God, Happiness and Life

You will never be able to know how I feel because you are not me. What I have been through in life are experiences which are mine and mine alone.  I can not take you there nor make you re-live it for me. And I can only  assume the same for you. And so, what ever makes you  fulfilled and happy,  go ahead continue doing it. Life is short. Being true to ourselves shall always set us free! And if in case these  truths  upset or destroy  the balance in our relationship, I am ready and willing to accept. No recriminations, no bitterness,  just  understanding. Yes,  that's what I am prepared to do. I believe  that to achieve peace within ourselves, we must strive for  an emotional environment characterized only with  honesty and openness. That is all I want for you. Nothing less, nothing more. February  27, 2007

My niece who’s abroad was telling me that aside from the Immigration Department, the most feared government agency where she is, is the IRS. “Here”, she says  “people do not monkey around with  tax  reportage”. Because it  is a fact that governments levy individual and corporate taxes  because these taxes are used to run the government itself. Taxes are used to build infrastructure, enforce laws, maintain public order and safety,  not to mention management of education, health, maintenance of  public transport systems plus many other things. So I asked my niece how she does hers. When tax compliance time begins, most tax payers  find it hard to prepare  their tax collection forms. She articulated that this year, she had to  fill out an irs extension form 2011 . She  had to address this “difficult task”  not  by hiring an accountant but by engaging professionals who are good at taxes .  These professionals help people address tax payment concerns the whole year round.  They prov

Evaluating the quality of fathering you have and continue to dispense, check these.. 1. Was  I  a good role model,  unfashionably perhaps to me,  but taught them anyway  the  values of honesty, humility, hard work and responsibility? 2. Did I spend enough time to be with each of my children almost  sacrificing other things like work? 3. Did I make it a point to talk to each of my growing children to find out what they were doing? 4. Did I do fathering with discipline or with love? 5. Did I consistently teach all my children about right and wrong, listened and not just lecture? 6. Was I  around to encourage them to  always try to do their best? 6. Was I able to show enough affection to my children  to make them feel secure in my love? 7. Come to think of it, was I able to build trust from my children that they won't think twice coming  to me for advice on anything under the sun? 9. Was there ever a time when my love for my children was conditional? 8. Last but not the lea

Sounds like a movie title.. but seriously, this is one bridge I know I will perhaps never be able to cross in this lifetime :-( Going to Sta Maria

Could this bell be what my mother said was owned by her family once upon a time? Could be hundreds of years old.. Sta Maria

Supporting our batch during the annual bowling fest..

just trying to learn the sometimes nonsensical sense of telecommunications and how difficult it is sometimes to do the right thing. a cartoon website i discovered which i intend to use to make some personal life commentaries :-)

Some people are not comfortable in bringing with them large amounts of cash especially if they plan to purchase big ticket items like jewelry and other expensive personal effects, home appliances, DIY equipment, etc. That is why people find it convenient to have credit cards. Today's credit cards are way far ahead from those of the old days. Financial services cards are not limited anymore to credit but debit facilities as well. Use it to shop, gas up or  get your airline tickets, book travel accommodations, whatever. .It is definitely safer.  And credit card rewards too are awesome. Loyalty programs allow you to choose the kind that you want -  gas, cash back, airline,  restaurant points. Credit and debit cards today are also available for better cash control of student allowances, tuition for family members. What more, cards today will make you feel secure because they provide fraud liability features embedded with automatic mobile and email alerts cards in case of accidental los

Whenever I have a bad dream, I feel a certain discomfort. Especially if  during the dream,  I felt stressed  out or like I was horrified or agitated leading to a feeling of distress. I don't like dreaming about disasters or tumultuous events. I dreamt about the EDSA Revolution. Perhaps 6 months before it happened. I also dreamt about the Mt.Pinatubo eruption, not the actual volcanic eruption but what I saw was the sea like volcanic ash which we all saw after the natural occurrence. My dream happened a year or so before Mt Pinatubo decided to unleash its fury.. And so what did  dream about this morning? Flood in its browniest brown colors.. UNIVERSE, please take us far away from this "disaster".

something's missing in this grade 5? picture..

A friend of mine is an online entrepreneur for a couple of years now. She buys and sells toys through Amazon. However, my friend says that especially at the start,  it was  not easy. Business online requires hardwork, determination and a lot of patience. Especially when conditions are  volatile and it could be often. Business could be  bleak at times and yet there are ocassions when the orders start popping like anything. So what happens when there is a need to fulfill an order and the cash just isn't there? Well, she says you can always get an Amazon loan . Small loans can be provided to buy inventory or supplies or whatever it is you need to help the business going and growing. Truth be told, it has been a standing problem for small business owners to get additional capital. Traditional banks sometimes can be stringent when you don't have the financial numbers to back you up. Let's face it,  small businesses are just not on most banks' radar screens. My friend has le

May 16, 2012 "The Day God Called You Home" "God looked around his Garden and found an empty place. He then looked down upon his earth and saw your loving face. He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest. His Garden must be beautiful, he always takes the best. He knew that you were suffering, he knew you were in pain. And knew that you would never get well on earth again. He saw your path was difficult, he closed you tired eyes, He whispered to you "Peace be Thine" and gave you wings to fly. When we saw you sleeping so calm and free of pain, We would not wish you back to earth to suffer once again. You've left us precious memories, your love will be our guide, You live on through your children, you're always by our side. It broke our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone. For part of us went with you on the day God called you home".  A poem I quote for my beloved aunt -- older sister to my mother.. till we meet ag

Groovy gift from my partner.. an MP3 player.. he gave me this because I kept complaining of the neighbor's incessant singing in an awful non-singer voice.. it was so thoughtful of him to buy me this gadget which i could plug into my ears whenever there's pollution from my neighbors singing hahaha and mind you there's adele songs downloaded in this gadget.. wooow.. thanks mahal!

