Webmills of My Mind

Youth Marian Crusade Forever

2010-07-04T13:05:00.000+08:00

Seeing a familiar face, especially after so many years, always brings back good or bad memories, depending on the relationship one has had with the person. Mine was a spiritually lifting experience when I saw Fr. Matthew from the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross (MMHC) last Tuesday and Thursday when I attended a mass at the Greenbelt Chapel.

Fr. Matthew and I belonged to the same school-based religious organization when we were in high school (by the way, we came from different high schools), the Youth Marian Crusade (YMC), which is now known as Youth for Mary and Christ (still YMC). He was already in the congregation then when he would visit our school, together with Bro. Ralph and Bro. Raymond (who, eventually, became fullfledged priests just like Fr. Matthew), the two seminarians who were assigned in our school.

I shared the same desire with them as I also wanted to enter the seminary. Unfortunately, I was not chosen by Tita Letty Albert, YMC and MMHC foundress.and mother of singer Joey Albert, to become a candidate. Apparently, God had a different plan for me.

After high school, my ties with YMC in our school have remained intact. In fact, the two animators, Tita Cecil and Tita Nina, have become my wedding sponsors or ninang. Only through them do I receive some updates from the brothers and seminarians that I particularly know. Not until the advent of Facebook did I get the chance to reconnect with Fr. Ralph and Fr. Raymond and other ex-YMC seminarians.

To say that YMC created a great impact on my life is an understatement. That's why I was so happy and blessed to have attended a mass officiated by someone who belongs to the same organization that I hold dearly in my heart.

Now, I am still so much involved with this group as I, together with my other colleagues and friends, sponsor two seminarians who came from my high school. And I hope that this involvement becomes even deeper with the passing of years.

I'm Ready to be Rich

2010-06-28T15:58:00.003+08:00

I never wanted to be rich! Never! You can ask my wife about it and she'd surely validate my claim.

But things have changed. I now want to become rich and I am ready for it. The turn of events happened some five months before my 40th birthday in November last year. Indeed, after reading Bo Sanchez' "8 Secrets of the Truly Rich," my life has never been the same. I have been so motivated by his book that I have started following most of his pieces of advice there especially when it comes to investing my hard-earned money.

I started with mutual funds (MFs) and unit investment trust funds (UITFs). Then, I found this pinoymoneytalk.com - the first and only Philippine forum that focuses on money, investments, and personal finance - where I got to know, and have actually invested with, some entrepreneurs who give opportunities for passive income. Then lately, I have started doing online stocks trading.

By God's grace, all of my investments have been performing well so far. For instance, the combined growth rate of my MFs, UITFs, and stocks as of today is 23.11%. And with the positive business outlook for the second semester, I project to have a growth rate of some 40% by yearend.

What is even more promising is the projected growth rate I shall have for my angel investments by yearend - some 60%. But of course, these growth rates I shall gain barring any untoward incidents including the sudden crash of the stocks market and the bankruptcy of the businesses where I invested my (and others') money.

In absolute terms, the passive income I will have for this year will not immediately make me a millionaire as my capital is not that big. I'm still a small-time investor. Give me three or four years more and I shall be a big-time investor. But this early, I am already preparing myself to be rich because I know that is what the Lord has prepared for me so I can use those riches for His ministry here on earth.

Double Your Money

2010-06-24T09:39:00.001+08:00

I'm not offering the public any business or investment scheme that doubles their money after a certain period. This one is purely familial in nature.

You see, starting this schoolyear, I have started giving a weekly allowance to my first two children. Truth is, they don't really need to have a weekly allowance as they have their baon for their lunch or snack in school. But then, there are times that they have to buy something or contribute money for some class activities and they cannot give right away because they don't have money in their pocket, so I thought of giving them their allowance. Well, I used to give them but on a daily basis and although I told them not to spend everything of it, they still did not have the financial discipline that would force them to save.

This time, to motivate them to spend their allowance wisely and save some of it, I told them that I will double whatever savings they will have on Christmas Eve. Little savings means little reward. Big savings, big rewards. No savings, no reward. That's how simple it is.

Let us see if money is really a motivator as posited by some experts in human psychology. I shall inform you on what will happen on Christmas Eve. Stay tuned!

Our Beloved Camille's Birthday Celebration

2010-06-09T16:15:00.003+08:00

Everybody in our family woke up early last Saturday, June 5, because it was a special day. It was Camille's 11th birthday and she was excited about it. Weeks before that, she kept reminding her mom about her request to cook carbonara for her on her natal day. Well, she also requested me to cook biko for her but she 'pestered' her mother more than she 'pestered' me.

Since it was also a First Saturday, my wife - a devotee of the Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace in Lipa, Batangas - and I planned to bring the whole family at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church to attend a mass. It was raining the night before, so I told my wife that if the weather would not improve the following day, I would be willing to be left at home together with our youngest child while she, together with the birthday girl and our eldest daughter, could proceed going to Lipa as planned. But God did not want to spoil our Family Day so He commanded the sun to shine the morning after. You know what? It rained only when we were on board a van on our way home. When we reached Pacita Complex where we alighted, the rain had already stopped. Talk about the Power of God!

Before we finally went home, we dropped by a flower shop first to buy, well, flowers because our Lady of Fatima would be enthroned in our home that afternoon and would stay there for one week for the Family Rosary Crusade. We also dropped by Robinsons for some last-minute shopping.

When we arrived home, our ever dependable yaya was already frying the chicken and boiling the water for the carbonara. She was supposed to be with us in Lipa but we requested her to stay home because my father-in-law would arrive early and no one would be there to cook food for him and for my father. As soon as we were home, my wife and I started preparing to cook the requested menu. We did not have any other visitors except for my father-in-law and my sister-in-law and her kids. We just shared the food we prepared with our closest neighbors, including the relatives of my wife who also live in the same subdivision.

We capped the day praying the Holy Rosary. It was a tiring but memorable day for all of us, especially for our beloved birthday girl. How fast she has grown up. Although unlike her Ate Clare, she has yet to be visited by her monthly period. But she's readying for it because she knows it will definitely visit her anytime soon.

Her birthday celebration did not end that day because the following day, after attending the Sunday mass, I and my wife treated the kids, this time together with yaya, to a movie which we all enjoyed. I just hope that it's not really the final chapter yet for Shrek. If it is, Camille will surely remember it that she watched Shrek's last chapter the day after her birthday.

The Power of Tithing

2010-05-16T19:43:00.002+08:00

I have a confession to make: I used to give a measly P20.00 for my offering to God. Yes, I was that stingy when it comes to giving back to God, the source of all blessings. Why was I that scant in giving to God? It's because I was not a believer of tithing then. I used to think that it was an Old Testament practice and our Church does not impose it on us. Besides, I see other churchgoers giving the same amount or even less. Also, my thinking then was that If I would give 10% of my income for my offering, how much more will be left for our family's expenses?

That was one of the biggest mistakes I had ever made. I have realized the reason why I was not financially abundant was that I was not emptying out myself so I could receive more of God's blessings. My reasoning was that how could I give when I was in lack? Now I know that I was in lack because I was not giving what God deserves.

I only came to realize the importance of tithing when I started reading and digesting Bo Sanchez's books. How come we need to give a tenth of our income to God when He does not need it anyway because He is the source of everything? Precisely, God does not need anything from us but our tithing is a declaration of God's importance in our lives. It shows that He is our top priority. Before we even think of paying our bills, we should set aside the 10% of our income for God and we will realize that we will still have more for our other needs.Indeed, tithing ensures that all our needs are met and we still have more in excess.

Tithing is also a manifestation of our faith to God. If we give what is due Him, we are saying to God that we are entrusting everything to Him. Yes, our 10% is equivalent to 100% in the eyes of God. It is also a way of worshiping God for His faithfulness in giving us everything we need. Worshiping God with our money that also comes from Him indicates that we acknowledge Him as the source of all things, the owner and giver of everything.

Lastly, tithing helps us combat selfishness, greed, and materialism. If we give, we learn to think of and care for others. Giving back to God is supporting His ministry here on earth. It means that we are showing our support for God's work through the ministry He has established. When we give back to God, we are in a way helping those who are in need of God's presence and preachings. We become less self-centered and in turn become Christ-centered.

Now, as I try to help others attain financial freedom, I also try to impart to them the power of tithing. And as you read this blog, I pray that you too learn how to tithe so that you may receive more of God's blessings. If you are already practicing it, try also to share with others the benefits of doing it by encouraging them to do it also.

I pray that God will continually bless us all that we may also continually be a blessing to others. Try tithing. It works.

May 2010 National Elections

2010-05-10T11:33:00.001+08:00

My wife and I had just cast our votes. We planned to go to the polling precinct at 7AM but we woke up a little bit late thus we reached our destination only before 8AM. Since we had already verified our registration online, we knew beforehand our precinct number, hence we thought we could finish voting in less than 15 minutes.

However, when we arrived at the polling place, we were surprised, yet happy, to see the queue of voters. Unlike last elections, there was no long lines around that time. This time it was different as if voters unanimously decided to go to the precinct early Perhaps, voters were excited about the new automated counting system that motivated them to go out early to cast their votes. Or maybe, since it's the first time we're having this new system, it takes quite some time before a voter finishes filling up the ballot. On our part, it took us more than one hour from the time we lined up until the time we exited the polling place.

I'm pretty much sure that the turnout this year will be higher than the previous elections and I hope that this trend continues in future elections. This is a sign that Filipino voters, particularly those who have not exercised their right before, are starting to recognize the power of suffrage and the importance of participating in the electoral process.

I am also sure that everyone cannot wait to know the results. The waiting time will not be that long and agonizing unlike before. Whoever it is who wins, provided no cheating is committed in whatever form, should be magnanimously accepted by the electorates and losing candidates. And I pray that the rumors of the planned cheating by whoever are planning it are just really rumors.

Charm's Summer Class

2010-05-03T12:34:00.003+08:00

Our youngest daughter, Charm, is on the last week of attending her summer class in preparation for the coming schoolyear. She is an incoming junior kindergarten in the same school where her two siblings are also enrolled. From the looks of it, Charm is going to be a bright pupil just like her Ate Clare. This early she is already showing good performance in school (talk about being a stage father).

Actually, the door of our own room has become a display area for her stars (small star-shaped cartolina cutouts given by their teacher for participating in classroom activities) and the first three coloring activities they had in school. It motivates her to do even better at her young age. It makes her think that she is a good student. Of course, we reinforce her thinking, but at the same time teach her the virtue of humility.

I know it's too early to tell how she will fare when the real schooling begins. What matters for now is that she has been prepared for the school opening in June. For sure, she will enjoy it as she does now.

On Being an Angel Investor

2010-04-14T08:29:00.002+08:00

Have you heard about angel investing?

I came to know about it when I joined pinoymoneytalk.com's forum. In the forum, you will get to know a lot of angel investors - individuals who invest in start-up businesses in exchange for a higher return than would normally be found in traditional investments. Depending on the nature of their business, proponents usually offer monthly interest ranging from 3% to 12% based on the amount of investments, which range from P30K to P700K or more. Sometimes, a group of angel investors pool their money to avail themselves of the higher interest rate.

The practice is that the business proponent issues postdated checks depending on the term, which ranges from three months to two years, and a notarized agreement. Some proponents payout the capital at the end of the term while others combine the monthly interest and the prorate of the capital.

Like any other investments, there is a corresponding risk in this kind of venture. Sometimes, proponents may have a legitimate business but it is only a front so that they could accumulate investments with the hidden agenda of scamming their investors. No matter the due diligence conducted by prospective angel investors, they still fall prey to scammers sometimes. But then, there are genuine proponents who conduct their business with all integrity without any intention of scamming their angel investors.

If you want to try to be an angel investor, the best piece of advice is this: Invest only what you can afford to lose. Truth is, angel investing could either be a boon or a bane.

Don't Save Your Money in Banks

2010-04-11T10:46:00.001+08:00

That's the most significant learning I got from reading Bo Sanchez's books. No, he is not totally against saving our money in a bank. In fact, he advises all of us to put 3-6 months of our salary in a bank for emergency purposes. Other than that, the rest of our disposable money should not be parked in a bank. Why? Because we will not get the maximum gain if we do so. Not even the time deposit will grow our money exponentially. Even an 8% per annum (this, I think, is the highest rate being offered by one of the biggest rural banks in the country) is nothing if there are other charges that will be deducted once a time deposit has matured.

So, where do we put our money?

There are four options: set up your own business, invest in stocks, invest in mutual funds (MFs) or unit investment trust funds (UITFs), or invest in insurance. The safest among the four, but not necessarily the best place to invest our hard-earned money, is the insurance investment. Investing in a business could possibly give us the highest yield but it takes a lot of entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen for it to happen. Beside, you have to be a full-time businessperson to ensure the success of your enterprise. Part-time businesspersons may also succeed in their endeavors but they are an exemption rather than the rule.

Investing in stocks is the most risky especially if you don't have the time to monitor the market's movement. But then, the advent of online stocks trading has made monitoring a lot easier. Once you become adept at online stocks trading, the rewards could be euphoric because you can become an instant millionaire with the right moves. Conversely, you can also become dirt poor if you make the wrong moves or your portfolio has collapsed due to market forces which, of course, are beyond your powers.

The safest bet, therefore, is investing in MFs and UITFs. Take a look at some of my previous entries discussing these two. Once you put your money here, you don't have to track your portfolio performance every now and then; quarterly monitoring is enough. Sometimes, the annual increase of your gains in MFs and UITFs approximates or even exceeds the gains in the stock market.

There is actually another option which you can do and that is being an angel investor. What is it all about I shall discuss in my next entry.

Tracking the Performance of Mutual Funds and Unit Investment Trust Funds

2010-04-09T09:15:00.003+08:00

When I decided to invest in mutual funds (MFs) and unit investment trust funds (UITFs) I knew that I didn't need to track its daily performance since they are meant to be long-term investments. But since I was a newbie in this field, the excitement of seeing how my portfolio perform daily prompted me to visit the websites of the four different investment firms where I put my money.

The first few weeks of tracking my investments daily gave me a mixed feeling. There were days when the trend was rising and it naturally got me excited. But then, there were days when it was declining and I became somewhat gloomy. I decided then that I should not really be tracking the performance on a daily basis to spare me from feeling anxious whenever I would see it on a downtrend.

But since I haven't completely gotten over the excitement of knowing how my investments are doing, I still track them every now and then...not daily anymore. To date, all of them have been doing well. However, the one that is giving me so much optimism is my UITF investment with UnionBank. As of this writing, my investment with them, which I placed in the last week of January this year, has already grown by 17.6%. Not bad, indeed!

