So far, so good

What for should I ask more

Friday, December 30, 2011

Remembering Rizal, Hoping for the Philippines



Artist's hows and whys can be found here.

Video proponents' how and whys can be found here.

Who is Rizal? Search there -->

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Heroism/Hero-is-in

November 30th, the birth anniversary of one of the foremost Philippine patriots, Andres Bonifacio.

Two quotes, coming from seemingly polar opposites, remind us of our individual and collective responsibility to build each other up and sustain one another amidst the temptation to live solely for oneself.


We are all here on this planet, as it were, as tourists.
None of us can live here forever. The longest we might live is a hundred years.
So while we are here we should try to have a good heart
and to make something positive and useful of our lives.

The Dalai Lama

Mapalad ang bayang linitawan ng mga bayani
sapagka’t ang bayang iya’y walang kamatayan.
(Fortunate is the country where heroes emerge
because that country will live on).

Andres Bonifacio

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A most perfect song while driving through the rain

This was the last song I heard on the radio last night after an hour-long trip home. This seems like a perfect fit for a rainy day drive; it has the right drizzle of being forlorn, with a splatter of hope, and spray of quiet delight.



There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea.
You became the light on the dark side of me.
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.
But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and
The light that you shine can be seen.
Baby,
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.
Ooh,
The more I get of you,
The stranger it feels, yeah.
And now that your rose is in bloom.
A light hits the gloom on the gray.
There is so much a man can tell you,
So much he can say.
You remain,
My power, my pleasure, my pain, baby
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny.
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?
But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen.
Baby,
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.
Ooh, the more I get of you
The stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom.
A light hits the gloom on the gray,
I've been kissed by a rose on the gray,
I've been kissed by a rose
I've been kissed by a rose on the gray,
...And if I should fall along the way
I've been kissed by a rose
...been kissed by a rose on the gray.
There is so much a man can tell you,
So much he can say.
You remain
My power, my pleasure, my pain.
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny, yeah
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby.
But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen.
Baby,
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.
Ooh, the more I get of you
The stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom,
A light hits the gloom on the gray.
Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray
Ooh, the more I get of you
The stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the gray
Now that your rose is in bloom,
A light hits the gloom on the gray.


from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/seal/kissfromarose.html

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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Occupy "So far, so good"

I just happened to wander into a blog of a new acquaintance. It was like a portkey to yesteryears, when blogging was about the words and not the ads, badges, and links. The blog was honest, straightforward, and nurturing of conversations; it had none of the clutter that distracts or, worse, turns people off. And so in the next few weeks, schedule permitting, I shall undertake some pruning and snipping of the overgrown foliage choking my blog. I shall take it back from the visual excesses I've allowed to mask what I truly want to do here: share my life through words and the occasional photos. It will be painful, tedious, and unrelenting. *off to get my haz-mat suit*

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Friday, November 18, 2011

Called Out in the Dark (Snow Patrol)

Love, love, love this song =]



It's like we just can't help ourselves
'Cause we don't know how to back down
We were called out to the streets
We were called in to the towns

And how the heavens, they opened up
Like arms of dazzling gold
With our rain washed histories
Well they do not need to be told

Show me now, show me the arms aloft
Every eye trained on a different star
This magic
This drunken semaphore
And I

We are listening
And we're not blind
This is your life
This is your time

We are listening
And we're not blind
This is your life
This is your time

I was called out in the dark
By a choir of beautiful cheats
And as the kids took back the parks
You and I were left with the streets

Show me now, show me the arms aloft
Every eye trained on a different star
This magic
This drunken semaphore
And I

We are listening
And we're not blind
This is your life
This is your time

[repeats 5x]


from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/snowpatrol/calledoutinthedark.html

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Monday, November 14, 2011

World Diabetes Day 2011



Diabetes is a health condition that runs in many families, including ours. In the face of its myriad challenges, we can still do something about diabetes. It is not a death sentence. Click on these online resources to find out more about the diabetes. You may just be a click away from better health.