My classmate from San Diego was back in the Philippines during our 4 day reunion events. On the formal party night, we got to talking about things, jobs, children, grandchildren, retirement, travel, etc. We got to a point where we were enjoyably and energetically discussing about marriages and children.. I intimated to him that my son has  not walked the aisle.. only that I now have two grandchildren. He asked why and I think I replied that  my son is still saving for it. He and  his wife mentioned about the time their son got married three years ago and it was quite a celebration and it didn't really cost an arm..  He added that that there are  a few nice  if not excellent choices available when looking for  a place where  corporate or big family events will be held..  in fact he said California is a great place to look if one is looking for an outstanding  venue for san diego corporate events Whatever kind of wedding theme one has in mind, no matter how many guests you exp

Ilagan Church Unfortunately I was unable to take a shot of the full inside architecture of this beautiful church.. such majesty, much the same with all the "ancient" Spanish churches in the Philippines.. although, I guess the interior   has just recently been done.. my three cousins - Marge who's like a sister to me, Beth whose much younger and Eddie who upon seeing made my heart bleed.. of course my mom, my sis in law, my niece and me with all those grey hair.. If I can bring back time for my cousin Eddie

Visiting my aunt was depressing. She is sick.. terminally. She and my mama are the only surviving siblings. My Aunt is the eldest and my mother the youngest daughter. Her last visit to Manila was 2 years ago. She used to take time out from her provincial domesticities to visit my mother in the city who has been afflicted with glaucoma. Just writing about this now turns my stomach in circles.. Add  is the condition of 64 year old my male cousin, only son of my deceased Aunt. He too is sick. He recently had a stroke and could no longer fend for himself.. even his hygienics had been continously compromised. My aunt who is now terminally ill was the one taking care of him for the longest time, and not that the inevitable is about to happen, there remains no one to take care of him.. My three remaining cousins from  this lineage have concerns of their own:-( Good vibes please..  the trip was marked somehow with a flicker of hope.  Knowing we were around, relatives who we haven't s

A job in sales and marketing could prove daunting especially if  you didn't go to school for it.  To be able to perform a successful sales and marketing job one must need more than  mastering the sales techniques. One needs to be motivated. And more than the techniques a  good salesperson  must have genuine empathy for the target client; one who knows himself, his strengths and weaknesses and  knowing the exact right timing of using the tools of the trade to help the client get what he needs. Mastery of the product sold is already a given requirement. There are countless sales, account management  and marketing training programs around. So many, one would not be able sometimes to distinguish one from the other. What worked for me was I knew how to build rapport with the prospective client. I understood the different quirk variations. And because my motive was pure I was there first to help. Too good to be true, but that was what really worked in my situation. Understanding the

I wish to have one of this .. But surely it's going to take a whole lot of money to own one.. har..

Must I say that today's kids are lucky? Doing the things they want in the company that they desire, in the places that they just used to imagine? Some travel by backpacking, others through organized tours. Backpacking is travelling with a limited budget, un-sophisticatedly if you may; prepared to to explore, unafraid to try things out.   "The factors that traditionally differentiate backpacking from other forms of tourism include the use of a backpack or other luggage that is easily carried for long distances or long periods of time; the utilization of public transport as a means of travel; a preference for inexpensive lodging such as youth hostels; a longer duration to the trip when compared with conventional vacations; and an interest in meeting the locals as well as seeing the sights. It is typically associated with young adults, who generally have fewer obligations and thus more time to travel." "They also have less money to spend on hotels or private ve

My youngest son recently  asked me if I had ever tried using a ring tone on my cellphone.. well yes, I said.  From the time we started organizing our reunion which was held this year, my phone book grew bulkier and bulkier. And so I needed a tool to help me distinguish which people were calling.. were they college friends, or highs school classmates?  Perhaps high school batch mates?    Or my son and daughter based abroad?  Additionally, my immediate family who are  here in our home country. My Mom? Also the list of my friends has grown longer because of social networking sites like twitter and facebook and google 1. Ring tones sure help me decide whether  to address a phone call immediately if  I know through the ring tone that it is a family member or maybe  better or wiser to get the call later when I am in a less noisy place or situation. It identifies somehow, the urgency of the call. In that sense, it is very, very  useful to me. Like I have this police siren kind of ring tone,

Been toying with this pic enhancer sw and the result - a quite funny pic of Aya with grandlola Loling!

It's been three years since we moved here as a result of the Ondoy flooding and all those years, the traditional Good Friday procession comes around our neighborhood. Since i just have a point and shoot camera and because I haven't studied the features of this cam for real, this is all i get from that moment and with a little help from pic monkey.. but nice, i like it..

What a joy! This was definitely one of my all time favorite highs: spending time with people I have missed for more than 40 years.. reconnecting with batch mates I probably had missed sharing high school memories and yet here we are reunited again even for just a few days.. if only to reminisce days of youthful fun, childish laughter, adolescent jokes, pubescent camaraderie.. wow

What a wonderful and distinct privilege! The UP Oblation Could I have had a 'better life'  if I had more learning from this great institution?

After more than 40 years, we remain friends as if it was just last year that we parted ways. Sue should have been here so did Chi. However, Sue had to go back home and Chi is spending a great time with batchmates in Baguio.