lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with my silent heart. Many of you have asked the Lord – why lord? And to each of you, to your heart, Christ responds with his heart from the cross. I have no more words for you. Let us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us because he underwent all the trials that we, that you, have experienced.
And beside the cross was his Mother. We are like a little child in the moments when we have so much pain and no longer understand anything. All we can do is grab hold of her hand firmly and say “Mommy” – like a child does when it is afraid. It is perhaps the only words we can say in difficult times – “Mommy”.

Let us respect a moment of silence together and look to Christ on the cross. He understands us because he endured everything. Let us look to our Mother and, like a little child, let us hold onto her mantle and with a true heart say – “Mother”. In silence, tell your Mother what you feel in your heart. Let us know that we have a Mother, Mary, and a great Brother, Jesus. We are not alone. We also have many brothers who in this moment of catastrophe came to help. And we too, because of this, we feel more like brothers and sisters because we helped each other.

This is what comes from my heart. Forgive me if I have no other words to express myself. Please know that Jesus never lets you down. Know that the tenderness of Mary never lets you down. And holding onto her mantle and with the power that cones from Jesus’ love on the cross, let us move forward and walk together as brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Thank you very much

Mercy and compassion is the message of Pope Francis. May we all live with renewed faith in God and continue to practice acts of kindness towards our brothers and sisters in need.

Pray for peace. The world needs it.

Photolink

The Corporate Dress Code, Make-up And High Heels: Do Clothes Really Make A Person?

Before I start ranting, I need you to understand that whatever I write here is my opinion.

I, together with around 4.5 million other Filipinos work in a call center. We provide much needed customer service, technical support, and back office processing to off-shore clients. This means work may start as early as 7:00 pm to as late as 4:00 am. Our biggest clients' businesses are based in the United States, Australia, Canada, and United Kingdom. So obviously, we are not customer-facing. We attend to our clients' customers through phone calls, chat, or email. When call center agents answer a call or respond to an email, the customer does not think about what the agent is wearing. What the customer wants is for their issue to be resolved. That being said, is a dress code really necessary to provide customer service?

Is anything wrong with jeans, a tee and sneakers?

Before I get a thousand raised eyebrows, let me explain what a corporate dress code is. This means men and women are supposed to come to work in a "smart business attire." For women, it means dresses, collared blouses, knee length skirts, slacks/dress pants, pumps/heeled shoes (open toe shoes are not allowed). For the men, it is dress shirts, slacks and leather shoes. Fine. Nothing wrong with this - if you have a day job and deal with customers face to face! Night shifters dolled up like this walking to a bus stop and waiting for a ride is like an open invitation for muggers. Of course, we can always take a cab, however, that could wreck havoc on our budget.

I understand that we have to exude professionalism, because some people tend to look down at call center workers. The phrase, "Kaya ganyan yan, kasi sa call center lang nagtatrabaho," is such a insult to us, especially if it came from people who have no knowledge of the life we have.

My opinion is that you cannot judge a person by their clothes. Efficiency is not acquired from applying lipstick. 

Integrity is not an ingredient found in mascara and eye shadow.

Professionalism does not come with wearing high heels.

I would want to share an interesting article I have read a few days ago. The title of the article is "The Science of Simplicity: Why Successful People Wear The Same Thing Everyday," written by John Haltiwanger for Elite Daily. I was overjoyed that there was one person who shared my sentiment. The author mentioned such well known people such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Albert Einstein and Barack Obama. I loved how the author discussed the pros and cons of simplicity and what got me right on was this:

Yet, we might all consider simplifying our lives a bit more by reducing the amount of time we spend thinking about pointless aspects of our day. In the process, one might find that they are significantly less stressed, more productive and more fulfilled.

Oh so true!

I do not find anything wrong with jeans, as long as they are not ripped or worn "pants on the ground" style. I don't get it when sneakers or rubber shoes are not allowed at work. I really find it hard to part with my Chuck Taylors or my comfy all weather Saucony running shoes. If I had my way, the only things I would consider "inappropriate" for work are the following:

1. Leggings (yoga pants)

2. Tank tops

3. Halter tops

4. Blouses/Shirts with low necklines

5. Micro-minis/skorts

6. Statement shirts with offensive/racist designs

7. Shorts or whatever kind

8. Ripped jeans

9. Flip-flops/rubber sandals/slippers

10. Thin, flimsy or see-through shirts

In the event that clients would be doing a site visit, only then should we be required to dress in smart business attire. Don't you think this would be a better solution?

Oh well, since I am nothing but a corporate slave, I have no other option but to follow the rules no matter how much I hate it. However, I would never, as in never wear high heeled shoes. I love my feet, why should I make them suffer? Besides, I am diabetic and I am very careful not to cause any injury to my lower extremities or else... goodbye legs!

