small claims

good news for small creditors

effective october 1, 2008, a person may file with the Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Court in Cities, or the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts his monetary claims not exceeding P100,000 without need of hiring a lawyer. all he has to do is to file a complaint (the form which he can research online) and pay the corresponding fees.

this will save the plaintiff a lot of money and i would hope speed up the process of his collection. i admit that there were instances in the past that i declined to handle collection cases of small amounts because i sincerely believe that it was not worth the client's time and money. imagine having to shell out money for acceptance fees, appearance fees, and the 25% attorney's fees upon collection when the amount due is less than P100,000.

now with this small claims procedure, the creditor will definitely save money and be the one in total control of his case.

my christmas wish list

my simple christmas wish list :

1) goyard jeanne mm in pink

2) apple itouch

so shoot me, i'm materialistic he he he

skin care and sun protection

i was born fair. in my teens and in my twenties, i used to sunbath with hardly any protection because i wanted the golden tan look. but i hardly achieved that look, instead, i end up looking like an overcooked shrimp with peeling skin a few days after.

then i noticed that i had brown spots all over my face. nanay (my daughter's ever trustworthy caregiver) would tell me that i have "peke" skin because underneath my makeup are the dreaded sun spots. my derma prescribed obagi but tested me first for adverse reaction, thankfully (since i cannot afford it, he he he), i am allergic to the whitening part and can only tolerate the foaming gel and the toner which i had been using consistently since then. it is really good. i had intense pulse light (IPL) on some of my dark spots and most of them are now gone. the diamond peel also worked wonder because my pores are now smaller. my best friend, maribel, and i used to admire the blown up pictures of models with hardly a pore in sight (that was before we knew that the pics were airbrushed, **he he he**) and although my skin is nowhere near that perfection, at least the pores are less visible, and i think it's partly due to diamond peel. a word of caution though, a lot of so called beauty centers offer diamond peel, inquire first if the technicians are trained and if they are supervised by a board certified dermatologist.

my derma also prescribed sunblock. i used to think that i don't need sunblock because i am rarely exposed to the sun but turns out that even a few minutes of exposure will condemn your skin to the dreaded sun spots, ugggghhhhh

i tried a lot of sunblock and the results varied, such as:

• ashy gray film
• oily film
• pungent smell
• stings especially when applied on the folds of the nose

i especially hate it when my face turns into a wok of oily face at noontime. then i tried shiseido, and no, this is not an advertisement for shiseido, it's just that i am so happy with its performance. i have been using it for about two years now and i have no complaints whatsoever. it is not sticky, it does not make my face a target for shell and petron, it does not sting, and it is fragrance-free. the drawback is that it is more expensive than the other brands but a tube lasts about six months so it's really worth it.

reckless imprudence

about two years ago, a husband and a father, was on his way home to his family, riding his motorcycle when his life was cut short by a reckless driver. there were allegations of drag racing and the victim was caught in the middle of that race. did i mention that the race was conducted in one of the busy thoroughfares of the city? were the drivers prosecuted? i believe that there was a settlement on the civil aspect but i do not know what happened to the criminal aspect.

about two weeks ago, a relative of my high school classmate was killed in a vehicular accident in manila. he was just going to the airport to pick up a friend/relative when his car was hit by a reckless driver. the victim was trapped in his burning car. the bus driver who struck the victim's car allegedly had a vehicular accident in april 2008, just six months ago yet he continues to drive recklessly and with impudence.

yesterday, a biker along the four-way murcia bacolod road was on his proper lane, wearing the proper gear, and basically just enjoying his right to be on the road when he was struck and killed by another reckless driver. witnesses claimed that the killer driver attempted to overtake on the left lane but failed, he then attempted to pass on the right lane which is NOT ALLOWED and is a BLATANT TRAFFIC VIOLATION, it was on the right lane that he hit the biker who was on HIS PROPER LANE which resulted to his death. the biker's name was BENJAMIN MORAÑA. i mention his name here because i do not want his death to pass unnoticed and that he will be relegated to one of the statistics.