In the coming months, I will still be tracking the performance of my investments but not as often as I do now. Anyway, whether it gains or loses, it will not matter unless I decide to redeem it. That's the only time I shall realize the paper gain or the paper loss. For now, I shall keep myself busy with the other investments I have made, the angel investing, which are giving me even higher yields compared with my UITFs or MFs.

Risk Appetite

2010-03-30T14:54:00.001+08:00

I am amazed at how I have outgrown my fear for losing money over failed investments. The first time I went into business and failed, I became averse to risk that I stopped going into another business and put my money instead in banks. For quite sometime I have been lodging my money in savings accounts that earn a very minimal interest. I did not even bother think of having it deposited instead in a time deposit to give me a higher yield. I was content that my savings are safe in the banks.

Until I read Bo Sanchez' "8 Secrets of the Truly Rich" which made me think more positively and claim the riches God has prepared for me. The book gives practical tips on how to change your perspective about money and where to invest your money. In my online research about the venues where I could park some of my money, I chanced upon www.pinoymoneytalk.com where I learned and keep learning a lot about financial freedom. So in November last year, I began investing on a mutual fund (MF) based on the information I got from the cited website.

Then, early this year, my entrepreneurial spirit was once again revived by a particular issue of Entrepreneur Magazine which featured hot ideas on franchising. I brought up the idea to my wife and the ever supportive wife that she is, she allowed me to renew my consolidated loan in Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to fund the new business venture I was eyeing. Aside from the loan, we also set aside part of our Christmas bonus and my monetized leaves for the prospect franchise venture.

For some providential reason, that investment did not push through. Instead, I placed part of the raised money in another MF and in unit investment trust fund or UITF (One of my entries in January entitled "Do you Know Where To Invest Your Money?" tackled about the differences between MF and UITF). I am happy and thankful to God that the net asset values (NAVs) of all my MF and UITF investments have been rising steadily so far. Although there is no guarantee that it will always be that way, I am ready for any fluctuations in the NAVs of my investments. Anyway, it's only until I redeem my investments will I realize the paper gain or paper loss of it, depending on the value of my share the day I will pull it out.

But of course, I have also learned not to put all eggs in one basket so I diversified my investments to spread out the risk. That's when I started doing capital venture or being an angel investor wherein I place some money in the business of other people who are looking for additional capital in return for interest. Now, this is the test of my appetite for risk because I do not know these people from Adam and I just base my investment decision on the threads I follow in the pinoymoneytalk forum.

To date, two of the checks issued to me by two separate business owners whom I invested on were cleared. And I have since invested in four businesses expecting for a continued and hassle-free passive income. Higher risk for higher return. But life is too short not to take chances. If my money gets burned, the due diligence I conducted notwithstanding, I have to face it squarely. But I know it won't happen. I'm sure of it.

Fathers' Involvement

2010-03-28T11:59:00.000+08:00

I attended my eldest daughter's Recognition Day last Wednesday. Although she was not able to make it to the top honors, still we, her parents, are very proud of her for being second honors, given all the extra curricular activities she had this past schoolyear. I don't normally go up the stage to put on my daughter's medal. I give the honor to my wife, saying jokingly that I have had enough chances of going up the stage to receive medals when I was still studying. But this time, my eldest daughter requested that I do it for the academic awards, with her mom putting the medals on her for the banner (Best in English Communication) and special awards (Best in Pilipino and Computer).
What struck me during the awarding ceremonies was that more fathers than mothers went up the stage to put the medals on their children. This led me into thinking that modern fathers are really more involved in the academic life of their children like what I have previously written. This is a good sign that children of today have better relationship with their fathers compared with chidren of yesteryears.

If all fathers will become more involved in every aspect of their children's life, without necessarilly encroaching on their individual freedom and identity, all children will grow up properly guided and be prevented from associating themselves with bad influence individuals or groups. The earlier fathers realize the importance of building a good relationship with their children, the better for the whole family.

The Ever Appreciative Charm

2010-03-22T16:07:00.006+08:00

The other day, I was having breakfast with my youngest daughter. Her mom, who was at the office, cooked kare-kare for our viand. It was actually our 15^th wedding anniversary and I decided to take a forced leave from the office to attend to filial matters and meet my wife in Greenbelt in the afternoon for our celebration. The usual inquisitive child that she is, Charm asked me a lot of questions during that breakfast time together (by the way, all of us in the family are accustomed to eating rice for our breakfast). She asked why I was not at the office, why only her mama was at the office, why I like vegetables, why kare-kare is my favorite, etc. Oh, children!

In the course of our bonding moment, Charm suddenly looked up the ceiling and blurted out, “Thank you, mama! Sarap luto mo (Your cooking is good)!" It was my time to ask her why she gazed her eyes up the ceiling and her answer put a wide smile on my face. According to her, the reason was that her mama was working in a high building. She got a point there. But what really amazed me was the deep sense of appreciation she showed. Actually, I am already used to it but still her antics continue to delight me. This trait of hers separates her from her two siblings. The two elder sisters are also appreciative but not as showy as Charm. Well, not when they were her age.

Even my wife acknowledges this defining charateristic of Charm. In fact, when I told my wife about it when we were having our dinner date, she uttered that Charm is really different from her siblings. Truth is, all my three kids have their defining trait. Clare is the leader type while Camille is the industrious one. My wife and I openly acknowledge these unique qualities of our children so that they would feel our appreciation and would be encouraged to develop them even more as well as their other good characteristics.

My Google AdSense Earnings

2010-03-15T20:53:00.001+08:00

I got very excited the other day because I received a postcard from Google AdSense Support sent via snail mail. When I opened it, it contained the Personal Identification Number (PIN) I needed to become eligible to receive payments for my AdSense account. Since I have not been checking on the Monetize portion of my blog, I did not realize that I have almost reached the payment threshold to qualify for a payment. Encoding my PIN does not automatically translate to immediate monetization. I still have to reach the required monthly balance of US$100 before Google AdSense Support process my payment. The PIN I received was only for verification only of the contact information I gave them and to ensure that I receive my payments.

The question in my mind now is when will I get paid? Here's how, according to Google's AdSense Support site:

"In the AdSense program, you'll be paid when your earnings reach the payment threshold, as long as there are no holds on your account, and you're in compliance with our policies.

However, we don't send you a check or bank transfer at the exact moment the zeroes roll over. First, we have to validate your earnings for accuracy -- a process that takes place the first week of every month on the previous month's earnings. Then, we send payments a couple weeks later, usually during the last week of the month.

So if your earnings reach the payment threshold in February, we'll send you a payment before the end of March.

If your account balance hasn't reached the payment threshold at the end of the month, we'll roll your earnings over to the following month, until the payment threshold is reached. Balances include your total combined earnings for all AdSense products."

I still have a long way to go before I reach the required monthly balance before I get paid but I am positive I'll get there in due time. For now, I shall be updating my posts as regular as I can so that my captured readers will continually follow me and new ones will be faithfully reading my entries.

The Return of the Diminishing Load

2010-02-19T23:00:00.001+08:00

Who says that only hoodlums perpetrate crimes such as highway robbery? Even big telecommunications firms rob their hapless victims, their loyal customers, in broad daylight. Maybe, you may have also been victimized by the diminishing load even if you did not subscribe to any of these unsolicited promotions sent to your mobile number by these firms. I, too, was once a victim of this 'heinous' crime.

Just when I thought this nefarious practice has been put under control with the aftermath of the Senate investigation, the malpractice is starting to creep into the system again. This time, it was my wife and my life plan agent who were victimized by the automatic diminishing load.

You see, the other day when I was about to leave the office, my wife texted me to ask if I would fetch her. While I was replying to her, a text message came in which I ignored first since I was texting back my wife. After sending my message, I read the message that came in and was surprised that it was from my wife. I was thinking she had a follow-up message but it was the same message that I replied to. Thinking that she just mistakenly sent the same message twice, I ignored it.

When another text came in, coming from her again, I thought it was her reply to my message. But when I read the message, it was the same message as the first and second. And another one came and what do you think? You guessed it right! Same message.

I informed her that I received the same message four times to which she said she just texted me once. Of course, I knew she was telling the truth. As I was about to text her back, I got another message from her. Again, what do you think? Now you know. I received the second message twice. I could only nod my head in utter disbelief this was happening again!

Hours after we got home (in fact, wife was already in bed starting to doze off), somebody texted me. Guess who it was? My wife, of course! And guess what was her message? Those who say it was the first message, raise your right hand. Those who say it was the second one, raise your left hand. The righthanders had it. Wait there's more! The same message came in again only after some minutes of interval. Funny, right? Infuriating! I was readying myself that I would still receive the same message before I went to bed, but my wife's service provider was polite enough to stop sending me the same message.

The next morning, when I reached for my cellphone to see the time, there was an unread message. Need I ask you who it came from and what was the message again? Your guess is as good as mine. What a way to start my morning! But since happiness is a choice, I chose to ignore it and went on with my usual routine. When I told my about it, she could not believe it. What could be wrong? What do you think?

Almost the same thing happened to the life plan agent and I do not want to belabor you with another long story. The important point is that the diminishing load modus operandi has been resurrected. Maybe the telcos are taking advantage of the election campaign thinking that nobody would initiate another investigation because the Senate is in recess and the Senators are busy with their political campaign.

Well, I just hope I am wrong because if they are taking advantage of the situation now, they will have to answer for it if not to their clients then to their God, if they have any.

Guide to Investment Decision

2010-02-08T09:07:00.001+08:00

Ever since I became aware of the ways to financial freedom, I have been an avid follower of a website that gives comprehensive ideas where to invest one's hardearned money. I have been promoting the site, pinoymoneytalk.com, to my other officemates who have been asking for business tips. The site has vast wealth of knowledge that can truly guide one in making investment decisions. Admittedly, most of my investment decisions are based on the information I get there.

Only recently did I discover the hidden treasures embedded in its forum section. There are business opportunities such as venture capital where one can earn a passive income that some likeminded entrepreneurs offer. Caveat though, the forum's administrator and owner does not guarantee the legality of the business offers that's why prospective investors are advised to conduct due diligence before they decide to part with their money. That's what I am exactly doing for the prospective investments I plan to undertake.

I try to read every related forum to ascertain the legality of the business entities and the character of the owner who looks for investors. I am playing my cards very well so I won't regret my decision in the end. One of my prospects is involved in money lending and car rentals, the other one is into buy and sell of properties. I know what you're thinking right now: I have lots of money to dispose. Truth is, I have a few bucks to invest, money I and my wife raised from borrowing, monetizing my earned vacation leaves, and our savings from the last Christmas bonus. That is why I am very cautious in choosing the right investment vehicles because these monies are a product of my and my wife's blood, sweat, and tears.

Aside from doing due diligence, I also lift up to God all investment decisions I am making because I know that with His guidance, I will be protected and kept away from scammers. He has whispered to me that I shall meet the right people who shall lead me to accumulating riches. Don't get me literally. The whispers I am referring to are the daily dose of God Whispers that Bro. Bo Sanches sends me as a member of his online community of the truly rich. You may also wish to receive that blessing by joining the group at http://www.trulyrich.club/.

You may also wish to ask for personal pieces of advice from me about where to invest your money. I'm just a text, call or e-mail away.

High School Reunion

2010-02-02T15:15:00.002+08:00

Last January 30, I attended another small gathering of our high school Batch '87, which I also organized. This has been the fifth or so mini-reunion of our batch that I had organized since 2005 and I always feel excited every time because reuniting with old friends is always a welcome event. Although I usually see the same faces most of the time, a new face or two would be added each reunion and that gives me a sense of accomplishment.

I was expecting to meet at least five new batchmates but only one showed up among them. The other five were the usual attendees of our reunions. So, we were seven in all, including me. What's new with our latest reunion was that we invited three of our high school teachers who all showed up.

You know what? The additional new face in our reunion happened to be my elementary classmate. Funny thing about it, I didn't know that we attended the same high school when in fact our alma mater was not that big, although our batch then had 21 sections. I only came to know that he also studied in Manila High School when we had the chance to exchange e-mail messages. I saw his name and photo in the friend list of a common friend (his classmate in first year who became my classmate in second year up to fourth year) and added him to my list and sent him an e-mail verifying if he was really my elementary classmate.

I learned that he was in section 5 in first year and went down to section 13 when we graduated because he had associated himself with bad influence group. But even during graduation day, I hardly recall that his name was called on stage. In fact, he was not able to attend our graduation rites because he was sick that time.

To make the long story short, he managed to finish his college degree and build his career in the hotel industry. He now has a family of his own and works in one of the most prestigious hotels in Makati.

We parted ways filled with good memories of our high school and elementary days. We look forward to seeing each other again this May as we plan to hold another reunion, this time with elementary classmates. Then after that, we plan to attend the MHS Foundation Day on June 11.

MF and UITF Advocate

2010-02-01T23:01:00.000+08:00

Ever since I became aware of and actually invested in mutual funds (MFs) and unit investment trust funds (UITFs), I have voluntarily designated myself as its advocate, sharing my knowledge about it and trying to influence others to try investing in it, too. Whenever I get the chance to discuss it with people around me, I always grab that opportunity to do so. And I feel happy when people become interested in investing their extra money in either MFs or UITFs. My immediate previous entry differentiates the two.

We tend to spend on things that do not give us any return on investment. Well, maybe we get some unquantifiable benefits, primarily personal gratification, from the things we buy. However, when the excitement has worn out, we look for and buy other things that could give us brand-new happiness. Well, if you have all the money in the world, no one would bother to prevent you from splurging all your wealth. But even the old rich know how to spend and use their money wisely.

What if you invest first your money and see it grow so you can have more of it in the end to buy more things for yourself and the people you care about? You can always try putting up a business if you have an entrepreneurial character. But if you're planning to set up a business, you must be ready to attend to it full-time. Otherwise, I won't advise you to go into it because most part-time businesspeople do not succeed.

If you want to see your money grow, invest in MFs or UITFs. However, you must assess first your appetite for risk before you go into it. And you must also be ready to part with your money for long-term because you can only get the most out of your MF or UITF investments if you have a longer investment horizon, meaning the time you are willing to park your money.

Think about it. Give it a try. And become its advocate, too!

Do You Know Where to Invest Your Money?