Before I end, I would want to share a video of one of my favorite local rock bands. The one speaking is the lead singer, Jay Contreras. He has been misjudged as being a bad person because of his looks. In the video, he speaks about it to his audience. 

"Hindi po lahat ng taong mahabang buhok kulot at maraming tattoo ay masamang tao...

Marami diyan, ang ganda ng damit, ang gara ng buhok, ang yaman ng dating, pero ang sama ng ugali.

Pero merong iba, mukhang adik, mukhang sanggano, puro tattoo pero grabe magmahal.

Wag nyo pong husgahan ang mga tao sa paligid nyo.."

Translation: "Not all persons with tattoos and long unruly hair are evil. There are some who have nice clothes, smooth, shiny hair, looking so rich and classy, but are evil deep inside. Its true. While those people who look like hobos, with lots of tattoos are the ones that know how to truly love. Please do not judge the people around you." 




You are welcome to share your opinion. Do clothes really make a person?

How I Got Over My Post New Year Stress Disorder

For the past two weeks, my mind was nothing but a blank blob of neurons. I couldn't write, I couldn't think. There were so many ideas and yet I could not work around creating a post. My hubby was worried about why I was not getting any drive to sit down and write. I simply had nothing to write about! I guess I went into a state of PNYSD ("Post New Year Stress Disorder")

The New Year for me brings some anxiety. What is bound to happen this year? Will I be healthy enough to get me through the next year? Will my daughter get married? Will my sons finish school? What's in for me career-wise? Will my hubby get his surgery to replace his aortic valve? Will I even have enough finances to take me through the rest of the year?

The first eight days of the year were filled with a lot of stress, so much so that I felt I was coming down with the flu. I was sluggish and unbelievably sleepy, probably a psychological reaction that would "fool" me into forgetting to think about things. It was during one of these days at work that I finally heard what I needed to hear. I was exerting extra effort to maintain my level of efficiency when I heard one of my agents say to his customer - "I'm breathing and I'm employed. As long as these two keep happening, everything will fall into place. Gotta keep the faith. I just gotta keep the faith."

It is amazing how one can find inspiration in places you least expect. I tried to backtrack the calls of this particular agent. I found out that he did have a happy disposition in life. Despite the cold artic blast, the gloomy weather and all, he still manages to uplift the spirits of his customers. In one instance, his customer was ranting about how bad the weather is in his place. When the customer asked the agent about the weather in Rochester, New York, the agent replied, 

"The weather may be bad, but I'm breathing, I'm employed and I get paid on Friday. Life is good!"

Tonight, I go back to work again. I will keep these wise words in mind. I will pray for strength and guidance. And yes, Dyquine, I WILL KEEP THE FAITH AND PUT ALL MY TRUST IN GOD.

Life is definitely all good.

Visiting Forces Agreement - The Canine Version

Days before my long, long, LONG holiday staycation, I planned on writing everyday. I had all sorts of ideas and picture prompts but guess what? I wasn't able to do so. I was just so busy being a mom, a wife, and catching up on much needed sleep. 

My sons' girlfriends entrusted their dogs to my care because their families were going out on vacation. I didn't mind because I love dogs and would really want to have one of my own. So I had two dogs with me on a Visiting Forces Agreement. Haha. 

Fang has grown so big and since he is only six months old, he is still a puppy and is very frisky. He was jumping all over the furniture, running around the apartment like it was an open field. The wound he got when he was run over by a tricycle has fully healed however, the accident traumatized him so much that he freaks out when I take him outside for a walk. He freezes and quivers whenever a vehicle would pass by. I hope he gets over it. It really takes extra patience for me to take him out for his daily walks. Once inside the house, he is a sweetheart, and spends most of the time laying on the doormat - asleep.

This is Fang, or "Fangaroochikoochikoo" as we fondly call him.

And then there is Bite. Isn't it just weird, I have two dogs with me named Fang and Bite. Bite is a  two year old Shih Tzu. He had his coat trimmed short. This way, we can avoid having fleas hiding in his long fur. He is a quite little one, looking at everyone with amazement. He is such a funny dog, trying to hide his treats under the fan and then whimpering when he cannot reach it. Bite loves walking outside, making friends with other neighborhood dogs. He is also housebroken (potty-trained) which is great. The moment I  put on his leash, he knows it is time to pee and poop. 

That is Bite (R) and his friend Jester (L). Doggie Bromance at its best. 

This is Bite's first pictures, a few days after he arrived.