Ben Moraña does not know me nor do I know him. but his death struck a chord because my husband is also a biker and oftentimes, pass along the same route. Ben Moraña's death was SENSELESS and AVOIDABLE. the KILLER driver HAS NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE. The killer driver has a wrong sense of entitlement, his action shows that he believes that reaching his destination faster is more important than observing traffic laws. DID I MENTION THAT HE IS IN HIS 70s? And where is he now? conveniently, he had himself admitted to the hospital claiming illness. like joc joc bolante.

what is the penalty for this killer drivers? believe it or not - A MERE SLAP ON THE WRIST. the revised penal code of the philippines states that: Any person who, by reckless imprudence, shall commit any act which, had it been intentional, would constitute a grave felony, shall suffer the penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its medium period; and what does these periods translate to? - AT THE MOST- FOUR YEARS AND ONE DAY

thus, i say, that given the gravity of the offense, the corresponding penalty is a mere slap on the wrist. isn't it about time that we ask our solons to amend this law? this should be a priority instead of wasting time on investigating this, investigating that, or passing laws on renaming a street in honor of a long dead politician

day trip

bacolod city, negros occidental, is a very peaceful place to live and raise a family. career opportunities however are very limited, thus, the exodus of the 20s - 40s to other metropolitan cities in the country, or more often, to overseas. the only industries in bacolod worth getting into are banking and call center but then the rise to the top is slow and takes years.

but despite its shortcomings, i still prefer bacolod over any other place in the country (bagiuo not included, i LOVE baguio for its cold temp)

when asked what are the tourists spots in bacolod, i am hard pressed for an answer.... we have nice beaches but not within the city limits. negros occidental has lots of beaches, not necessarily the white kind but serene and picturesque enough, definitely more peaceful than boracay sans the tourist traps but you have to travel 4 hours or more to get there. there are some dive spots developed by europeans in southern negros with decent cottages for an overnight stay or even a week-stay.

for a simple day trip, there is a shell of a grand mansion just at the outskirts of the city where we had the chance to visit yesterday. it was owned by a sugar planter and built for his portuguese wife. we ran our hands over the concrete walls which felt like marble, according to the sign posted there, the concrete was grade a to mimic the feel of a marble and a huge number of people were hired to pour the concrete day and night.

i hope that more and more scenic spots will be opened and/or developed by private citizens to boost tourism in negros.

old wive's tale?

(photo from www.foodreference.com)

(photo from www.foodreference.com)

(photo from www.terragalleria.com)

We built our house a month before our daughter was born. In remembrance of her birth, we planted two fruit bearing trees, nangka, at our miniature backyard. We were told that it would bear fruit about years years after, but we were so happy that on it's 4th year, one of the trees bore fruit. The other one, remained barren. Nanay, our trusted caregiver, suggested that we whack the barren tree and to threaten it that we will chop it down if it doesn't bear fruit. I laughed it off as one of those wild old wive's tales but that didn't stop her from whacking the tree. Amazingly, a few months thereafter, the barren tree bore juicy nangka and has been regularly giving us its sweet produce. I still didn't believe Nanay until in my daily devotional, i came across an article about barren trees.

A gardener said that "At times, the flowering hormone in the tree seems to get stuck and no flowers appear. Carefully persuade the tree to flower by shocking it. Hit the trunk several times which will cause small bruises in the bark. This may stimulate growth."

So there is truth in Nanay's beliefs after all.

In our lives, the whacking of the tree may be compared to the problems that we are facing, and we should not be discouraged because we can learn lessons from our predicament or hardship, just do not lose faith in the Lord. These problems can shape our character and develop our trust in God.

recession chic

in our economic climate, it seems ghastly if you buy a four-or five-digit price (in US DOLLARS!!!!, not philippine pesos which is not worth that much since the 90s ) bag.

thus, when the baghag and the recessionista mentioned about anya hindmarch creating a line for target, i searched for it and found a nice looking pvc plastic bag. i begged, cajoled, and coaxed my good friend based in the US to buy it for me online and voila....

the good news is that it's onyl $49.99 + tax and shipping, still less than $55.00

of course, i paid back my friend :-)

butterfly award

my transplanted friend (whom i miss very much, sob sob sob) sent me this award, thanks! msray

what now after the 19 day & night masskara

i have previously blogged why i dislike masskara, here's another reason why i do not like the very long celebration - 19 days and nights!!!!

from www.visayandailystar.com

"Nine men were arrested by the police when they ganged up on each other in two separate incidents just as the MassKara Festival ended in Bacolod City, yesterday.