2010-01-29T23:55:00.000+08:00

I'm into investments nowadays. Lately, I have been investing in mutual funds (MFs) and unit investment trust funds (UITFs). Basically, both are forms of collective investment schemes that pool money from different investors and invest it in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, and/or other securities. There ends their similarity. As to their differences, I took the liberty of reposting the comprehensive explanation found at a financial blogsite (www.pinoymoneytalk.com), which I have been avidly following.

Offerer. Mutual Funds are offered by investment companies independently registered as such. Therefore, when you buy a mutual fund share, you become a stockholder of that company and you acquire the rights of a regular stockholder, including right to vote and right to receive dividends, among others. UITF, on the other hand, is a trust product of banks. When you buy a UITF, you buy investment units, not shares of the company. Therefore, you do not acquire shareholder rights in that bank. A UITF, although a bank product, is not a deposit product which means it is not covered by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC).
Fund Manager. In mutual funds, money is entrusted to a full-time professional fund manager appointed by the investment company. In UITFs, money is managed by the Trust Group of the bank.
Price. The price of an MF share or a UITF unit is measured by its current net asset value (NAV). The NAV is simply the difference between the values of the fund’s assets less total liabilities. This total NAV is divided by the number of MF shares or UITF units outstanding. In the case of mutual funds, this is called NAVPS (Net Asset Value per Share) and in the case of UITFs, is called NAVPU (Net Asset Value per Unit).
Fees. Investments in mutual funds are charged sales loads, which may be in the form of entry or exit fees. Entry fees are outright expenses charged prior to opening a mutual fund account. Exit fees, or redemption fees, are charged when shares are redeemed and converted to cash. UITFs don’t have entry or exit fees, but are charged a management or trust fee, which is usually a certain percentage of the invested amount.
Applicable Law. A specific law called the “Investment Company Act of the Philippines” governs mutual fund companies. UITF products, on the other hand, are not governed by any specific law at present but since they are offered by banks, they are still under Philippine banking laws.
Regulatory Body. Mutual funds are registered companies, therefore, they are regulated by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). UITFs, as bank products, are regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Sales Agents. To be able to sell mutual fund shares, a person must be a Certified Investment Solicitor, a license given by the SEC to people allowed to sell mutual funds. UITFs, on the other hand, are offered by people who may or may not have the SEC license. These are usually staff in bank branches.

I know I should have started investing on these ventures. But it's never too late. I am optimistic that in the next two to three years, I shall reap the fruits of my investments.

If you are looking for venues to invest your hard-earned money, try these two investment products. Of course, knowledge is power. You have to do your own research before going into any of the two because there are inherent risks involved in it. You have to assess first your appetite for risk before you decide to part with your money. As for me, I'm a moderate risk taker, meaning I can take some loses in some months hoping that I can recoup my investments in two to three years. And I know I can.

Living in Simplicity

2010-01-24T06:43:00.077+08:00

I have just read the soft copy of Bro. Bo Sanchez's "Simplify and Live the Good Life," which was e-mailed to me as part of my rewards for being a member of the Truly Rich Club. It reinforces my time-honored practices for living in simplicity. Yes, I have always been simple, but not deprived, in many ways. Call it frugality or, better yet, wise spending.

Just like Bro. Bo, I don't wear any designer clothes, jeans, shoes or perfume. If ever I would buy one, as what I do when I buy branded shirts, I would buy them when they are on sale. That way, I don't feel guilty of spending a little amount unlike when I have to buy it on regular price (which I do not do). I also don't mind buying from an ukay-ukay if I find something I want and need. Anyway, nobody would know where I source my garments. Even if they would know, I don't see any problem with that. And I don't use any credit cards when I need to buy something. I always pay in cash.

Yes, I don't have any credit cards at all. Many have attempted to offer me one, some even pre-approved, but I don't oblige. I know I'm a wise spender and I am a well-disciplined person but I don't want to take chances. I'd rather be credit card-free all my life than see myself immersed in deep debt due to compulsive buying of things which I don't really need but still buy because I have the means i.e. the credit card. This does not mean that I am totally debt-free. I also enter into credit when I need capital for a business or other income-generating investments.

I pity those who lose any sleep over demand letters arising from unpaid credit card dues. If only I have the money to bail them out and get them out of their dire misery, I would not think twice doing it. The only help I can offer them is the same advice given by Bro. Bo in his book: to shop for credit cards that charge lower interests and transfer the loans there. Also, try to arrange a payment scheme with the creditors to alleviate the burden of paying high principal and interest.

To know more about how to live a simple life, be able to get out of debt, and live the good life, I encourage you to join Bro. Bo's Truly Rich Club by logging on at http://www.trulyrichclub.com.

The Road to Financial Freedom

2010-01-23T13:21:00.003+08:00

I came across a book by Bro. Bo Sanchez, the popular charismatic Catholic preacher, about the Eight Secrets of the Truly Rich. It talks about how his views on accumulating riches have changed from that of negative to positive. He also gives some practical steps on how to free oneself from financial burden and earn passive income that would give anybody the opportunity to increase the active income -- one derived from day job -- without really eating too much of one's time.

While the book teaches one to acquire more wealth, it stresses the point that everybody's primary objective for wanting to be rich is this: to be able to give more back to God and to share more to the less fortunate ones. It advocates reverse tithing, i.e., giving back 90% to God and retaining the 10% for personal use. But this, of course, is only possible if one has already made himself financially stable. And to do that, one has to learn first to tithe, i.e., giving back 10% of one's income to God and retaining the rest for personal use.

He does not, however, prevent one from giving more than the 10%. The more, the better. Conversely, he does not force anybody to give the actual 10% as he also subscribes to the tenet of giving according to the heart's desire.

Of the 90% left, 20% should be saved, practically leaving one with 70% disposable income. While most of us put all our extra money in banks, he does not totally agree to it because it does not maximize our earnings since banks give very little interest. Instead, he urges everyone to invest in government bonds, mutual funds, and stocks depending on one's tolerance for risk. Moreover, he prods all to get protection for oneself such as an insurance: life, health, pension, travel, etc. Nevertheless, he still advises each one to save an equivalent of three to six months' income in banks for emergency purposes.

Easier said than done, you may say. That is true to people who do not want to give it a try and who do not believe that it can be done. I tell you, IT CAN BE DONE! I have done it myself. I had actually started taking the initial step to my financial freedom a day before I turned 40 last November when I invested a portion of my and my wife's Christmas bonus in an equity fund. Then, just last Thursday, I invested again some amount from our loan proceeds in a peso bond in a very reputable mutual fund company. And I'm mulling of subscribing to a proposal of an insurance company for a combined insurance and investment deal. I'm just studying the fine prints very well before I finally decide next week.

I forgot to tell you, the money I'm investing in various fund management houses was supposed to be used for a foodcart franchise which my wife and I planned to put up. However, we had to let go of that decision for now until we are ready to be full-time businesspeople. Being full-time means we have to quit our present jobs and just focus on the business. We're not ready yet for that and we do not regret taking the alternative choice, that of investing in mutual funds.

In the next few days, I shall embark on another investment decision: to trade online. I have already opened an account in BPI Trade and I'm just psyching myself up to be an online stocks trader. With all these bold undertakings, I see myself fully free from my financial burdens in a year or two.

How about my tithing, you may ask? It's a matter between me and my God. But one thing I tell you, I have proved that the more you give, the more you receive. Try it also and you will see the downpour of financial blessings. And by the way, I have also joined Bro. Bo's Truly Rich Club and have started reaping some of the benefits he promised those who would join. I invite you to join, too! Just visit http://www.trulyrichclub.com/ and start reaping the riches God has prepared for you. Again, the bottomline is to give back to God and to the needy.

Vannie, Our Bunny

2010-01-21T21:04:00.000+08:00

It has been more than a month since Vannie became a family member. I bought her as a present for our youngest daughter Charm who was then recovering from her two-day admission to the hospital for gastritis. I still vividly remember how her face delighted upon seeing the pair of rabbits I brought home that night and her utterance of appreciation for buying it for her. Since we didn’t have a ready cage yet that time, I asked our helper to make one on our yard using the spare tinplate bars we had.

That night, Vannie and Bugsy spent time together in the makeshift cage. Or so we thought. We found out in the morning that Bugsy escaped through the gap in between the bars. We tried to locate him but he was nowhere to be found.

For fear that Vannie might also follow suit, I dismantled the makeshift cage and transferred her to our old hamper where she stayed for awhile until I was able to buy her a decent cage. Well, not the usual cage but a transparent plastic storage box that was on sale. I made sure though that Vannie would not be suffocated that’s why I drilled two long holes on both sides of the cover so air would freely flow inside the cage.

Feeding Vannie has become one of the bonding pastimes for me and Charm as we both feed our pet which I would put on top of our veranda where it would playfully go back and forth the two ends of our porch’s posts. Slowly, Charm is learning the value of taking care of animals by teaching her how to handle it properly, giving it food and water, and cleaning its habitat regularly.

I was planning to buy another male companion for Vannie but I have read that each rabbit should have an individual cage and that means additional space. Therefore, I am setting that plan aside for now. Besides, I don’t want Vannie to have kits because we don’t have enough space at home. For now, I am happy with only one pet. Someday, when I already have a big house and extra space, I will have more pets, not only rabbits but other animals as well. That day will come soon.

A Healthier Me This Year

2010-01-20T16:18:00.004+08:00

When we had our reunion with balikbayan friends in Trinoma days before last Christmas, my wife and I saw this exercise gadget, the Air Climber, in Landmark Department Store. Wifey instantly liked it because of the video demonstrating some of the workouts using it. I promised her I would buy it as my Christmas present for her. I did buy it for her...but only after Christmas.

On the night wifey was about to use it, the DVD that comes with it would not play on our machine nor on our laptop. Frustrated, my wife just followed the workouts from the manual. After her workout, her happiness was incomplete because she still wanted to do the workouts using the DVD.

The following day, I called Landmark Makati where I bought the machine and asked the supervisor If I could have the malfunctioning DVD replaced even without the official receipt which I had thrown away unconsciously on my way home the night I bought it. To my relief, the supervisor agreed and told me to just look for him. That night, I still tried to play the DVD on our player but to no avail. It just came to my mind to try the other player we have which we have not been using for a long time. Alas! It played!

Wifey was just so happy trying out the workouts being demonstrated by Brenda Dygraf, who, I have learned, was an aerobic champion early in her career. I myself tried it and felt happy I did because I now have a regular exercise program, which is a must especially for diabetics like me.

We still have to reap the promise this exercise machine offers. Although I have read mixed reviews about it, I would still say it was a good investment because it has prompted me to exercise regularly and nobody would argue about the health benefits of exercise. That's why I'm looking forward to seeing a healthier me this year. That goes the same for my wife.

Giving Back to God

2010-01-17T20:33:00.002+08:00

My youngest daughter did something good that made me and my wife smile while we were attending the healing mass in St. Peregrine Laziosi Parish Shrine in Tunasan, Muntinlupa City this afternoon. Let me keep you hanging for a while and start from the very beginning.

It has been my practice that during offertory, I give some bills to my three daughters for the "love offering." This afternoon, I shelled out only two bills which I handed to my wife which, in turn, she handed to my second eldest and youngest daughters. Charm, our youngest, gave the money given her to her Ate Clare, our eldest. I thought she would ask additional from me. But lo and behold! She reached for her new bag given by my Ninang Belen and pulled out her purse and guess what? Yes, she took out a P1-coin from it and readied it for the love offering.

What she did may not be extraordinary but it was not also ordinary for kids her age to do that. If that would not make any parents smile at the action, I don't know what would. In fact, it did not only put a smile on my lips but also made me feel proud of her action. She is starting to imbibe the practice of giving to the church. She may not understand yet the rationale for the action but the thought that she knows how to give back to God is a good starting point, which I shall encourage even more.

Live Longer and Holier

2010-01-17T13:24:00.003+08:00

Death is inevitable and each of us will have to face it sooner or later. While we do not have the power over death, we have the power over what we do to our body to live longer. For instance, we all know that eating too much of everything sweet, salty, sour, and fatty leads to sickness or disease, or sometimes aggravates our condition if we have it pre-existing already. Yet how many of us keep away from feasting on foods loaded with these life-threatening ingredients?

We also know that vices such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and staying late up at night deteriorate our health yet many of us still do these things. We have been told that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit yet we continue to desecrate and weaken it with our abusive ways.

We also know that exercise is good for the body yet how many of us take the time to stretch those muscles and bones?

I am guilty in some of the abuses mentioned above like staying late up at night and not exercising that's why I'm trying to change these bad habits because I want to live longer. Lately, I have not been using the laptop and the Internet way beyond sleeping time especially on weekdays. Also lately, I have been taking time to exercise at least three times a week.

Of course, we can only do so much to bide our time to stay longer here on earth. When it's really time for us to go, off we shall go. As we try to improve our physical condition, it would be wise, no, wiser, to also maintain the health of our souls. The latter is much harder to do than the former but with God's grace and total surrender to His will, living a holy life, no matter how difficult it may be, will always be within our reach.

As there are various ways to be physically fit and healthy, there are also steps we can do to live a holy life: stay away from bad influences and occasions of sins, join religious communities, attend mass and pray daily, and do charitable acts. Of course, sin will always try to find its way to us but if we have done more good things than bad ones, the Just God will always reward our efforts.

If you haven't thought yet of living longer and holier, maybe it's about time? Don't you think so?

A Thief In The Night

2010-01-16T00:23:00.002+08:00

The reality of death is always present. It really comes like a thief in the night. And nobody really has the chance to prepare for it. Well, not if you're diagnosed with the Big C or any terminal sickness and the doctor has given you your date with the Soul Taker. At least, knowing that you're dying soon, no matter how painful and shocking it may be, is always a better option than not knowing until when you will stay alive. The former still gives one the opportunity to amend all his wrong doings and live the last days of his life in all holiness while the latter does not bring immediate enlightenment but rather brings complacency towards working for the salvation of one's soul.

Just last Tuesday, a former consultant in one of the big-ticket projects in our agency succumbed to an untimely death (well, is there such a thing as a timely death?) due to a massive stroke. The news of his death, naturally, came as a shock. For somebody who was in his late 40s, life had still so much to offer. But that's life. Nobody could really tell the exact time and place when we shall depart from this ephemeral world.

Since we do not know when death will come upon us, it would be wise to spend each day as if it were our last. It would be foolish to think that our end will not yet come and that God will always give us more time to change our ways and save our soul. Living a holy life is never easy because even if the body is willing, the spirit is weak. This is a struggle we all face but it can be overcome by total surrender of one's self to God. No matter how hard we try to keep away from sinning, if we do not totally give our everything to the Creator, including our weaknesses and sins, all our efforts will be in vain. The more we will find ourselves in the abyss of wickedness.