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Saturday, November 12, 2011

The new 7 wonders of nature (preliminary count)

It is with tremendous delight that I learned this morning that the Puerto Princesa Underground River has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, based on the preliminary count of votes. Organizers said that the official announcement of the seven who will actually comprise the prestigious list will be made in early 2012 after a more thorough accounting of votes, where one or more of the preliminary list members may still be dropped. Here's to hoping the Puerto Princesa Underground River will be retained in that final list =]

The list seems to reflect a (re-)shifting of interest (back) to what Asia and South America can offer as regards nature and the environment. Four in the list are found in Asia, two are found in South America, and a lone feature of nature from Africa. Then again, the list is a reflection of the tenacity of supporters in and for these areas =]

They are, in alphabetical order:

Amazon
Halong Bay
Iguazu Falls
Jeju Island
Komodo
Puerto Princesa Underground River
Table Mountain

Monday, November 07, 2011

Make the Puerto Princesa Underground River one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature!

VOTE VOTE VOTE until 11/11/11!
Make the Puerto Princesa Underground River a part of the New 7 Wonders of Nature!


To cast your vote:

Text PPUR to 2861 and follow the prompts/instructions and/or

Visit http://www.new7wonders.com

Here's why we should vote for PPUR:

https://www.facebook.com/PuertoPrincesaUndergroundRiver



Once again, here's how to vote for PPUR:



Voting ends November 11, 2011!

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Friday, November 04, 2011

The Dalai Lama: On introspection




Taking ourselves seriously means actually looking at how we are experiencing our life and, 
if there is something unsatisfactory about it, admitting it to ourselves. 

Our tension and stress do not go away by denying them or avoiding taking an honest look. 

And admitting that something is amiss is not the same as complaining about it and feeling sorry for ourselves. 

Nor does it imply that something is fundamentally wrong with us and 
we are guilty of being a bad person because we are nervous. 

Being objective, 
not melodramatic, 
and remaining non-judgmental 
are essential for any healing, spiritual process.

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Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Requiem for a blog lost

I’m almost relieved that a previous blogging platform I used to regurgitate thoughts masquerading as intellectual discourse has closed shop. If anyone where to find out such a record of my juvenile musings existed, whatever sliver of honor I have would have been reduced to zero.

Almost relieved. But still I mourn.

From 2003 to 2006, I just posted some 100-odd journal entries, a very small handful of which I was able to re-post in my current main blog. The rest are now mere bits and bytes billowing in the winds of cyberspace: the site’s permanently closure happened a few months back, which I only learned this weekend when I thought of re-posting something I wrote in med school from that site. Unfortunately, I was too late. There’s no way of retrieving those files again. The MS Word originals I wrote prior to online posting were stored in a computer that crashed a while back.

I say the disappearance of the said site is actually a boon to my existence. That site carried words that can only be put on paper by a stressed out medical student, trying to juggle family life, school, and the occasional love stories on the side. Those blog entries were replete with mundane musings, as random as how the Christmas season for a particular year officially started in September when I heard my first Christmas song blasted from a store as I walked to school. Or how stuffed myself with a tub of ice cream after a crap-filled hospital duty. Or how “Hope is just a cigarette brand” – the unforgettable title of an entry whose contents escape me now.

In total, they were juvenile, immature, whiny, verbose, verbal diarrhea that made me cringe when I used to go read them every now and then. But that is precisely why I feel a dull but discernible ache somewhere: regardless of it childishness, that blog was mine and me.

Those entries were verbal postcards from a journey that was not at all easy to make and survive.

Those blog posts were affirmations of my character’s growth, no matter how infinitesimal and subtle.

Those words were mine, written under the cloak of anonymity, which is the best truth serum.

That blog, while out *there* in cyberspace, is my small private nook, where my thoughts ran freely without fear of judgment and reprimand. That blogging platform apparently was home to fellow stragglers, with whom I enjoyed friendly banter and occasional verbal jousts. Nameless, faceless commenters enriched that blog. They, too, are lost. Perhaps forever.

I tried to get in touch with the owners of the site, begging for the opportunity to download my online journal in toto . They still not have gotten back to me yet. Life goes on.

So what have I learned through all this:

1- Live (and write) in the moment but do think about what happens in the next 5, 10 minutes/months/years, about the impermanence of things.