Alvin Varona, 18, Jomar Quimanan, 18, Jumars Billandres, 18, and Aladin Eslito, 19, were apprehended by Police Station 1 members led by PO3 Wilfredo Perez, after they allegedly beat each other up, using plastic chairs and beer bottles, at the Freth Davies kiosk, at the public plaza, shortly after midnight, yesterday.

The melee was believed caused by too much intoxication, police investigation showed.

Ma. Theresa Tan, 31, the stall owner, said the suspects owed them an estimated P3,300 for the chairs and bottles they destroyed and another P1,600 for the unsettled accounts of other customers who left when the riot broke out.

Meanwhile, Rain Borja, 21 Joshua Lopez, 18, Alfie Rodiguez, 18, Stephen Dequiña, 32, and Dandy Diana, 30, were nabbed by Perez’s group when they also figured in a scuffle at the plaza, at about 1:20 a.m. yesterday.

Hundreds of revelers have been flocking to the plaza where kiosks serve food and liquor during the 19-day MassKara Festival that ended Sunday.

Police Station 1 records showed eight mauling incidents and 50 alarm and scandal cases reported during the celebration.*PP""

i am not saying that if there is no masskara festival, the incident above wouldn't have happened, but nevertheless, 50 alarm and scandal cases reported for 19 days and nights of celebration? that's more than 2 complaints each night.

our local officials take offense that the secretary of tourism stated that masskara is "mere fiesta event" not tourism. why can't they accept it? i am all for tourism but surely there is more to bacolod than masskara?

improve the roads going to the south where we have magnificent beaches, stop the politicking and focus instead of providing basic services to the people without the mandatory 10% mark-up

detour

a last minute decision to change route brought me to a place i have never visited before although i have lived in this city for 99 years!!!!

because they closed all the streets going to araneta (one of the main streets), all vehicles had to pass by the side streets, at first i was p@*@%% but then as we went farther, i realized that i haven't been to this side of the city. my irritation turned to apprehension as the narrow street revealed shirtless and toothless men standing at the curb; crowded houses and barefoot kids with bloated bellies running around; after crossing a bridge, the street became wider and on both sides were rice fields, am i still inside the city?




traffic was backed up and clogged up in front, motorcycles, tricycles, and pedicabs used the "gutter" to either go against the traffic or move ahead of it.

i called up a friend and she warned me to be careful, turns out that she is familiar with the place because they used to live nearby. i asked her to stay with me on the line so i can just hear a familiar voice, and she assured me that the end of that area is just around the corner, and thankfully, she was correct.

those politicians scrambling for publicity should visit that place and help the people there..... ahhhh

canary in a coal mine

The spiraling downward trend of the real estate industry in the US for the past year was a canary in a coal mine for the, i dread to use these words- global recession. stories about the depression era comes to mind and i can't help but be concerned about what is in store for us.

We Filipinos had always been resilient but to what limit? In the past, when our economy was not good, we have our OFWs to thank for infusing the much needed dollars to the country, but now it would appear that even our OFWs are in danger of losing their jobs because the financial crisis is not limited to one country. Iceland is even in the brink of bankruptcy, and big brother is stepping in to help the bad debt-ridden banks and financial institutions. according to financial news, the US government had not done this since the depression. are we in that dire situation now?

i guess we are also to blame for the financial mess that we find ourselves. my father who had grew up during the 2nd world war and spent his adolescent years in china couldn't help but express consternation when he sees people buying bags worth more than US$1K. we had developed this sense of entitlement, that somehow we are entitled to the fine things in life because of our earning power. we are not satisfied with just a simple car but we believe that we have to have that gleaming gas guzzling SUV. i look around the house and see things that we have bought but we have not used for quite some time - most especially electronic goods.

in a way, i am glad that this financial crisis occurred, now i have to rethink my family's lifestyle and spending habits before it is too late.

caveat on buying second hand vehicle

Here in the Philippines, there are a lot of choices for pre-owned vehicles, from imported luxury vehicles to the ubiquitous Kia sportage flooding the market. If you are in the look out for a pre-owned vehicle, the safest choice would be buying it from a reputable dealer rather than from a private seller.