However, if we empty ourselves and let the Holy Spirit fill us with His love and mercy, that's the only time we can experience God's saving power. If we continue to live in God's grace, there's no worry even if we die at this very moment.

A Long and Lasting Friendship

2010-01-06T23:14:00.001+08:00

Real friends don't need to see each other frequently to keep the friendship burning especially now that rapid advancements in communication technologies make it possible to connect with each other anytime anywhere. Everybody is just a text message or phone call or e-mail away.

Still, the thought of seeing good old friends even at least once a year makes one excited. This is how I always feel whenever my family and the families of my former officemates from Graphic Arts Service inc. (GASI) would see each other for our annual reunion, usually during the Christmas holidays. It's our way of rekindling our friendship and updating each other with the developments in our individual lives. Some share success stories, others, otherwise. Those who have not been as lucky as the others in terms of personal and professional success draw strength, hope, and inspiration from those who have been blessed with personal and professional growth.

How good to see how this friendship has blossomed and been kept intact for more than 18 years now that even our own kids have become friends with one another. Come to think of it, we have not encountered any major issue that would cause our friendship to fall apart. Yes, there were times that some had issues with others but these had always been resolved. All's well that ends well, so they say.

I only keep a handful of true friends and the friends I have from GASI will always be among the closest to my heart. I look forward to seeing all of them again next year with each one having a happy story to tell.

Pyrophobic

2009-12-31T00:18:00.005+08:00

What are you afraid of?

Not many people know I am pyrophobic. My fear of fire has its origin when I was a little nine years old. Our stove then was a kerosene stove, the pressurized burner portable type. One time, as it was being put to use, I saw the fire coming from it billowed up, almost touching our ceiling. It was good that the one who operated it (can't recall now who s/he was) had a presence of mind that s/he was able to release the air and turn off the pump knob. Since then, I never wanted to go near or, worse, operate a kerosene stove.

That incident was aggravated by another one, this time involving a van that was set on fire. I was doing my assignment then when suddenly I heard an automotive screeched in front of our house, which was along a boulevard. After that, I heard a commotion as people were shouting that the van was on fire. When I went out, I saw that the van was indeed flaming. Out of fear and shock, I hurriedly left the house without my slippers. Fortunately, the automotive did not explode and our house was saved. Also, no passengers were hurt as they were able to alight even before the car was consumed by fire. Years before that, a similar incident happened also along that boulevard where there were two or three casualties. I did not see it as I was still living in another place then but I just came to know about it through those who witnessed it.

Until now, I am still afraid to turn on our gas stove but I am trying to overcome this fear. My wife knows how "praning" I become whenever our automatic ignition gas stove would not ignite after many attempts. Even in the office, whenever somebody would heat their food in the microwave, I tell them never to leave until they are done with it.

I don't know if there will come a time when I will finally overcome this fear of fire. I just hope so.

And The Biggest Loser Is...

2009-12-21T13:23:00.003+08:00

Our own Biggest Loser Contest had ended last Friday coinciding with our office's Christmas Party. Would you believe, the top three biggest losers were all males? Ren was third placer, losing 9 lbs. Kim was second placer, losing 10 lbs. And the biggest loser was Resty, losing 13 lbs.

Other contenders were protesting Kim's winning since he lost weight due to sickness. However, since we did not specifically state the manner by which the participants should lose weight, we had to consider Kim's hospitalization as a "legitimate" way of weight reduction. Anyway, the P2,500.00 was just a consolation for Kim who spent more than that for his medications (Yes, that's how small our cash prizes were for the winners because the prize money was just donated by the four of us "bosses" in the office. I urged the three other bosses to donate P2,000.00 each and divide the total, including my donation, to the three winners with the third placer getting P1,500.00 and the grand winner, P4,000.00).

How about the other non-winners, did they get any consolation prize? Unfortunately, they did not as we had agreed that only the top three would get cash prizes.

Wait...they got consolation after all.

The mere fact that they lost weight ranging from 1 to 5 lbs. indicated that they could really lose weight if they wanted to. Who knows, they might become the winners in the same contest by next year. And the cash prize might increase if everybody agrees to the proposal of our big boss that starting February those who cannot maintain their weight as of last Friday would be penalized with the penalty (we still have to determine how much) going to the money pot.

Promise, we shall have a bigger cash prize next year, not only for our Biggest Loser Contest but also for the Best Costume Award for our Christmas Party. Everybody in the office looks forward to it.

Let's Party, Animals

2009-12-20T08:53:00.001+08:00

The themed Christmas Party of our office was, as expected, fun-filled just like its predecessor Hawaiian Party of the DTI Direct Call Center which our office manages. What made our unit's animal-themed party more special was the group effort to make it exciting and memorable. Special mention should be given to our angels Kia, Jam, and Yhen and archangels Kim, Ren, and Aye for the all the preparations including the making of the masks and the video presentations (it was too bad, though, that the video done by Aye met some technical difficulties that the final product was not shown. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed watching the raw footages).

Of course, the ever reliable assistance of Ate Myrns, Ate Genie, Mang Doms, and Lyn could not be underestimated. Ditto, with Resty and Mang Joebar and our colleagues at the other division headed by Tita Rems, together with Tita LV, Tita Baby, Tita Belen, Mel, Au, and Ric. Even our resident angels at the call -center - Hazel, Eden, Glev, and Hedy - made extra effort in preparing their costumes. And our generous lioness queen (who should be the runaway winner of the best costume award but declined since she's the prize donor), Tita Anne, made sure that each of us would take home something,

We are looking forward to having another themed-party next year. This early, the staff have already something in mind, which our boss also likes: Walt Disney Movie Characters.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

2009-12-16T23:57:00.004+08:00

Now it can be told!

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Direct Call Center, of which I am a part of, won the Most Innovative Idea Award in the Functional Group category of the annual DTI System on Performance Rewards and Incentives (SPRints). The idea of putting up a call center that aims to provide DTI clients a "no wrong door" reply to their queries came from the DTI Anti-Red Tape Technical Working Group (ARTTWG) and our office was tasked to manage it.

We have to give credit where credit is due. While the idea was brought up by the DTI ARTTWG, it was really Assistant Secretary Baby Baua who orchestrated everything to have the call center established with the able support of Office of Special Concerns (OSC) Officer-in-Charge Lydia Guevarra, Management Information Service (MIS) Director Lizzie Cabrera, Financial Management Service (FMS) Director Ireneo "Boy" Vizmonte and the other bureau directors who allowed their staff to man the call center once a week on a rotation basis. Of course, I won't forget the call center agents who have been instrumental in the continued success of the DTI Direct.

Now on its third year of operations, the DTI Direct has proven to be an invaluable mechanism in addressing the concerns of the Department's stakeholders, particularly the consumer and business sectors. Lest this article be accused of being self-serving, I will just let the continued operation of the call center speak for itself.

One of our volunteer agents and an officemate, Ric, was also an awardee for the Best Clerk Functional Group category. Three from our division who were nominated by our OIC Director to the Best Supervisor (that's me), Best Technical Staff - Specialis Level (Kia), and Best Secretary (Ate Genie) categories did not make it.

Well, that's life. You win some, you lose some. Our defeat will never prevent us from doing our work to the best of our abilities and capabilities. The fact that our boss recognizes our performance is already something to be proud of. Speaking for myself, I have been an awardee thrice, twice as a specialist and once as a senior specialist. Recognition is an incentive but this is not the be-all and end-all of everything. My time will come when I shall be recognized as an outstanding supervisor and so with Kia nd Ate Genie in their own categories.

In all fairness, the winners in the categories where we were fielded deserved the recognition they got. But this we cannot say in other categories and I'd rather keep my mouth shut than name names. After all, the winners themselves will find it in their hearts if they truly deserved the awards conferred on them. Besides, we still respect the decision of the committee no matter how different it may be from our own preferences.

When Babies Get Sick (Part 2)

2009-12-13T22:21:00.000+08:00

We thought our youngest daughter would be okay after we had brought her to the emergency room of Divine Mercy Hospital around 5:30am yesterday for vomiting. Since the initial finding was just a mild UTI, she was not given any medication but was only advised to be given more liquids and for further observation at home.

When we arrived home at around 8:30am, she was able to go back to sleep. When she woke up after one hour, she started throwing up again. When she had vomited thrice, we decided to bring her back to the hospital and this time she was attended to by a resident pediatrician who ordered a complete blood count test to rule out dengue as among the possible causes of Charm's condition.

Thank God Charm was dengue-negative. Just like the attending physician, the pediatrician also advised us to bring Charm back home for further observation. She was just advised to take glucolyte for her mild dehydration. However, if Charm could not tolerate its taste, there's no other recourse but to bring her back for confinement.

When we got back home, Charm was able to take 1 oz of the 7-oz preparation of oresol before she went back to sleep. After two hours, Charm woke up and I fed her with Skyflakes. After some time, there she was again vomiting. As per her doctor's advice, I had to make Charm take her oresol 5-10 minutes after she would throw up. I did just that. But when she had vomited five times, I thought I had to bring her back to the hospital and request for her confinement because I could no longer bear seeing her vomit again. Before I brought her back to the hospital, I called wifey, who was attending a grand reunion of former officemates that time, and told her about my decision. I also told her she need not worry and just go on with the party but requested her to leave early so she could be at the hospital soon.

At the hospital, Charm vomited one last time. When wifey arrived, Charm was already feeling better. It was wifey's turn to take care of our youngest child and my turn to go home to rest.

Before I went back to the hospital this morning, I got a call from wifey telling me that Charm had some rashes on her neck and forehead. The attending physician had not yet arrived so Charm had to deal with her rashes for the meantime. When the doctor had made her rounds and saw Charm's rashes, she did not give her any medication since it was only localized. Instead, Charm was put under observation again for her rashes.

When wifey went home to take a bath and attend to our two daughters, I asked her to bring the antihistamine we had at home since I already told the nurse to ask the doctor if Charm could already be given it because she had been itching and she started scratching her neck. There was no available antihistamine at the hospital's pharmacy and I could not go out to buy one because I was all alone attending to Charm. It's good that I remembered we had one at home.

When Charm's attending physician visited her this afternoon, she requested another CBC to check if she's finally okay so she could be allowed to go home tomorrow. Thank God, the CBC test was encouraging. Tomorrow, Charm will be back home. I would have wanted to fetch them from the hospital but I have a two-day training starting tomorrow. This time, it was wifey who urged me to proceed with the training and she would manage arranging for Charm's dispatch tomorrow with the help of our maid.

I pray that by tomorrow Charm will be back to her usual self -- playful, talkative, and cheerful. I shall go home early after our training and see my baby waiting for me at our veranda.

When Babies Get Sick

2009-12-12T09:50:00.001+08:00

Parents would never want their children to get sick. But we cannot prevent them from getting sick. The least we can do is provide them with immunization shots so that when certain diseases strike them, the impact on them would be mitigated.

But children are prone to other forms of afflictions or infections such as urinary tract infection, which our youngest daughter is suffering from. Last night, Charm vomited twice. We did not immediately bring her to the hospital because we put her under observation.

This morning, at around 4:30, Charm threw up again for more than three times so we decided to rush her to the nearest hospital. A check on her urine revealed that she's suffering from mild UTI. The attending physician just gave her an anti-vomitting shot but it would take effect only after four hours. If Charm will continue to vomit after that, we have to bring her back to the hospital for admission.

It has been almost four hours after her shot and she has threw up twice already. We hope after the four-hour observation, she will no longer vomit so she won't be confined. And we also hope that by tomorrow, when I go back to the hospital for the reexamination of her urine sample, the mild UTI will already be healed.

If only I could take away her suffering, I would do it.

The Two-Hour Mass

2009-12-10T22:01:00.001+08:00

I am used to attending a one-hour mass as most Catholics are. But the mass I attended last Tuesday, together with some of my staff and our boss, was a little different because it took us some two hours before it was finally over. No, I'm not complaining. In fact, I would have stayed even longer had the officiating priest extended the celebration to another half an hour or so. Who would not give an extra hour or two to God who has given us all the time in this world to do whatever we want?

The mass was very special because it was in honor of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and was made even more significant because it was a healing mass. And the officiating priest (Father forgive me for I did not have the courage to ask any of the organizers who you were) reminded me of Father Sonny Ramirez for the similarity in style of doing the celebration.

While others started to leave the chapel one by one, even if the final blessing had not yet been given, we stayed put. Five of us there were supposed to have a meeting at 1 o'clock but we did not bother at all. God first above all things or before anyone else.

I felt so much blessed as we left the chapel. The blessings I received that particular day were overflowing. It has been a very very long time since I last felt that kind of blissfulness. There was even a part during the exposition and veneration of the Blessed Sacrament that I went into a deep trance and almost started to speak in tongues. But it was cut short when Father proceeded to the next part of the ceremony. When I felt that the presence of the Holy Spirit in me had slowly subsided, I felt somewhat exhausted but nobody noticed it and I did not want them to notice it all. In fact, I did not know how the others would react had I spoken in tongues because in my experiences, whenever I would speak in tongues (I got this gift of Spirit during my Life in the Spirit Seminar some four years ago), it would take me quite some time before I would go back to my normal state. Aside from uttering unintelligible sounds, my body would shake heavily whenever this gift would manifest in me.

I would not mind attending another mass this long if only to show God how grateful I am for all the blessings He has been showering on me and my family. I have so many things to thank God for and I don't need to elaborate all of them here. Just the mere fact that I am still alive and doing this blog is more than enough reason to be forever thankful to God. That's why I am looking forward to experiencing the same kind of mass again in the future.

The Vigilant Consumer

2009-12-08T22:00:00.002+08:00

I am a vigilant consumer and I'm proud about it.

Last Sunday, we did our grocery shopping at SM Hypermart in Tunasan, Muntinlupa. While wifey and the kids were lining up to the cashier, I went to the comfort room to jingle. When I went back, I noticed that the cashier had stopped punching in the items. Wifey told me that our eldest daughter had noticed the discrepancy between the barcode price and the one that registered on the point of sale (POS) machine. Naturally, wifey questioned the cashier about the discrepancy so the cashier had to summon the promodizer to explain about it. I told the cashier that the price indicated on the item should prevail and there's no way I would pay for the higher price.