2- Whether you’re dealing with kingdoms and empires with succession issues or you’re in a once-in-a-lifetime trip or you’re just blogging your life away- it’s prudent to have a backup- backup king/queen, backup camera/memory stick, backup copies of your online work.

3- Some secrets DO get to be kept *wicked evil grin*

And so, with a relieved but still heavy heart, I bid farewell to those words written down in my old blog. Thank you for being a ready platform to rant on, lending a sympathetic blank slate on which I poured my heart out, in moments of glee and garrulousness.

Good night and thank you.

(Above: PINTADO by JUNYEE, 2005, photographed by me in the BenCab Musuem, off Baguio City.)

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Monday, October 31, 2011

Words

Last week, during our team building activity for the office, one session entailed us to reveal, through a small group discussion, some intimate things about our selves: our inspiration for doing things, what we deem our greatest professional success, what was holding us back from becoming the best version of our selves.

One question that was beauty pageant-ish that baffled me no end was the one which asked what was God’s greatest gift to me.

My first instinct was to say Words.

That words are a powerful tool could be the understatement of the millennium.

Through words, with or without bloodshed, empires have been built, revolutions sparked, dictators toppled.

Through words, across the ages, religions have been spread, ideals fueled, mythology passed on.

Through words, for whatever they are worth, achievements have been celebrated, morons
roasted, bigots berated.

Through words, in the worst of times, grief has been extinguished, fears assuaged, hope sparked.

Through words, in the best of times, love has been professed, devotion reassured, forever promised.

But in the end, I told my small group that God’s greatest gift to me was my family.

It was, is, my family, regardless of our age, who nurtured my faith, fueled my ideals, fanned the flames of my love for words- written, spoken, and even sung.

It was, is, my family, for whatever they are worth, celebrated my achievements, reminded me when I was acting moronic, and reminded me of tolerance when bigotry was the easier way to go.

In the best of times, my family extinguished my grief, assuaged my fears, stoked the embers of my hope.

In the worst of times, even sans words, my family has made me feel loved, with their perfect devotion, realistic enough to NOT promise forever but loving me here and now.

Dictionaries are filled with thousands of words, but they will never be quite as comforting as a thirty-second conversation with my sister at the end of an infernal day or a minute of parental soliloquy extolling the importance of finding a partner in life.

They will never suffice but here’s me thanking them, for everything, through words.

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Sunday, October 16, 2011

Blog Action Day 2011 = World Food Day

I am proud to take part in Blog Action Day Oct 16, 2011 www.blogactionday.org


It's been a looong tiring day. The boss kept all of us in the room, stuck in a meeting that took ages to finish. Worst of all, they didn't even have the sensitivity to allow a quick lunch or coffee break to fill our tummies to get our minds working.

The meeting made us miss lunch! Such cruelty surely makes you mad, right?

But right now, 1 billion of the earth's population are suffering from involuntary hunger, not because of inhuman bosses or boardroom discussions that seem to have no end. A billion are hungry because of poverty, crop failure, drought, floods, and/or policies in their societies and from their governments that make food insufficient.

Here are some ways to stand united with them and the rest of the world to fight off the real cruelty of food insufficiency:

1- Watch the video and SIGN THE PETITION stating:

"We who support this petition find it unacceptable that close to one billion people are chronically hungry. Through the United Nations, we call upon governments to make the elimination of hunger their top priority until that goal is reached."



2- Support the TELEFOOD PROGRAM of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . By donating to the TELEFOOD PROGRAM, you can help finance small community-based enterprises which ensure food sufficiency through quality seeds, farm implements, and support mechanisms to families in vulnerable areas. Best thing about your donations, 100% goes to your partner communities, no part of the donation is used for administrative costs by the FAO.



3- In the Philippines, support the BAYAN-ANIHAN Program of Gawad Kalinga. Beyond the colorful homes, Gawad Kalinga now endeavors to support GK village residents towards self sufficiency by establishing "the first family-based,sustainable farm program in the Philippines. Each family is given a 10-squaremeter garden plot which can yield a minimum of 10 kilograms of vegetables per month, providing 30 meals per family." Be a partner and support Bayan-Anihan or "community harvest."