In my line of work, I have seen unsuspecting buyers of pre-owned vehicles losing their hard earned money because:

• the unit was mortgaged and transferred surreptitiously to another person from whom the buyer purchased the unit; the first owner did not pay the creditor; creditor forecloses the unit and seizes the vehicle from the unsuspecting buyer by virtue of a writ of replevin; the buyer does not suspect anything foul because the certificate of registration does not appear to be encumbered (mortgaged), turns out that the first owner executed a fraudulent release of chattel mortgage making it appear that the vehicle is free from any liability, of course, all of this is possible because of connivance with the pertinent government agency- the EL TE WHO?
  

• what can the buyer do? - follow the paper trail - do not rely on the existing certificate of registration; trace the original or the first certificate of registration to find the identity of the original owner; if the first registration states that the vehicle was encumbered, check with the mortgagee (the creditor) if the loan was fully paid;

• check with the PNP if the unit is reported as stolen or under their watch list; the plate number may have been changed or altered; compare the actual chassis and motor number with the one listed in the certificate of registration

• lastly, if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is
  

the emperor's new bags

(photos from chuvaness.com)

the emperor's new clothes, this time, the emperor's new bags?

disclaimer : my likes and dislikes posted here and elsewhere in my blog are solely my own views and may not reflect whatever is popular, "in", or the latest "it" whatever.

simple pleasures

(picture from bacolod's finest's friendster account)

before the gigantic mall had risen and blocked the view of the crystal clear bluesea from my office window, i seldom closed the blinds. you can always see the catamarans docking along the shore; small bancas with the fishermen trying their luck. i especially like the white streaks zig zagging across the stretch of blue sea made by the speeding boats. however, my enjoyment of the view was limited only to the sights, i could not smell the fresh air because my windows were stuck.

i had begged, cajoled, demanded, and threatened the building administrator for two years but he did nothing about it, until that time when they were asking for post dated checks to cover another year of lease and a light bulb click on my head, aha, tit for tat... repair my darn windows and get the checks, no repair... no checks... i know they could not evict me extra-judicially so i was confident they were going to see my way... and thankfully, after two long years, my windows were finally repaired...

now i can open my windows and look out of the public plaza just right across my office and smell the sweet air, the scent of the leaves and unfortunately, sometimes, the exhaust from the jeepneys, but hey, i am just thankful for life's little blessing... what is a whiff of exhaust compared to the beauty of the leaves dancing, the gentle sway of the branches? i know i definetely wouldn't get this from makati. for sure, i wouldn't trade our life here in the city of smiles to any other city in the philippines except... baguio, and that's a maybe

are there any products not made in china

given all the revelations of shoddy and unsafe products from china, is there any escape for us from china-made products?

china has been notorious for human rights violations; for being the in the forefront of pirated goods; for manufacturing toys tainted with lead; and now this- MELAMINE in our milk and other food products!!!!!!

i want to boycott all products made in china, but this is easier said than done. from the emails being sent worldwide, i am astonished that a lot of these products allegedly containing melamine are well known brands, unfortunately, these well known brands chose to have their products made in china :-(

short of growing our own food and making our own clothes, shoes, make -up, books, stationery, electronic goods, what is our option? are our hands tied? is there no other choice but china?

masskara hi and low

it's only the second day of masskara but it's driving me crazy already!!!!! the kitschy music, the traffic, the thievery!!!!

sorry i am raining on the parade of the tourism industry but 20 days of non-stop music starting 5pm, people getting drunk on the streets, getting mugged!!!! give me a break,

pls pls mayor, make it shorter next year!!!! UGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

enough reason to leave a marriage?