Came the promodizer and explained that he was just newly hired and disowned the mistake of barcoding done by the one he replaced. He told me that I should pay for the price on the screen because they had really marked up the price recently. No way, Jose! I told him in all diplomacy that I could not accept his alibi. It was not my concern whether he was new or whether he was not the one who did the barcoding. I insisted that in cases of discrepancy, the tag price should prevail without mentioning that I work for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Even if I am not a DTI employee, I would still fight for what I believe is right.

It seemed that the promodizer would not budge. Okay fine with me. I told him that I would pay the price on the POS but would use it as evidence when I make my formal complaint to DTI-National Capital Region. That was the time when the promodizer told me that he would just look for a barcode price that would reflect the amount indicated on the item I would buy.

It took us more than 20 minutes before everything was settled because aside from waiting for the right barcode, the cashier also waited for her supervisor to do the line void procedure. The funny thing, the two of them could not agree if the item was finally line voided or not so they had to seek the help of another supervisor and it took them quite some time before the three of them agreed that they did it right. I should congratulate myself for keeping my cool that long. Had my blood sugar level been wayward that particular moment, I could have called the store manager to complain the four of them - the promodizer, the cashier, and the two supervisors. Imagine the inconvenience they had caused us?

Anyway, all's well that ends well. I left the store feeling triumphant because I was able to fight for my right as a consumer. My eldest daughter almost regretted the fact that she saw the discrepancy and told her mom about it because she knew how I would react had I been the one who discovered it (She thought that the problem would be over before I even go back). She knew that I always fight for my right as a consumer because she has been a witness to it in many instances. And that's one thing I want my children to do as well. If I have to sound like a broken record, I will do it so that they will learn to become vigilant and at the same time responsible consumers. And they have nothing to be ashamed about it.

The Call Center Like No Other

2009-12-05T23:52:00.003+08:00

It has been three years since the DTI Direct Call Center was established. An initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry's Anti-Red Tape Technical Working Group (DTI-ARTTWG), the DTI Direct Call Center reinforces the "no-wrong door" policy to provide accurate information and quality response to its clients. Our bureau has been tasked to manage it and, modesty aside, we have been able to do our responsibility very well because of the effective leadership of our Offier-In-Charge and the unwavering support of all the staff and the volunteer agents and partner bureaus as well.

Volunteer agents? Until the hiring of three service providers in May this year, the rest of the agents are all volunteers from various DTI units who were allowed by their mother units to serve as call center agents once a week. Some of the original agents have been recalled by their mother unit in the exigency of service, but new volunteers who are as equally dedicated as the original agents have replaced them.

In the last three years that our call center has been serving the public, the agents as well as the team leaders have gotten their fair share of commendations from satisfied callers as well as vindictives from irate ones. It has also received public service awards from the DTI management. As of this writing, it is vying for the DTI System on Performance Rewards and Incentives (SPRInts) Awards. We are all keeping our fingers crossed to win the recognition. But awards or no awards, the agents will continue to serve with a smile on their faces.

Aside from serving the public, those who are involved in manning the call center have established a strong sense of camaraderie that makes their volunteerism even more exciting and something they always look forward to every week.

So, for your business- and consumer-related concerns, call 751.3330 and our agents will be more than glad to serve you.

My Long Lost Kumpare

2009-12-03T23:53:00.005+08:00

After more than a decade, I finally saw again my kumpareng Eugene last Monday in, of all places, Divisoria when wifey and I went there for Christmas shopping. He was a good friend from our former office and one of my eldest daughter's godfathers.

I have been searching for him in Friendster and Facebook but to no avail. I did find a namesake of him in FB and found out that they were distant relatives but was not able to get any information leading to his whereabouts. Until finally, I was able to trace him from his brother whom I have not yet met but was only able to find through Google. When I got his e-addy and mobile number, I immediately sent him text messages and called his number and emailed him but he did not reply to any of those. That left me wondering.

So you could just imagine the happiness I felt when we finally met once again. I also felt his excitement in seeing me, too, but the place was not conducive for long talks because of the multitudes of people doing their own shopping at 168 Mall. We just exchanged very brief pleasantries and it was only then that I learned that he was no longer using the number I got from his brother and he has not opened his email for quite some time.

Before we parted ways, I asked for his new number and told him that I would just text him. As we moved towards opposite directions, I and wifey shared our common observation about our kumpare's physical appearance. Father Time has not been so kind to him because he has grown so much mature from the last time we saw him some 12 years ago. Whatever had happened to him in that span of years that we did not see each other, I could only speculate.

I hope we could set another meeting where we could have more time updating each other and rekindling our good old days.

Bonding Time With My Family

2009-11-29T23:47:00.003+08:00

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.

When we arrived at around 2PM, we just stayed in the room and watched cable programs until 3:30 when we went out for a merienda at the nearby KFC. Afterwards, we proceeded to SM in Harrison Plaza to buy the kids' apparel for Christmas. Then, we attended the anticipated mass in the mall's chapel and had dinner at Mang Inasal beside KFC.

The next day was swimming time for me and the two kids, together with our kasambahay. Wifey didn't feel like swimming but still went with us to the pool to take our photos. Our eldest, Clare, decided to stay inside the room because she was not feeling well. When we checked out, we decided to just buy RBX (rice in a box) and eat our lunch inside the bus so we could go home early and take some more rest in the afternoon.

The overnight accommodation may not have been enough but it was more than enough for us who have been blessed with a little extra money to spend on pleasures such as this. It would have been wiser of me had I invested the money in income-generating activities than spend it on leisure acitivites that would not increase my wealth. But who cares? I would not trade the happiness I saw on the faces of my wife and kids yesterday and today for anything in this world. We may not have that vast riches but the happy memories I share with my family are more than the material wealth I may be able to accumulate in this lifetime.

I look forward to having another bonding moment with my family. To paraphrase a famous slogan, "The family that bonds together stays together." Aside from praying together, which by itself is a form of bonding activity, I think families should spend more time with each other to nurture their relationships and keep it intact. Spending some fortune is not always necessary to bodn with the whole family. Just staying home and doing things together like eating together, watching the television together, doing the kids' assignments together, etc. these are simple things that families can do to keep the relationship intact without necessarily spending. What say you?

Of bullies and bullying

2009-11-26T22:54:00.001+08:00

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.

Clare has been sharing with us about her classmates' seemingly crab mentality. They may be trying to pull her down because she does not join them in their mischievous activities. Since she is not one of them, they have been making her feel that she's an outcast. Of course, they are not that mean to her all throughout. Sometimes, they are very considerate to her, especially when they need her to help them in school assignments or activities. User-friendly you would say? You can say that again!

Of course, we always take side with our daughter because we know that she is a good child and a good classmate. But, we also try to be impartial and give her classmates the benefit of the doubt. We sometimes play the evil's advocate so we can see the other side of the story. Never would we tolerate any of our daughter's wrongdoings if ever they commit any. And Clare knows that very well.

While we dismissed the incident that Clare was telling us as an ordinary case of bullying, we felt we could not let it pass without doing anything about it because for all we know it might already be a serious case. Wifey told her that she would go to her school to inform her adviser about it but Clare vehemently resisted for fear that this might blow out of proportion. I told her that I would post a shout in facebook to warn her classmates and reiterated to her that I was not asking her permission but just informing her so she would not be surprised when she reads it.

Still, she was taken by surprise because the following afternoon she was called to the Office of the Prefect of Discipline and was asked to make an incident report. Apparently, the school official whom I emailed (this I did not tell Clare nor my wife beforehand) acted upon my request to resolve the issue immediately before I decide to file a formal complaint against Clare's classmates if they would not stop from bullying her.

The classmates concerned have also been called to the Office of the Prefect of Discipline. Of course, Clare and her other classmates could only guess what took place there. I felt happy about it knowing that the school authorities do not take for granted the parents' concerns or complaints. But then, I was also saddened by the comment of Clare's adviser that the incident can only be regarded as bullying if somebody has been hurt physically. Ano raw? Must there always be the element of physical injury before something mischievous can be considered as a form of bullying?

What is a bully anyway? The online Free Dictionary defines it as a person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. Definitely, my daughter, lanky that she is, is not a small person because she is one of the tallest among her classmates. She may seem tough at the outside but she's weak on the inside. Her snobbish facade is just a defense mechanism and her classmates know it that's why they know they can always overpower her.

Another definition states that a bully is one who hurts, persecutes, or intimidates weaker people. While it mentions about the element of hurting one another, it is not the only criterion that makes one a bully. Just a mere show of intimidation qualifies one to be a bully.

Well, I understand my daughter's adviser because she doesn't have her own children yet. When the time comes that she will have a family of her own and bears children, I do not want her kids to be bullied by anybody because I am against it myself. I just hope that by that time, her own perception of bullying would have already been changed. If it doesn't, so be it. As far as I'm concerned, I will never take anybody's bullying any of my kids sitting down. And this should serve as a stern warning to those who will try.

Charm, New Moon, and Bobby: The Saga Continues

2009-11-24T21:48:00.002+08:00

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.

Although I and my wife enjoyed the first Twilight installment more, we still enjoyed the sequel. Even my three-year-old daughter, Charm, liked it. When the movie ended and the lights turned on, she verbally expressed her enjoyment by telling me that the movie was good. I asked her if she enjoyed it and she said yes. As a follow-up question, I asked her if she understood it, she said no. Oh, Charm and her antics!

Then, last Monday when I arrived home, my wife told me that Charm told her that Bobby, my daughter's imginary classmate, had also watched New Moon. I asked Charm if it was true and she answered in affirmative. She even said that Bobby watched it for the second time. She also said that she asked Bobby if he understood the movie and he said he did. She admitted to him that she did not understand it but she liked it anyway. She then asked her mama and me if we could watch it for the second time. We just gave her a big smile.

Maybe by the time the Twilight movie series ends, Charm's conversations with and stories about her imaginary classmates and friends would also end. As it is, I am amazed by the storytelling skills she is developing. Like father like daughter.

Wait for her next story.

Preparations for Death

2009-11-23T23:56:00.001+08:00

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.

Since death comes like a thief in the night, it would be wise to prepare for it. We all know that we are just boarders here on earth and no matter the advances in science and technology, man cannot and will never conquer death. Only He has the power to do it.

Lately, I have been blogging about conversion, repentance, holiness, and salvation. I don't know why. Maybe because I have reached the midlife and I am already having a midlife crisis. But midlifing has not something to do with being spiritual. Or maybe I am wrong. Maybe my midlife crisis has something to do with the state of my spiritual life after all.

Looking back, my spiritual life has not that been solid. I may be a practising Catholic but had God taken back my life weeks before I turned 40, I would have been in purgatory now, or worse in hell. But that's not where God wants me to be. He wants me to be with Him in heaven so He Himself called me back to the right path through the sacrament of confession.

I have long wanted to make a good confession but Satan has his way of deceiving me that I always forego it. But God's love is far greater and more powerful than the devil's snare so in God's perfect time, I was able to go to confession a week before my 40th birthday. I know that Satan will call all his dominions to help him win me back again. But I am very much resolved this time: I shall not let the devil touch me again. And God is sending me his host of angels to protect me from the evil power. He is also showing me the way how to have a strong spirituality.

One way of strengthening my soul against Satan's attacks is by reading the Holy Bible daily. I draw my strength from it as well as from praying the Holy Rosary. Whenever impure thoughts would enter my mind, I drive it away by praying intensely to God and true enough, the devil's attempts would not succeed.

My motto now is to treat each day as if it were my last so that I would be driven to do only things that please God. I know it is a tough battle but with God on my side, I need not worry. Satan should be the one to worry because I have already turned my back on him and I don't have any plans of reuniting with him.

I am now preparing for my death and I pray to God to make me His faithful servant until the day I die. I may stumble along the way but I know God's help is ever present to bring me back on my feet. I shall continue preparing for my death so that anytime the Lord calls me, I may go straight to Him without any stopover in purgatory.

Are You An Addict?

2009-11-22T20:41:00.004+08:00

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.

We get addicted to anything precisely because it gives us a different high sexually, psychologically, or emotionally. Being an addict is not bad if the forms of addiction that we’re into do not cause the decay of our souls or our relationships with the people we love. If we are addicted to doing good things, there's no problem with it. But once the addiction results in our separation from God or our loved ones, we better think twice.

I have heard of various testimonies of people who have, at one time or another, become addicted to worldly vices or activities that they could not get out of it. Until slowly, everything around them started to fall apart. That’s when God came to the rescue. The good thing about these people, when God tried to reach out His hand, they grabbed his arms, hence they were plucked out of the dark and brought back to light.

Indeed, God gives us the free will to do whatever we want to do with our lives. But, out of God’s great love for us, He does not totally abandon us even if we have chosen the other side. He tries to win us back by bothering our conscience whenever He sees that we are already sinking in the quicksand of soul's destruction. It is our response to God’s help that determines our perpetual happiness or eternal doom.

Addiction is never a hopeless case. When all our loved ones may have given up on us, God will always be there for us to help us get out of the dark. Listening to the voice within us is the first step towards getting back to the right path. Until we realize and admit that we are an addict, that's the only time that we can regain God's friendship.

Personally, I thank God for not giving up on me and always bothering my conscience every time I have become deeply immersed to ephemeral gratifications that Satan offers me. I have always believed that it is not man’s nature to be bad because He comes from God. Man becomes wicked because he chooses to be one. Still, no matter how man has become evil, God, out of His great love for all of us, will always try to bring us back to the right path.

Choosing the right path may sound so easy but, in reality, it is one of the most difficult things to do especially when we have become so enslaved to the pleasures of our addictions. To others, choosing the right path sounds so corny and alienating. But when the time comes that we start to feel the emptiness within us despite the happiness that we get from those things we consider part of our lives as human beings, grab that opportunity to surrender to God our addictions and let Him fill the void within us. Getting addicted to God's love is the best alternative.

My 40th Birthday Celebration

2009-11-21T08:30:00.002+08:00

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.

Today's celebration will just be simple just like before. I shall treat the whole family, including our kasambahay, to a movie (New Moon) at Festival Mall after lunch. After that, we shall attend the anticipated mass at 6pm and have our dinner in one of the restaurants there.

Originally, I wanted my wife to cook pansit which I planned to distribute tomorrow to the families living along the railroad near our residence. But since wifey will be participating in the walk for a cause activity in their office tomorrow, the plan has been changed. I shall look, instead, for streetchildren roaming in Pacita Complex and treat them to Jollibee (What if anybody from Jollibee management come across this blog, will it cross their mind to sponsor my birthday celebration with the streetkids on Sunday? Well, just wishful thinking).

I am upbeat about the good things that will happen to me in the next 365 days of my life and I look forward to celebrating the next 40 years of my life.