Other ways to respond to the food sufficiency challenge can be found in other blogs joining Blog Action Day 2011.

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Monday, October 10, 2011

October 16th is Blog Action Day 2011



It's that time of the year again: BLOG ACTION DAY!

Sign up if you will dedicate a post on OCTOBER 16th to talk about a very important aspect of humanity = FOOD.

Most especially on October 16th, bloggers are enjoined to use their blogs to talk about FOOD- the lack of it in some areas, its importance in our respective cultures, the challenges of feeding the world with a population of almost seven billion, nutrition in the face of junkfood and fastfood- whatever our blogs' niche maybe.

Be part of this annual event!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Task Force Noah: PEDRING for typhoon survivors

Reposting the email from SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (SLB), an Ateneo-based NGO whose mission, among others, is disaster response initiatives.

If you wish to help through Gawad Kalinga or the Philippine Red Cross, please click HERE.

SLB TASK FORCE NOAH : PEDRING
for the victims of Typhoon Pedring


The number of families and individuals in the evacuation sites in various parts of Luzon is still high. The continued rain is posing continuous threat in many parts of North and Eastern Luzon. Some towns are still submerged in flood and with another threat of tropical cyclone passing our territory the next 24 hours according to PAGASA, the evacuees will have to bear the ordeal much longer. The situations in the various evacuation sites visited by our partner institutions and personnel are in need of your help. The children are getting sick, food shortage is common, potable water supply is unpredictable, sanitation is a major concern. Very few organizations are helping in the relief operations.

Our brothers and sisters are waiting for our urgent assistance. We appeal for the generosity of every Filipino out there to extend financial assistance and help our evacuees cope with the crisis. The evacuees are in need of the following:

1. Food and water supply.

Palanan, Isabela (1,500 families; dried fish; monggo; canned goods; coffee; rice)
Agta, Isabela (300 families; dried fish; monggo; canned goods; coffee; rice)
Maconacon, Isabela (500 families; dried fish; monggo; canned goods; coffee; rice)
Divilacan, Isabela (500 families; dried fish; monggo; canned goods; coffee; rice)
Quirino Province (details to be verified)
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya (details to be verified)
Navotas, Metro Manila (1,900 families; Drinking Water, Cooked Food)
Sub-Urban and Sabah; Montalban, Rizal (260 families, Drinking Water, Food Items)

Please visit our websites for more details: e-ugnay.slb.ph

SLB is outsourcing the goods from ROBINSONS SUPERMARKET and NFA. For your convenience; we accept cash donations for the goods to be purchased.

DONATION IN KIND

We still accept donations in kinds for those who are interested to donate goods for NAVOTAS AND MONTALBAN. You may drop your donations to CERVINI, Ateneo Residence Hall, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Road, Quezon City. We will accept donations up to Friday September 30, 2011. We enjoin donors to segregate their donations according to types for facility in packing.

FOR CASH/CHECK DONATIONS

Direct deposits may be made to:

SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account Name/Payee)
Bank of the Philippine Islands (Loyola-Katipunan Branch)
Peso Checking Account Number: 3081-1111-61
Dollar Savings Account Number: 3084-0420-12

Or channel to:

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Loyola House of Studies
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights 1108, Quezon City

Contact Information:
Landline: 426-6101 loc. 3440/3441
Telefax: 426-5968
Mobile: 0949-7337049 or 0906-3480476
Email: slb@admu.edu.ph
Web: www.slb.ph; e-ugnay.slb.ph
Look for: Mr. Mykey Cuento / Ms. Marjorie Tejada


For proper acknowledgment:
- Please fax a copy of the validated deposit slip to SLB through telefax 426-5968.
- Kindly indicate contact information: Name, address, email, landline/mobile.
- Those who wish to remain anonymous may skip this procedure.