as we were going home today, my nine year old and i were talking about our day. she said that she is bored. she asked me what do i do when i get bored. well, i realized that i have been so busy these days that i haven't had the chance to be bored in quite a while. i told her about a client i saw this afternoon who wanted to end her marriage, my daughter asked why and i had no answer for her.

i have heard a lot of reasons why couples separate but the woman who came to see me this afternoon was different from the others. there was no physical or verbal abuse, no infidelity. i asked her why she is leaving her husband, she said that her husband is irresponsible, when i asked her to elaborate, she said:

• her husband's contribution in their marriage is just cooking and serving her food and water;
• her husband does not accompany her to the doctor for her physical check up
• she was diagnosed to have adult diabetes brought by stress, and she has determined that its her husband that's causing the stress
• the husband is not demonstrative in his affection
• she earns more than the husband
  

when i pressed further, she said that she was the one who supported the husband through college but she got nothing in return.

when she left my office, i couldn't shake this feeling that the woman did not want a husband, she wanted a return on her investment, tsk tsk tsk

i remembered a taxi driver who told us that he left his wife because she was loquacious. i asked if she was a nagger and he said no, only that he wants her to talk only when he feels like it, my friend and i told him that what he needs is a tv, not a wife, ha ha ha, fortunately, we have reached our destination and we hurriedly got off the cab lest he drops us unceremoniously in the middle of nowhere

if i had not been married before i became a lawyer, i would have been discouraged from contracting a lasting relationship (there is no divorce in the philippines) because hearing from clients about their failed relationships make you question the sanity of getting married.

i am just thankful that my husband is kind, decent, loving, and God-fearing, i pray that my daughter will be as blessed as i am.

the 80s

i love the music of the 80s, even until now, i still buy "the best of 80s music" whenever i chance upon them. i have 80s music in our ipod and i can still remember cyndi lauper when she was cute.... and michael jackson when he was still dark....
so when i saw this test, i knew i had to answer it and it came as no surprise that the result revealed that i am a poster child of the 80s.. but no shoulder pads for me or big hair

You Are 68% A Child of the 80s

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert. You should be totally stoked!

Are You a Child of an 80s?

thank you

i used to lurk in the shadows of other people's blogs, seldom do i make comments. lately, due to some personal adjustments, i had more time to write online and read other people's blogs, not limiting myself to my tried and tested sites.

1. http://thebaghag.blogspot.com
2. http://bourne-estacy.blog.friendster
3. www.msray2008.com
4. www.mysocalledpurplelife.blogspot.com

would you eat here

where is this eatery?

i don't know if i'll ever find the gusto to eat in this place

can anyone tell me where this place is?

simple reason to read forwarded emails

most of my friends are fond of forwarding emails, more often than not, i do not open forwarded emails because they might contain virus and i felt that they are just the mushy cheesy stuff. but forwarded emails from peachet are usually the good stuff, such as this one below:

A man and his dog were walking along a road The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.

'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump.'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

Soooo .

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word.

Maybe this will explain.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes.

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes.

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes.

Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get?

A forwarded joke.

So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.

You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime.

leg cramps

just as i was waking up yesterday, i stretched and immediately felt intense pain at the back of my lower left leg. it was not the tingly feeling when you slept on an extremity, rather, it was just sheer torture. i remember having experienced this before when we had a very long travel and we were just sitting for more than 20 hours. at that time, my brother told me that it was probably due to lack of electrolytes and potassium. fortunately, this time, i was sleeping with my daughter and she was awaken by my painful cries. she immediately massaged my leg and promptly went back to sleep after the pain had subsided.

when i woke up for real later, i ate a banana so i'll have potassium. i think i am going to avail of that promo at the spa for P200 you can get a foot reflex and foot spa, from 1 to 4 pm only, mondays to thursdays.

ionic foot spa

my friend jvd is an ardent believer of anything labelled "natural" or "organic".