YMC Forever

2009-11-19T23:32:00.002+08:00

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.

Our school had the distinction of having the most number of delegates in all the General Mariologies (GM) that we attended then. A GM is a regular gathering of all YMC members from secondary schools in Manila. Aside from the GMs, I also never failed to attend the First Saturday vigils held mostly at Espiritu Santo Parish Church in Tayuman, Manila. I also remember attending vigils inside Camp Crame's chapel. While most teenagers our age then were having the time of their life attending parties and gimmicks, we were praying the Holy Rosary all night long in those vigils as if the nightly recitation of the Holy Rosary we had in school was not yet enough to make us saintly.

The impact that YMC had on me was so strong that I wanted to become a priest then. But God had other plans for me that I did not end up entering the seminary (Please read the related blog "Seriously Funny"). As we usually say, "Once a YMC, always a YMC" and I have proven this to myself.

As I have always believed in the Divine Providence, I know that the Lord is calling me again to rekindle my devotion to the Blessed Mother. He has been leading me into it since last week and I am gladly accepting His invitation. Promise, I shall revive my daily recitation of the Holy Rosary starting tomorrow. That way, the YMC priests and brothers will be more than happy to know that one of their fruits has found his way back home to the Mother of God. I know Taning will try his very best to snatch me away again from the mantle of Mother Mary and God's love, but God and the Blessed Mother will never allow him to prevail over me. I am theirs and theirs alone and that's the premium of being a YMC forever.

Seriously Funny

2009-11-17T23:45:00.008+08:00

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.

The serious side of me has its roots in my childhood. Since I came from a poor family, I experienced life's hardships at a very young age. I became a vendor, a jeepney washboy, and a houseboy in my auntie's house just to help my mom make both ends meet. Until I started reaping scholastic honors when I was in Grade 3 that my mother pulled me out from my auntie's care and brought me under the aegis of my grandma who lived in the vicinity. That was the time I discovered the world of komiks.

Our neighbor had komiks for rent and I became one of its loyal clients. The very first komiks I rented was Funny Komiks where I enjoyed the stories or Niknok, Planet Op Di Eyps, Superkat, Darmo Adarna, Mahimud Ali, and the rest. That's also where I started discovering my flair for cracking a joke or two, which I have somehow managed to be a part of me until now. I don't know, but being humorous is not something that is taught nor learnt. It just comes out naturally. Actually, the inspiration for this blog is the answer given by Jam, my staff, to the question at Friends Exposed i.e., "What is one thing that Vic Soriano is a natural at?" Jam's answer? Joking. No, I'm not joking, that's really her answer. Or maybe, she's the one joking?

Being serious and funny at the same time works in my favor. By being serious, I get the respect and support of people around me. By being funny, I also get their support and respect because that's my way of showing them that I am a down-to-earth person who can be easily approached and asked for help, but not with money problems. Yes, I'm serious about it. I'm seriously joking about it. Try me...I will refer you to somebody I know from the office who will help you with your financial burdens. There's a he and a she. Choose your pick. But of course, I'm just kidding. I can lend you a hundred or two, but not three or four.

Now you know how seriously funny I am.

Nikkyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo

2009-11-14T21:31:00.002+08:00

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.

Those three terms are pin techniques used in aikido defenses. They were done on us by the senseis (teachers) and sempais (senior students) of the different dojos (training halls) which belong to the Makiling Aikido. Oh boy, I tell you, it was a wrist-breaking experience. Although we returned the "favor" to the senseis and sempais by also doing the techniques on them, the pain that we felt was more pronounced than the pain they experienced if they still experienced pain at all.

As they forewarned us, some of my body parts ached when I woke up this morning. I'm very much sure my co-participants also woke up today with their legs, thighs, arms, and backs aching. Imagine, in dojos they train for only 1.5 hours, including the warm ups while we trained for more than six hours. What body parts would not ache with those very long hours of training? And all of us were first-timers.

I'm not complaining though because I enjoyed the training even with the little pain I'm experiencing now. In fact, If I still have extra time, I will enrol in the mother dojo at the BPI Head Office. But, it's not my priority right now. Summertime maybe. I will have to psyche myself first and convince myself that once I decide to push through with it, it will not be ningas-cogon.

Lost Opportunities

2009-11-13T23:02:00.000+08:00

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 two officemates immediately completed all the requirements and hoped that they would be leaving for Taiwan for the training. All their hopes were crushed when they learned that the big boss of our boss rejected the nomination although it was not the reason stated in the memo they received from HRDPS (you may also read the personal blog of my staff at renrengoaway.blogspot.com, narrating the big disappointment he felt for what had happened).

To think that the formal announcement of their application's rejection came days before the scheduled day of their supposedly flight. Our boss and I felt the same frustration and sadness because we have also been experiencing difficulties in getting her aproval for our proposals or travels also, but we could not do anything about it. We do not try to question her decisions because we know nothing would happen even if we do. Besides, we would just put so much undue stress on our part. We have learned to accept the big boss's strictness and decisions for not approving travels abroad, or even local trips, even if these are at no cost to the agency. For whatever reasons she bases her decisions on, we can only guess.

We do not know if the big boss realizes that she has been demoralizing the employees' morale with her being overly strict and unfathomable decisions. There's no doubt, she's an intelligent person, an aggressive leader, and a workaholic and dependable administrator, but sad to say, she still has a lot to learn when it comes to being a good manager and dealing with subordinates. A good leader and manager provides a lot of opportunities to his or her subordinates and is proud of the achievements of his or her followers. I wish I could say the same for the big boss. I also wish that she wakes up from her deep slumber and sees the negative effects of her whimsical decisions before it's too late.

My Robotic Child

2009-11-10T22:41:00.003+08:00

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.

Last Saturday, Charm and her elder sister Camille were brought to a pediatrician (not their regular physician) in a nearby hospital in our place. Actually, it was only Camille who was scheduled for consultation because she was complaining about her right ear. But then, I told my wife to bring Charm also to have her nose checked because we have observed that every time she would have a runny nose, it was accompanied by a bad smell. However. every time we would apply an ointment in her nose as prescribed by her godfather-physician whose clinic is in Caloocan City, the bad smell would go away in a day or two. Only to come back when she would develop a runny nose again.

When the pediatrician checked Charm's nose, she already saw a foreign body in it. Since she didn't have the proper tool, she advised that Charm be brought to an ENT (ear, nose, throat) specialist in another hospital because their resident specialist was already out. So, off they went to see the ENT specialist.

Since Charm was somehow traumatized by the procedure done on her by the pediatrician, my wife had a difficulty bringing her in to the clinic. It was good that the specialist's child psychology worked on Charm that he was able to make her obey him without any hassle. Seconds after he saw and confirmed the presence of a foreign matter inside Charm's nose, he was able to extract it without so much difficulty. And you know what the intruder was? A toy cellphone battery! So, that was what caused the bad smell after all.

We don't know how it got in Charm's nose. Maybe she was measuring if it would fit into her nose. Maybe she saw it on TV and tried it on herself. Maybe she was feeling lowbatt and she thought she could be recharged with it. We could only surmise.

Good thing, nothing serious happened to her while that object was in her nose. Now, Charm is still taking her antibiotic. And she could not help but giggle every time I would tease her that she's a battery-operated robot. Seriously, I hope that would be the last time it would happen to her. That child of mine.

Bobby, My Youngest Daughter's Classmate

2009-11-08T21:30:00.001+08:00

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.

"Why, what happened to Bobby?" I asked her.

"He has a sore throat," she replied.

When I probed further, I learned that Bobby's sore throat was due to eating a lot of ice cream. I was about to ask her more questions but she was already talking to Bobby over the phone.

Do you know how Bobby looks like? Fat, gay, and ugly. That's according to Charm. And here's the revelation: Bobby exists only in my daughter's mind. In other words, Bobby is just a figment of her wild imagination. Yes, he is just an imaginary classmate.

Actually, she has other imaginary classmates - Dhaka and Poopoo - but she is closest to Bobby. In fact, she has a lot of stories about him that every time we're home, she would share with us what she and he talked about, usually about their assignments and their studies.

I don't know how Charm has met or discovered Bobby and her other classmates, but I do not discourage my three-year-old daughter from continuing her friendship with them since I know that this is perfectly normal for kids her age. In time, she will forget about them, especially when she begins to meet her would-be real classmates next schoolyear.

Protection for My Family

2009-11-07T10:38:00.001+08:00

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.

Setting the uncertainty aside brought about by the recent controversies involving the preneed industry, the thought that I was able to secure that education insurance for my daughter means that I can always set aside some money for this type of investment no matter how tight our budget is. It also means I can get another form of protection for my family now. I just have to control the expenses on things that are not really important and use the money instead on buying a health insurance for one of my daughters initially.

In all my readings about investments, and in the seminar series on financial literacy that I have been attending lately, the value of getting an insurance for the whole family is always emphasized. This should form part of the 20% of the family income that we should set aside as savings, leaving us 70% disposable income and 10% for tithing (I shall blog about the latter in the future).

One thing I have realized: I should not delay investing whatever extra amount I have on things that would give not only protection for myself and my family but also provide opportunity to earn from it. I have had bad investment decisions in the past. This time, I want to make it successful and profitable so I could have a passive income, i.e., having my money work for me, and not worry about our family's future anymore. I'm getting there, I know.

I Will Be Rich

2009-11-05T19:22:00.002+08:00

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.

I was also blinded by my belief that the more money I would have, the more sins I could commit: lust, gluttony, greed, and pride. Lust because I might be tempted to use my riches for extramarital affairs since I can afford to love another one. Gluttony because I might be tempted to eat excessively since I have all the money to buy every gastronomic delight my taste buds could feast on. Greed because I might be tempted to amass more wealth beyond my lifetime which could be equated to being more powerful. Pride because I might be tempted to belittle the Indios and the aliping sagigilid and be unforgiving to those who will do me wrong. What profits a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?

But, no matter how simple my dreams are, reality still bites: the combined salary of myself and my wife could hardly make both ends meet. The increases in our respective salaries could not cope with the rising costs of almost everything - food, education, electricity, healthcare, etc. - and the diminishing purchasing power of peso. Not even having an additional source of income could fill the gap between what we earn and what we spend. There's only one solution to my financial problems: be rich! But what about my salvation?

Until one day, I came across Bo Sanchez's book entitled "8 Secrets of the Truly Rich (How You Can Create Material Wealth and Gain Spiritual Abundance at the Same Time) while I was buying my kids' school supplies in National Book Store. It changed my perspective about being rich. I realized that my old mindset was really preventing me to attain God's gift of abundance. I could very well relate to Bo's personal examples because I was like him before who was content with what he had. I never realized that being rich does not necessarily mean being sinful. I now realize that If I become rich I can still gain a slot in heaven using my riches. The temptations of the four out of seven capital sins I mentioned above will always be present no matter my status in life.

So now, I want to be rich, not only for myself nor for my family but also for others. I will be rich someday and I shall use this abundance to make others wealthy, too. Crazy as it may seem, I do not fail to pray the prayer of the true millionaires of God as prescribed by Bo because I believe in the power of visualization and the law of positive attraction. I know I will be rich someday and I'm doing some steps to make it happen as advised by the charismatic Catholic preacher. I shall share it with you in my future blogs.

End Of The World

2009-11-04T23:27:00.007+08:00

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.

If we are to believe the latest doomsday prediction as announced in an online bible fellowship, judgment day will be on 21 May 2011 and the end of the world will be on 21 October 2011. (You may read the full article at ebiblefellowship.com and decide for yourself if you will believe it or not). This is exactly one year and two months earlier than the prophecy based on the Mayan calendar, the inspiration of the soon-to-be-released movie "2012".

No matter how logical the analyses of the end days were presented in that article, I still believe that only God the Father knows the exact day when the world as we know it will end. While the end of the world based on the Mayan calendar is a favorite lunchtime topic by me and an officemate, I don't really subscribe to the idea that anybody can be given the gift of knowing its exact date. Else, God will contradict Himself, which I don't think He will ever do.

If there's one positive effect of these judgment day prophecies on some people, including me, it is the immediate reflection on the condition of one's soul. But then, should we always encounter predictions about the last days of the world before we do something to save our souls? Why not treat each day as if it were the last so everyone would stop doing what displeases God and instead do things that could be one's stepping stones to heaven: being a good parent, son or daughter, sibling, neighbor, coworker, lover, and friend; loving one's enemy; forgiving other's sins; and living a simple and holy life, among others.

This is a tall order. Easier said than done, you may say. To most, this may sound too righteous and being one is very boring based on worldly standards. However, as one foreign priest succinctly put it: "Living according to God’s will is to live a completely fulfilling life in terms of what is good for us as human beings."

This what struck me this morning that I want to follow his words of wisdom. I shall start by being a more loving and faithful husband to my wife and a more responsible father to my kids. After all, salvation is a personal choice. Who doesn't want to go to heaven, anyway?

I pray that the real end of the world happens not too soon, and that I may live longer, so I can have more time with my loved ones. For now, I shall strive to become the best Christian I can be so anytime the Lord calls me, I shall be sure where my soul will go.

The Stronger Sex

2009-11-03T23:10:00.004+08:00

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.

One thing I know, she has experienced a lot of heartaches when it comes to having a relationship with the opposite sex. She had even tried ending her life when her relationship with the man she wanted to marry went naught. But God has better plans for her that she was given a new lease on life. That's why I understand her for holding back her feelings to whoever is the apple of her eyes at present.

When it comes to failed relationships, women are the weaker sex. Right? Wrong! A foreign study showed that divorced and separated men were two and half times more likely to commit suicide than men with intact marriages. Although I have not come across yet with the same study focusing on Filipino men, I would like to believe that the findings of that study are universal. Just read the papers and you will notice that local suicide stories often involve men and the usual reason is about being broken hearted.

The only country I know where more women commit suicides than men is China, according to Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center. But then, no specific mention of the stressors to Chinense women was given. I bet, when it comes to being broken hearted, Chinese men are also the weaker sex.

What do you think: Are men really the weaker sex when it comes to getting over a failed relationship?

All Women Are Grouchy

2009-11-01T09:33:00.003+08:00

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.

Daddy Bloggers

2009-10-30T08:44:00.005+08:00

There are two things in common between me and my two officemates, Resty and Ren. First, we are all daddies. Second, we are all bloggers. In short, we are all daddy bloggers. However, our topics of interest vary. I write mostly about relationship - family and friends - and some of my hobbies. Resty blogs mainly about chess, one of his favorite sports. Ren, on the other hand, writes about moving on, literally and figuratively.