(Sgd) BRO. ERIK JOHN J. GERILLA, S.J.
Acting Director
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Organizations accepting donations for Typhoon PEDRING survivors







At least eight of the 17 regions of the Philippines were hit by Typhoon PEDRING (international codename: Nesat), displacing thousands of Filipinos because of the heavy rains and ensuing floods. As it leaves the country, we'll find out the full extent of the damages it caused and its corresponding health consequences. (PAGASA image above shows TY PEDRING moving through Luzon island and out to the West Philippine Sea, as of 10pm 27Sept.)

Scouring the Internet, here are some of the organizations who are now accepting donations for Typhoon PEDRING survivors. Kindly visit their respective websites and Facebook accounts and follow their Twitter accounts for updates as regards mechanisms for donation such as what items they need, where to drop off your donations, SMS or online donation systems, etc

List as of 10pm, September 27:

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), an Ateneo De Manila University-based NGO involved in disaster response
Website: http://www.slb.ph
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katotoo
Twitter: twitter.com/manindigan
Landline: 426-6101 loc. 3440/3441
Telefax: 426-5968
Mobile: 0949-7337049 or 0906-348047
Email: slb@admu.edu.ph
Contact person: Mykey Cuento
* UPDATE 9/29/2011: SLB has launched their Task Force Noah: PEDRING appeal for typhoon survivors: More details can be found >>here<<

* UPDATE 10pm 9/27/2011: Kindly visit SLB's http://e-ugnay.slb.ph/ website to know the exact areas where help is needed, the items being requested, and the field coordinator to work with in these areas.
* As of their 12nn 9/27/2011email, ready to eat food, water, and clothing are being collectedat the Loyola Schools Covered Courts, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

* SLB is also accepting donations via BPI bank deposits

Gawad Kalinga (GK)
Website: http://www.gk1world.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gawadkalinga
Twitter: twitter.com/GawadKalingaHQ
Mobile: (+63917) 523 9777
Email: info@gk1world.com
* GK is mobilizing for Quezon City, BASECO, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija, among other areas

Philippine Red Cross (PRC)
Website: http://www.redcross.org.ph/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phredcross
Twitter: twitter.com/philredcross
Email: fundgeneration@redcross.org.ph / prc@redcross.org.ph
Hotline: 143 and (+632) 527.0000
* Accepts donations via SMS or text messaging

I will try to update this list should other organizations also announce their donation mechanisms.

Every little bit helps =]

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Monday, September 05, 2011

Going to the dogs!

In its continuing quest to demystify science and bring experts out of the proverbial labs to make them accessible to more people, The Mind Museum, the Philippines' first world-class science museum holds another CAFE SCIENTIFIQUE.

This month, it's all about dogs and the experts who can "talk" to them. Dogs and their humans are in for a treat at the Bonifacio High Street, beside Hobbes and Landes, at the Bonifacio Global City, on Saturday, September 10 from 3-5pm. Learn more about this month's Cafe Scientifique below.

Get updated about The Mind Museum events by being a Twitter follower @themindmuseum and liking their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/themindmuseum.



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Saturday, August 20, 2011

People helping people: World Humanitarian Day 2011

Amidst the strife, the destruction, the heartbreak of natural and human-generated disasters, the goodness of humanity shines through. WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY celebrates this innate goodness in all of us. Visit the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs online to find out how you can help survivors and responders cope with calamities.




Primer on the World Humanitarian Day from the United Nations:

Every year, disasters cause immense suffering for millions of people – usually
the world’s poorest, most marginalized and vulnerable individuals. Humanitarian
aid workers strive to provide life-saving assistance and long term rehabilitation to
disaster-affected communities, regardless of where they are in the world and
without discrimination.


Humanitarian aid is based on a number of founding principles, including
humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Humanitarian aid workers
want to be able to access those in need in order to provide vital assistance
. This
wish should be respected.

Humanitarian aid workers are from all corners of the world, male and female, and
reflect all cultures and backgrounds. The majority come from the countries in
which they work. Strong, professional and independent local organisations are
key actors in all humanitarian responses.


Everyone can be a humanitarian. People affected by disasters are the first to
help their own communities following a disaster. Communities, local partner
organizations, international organizations and the general public can build a
chain of solidarity to support communities in responding to and recovering from
disasters.