Fang and Bite have been my special guests for my Christmas Holiday. I cannot believe how having dogs around can help relieve a person of stress. They are my exercise buddies! With them, I was able to do daily exercise by taking them for their walks. They both love to cuddle and I enjoy watching them play with their toys. How I wish I could just keep them for myself. It would be a sad day for me when their mommies will come and take them home. :(

On the morning of December 31st, my son was approached by a middle aged woman asking my son to adopt her Shih Tzu. She said that she could not take care of it anymore. She gave my son her address (she lived only a block away from us). My son and my niece eagerly went to her house only to find out that the dog she was offering had so many issues. It was balding in some spots, her eyes were watery and she looked as if she was pregnant. My son was fearful that the dog had some disease that might infect Fang and Bite so they did not accept the woman's offer. Later in the day, while I was taking Bite for his walk, I found out that that lady tied a piece of rope around her dog's neck and left her in the Baranggay Hall (Village office). I took pictures of the poor dog, and gave her the name "Magdalena" (because she was "sawing palad" or "unfortunate"). I tried to take her to the pet clinic near our place to have her checked out but the clinic was closed for the holidays. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) office was also closed, and I felt so sorry for this dog. I uploaded the pictures on my Facebook page, asking friends if they would be interested to adopt Magdalena. Within a few hours, my friend Eien called and informed me she will pick up the dog and take her home to her Dad where she can be cared for. I was so happy that Magdalena will have a new family, and a new home on New Years' Eve. God Bless Eien's kind heart. 

This is Magdalena. A Shih Tzu abandoned by her owner.

I have not accomplished my yearly activity of feeding a homeless person at Christmas, but I felt I did something good to have an abandoned dog adopted. Animals are people too, and they deserve all the love and care from us. 

I hope I can do more good things this 2015. I have been blessed so many times and it is just right to give back and give forward. Another year, another chance.

Peace. Hope. Love. May you all have a blessed New Year.

12 Strange Filipino Traditions on New Year's Eve

The Philippines probably has the longest holiday season in the world. We usually feel the Christmas spirit in September and it carries on until a week after the New Year. Filipinos love the revelry of the New Year and despite being deeply religious, we still believe in traditions deeply rooted in pre-colonization tribal practices; in Chinese, Indian, and Spanish culture; and local folklore. Modern times have debunked most of these beliefs; however, some still take it to heart especially during New Year celebrations. I am guilty of some; I guess it won't hurt to follow the customs and traditions that have been handed down from generations. Most may seem silly, and you may have to experience a typical Filipino family New Year celebration to believe it. 

Photolink

1. As a child, I was "forced" to wear a shirt or a dress with a polka-dot design. It is believed to bring wealth and good luck for the coming year. This may be attributed to the Chinese' love for round things which signify infinity. When I asked my grandparents for the reason why I had to wear a polka-dot shirt, my grandparents would say that it symbolizes money. The dots were supposed to be coins. So then, the next year, I stopped wearing anything with polka-dots. I did not want coins, I wanted paper money! That is when I started wearing striped shirts.

2. New Year's Eve attires did not end with wearing polka-dots. It was also required that our New Year's Eve attire should be predominantly red. It was believed that the color red is for good luck. Again, another trait we have imbibed from the Chinese whose custom is to hand out little red envelopes or "hong pao" during New Year. When I was young, I didn't care much about what my parents or grandparents made me wear on New Year's Eve. I just hated the fact that our family pictures made us look like the Von Trapp Family Singers - all wearing the same design of clothes - red with polka dots.

3. It is strictly forbidden to spend on the first day of the New Year. We should get everything we need for the house or for personal use before the New Year. It is believed that spending on New Year's Day would mean losing money for the whole of the coming year. Do not be surprised to see Filipinos raiding the grocery store or the wet market. It is our time to "legally" hoard goods.

4. We have to make sure that once midnight strikes on New Year's Eve, we have money in our pockets. This is believed to ensure that we will have money all year round. There was a time that I knew I slipped a 500 peso bill in my pocket, only to find out that I lost it as I joined in the revelry of welcoming the New Year. For the years after that incident, I only kept coins in my pocket. After all, there were no set rules about how much you should carry in your pocket. 

5. To ensure that you would not go hungry in the coming year, it is a practice to fill the rice bin to the brim. Same goes with the salt and sugar containers. If you have a water reservoir, fill it too. Keep it full until after the first day of the New Year.

6. A fruit tray should be filled in 12 different kinds of fruit and placed in the center of the dinner table. This symbolizes 12 months of bountiful food for the family. My mother religiously abides by this practice. Come the second day of January, we would be "forced-fed" with the fruits that she bought. 

7. The family's New Year's Eve feast, called "Media Noche" (Midnight) is composed of dishes that are specially made, the result of hours and hours of labor in the kitchen. There are some requirements, though. There should always be something made out of sticky rice, to symbolize family togetherness. There should be fish, another custom inherited from the Chinese. Fish in Mandarin in called "yu" which also means "surplus" or "excess." Therefore, having fish on the dinner table on New Year would guarantee the family that they would have "more than enough." We are not supposed to have chicken or any winged animal. I have no idea where this tradition came from. It is believed that having chicken or turkey for New Year is bad luck because the family's finances or livelihood would just "fly away." Noodles are also a staple. This symbolizes long life.