she asked me the other day if i would join her have an ionic foot spa. ionic foot spa is supposed to diagnose what is wrong with your body after you immerse your feet in a tub of water connected to the apparatus. i was tempted until sc told me that she saw a program at GMA discussing the merits of ionic foot spa. she said the doctor featured there was not convinced, so i declined the invitation, but it did not stop me from watching the "procedure". the water (see top picture) turned yellow. and what does it mean?

according to www.ionicfootspa.com -

Water Colour Explanation:

Colour or Particle	Possible Material or Area of the Body Being Detoxified
Black	Detoxifying from liver
Black Flecks	Heavy metals
Brown	Detoxifying from liver, cellular debris, tobacco
Dark Green	Detoxifying from gallbladder
Orange	Detoxifying from joints
Red Flecks	Blood clot material
White Cheese-Like Particles	Most likely yeast
White Foam	Detoxifying from lymphatic system
Yellow-Green	Detoxifying from kidneys, bladder, urinary tract, female/prostate area

since simply being yellow doesn't mean anything in the chart given, we had a hard time deciding what was the color we saw in the tub- was it orange? yellow green?

the operator was not also very familiar with the whole procedure, i guess it was her first time to do it and jvd was her guinea pig, hehehehe

the verdict ? i am not sold to having an ionic foot spa

how's your vocabulary

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

sleeplessness

for a few seconds, the feisty miriam santiago seemed at loss for words. the tv anchor then explained that her maternal aunt, a retired nurse was found stabbed dead in her own home at Kahirup Subdivision in Barangay Tabuc Suba in Jaro district, Iloilo. her maternal aunt was 76 years old. only a coward would stab a defenseless old woman.

two nights ago i could not sleep. bruno, our minipin, who barks incessantly at anything that moves, was so hyper that i could hear him from my room. my imagination was working overtime. i had visions of scruffy individuals jumping over our fence and breaking our door. there is a house being constructed a few lots away from us and the carpenters are staying at the site. i have heard of so many robberies being committed by the workers themselves and i could not get rid of those things from my mind. i was scaring myself!!!!!

mercifully, i must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing i heard was heavy knocking on my door, it was nanay norma waking me up at 630am so i can bring kyla to school.

groan.... groan....groan....

i need sleep, and i need to calm down my fertile imagination

noah's ark

thanks to peachet for sending me this email.

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark .

ONE: Don't miss the boat.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark .

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

SIX: Build your future on high ground

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

mondays

i did not always dislike mondays.

when i was still in school, i look forward to mondays because it meant being with my friends and getting that allowance again. later, i realized that mondays may not be that great to everyone when a high school classmate told me that the only days she doesn't shampoo her hair are on mondays because she always oversleeps on mondays.

when i started working, monday was just the beginning of the week, nothing so special and nothing to dread.

when my daughter started going to the big school, i try to avoid hearings on mondays because i feel harassed having to face litigation at the start of the week.

when my husband was assigned away from home, mondays had become something that i dread. it means that my dear husband have to be away for 6 days again; it means not being able to see the mundane things that mark the tales of our family.

i will only learn to like mondays again when my dear husband goes back to work here in our hometown.

rainy days

what do you wear/use on rainy days?

i always loved the rain..... as we were driving home yesterday, there was a heavy downpour. my daughter caught me off-hand when she said that she loved the rain even as we were battling the heavy downpour. i told her that i too, loved it when it rains.

i remember a month in high school, it was early january i think, that the weather was just gloomy. there were no heavy rains but just dark clouds. i forgot if it was humid too. i think that was when my fascination for the rain, and living somewhere cool started. but as it is, i continue to live in the same city where i was born, where the weather can either be wet and dry only.

so what do you wear on a rainy day in this tropical country? knits can only keep the cold at bay but definitely will not protect you from getting wet. once inside the safety of a dry building, knits can be heavy and suffocating. i had been in the look-out for something lightweight yet would protect me from the heavy deluge. i know that once i am out of the rain, i would not need a heavy jacket or raincoat. finally, i found the lightest jacket .....