Among the three of us, Resty is the most senior in terms of blogging since he has been doing it for over a year now. Ren and I have just started this month. Actually, I have created my account at blogspot.com last June, but for some reason, I was not able to write my first entry then until I forgot everything about it. Then on the first day of this month, again for no apparent reason, I found myself writing my very first entry on the new blogsite I created: vic-daddyblogger.blogspot.com.

I was hesitant to use that as my uniform resource locator (URL) or web address because I find it somewhat hard to remember. But that was what the system suggested since my preferred URL vicsoriano.blogspot.com was rejected because this was already taken. Only then did I remember that I had created that account and it did not occur to me at first that I could still use it until I had written my first three entries. What I did, I transferred my entries to my original URL and deleted my vic-daddyblogger account.

With this newfound interest in blogging, I have somehow forgotten harvesting my crops at FarmVille, racing at Street Racing, launching wars at Mafia Wars, and serving my clients at Restaurant City. No regrets though because I can always go back to them whenever time permits. Besides, I find blogging as an extension of my literary self, distinct from my corporate task of writing and editing others' works, mostly trade, industry, and investment straight news.

Aside from being able to express my thoughts on topics of my interest, blogging also enables me to use descriptive words which I don't normally employ in my corporate articles. Also, with blogging, I am able to brush up on my writing style. And it heartens me to know that my readers appreciate and like my entries through their comments here or in my Facebook account.

I hope that my other friends and acquaintances who are also daddies may find time to blog to break the monotony of doing the same things everyday. Start blogging now!

The Photojournalist In Me

2009-10-27T23:50:00.012+08:00

My former boss' prophetic comment on my very first blog entry i.e., "The Experience That Was Ondoy" is now coming true. Indeed, my foray into the blogging world is giving me so much satisfaction and elation. I feel satisfied with what I do and at the same time elated by the encouraging comments I have been getting from good souls.

Aside from blogging, another source of satisfaction and elation came my way just last week. You see, we had this seminar on Basic Photography and Everyday Photojournalism at the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) in Makati Avenue. Part of that one-day seminar-workshop was the submission of at most two soft copies of digital photos as entries to the exhibit, which is now ongoing at The Alcove (FHLs' photography nook).

Armed with my digital camera, I went to Sta. Cruz area in Manila to take photos of anything that would catch my attention. I first went inside the Sta. Cruz Church and took photos of laborers who were doing some repainting and carpentry works. When I went outside, I chanced upon five streetkids who were playing to their hearts' delight. Since they were chasing each other, I could hardly take photos of them without blurring the image since my equipment is just an ordinary digital camera and not an SLR (single lens reflex) camera.

When I crossed the street going to Binondo area fronting the arch, there were three boys and a girl who were taking a dip at the landmark fountain at the center where vehicles take their U-turn. As I was taking some shots of the wanna-be swimmers, the barangay tanods arrived to drive them away. From swimmers, the kids turned into runners as they scurried away. It was good that before the guardia sibil came, I had already taken some good shots, from among which I chose the one posted here for submission to FHL. That photo, which I entitled "Me and My Surfboard," is now being exhibited at the Alcove, together with those selected from other workshoppers' submissions.

If you have time, you may drop by the venue to take a look at my initial adventure into real photojournalism. I may not be a professional photojournalist but the thought of having one of my submissions chosen by FHL people and displayed at the Alcove is one reason why I'm in high spirits these days. The exhibit ends on Friday but its memory will always linger in my mind.

Oh, Women!

2009-10-25T08:38:00.007+08:00

If God would allow me to complain just about one thing it would be about women having to have their periods. I do not complain about the regular (sometimes irregular) visits per se because I know it is part of their nature being women. But what I can't understand is that when women have periods, they also have "exclamation points". I am referring to their mood swings which usually accompany their mens. This is the part I'm trying to understand which at times I cannot.
Imagine, I am the only male in the family, aside from my father who is living with us. There are two women of menstruating age in our house - my wife and my eldest daughter - and most of the time, I am a "victim" of their irregular (that's my wife's) and regular (that's my eldest's) periods. You know, when they are menstruating, they become grouchy (as all women are, I believe) and I bear the brunt of their "climate change".
One irritable menstruating woman is manageable but two women having their periods at the same time is disastrous. Imagine the calvary I experience whenever they have their periods simultaneously? And imagine what more calvary will I go through when my other two daughters reach their menstruating age and the four of them have their periods all together?

On second thought, I should be more emphatic to them and grateful that God created me as a man because I do not have to undergo that monthly ordeal.

Okay, I will no longer whine about women having their monthly periods. But I will appeal to God to schedule the visitors of the women in my life so that I can handle each of them with a smile in my heart when their periods come.

Biggest Loser, Anyone?

2009-10-19T21:34:00.004+08:00

Something exciting is taking place in our office. We have officially started our "Biggest Loser" contest last Friday with the weighing in of the participants. The idea of launching this contest came about while we were having lunch in the pantry one time.

You see, there are only three employees in our bureau who are within the ideal weight. One is Tita Elvie, the other division's assistant chief, who is actually underweight based on her height. The next one is Aye, the ex-seminarian who is good at computer graphics, and the other one is me, who by virtue of being a diabetic is required to maintain an ideal weight. The rest in our unit, including our Alternate Officer-in-Charge, is on the other side of the weighing scale with their excess fats in varying degrees.

So, to encourage them to put some efforts at shedding off their adipose tissue, I initiated the contest, which is patterned after a foreign reality TV show of the same title. Our adaptation, though, has two variations. First, we are doing it by pair. Selection of teammates is done through draw lots. But, this is the twist, the partners will only get to know each other once they are eliminated or become the winners. Only the weigh master, that's me, knows who the pairs are. The idea is for each individual to put some efforts at reducing some weight because the partner who loses the biggest amount of weight shall take home the cash prize. How much? Secret. Else, the Bureau of Internal Revenue will run after them.

Second, each partner should combinedly lose a minimum of 5 lbs. every week and half of their total excess weight by November 26 to stay on the game.

To make it more exciting, I shall announce every Friday, after the weekly weighing in, the amount of weight already lost by all the pairs with me mentioning the name of only one of the two members. For instance, I will say that Kim, one of the contestants, and his partner have already lost this amount of excess fats. Everyone else will be guessing who is Kim's partner since I won't be naming him or her.

So come Friday, we shall know who will be leading and who will be trailing behind. Will there be pairs eliminated? Let us see.

Young Face, Old Bones

2009-10-18T10:53:00.010+08:00

I look young but my bones are not.

Last Friday, I showed the results of my lumbosacral spine x-ray to my physician and he told me that I have a very mild scoliosis that I don't need to worry.It was actually my second x-ray as the first one, the scoliosis series, did not capture the last three bones of my spine. The first x-ray had already shown that I have a very mild scoliosis but my doctor just wanted to be sure there was nothing wrong with my lower spinal bones.
My doctor asked for my age and when I told him I'd be turning 40 next month, he retorted that my bones were five years older than my actual age. One reason could be, according to him, due to lifting heavy weights. Well, I used to go to the gym when I was in my early 20s and in my late 30s (I'm sad though because I was not able to maintain the muscles I gained when I first tried bodybuilding and did not sustain the training in both attempts).

Another finding on my test was the presence of prickles on my spines. Good thing, though, the spikes grew fronting my stomach and not at the backside. Otherwise, I would be experiencing excruciating pain from the sides downward. The sad part is that there is no known cure for this. I just have to live with it and wait for the time it reaches the back part of my spines, which is 10 to 20 years from now.

My doctor also found out that my lumbosacral is upright when it should be somewhat curved. To correct this, he gave me simple home exercises which I should do before I get up from bed every morning. He also advised me to buy a lumbosacral chair device to support my lower back while seating. In addition, he urged me to swim twice a week to strengthen my spines and to have other forms of activities that would require me to move such as dancing or other sports preferrably lawn or table tennis but not bowling. Lastly, he advised me to rest my foot alternately on a low stool while I'm using the computer.

I left my doctor's clinic somewhat relieved because I have been affirmed that my condition is not serious and that I can do some therapies at home or in other places during my spare time. The bed exercises I have started this morning; the swimming I shall start next week.

For now, I shall be more conscious about my other condition: my diabetes and that's another blog topic.

Little Sacrifices

2009-10-15T07:12:00.003+08:00

I woke up at 3:30am today because I had to accompany my wife to the airport. She will attend an interoffice meeting in Davao and be back tomorrow evening. Little sacrifice on my part if compared to the sacrifices of my wife who sleeps late at night because she helps our children in their assignments and wakes up very early in the morning to cook our food and prepare our baon.

I promised her that I would help her in the kitchen every morning but I could not wake up at 4:00am because that would give me only five hours of sleep on the average since I usually sleep at past 11:30 after the late night news on TV. As a way of alleviating her burden, I took the initiative of attending to the needs of our youngest child who has to be roused from sleep once I get up in the morning for her "wee-wee" time to avoid bedwetting. Then I'm also the one who prepares Charm's milk who goes back to bed after the morning routine of bringing her to the comfort room to urinate. I started training her on this before she reached her third birthday and so far she had only wet the bed twice when I forgot to ask her to do her thing before she slept.

I know my wife appreciates these little sacrifices as I do the same for the big ones she does for the family. I realize that this give and take relationship is essential in keeping the marriage and the family intact. Husbands and wives have specific roles in the family but what's more important is that they share the responsibilities of caring for their children and helping in the house chores.

I know a lot of husbands who do the laundry and iron the clothes (These used to be my chores when my wife and I were just starting to live together). I also know some wives who, aside from taking care of their children, are also expert at fixing things at home. No matter what one does to contribute to shared parenting and symbiotic relationship, the important thing is that doing these things will contribute siginificantly in making the union strong and the family life happy.

Vernon, My Boy

2009-10-14T12:14:00.001+08:00

When my wife got pregnant the first time, we decided that we would name the baby Mary Clare if she were a girl, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. Clare of Assisi. If it were a boy, we would name him Vernon Gabriel. Vernon was my personal choice and Gabriel was taken from Archangel Gabriel. So, after nine months of waiting, our firstborn was delivered and it was Mary Clare.

Since my wife gave birth by caesarian section, we had to wait for at least two years before she could get preggy again to give her body ample time to fully recuperate. So when Clare reached two years old, we worked on our second baby. And God blessed us with another child. I thought I would be able to use already the reserved name Vernon Gabriel but the xx chromosomes still lorded it over.

My wife and I agreed that all our baby girls would have Mary as their first name. So for our second child, it was another Mary. The second name Camille was given by, would you believe, Clare. So, my Vernon would still have to wait some more years.

However, when Camille was born, my wife did not want to have another child anymore because of the trauma she suffered from when she learned through an ultrasound that the baby she was carrying had cleft palate and bilateral cleft lip.

I understood her anxiety so I cooperated with her by avoiding another pregnancy using a combination of contraceptive methods. We would have wanted to use only the natural method as prescribed by the Catholic Church but since she had an irregular menstruation cycle, we could not determine when she was fertile or not. To make sure that she was safe, we would schedule our intimate moments five days after her menstruation but not beyond 10 days. That, in effect was our natural method.

However, on days that I was ready for the great battle and she was not sure if the ground was fertile or not, we had to resort to withdrawal (forgive us, Father, for we have sinned). So, until Camille reached seven, my wife and I were successful in our birth control plan. But there was one time that I got so carried away in our skyrocketing adventure that I intended not to withdraw from the battle thinking it was her safe period. But she missed her period. Yet I was not nervous at first because we were already accustomed to her missing her period for almost two months and it would always turn out that she was not pregnant.

But after more than two months and she still had no regular visitor, that was the time I decided to buy a pregnancy test kit for her. On the day that she tested her urine, I was in a computer shop and when I got her text message informing me that it was positive, I went home hurriedly. As I rushed toward home, I was praying to God that it be a boy this time. But it was not yet time (and never would be) for me to have a baby boy because another girl was born in the family by the name of Mary Charmaine. This time, my wife took the privilege of giving her that name.

And my Vernon Gabriel? He was never meant to be the baby boy that I longed for. I will just reserve the name for one of my future grandchildren if my own children will give me the privilege to suggest a name for their would-be baby boy. For now, Vernon will just be the baby brother that my three daughters never had and the son that I and my wife never had, too.

But then, I'm more than happy with and grateful for my three girls. The Lord has entrusted them to us and we are thankful for being given the opportunity to be parents to these wonderful kids.

The Other Best Cook

2009-10-13T12:07:00.004+08:00

If my wife were a blogger, she would surely write about the above topic. But since she's not into blogging, allow me to write about it on her behalf. Even without her permission.

There are actually three chefs in our house: my wife, my father, and...me! My wife can cook almost any viand with so much expertise but she cannot cook adobo as good as my father's. Even my own adobo version pales in comparison with that of my father's.

Since I leave most of the cooking chores to my wife, I seldom put into practice the cooking skills my mother had taught me. In case you didn't know, I was my mother's assistant cook in our small home-based canteen during my elementary and high school years.

When my wife is indisposed or has an appointment during weekends, the other best cook does the cooking. Not my father, but me. Sometimes, when I feel like cooking even if my wife is around during weekends, I volunteer myself to wear the apron and weave my magic in the kitchen. Like my wife's cooking that my children verbally appreciate, my own cooking is also appreciated openly by my kids, especially by my three-year-old baby who would utter: "Sarap luto mo, Papa!" That, certainly, is music to my ears.

Just three Saturdays ago, my eldest daughter told my wife that her fried rice tasted really good, without knowing that I was the one who cooked breakfast on that particular day. Although Clare did not tell me about it personally, I was flattered by her comment and inspired to repeat the performance in the following two Saturdays. Again, my own fried rice recipe elicited the same positive compliments.

What really is the secret to great cooking? Aside from the special ingredients and the willingness to experiment, it is the love you have for the people you cook for that makes it truly great. The appreciation one gets from his loved ones definitely serves as an inspiration to turn that simple cooking into a labor of love.

So, wanna try my cooking?

My Wife Is A Loser

2009-10-11T10:30:00.004+08:00

Yes, you read it right: My wife is a loser. After so many attempts, she has finally become a loser and she's very happy about it. So am I.

Two weeks ago, my wife asked my support anew for the newest diet program she planned to embark on. She had tried many diet programs before and even tried some cardio exercises and playing badminton. She was somewhat successful in all those endeavors shedding some pounds but she was not able to sustain the interest because achieving the ideal results took quite some time, hence she went back to her former weight and even added some more pounds in the long run.