Photolink

8. Small clusters of grapes are hung on every window and door of the house. This is believed to welcome in good luck. When I was little, this was my grandmother's task. My cousin and I had the time of our lives standing on stools and grabbing a grape or two when grandma was not looking. Grapes are expensive in my side of the world and New Years was the time for us to indulge. 

9. One of the things I also looked forward to when I was a child was the "money shower." My grandparents, great aunts, and uncles would have bags of coins with them and say "Happy New Year!" while throwing a handful of coins for us little children to grab and keep for ourselves. They believed that doing this would mean money will continuously flow into the house. (Just like the Christian virtue of giving and sharing) These coins were considered "lucky" and were not to be spent. Good luck with that! Those coins were soon to be money for candy and chocolate bars.

10. All doors and windows must be kept open at midnight. This is believed to make the good luck come in. In a gated community, this would work, but not in areas where robbery is rampant. 

11. At the stroke of midnight, all children are supposed to jump up and down. We were told to take extra effort to jump as high as we can. The reason for this is that it is supposed to make us grow taller. I did believe in this and made sure I jumped like crazy on New Year's Eve. Did I grow tall? Nope. After all those years of jumping when I was a kid, I only grew to be 5 feet 1 1/2 inches. I wonder... if I didn't jump on New Year's eve when I was a kid, would I have been a dwarf?

Photolink

12. Lastly, it is a rule that no one must be asleep at the stroke of midnight. In my family, even babies are lifted out of their cribs to join in the festivities. The reason for this is supposedly so that no one would be left out in receiving blessings of good luck and good fortune. 

Christmas and New Year's are two big Filipino family celebrations. It is the time to bond with family members we rarely see. It is the season to feast on sumptuous food and share stories about life. It is giving, sharing and togetherness. It is all about smiles, laughter, and cheer.. even if I have to wear polka dots. 

Have a Blessed New Year everyone! Don't forget to say a prayer of thanks to God for the graces we received for the past year and for giving us the blessing of another New Year!

Elf Yourself: Our Yearly Christmas Video Fun!

In this blessed season of Jesus' birth, I give thanks to God for giving me my happy, wacky, perfectly imperfect, loving family!

The Reunion: Where Laughter is Endless and Smiles are Widest

It is a yearly event my family look forward to - The Reunion. I remember we've been doing it every year since I was a little kid. The venue would always be at my maternal grandmother's house in southern Metro Manila. When my grandmother passed away, the tradition remained intact. 

Years ago, our grandmother and great aunts would be in the kitchen preparing a special Christmas meal. Our mothers would sit around the dinner table chatting. Their husbands would be outside, having a few beers and talking about their careers while us kids would be running around, playing hide and seek or showing off our new toys.

Now, our mothers are getting to be a little old (Shhh...they don't want to be called that). We don't spend time in the kitchen anymore during reunions. We either do a potluck party or my cousin calls in a caterer to serve a sumptuous buffet. Whatever we decide to do, it is always a fun time to catch up with cousins. We do not live that far apart, but our schedules keep us way too busy to meet up frequently.

I am sharing with you pictures of my family's 2014 Christmas Reunion, held at my cousin's new house in south Metro Manila. 

My cousins and me (I am the one in the purple shirt). The top left photo (L-R) shows my youngest sister, my first cousin, my other sister, and me. The top right photo is me, my sisters and cousins together.

These are our gorgeous children - the next generation to give rise to equally gorgeous kids

Me, my poppa bear and the bear cubs

The selfie pictures. Oh my royal chubbiness!

A collage of smiles and good times

I hope you enjoyed viewing our pictures. Family is a gift that is to be treasured. Wishing you blessings of a good life, happiness in your heart, and warmth of family togetherness.

Have a meaningful Christmas everyone!

One Tree a Year at Christmas

Months ago, I planted an avocado seed in a flower pot. I was never really sure if it would grow, but it did! It was starting to get too big to be in a flower pot so I decided it was time to have my avocado seedling replanted in a vacant space in the neighborhood.

I asked the help of the village utility man to do the task of digging a nice round hole in the ground. He did a very good job! Now my avocado seedling will have a new home and will grow and bear fruit. 

It will officially be MY Christmas tree. I have helped "green" the earth and soon, people from nearby houses will get avocados for free! Maybe next Christmas my little tree will be big enough that I can hang some decorations on it to make it look a little festive. 

This will be my yearly activity of giving back to the environment. One tree a year at Christmas. Hmm... Now, what kind of tree will be next year's project? Any suggestions?