i got this on sale, from 1,500 ++ to only 499!!!!! see the pic above? that is the same jacket which can also be folded into a bag.... i love the cloth and the texture, it doesn't keep the cold at bay but it keeps you dry from the rain... frankly, i don't think that we really need a sweater here, it is very seldom that we have temperature dipping in the low 60s, in Baguio that might happen, but not where i live







to keep my feet dry, i also found a colorful pair of shoes perfect for rainy days

4 people to tag from chuvachienes

because i love chikatime, and because chikatime recommended chuvachienes, and chuvachienes recommended doing this.... so here goes

1. Four places I go over and over

• piscataway, nj
• sipalay beaches
• a lake
• anywhere there's a TARGET, hahahaha
  

2. Four people who e-mails me regularly

• rayri politi
• renee elna marie
• topsy
  
• em-em
  

3. Four of my favorite places to eat?

• panera
• tea house in sfo
  
• chicken house :-)
  
• five guys
  

4. Four places you’d rather be?

• San francisco
• corning, NY
  
• in a cottage by the lake
  
• piscataway, NJ
  

5. Four TV shows I could watch over and over.

• LOST
• The Medium
  
• Dexter
• Law and Order with Det Logan
  

6. Four lucky winners ( of this tag..)

• I am Cat
  
• MsRay
  
• ningning
  
• Wyndz L
  

Pass it ghels and a guy

the demise of chikatime

this blog is a tad too late because chikatime voluntarily went off the radar more than a month ago. but never late than never.



i enjoyed reading chikatime because of its tongue in cheek humor. although there were times that they can be downright nasty as when they lambasted a freshman from one of the "esteemed" schools in metro manila - her sin? daring to blog about her experiences at her then school's time honored ritual for freshmen and expressing her opinion about the religious of that school- and for airing out her feelings, chikatime called her all sorts of name. for me, that was one of the low points of chikatime. what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander, yada yada yada. criticism is not the sole prerogative of chikatime.



but despite its shortcomings, chikatime dared to show us - the common tao- who do not belong to the society pages - the behind the scenes story of those who appear in the society pages; they dared to show the warts and all of those so-called "beautiful" people



i am angry that chikatime chose to succumb to the threat of exposure of the identity/ies of its blogger/s. i hope that in the future chikatime, or whatever it choose to call itself, will resurrect and give us a good laugh again.



cheers

charlotte, north carolina

according to wikipedia - Charlotte (pronounced /ˈʃɑrlət/) is the largest city in the state of North Carolina and the 19th-largest city in the United States.

my brother and his family migrated to north carolina in december of last year. they had three weeks of preparation and!!!! when they arrived in charlotte, north carolina, my brother had to -

• look for a place to stay that is near his place of work and has a good public school
• find a good public school for his three kids
• buy a reliable second hand car

and he had to do this in two weeks time because he has to report for work after that!!

not knowing how to go around charlotte, he rented a vehicle with GPS and chose Mandarin as its language. He later complained that he had a hard time understanding it because his kids were competing with it in giving directions!!!!

when the pastor at his church found out that they just arrived and need some stuff, he emailed his members and soon donated things arrived at his house, including their sofa, their tv, chairs, curtains.....

when we visited them last may, my sister took a lot of stuff for our brother. her car was stuffed to the roof with all sorts of things, including pillows for the very long trip. it was a ten-hour drive from new jersey to charlotte, north carolina.

aside from printing directions from mapquest, we brought her ever reliable GPS which we called "pepper" in honor of the dog next door.

"pepper"

that sunday, my brother brought us to his place of work where we saw some of the handsome buildings in charlotte

love the design

art

statues/sculptures in the middle of the street

benches for the weary

easton, pennsylvania

easton, pennsylavania
home of the crayola factory

according to the field review of the website- RoadsideAmerica.com
"Binney & Smith, the company that owns Crayola, has been operating the Crayola Factory in downtown Easton for at least five years, under a giant box of spillng crayons. No factory ... it's a "unique family discovery center."

easton museum

street art

more street art

As part of the celebration of Crayola's 100th birthday, the World's Largest Crayon was added to the exhibits. It's 15-ft. long, weighs 1,500 lbs., and was formed from blue crayon scrap "leftolas" mailed in from kids around the country.

world's largest crayola