Bonding Time With My Family

November 28 and 29 were another memorable days for me and my family.  In observance of my milestone post-birthday celebration, we spent an overnight accommodation at Orchid Garden Suites located along Pablo Ocampo, Sr. (formerly Vito Cruz), in front of Century Park Sheraton. We had planned it almost a year ago (yes, that's how excited we were in celebrating my 40th birthday this year) and we're happy that it pushed through because it was another bonding time for the whole family.

Of bullies and bullying

The other night, when I and my wife arrived home, we found Clare, our eldest daughter, already asleep. We learned from our second child that her Ate had not yet taken her dinner so wifey woke her up to eat. When Clare was roused from her sleep, I overheard her mother's high-pitched voice like she was scolding her. Clare was crying and telling my wife that she would not want to go to school the following day because she could no longer take some of her classmates overbearing attitude towards her. We were trying to get the details from her but to no avail. All she was saying was that she has been so good to her classmates  to the point of being an utu-uto to them but they still seemed to go up against her for reasons she could not fathom.

Charm, New Moon, and Bobby: The Saga Continues

Had it not been my birthday last Saturday, I would not watch "New Moon" that day because I knew the Twilight saga fanatics would come in droves at the theaters. I was right after all. Five of the 10 moviehouses at the Festival Mall were showing the movie but queueing for the ticket still  took me more than 30 minutes. The good part of it, we were just right on time for the next screening, meaning we would be able to watch it from start to finish. Also, we were able to get a good seating arrangement.

Preparations for Death

No, I'm not dying. Not yet. But who knows? I may only have five more minutes, five more hours, five more days, five more weeks, five more months, five more years, or five more decades. We can never tell. One thing is certain though: sinners or saints, we all die. As to when, nobody knows. Only He who has given us life knows when He will take it back.

Are You An Addict?

Sex. Pornography. Gambling. Drugs. Alcohol. Work. Internet. Computer Games. What do they have in common? These are things or activities that get us hooked and, in the process, make us addicts. Each of us may be addicted to any or all of these. Addiction to the first five, in my opinion, is outright sinful, except maybe for the first one which is not against morality if one is doing it with his or her lawful spouse. As to the last three, I can consider Internet addiction as outright sinful if it is used in surfing pornography. But then, addiction to it, as well as to the rest, creates a dent  in our relationship with God and the people around us – family, friends, neighbors, and officemates.

My 40th Birthday Celebration

I am celebrating my 40th birthday today. I thank God for being patient with me in the last 39 years of my life and pray that He will continue to be so in the next 39 years or until the day that I shall account for all my actions here on earth. I am excited about what the next 12 months will bring to my life. Life begins at 40, so they say. Since I have been dead in the last 39 years, I hope that with this new life I have now I can keep my covenant with God that I will always be His loyal follower.

YMC Forever

Tayo na at tayo ay sumapi

Sa kilusan ng YMC

Tayo na at makibaka

Para kay Birheng Maria

Tayong lahat dapat magsama-sama

Samahan ng mga kabataan

Iwaksi ang kasalanan

Magdasal ng Santo Rosaryo

Isuot itong iskapularyo

Mag-alay ka pa ng sakripisyo (sakripisyo)

Itaguyod mong samahang ito

Ibalita mo sa barkada mo

Tayo'y sumigaw "Mabuhay si Maria!"

Any true blue Youth Marian Crusader would surely know the song above from the heart. To the uninitiated, the Youth Marian Crusade (YMC), now known as Youth for Mary and Christ, is a high school-based religious group whose main mission is to bring people, especially male students, to Christ through Mary.  I'm proud to say that I was once a member of this organization. In fact, I became its coordinator in my senior year in Manila High School, my beloved alma mater.

Seriously Funny

I'm serious. I'm funny. I'm seriously funny.

At the outside, I look very serious and well-behaved that  butter would not melt in my mouth. In fact, I am always mistaken for an ex-seminarian. Well, I am not an ex-seminarian but I have lots of friends who are. I also have some priest-friends. In fact, I was ready then to enter the seminary had Tita Letty Albert, the mother of erstwhile singer Joey Albert, chosen me as a candidate during the vocation seminar I attended at the Youth Marian Crusade's (YMC) former formation house in Antipolo, Rizal. Tita Letty is the founder of this religious organization which recruits high school boys from mostly public schools nationwide. But, as fate would have it, I ended up being a father...not of a religous order but of three beautiful kids.

Nikkyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo

Sounds Japanese? Actually, they are some of the common terms that we have learned in our basic aikido training yesterday as part of our agency's Human Capital (HuCap) Development Program. Aikido, in case you don't know, is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba.

Lost Opportunities

One's lost opportunity is another one's gain. So I thought. But I was wrong.

Some two months ago, our Human Resource Development and Personnel Services routed a memorandum  inviting our office to send two applicants for a free training in Taiwan on various software applications. Our officer-in-charge asked me if I was interested. Of course I was, but I had to beg off because of my other commitments which I could not just take for granted. Instead, I suggested that another staff take my place because he, too, was qualified for it.

My Robotic Child

What creature has two arms and two legs and is run by a battery? Robot? Logically, yes.  In reality, no. If you answered a child with a battery in her nose, then you got it right. And that child happens to be my youngest kid.

Bobby, My Youngest Daughter's Classmate

While I was using the laptop one time, I noticed Charm, my youngest daughter, dialling the phone. When I asked her who she was calling, she said it was Bobby, her classmate. I asked why she was calling Bobby and she said she just wanted to know how he was feeling.

Protection for My Family

I have always known that getting an insurance for the whole family is a wise investment but I haven't really done anything about it because I always thought I could not afford it given our family's cash flow. Come to think of it, I was able to complete the full payment of my eldest daughter's educational plan with the same mindset before.

I Will Be Rich

I never dreamt of becoming rich because I just wanted to live a simple life. I was content with just being able to feed my family at least three times a day, send the kids to school, pay all the bills, and spend some for leisure activities.

End Of The World

The end of the world has been predicted by so many self-proclaimed prophets and yet none of these predictions ever came to pass. Good for us living because we still have time to amend our ways and focus on our soul's salvation.

The Stronger Sex

A former student of mine wrote on her wall at Facebook: "I also like you, but you will leave again. What's the point?" One could sense the mutual feeling of love she and her present beau have for each other. Although she is one of my closest former students, I don't really ask her about personal matters, especially with regards to her heart's condition.

All Women Are Grouchy

Wait a second...don't react too fast, my women readers. The above idea did not come from me but from one of my former students, Abby Alerta, who has just read my post entitled "Oh, Women!" (As of this writing, she was also reading my other entries). She reacted on it, saying that not all women are grouchy when they have their periods. Her boyfriend, she said, can attest to that (Well, I will ask her 'baby' when I get the chance to meet him in person). She even told me that she's more grumpy even when it's not yet her monthly visit.

So, I retorted to her, can I safely say that all women are grumpy, periods or no periods (hence, this blog)? I don't want to be accused of being sexist but I think women are a lot grumpier than men. And I wonder why?

Instead of making all the guesses as to the real reason, I want this blog to be an avenue for my women readers to tell me if my opinion is right or right. Will I be deluged with so many violent reactions? Let's see.