For her latest undertaking, she promised me that she would strictly follow her diet and that she would sustain it. She even requested me to buy her a weighing scale so she could keep track of her progress. The ever supportive husband that I am, I bought what she wanted. So the day before she officially started her latest diet program, she tipped the scale at 145 lbs. After barely four days of religiously following her diet plan, she weighed in again and guess what the scale registered? She already lost 10 lbs.! She's now on the last day of her one-week diet scheme and she feels like she has lost 7 lbs. more of excess weight. Bad thing, she cannot use the weighing scale today to confirm how much more she has lost in the last three days of her program because the equipment bogged down last night when I used it. Just buzz me when I'm online next time if you're interested to know the final results once I have bought her a new weighing scale.

With her permission, I am sharing with you her seven-day diet program, which was also shared with her by an officemate (I later learned that this was based on the program developed for General Motor Inc.'s employees and dependents):

First day, unlimited amount of fruits only, preferrably melon and watermelon but not bananas;
Second day, baked potato for breakfast and unlimited amount of raw or stir-fried vegetables only for the rest of the day;
Third day, combination of unlimited fruits (except bananas again) and vegetables;
Fourth day, 8 pieces of any variety of bananas and three glasses of milk;
Fifth day, two 10 oz. of lean beef and 6 pieces fresh tomatoes;
Sixth day, eat-all-you-can lean beef and vegetables; and
Seventh day, brown rice (or wheat bread as a replacement), vegetables, and fruit juices.

Taking 8-10 glasses of water is a must in all days with additional quart on the fourth day.

You may continue the program after one week until you reach your ideal weight. That's why it's necessary to keep tab of your weight every now and then. You are expected to lose 10-17 lbs. in the one-week plan.

Caveat: Consult your physician before starting any weight loss diet program. If you will try it and become a loser yourself, share your testimony to others who might be on the same boat as you.

Good luck!

Stage Father

2009-10-09T07:45:00.005+08:00

Fathers of today's generation are becoming more involved in their children's academic life. Unlike fathers of older generations, modern-day fathers find time to be present in the school activities of their kids or help their children in their assignments.

To give you an example, just recently, one of my colleagues in the office , Resty, took a one-day vacation to attend the Family Day in his kids' school. Another officemate, Ren, would take time off his busy work schedule so he could attend his daughter's activity in school. I myself would always be present in important school presentations or contests of my two schooling children to give them moral support.

I don't know if my two officemates share the same reason as mine why they get involved in their children's school life as we haven't really discussed it openly. As for me, I don't want my children to experience what I had experienced when I was in elementary and high school that my father, actually even my mother, had not attended any of the school activities where their presence was needed, except of course during Recognition Day when both of them would really find time to be present to pin medal on me.

I envied my classmates then whose parents or even just their mothers were present during school programs or PTA meetings. Don't get me wrong, though. I did not harbor any grudge against my parents for not being able to attend most of our school activities as they were busy making a living for me and my other siblings. For a poor family like us, making a living was always the top priority for my parents than attending school programs or meetings.

That's why today's children are very fortunate for having fathers like us who would go out of our way to attend their activities in school. Our involvement is an affirmation of our love for our children and our way of fulfilling our role in shared parenthood. After all, parenthood is not the sole province of mothers.

The Best Cook

2009-10-08T23:27:00.004+08:00

I've always wanted to marry someone who knew how to cook and I must be among God's favorites because He answered my prayer. My wife knows how to cook. Let me qualify that: My wife knows how to cook very well. Her kaldereta is superb; her menudo is great; her kare-kare, mouth-watering; and her chopsuey, delectable. From a scale of 1 to 100, I would give my wife 99 for her cooking expertise. Well, the 1-point margin of error is for the very rare instances that her cooking is below her and our own standard.

I should congratulate my mother-in-law (may her soul rest in peace) for teaching my wife how to cook. It did not surprise me that my father-in-law remained faithful to my mother-in-law until her death because she surely knew the way to a man's heart. If she had one great inheritance to my wife, it must be the secret recipe to keeping a man.

Save for the days that I come home late from my part-time job, we all eat together at dinnertime to savor my wife's cooking. During weekends, when everybody is at home, we always have a “famealy” day together from breakfast to supper. What better way to share each other's stories about friends, classmates, officemates, relatives, or ourselves than to do it over a sumptuous meal.

If only I were not diabetic I would have forgotten my required food intake because of the temptation that is served before us. Sometimes, though, I give in to temptation. It's good that I, Clare, and Charm have fast metabolism that we do not get overweight despite our penchant for good food unlike Camille who at one time became horizontally challenged due to her overeating. If Camille did not heed our advice to cut on her binge eating, she would be obese by now.

Like all other couples, I and my wife also have some shares of misunderstandings. However, I'm glad that her cooking is never and will never be an issue. If only for her cooking, I would not think twice to marry my wife all over again. But, of course, her cooking prowess is not the only reason I married her and have stayed married with for the last 14 years. She has other endearing traits which I shall blog about in the coming days.

Beauty and Brains

2009-10-07T07:43:00.012+08:00

I am very proud to have an intelligent and good-looking daughter in the person of Clare. I thank God for showering upon her the same intelligence and good looks (well, in the eyes of the Creator nobody is ugly) He has bestowed upon me.

Although intelligence is inherited, I'd still like to commend my eldest daughter for nurturing God's gift to her. She has imbibed in her the value of education as key to her bright future. Even now that she is just in her second year high school, she's already setting her eyes on getting a full scholarship grant at the Ateneo De Manila University when she reaches college. De La Salle University is another option (actually, her first choice before). University of the Philippines? I still have to convince her.

A consistent honor student, Clare has already attained many academic achievements to her name from her pre-elementary years and onwards: Best in English Communication, Best in Science, Best in Filipino, Best in Computer Education, Best in Mathematics (The only academic award that she has not received yet and will never receive because she knows it's not her talent is the Best Artist Award). In terms of extra curricular activities, she has also been an awardee for the Leadership Award.

This schoolyear, though, some of her extra curricular activities have started to get in the way of her academics, reason why she placed only second in the honor roll in the first grading period. Did I get angry at her for her being second best in the class? No, I did not. Yes, I was somewhat disappointed but it's not enough reason for me to get angry because I have always instilled in her as well as in her siblings the value of responsibility. She knew where she failed and promised to do better in the next grading period. If by the end of the schoolyear she won't be able to regain her top position in the class, she still has two more years in high school and four in college to be the class valedictorian. Anyway, she had already experienced being one during her elementary years. But then, it would be an added feather on her cap if she could maintain it.

Whatever it is that she'll be able to attain in the future, I as her father will always be proud of her and support her in all her endeavors. Although we are in disagreements at times over her so many extra curricular activities, I still allow her to do what she wants and make her to be always responsible for all her actions and accept whatever the outcome may be. With proper guidance and a lot of encouragement, I know Clare can soar high. I and my wife, and her siblings as well, will always be the wind beneath her wings.

The Joy of Giving and Sharing

2009-10-06T13:18:00.008+08:00

Last night, I and my wife went to Max's Restaurant in Pacita, San Pedro to make a reservation to celebrate the confirmation of our eldest child this coming Saturday. While my wife was making the arrangements, I went out to withdraw some amount from a nearby automated teller machine. On my way to the ATM, two very young sampaguita vendors, both girls, approached me and offered their items to me. I was not inclined to buy so the two kids just begged for some coins. The older one asked me to give them P10 each to buy food. It was not my custom to give money for alms. Rather, I would buy food myself to give to beggars. I told the kids that i didn't have coins in my pocket but this did not deter them to follow me.

So, they waited for me until I had withdrawn money. While I was falling in line, an idea popped out of my mind: Instead of buying them two pieces of bread, why not treat them to a dinner? The younger one was hesitant at first to go with me but her older companion prevailed. So when I returned to the reataurant, my wife was surprised that I had two greasy children with me (it was good that the waitress allowed them to enter the restaurant). I told my wife that I invited them for a dinner.

While we're having dinner, we interviewed the older girl who we learned was eight years old. Her five-year-old companion was her cousin (we forgot to ask their names). When asked if they were not afraid to go home by themselves, the older cousin told us that they had other companions who were also selling in the vicinity. We also learned that their parents were at home (the nerve of these parents to let their kids work for them!). I advised the two to study very well and finish it so that when they have their professional job already it's their turn to help others (I just don't know if they understood what I was saying because I was like talking Greek to them).

To my surprise, they were able to eat everything that was served them. Well, I was expecting that with their age and built, there would be some leftovers but there were none. How I wish all my children were like them who would always eat with gusto what is served them.

I wanted to keep this simple act of generosity to myself because I knew that whatever good we did to our brethren should not be bragged about because our Father in heaven who sees everything we do and do not do has already rewarded us. However, I cannot contain the happiness I have inside me that I feel like sharing it with my readers, not aiming for any accolades but rather wanting and encouraging them to do the same if they have not yet done it before. I have actually long wanted to do it but it was only last night that I was finally able to realize it. And I'm glad I did.

Camille, My Camille

2009-10-03T23:22:00.007+08:00

It is every couple's prayer that their would-be children would be born normal i.e., without any physical or mental anomalies. We were no exception. But as fate would have it, our second child, Camille, would be born with congenital deformities. She had cleft palate and bilateral cleft lip. You could just imagine the emotional and mental anguish my wife suffered from the day she learned about the condition of our baby who was diagnosed with such deformities when she was still six months in her mother's womb. I had to be strong for my wife so I could somehow alleviate her suffering. When Camille was finally delivered, she had another abnormality which was not detected by the ultrasound.
Since Camille was not brought to my wife for rooming in because she needed to stay in the nursery intensive care unit, my wife was not able to see her condition and I did not know how to tell her about it. I was afraid she would be devastated if I would tell her that our baby had deformed lower arms. She had somehow learned to accept about Camille's craniofacial deformity because she knew we could do something about it so it could be corrected. But with this new deformity, I didn't have the heart to inform her. But tell her I must do. I wanted to ask God why we were given with such hard a trial but my faith would always prevail. It was His will and we had no right to question Him but accept it.

The ensuing months were very difficult for us mentally and physically. Camille had to wear a prosthetic palate and use a special bottle so she could be properly fed. I had to carry her in an upright position every time I would feed her so that she wouldn't suffer from nasal regurgitation i.e., when her milk comes out of her nose during feeding time. Yes, I was the one who would feed Camille because my wife then was still recuperating from her caesarean section operation. I remember that while we were still waiting for her prosthetic palate to be delivered, I had to feed Camille using a dropper so she would not choke.

Months after she was born, Camille underwent two reconstructive prostethic surgeries to remedy her craniofacial defects. The procedures were successful (thanks to Dr. Hector Santos who operated on Camille pro bono at St. Martin de Porres Hospital in San Juan) and we knew that this would help lessen Camille's inferiority complex. Everytime we see her smile, we know that we have somehow managed to be successful in making Camille's life normal.

We had learned to accept that we could do nothing about her lower arms' defects that's why we tried to instill in her unwavering faith in God and positive outlook in life notwithstanding her physical defects.

I have always known that God has given us Camille because He knows that we would be good parents to her. It is our privilege to have been chosen by God to be Camille's parents because through her we would be able to share with her the great love He has for all His children. And as far as we're concerned, all our children are normal because in the eyes of God nobody is abnormal.

Daddy's Girl(s)

2009-10-02T07:51:00.006+08:00

Every time I come home from work, my youngest child, Charm, would always be the first one to welcome me eagerly at the main door and ask if I have "something" for her. It has been my habit to bring home anything for her as my pasalubong, which she readily appreciates with her "Thank you, Papa!" words coupled with a kiss on my cheek. Even now, when I come home early, I see to it that when I bring home something for Charm, the other two also have something for them. But since it's only Charm who is still awake when I come home late, I don't bother to buy pasalubong for her siblings since I know they would already have fallen asleep when I arrive.

Another thing that makes me happy, aside from her being appreciative, is her not being choosy. Whatever that something is - a candy, a chocolate, a donut, a book, a cd - she will always accept it with thanksgiving.

Although my eldest kid insists that Charm is my favorite among the three of them, my children, I always assure her that I don't play any favorites. Whatever it is that I am lavishing on my youngest child I had also lavished on my other two daughters when they were Charm's age.

Charm's antics are also a reason that makes me fond of her. Out of the blue she would utter things that are outrageously funny, if not totally amusing. You do not often hear a three-year-old kid say that her crush on someone (imagine, she already knows the concept of the word 'crush') has already vanished because that someone has broken her heart. Tell me, have you heard a child her age say "It's okay" when you have done something wrong expressed it verbally.

I know Clare is always consoled whenever I would tell her that she was as precocious as Charm when she was also her age. I know, her jealousy over her little sister is outweighed by her love for Charm. After all, Charm looks like her when Clare was still young. And it looks like that just like her Ate Clare, Charm is also as intelligent. Or even more? That remains to be seen. And if she proves to be one, I know her Ate will be proud of her sibling as we are proud of our eldest daughter.

The Experience that was Ondoy

2009-10-02T07:49:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday (Sept. 26), my wife, Gina; my eldest child, Clare; and I braved tropical storm Ondoy. We came from our child's confirmation seminar, which lasted past 12nn. We had our lunch first in the newly opened Robinson's Supermarket in Centro Pacita. After eating and buying food for our viand that night and the next day, we headed toward home.Since the road was impassable to tricycles, we had no option but to walk. What normally would take us 15 minutes to reach our home by foot, took us almost an hour since we waded through the knee-deep water. We were shocked when we reached our subdivision's main gate because the torrents coming our way was so strong and it was the first time that we have seen such a current coming from our subdivision.

The three of us had to hold on to one another so as not to be swept away by the current. As we walked against the fast-moving water, people going our way informed us that a wall in the corner street in the direction of our house collapsed. When we heard that, the first thing that came my mind, and my wife's as well, was our two other younger children, Camille and Charm, who were left in the house with our maid and my father. Because Clare was very afraid to be swept away by the rapids, we had to leave her in a house in a nearby block whose street was not along the current's way.

Our fear for the safety of the people we left home vanished when we reached the street corner and saw that our house was still there, without any damage. Although water from the vacant field at the back of our house still overflowed in our living and dining rooms, it was nothing compared to the experience of others whose properties were totally submerged in water and whose lives were sacrificed. Though we got tired draining the water inside our house, we were still thankful that we were spared from the tragedy which befell on some of our kababayan. The experience was harrowing and we are praying that it won't happen again.