Responding to emergencies is only one aspect of humanitarian work.
Humanitarian workers also support communities to rebuild their lives after
disasters, to become more resilient to future crises, to help their voices to be
heard, and to build lasting and sustainable peace in areas of conflict.


Today, the most pressing humanitarian crisis in the world is unfolding in the Horn
of Africa.
Famine has spread in Somalia, including Mogadishu, and threatens to
expand throughout the south. Many people are dying. 12.4 million people in
Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti urgently need our help and the numbers
are increasing. Humanitarian partners continue to work hard on the ground to
save lives. Their commitment must be matched by donors, the private sector and
individuals alike.

Awareness of impermanence and appreciation of our human potential will give us a sense of urgency that we must use every precious moment. - the Dalai Lama

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Thursday, August 04, 2011

Sangandaan - A fork in the road

It is a period of transitions in our office. It is a season of planned departures and burgeoning beginnings. We are anxious and at the same time excited and hopeful of how these next three weeks will unfold.

The soundtrack my heart hums is no other than Ding Achacoso and Pete Lacaba's SANGANDAAN, from the movie Sister Stella L.

Sangandaan or "fork in the road" talks about our humanity as we face choices, our moments of indecision, and the need to just take the plunge and do it- especially about matters of the heart. It can be Divine Providence; it can be human folly. Quite apt, the music is, for the movie Sister Stella L. where a young nun finds herself at the crossroads of her faith, to stay put in the confines of her convent or live among God's poorest, to stay true to her religious vows or rekindle an abruptly ended romance. For us in the office, the song has a different hue, as it still represents our common career conundrums.

Noel Cabangon's cover as well as the lyrics (from Mr. Lacaba's blog) follow below.



SANGANDAAN

Walang komplikasyon
Ang buhay mo noon:
Kalooban mo’y panatag,
Kalangitan ay maliwanag,
Ang daan ay tuwid at patag
Sa buhay mo noon.
Ngunit bawat pusong naglalakbay,
Dumarating sa sangandaan:
Ngayong narito ka,
Kailangang magpasiya.
Aling landas ang susundin ng puso?
Saan ka liligaya, saan mabibigo?
Saan ka tutungo?

Kay daling sumunod
Sa hangin at agos:
Aasa ka na ang dalangin,
Gagabay sa ‘yong damdamin.
Ngunit saan ka dadalhin
Ng hangin at agos?
Alam mong bawat pusong nagmamahal,
Dumarating sa sangandaan:
Ngayong narito ka,
Kailangang magpasiya.
Aling landas ang susundin ng puso?
Saan ka liligaya, saan mabibigo?
Saan ka tutungo?

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Monday, August 01, 2011

Never lost, always found (22): Just be

Last Sunday's Second Reading is one of my all-time favorite passages from the Holy Bible:

Brothers and sisters:
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35, 37-39



It is St Paul's enduring reassurance of God's love, for those in transition, for those choosing to stay put. It is a perfect overarching cloak of love, especially if you'll choose to espouse The Holstee Manifesto below:



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Sunday, July 24, 2011

The science of moods

Discover why you feel the way you do. Explain the highs and lows you experience. Join The Mind Museum's Cafe Sci and swim into THE SCIENCE OF MOODS, 30 July, 2pm-3pm at Mercato Centrale, Bonifacio Global City. Entrance is free.

For more updates on The Mind Museum, follow them on Twitter @themindmuseum and be a fan on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/themindmuseum.

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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Artist at work: Noel Cabangon on HEADSTART with Karen Davila

This has got to be the best half-hour of Philippine television I've enjoyed in a while.

Pinoy singer/songwriter/activist Noel Cabangon joined Karen Davila's HEADSTART last July 15th on ANC. Karen again displayed her engaging and engaged interviewing which Noel matched with his remarkable, remarkable musicality and by wearing his heart on his sleeve.

Noel's label, Universal Records,uploaded the video of this interview-cum-concert on YouTube in three parts. Enjoy!





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Sunday, July 17, 2011

A site for sore eyes

Eyes, Greek philosopher Heraclitus says, are more accurate witnesses than ears. But what do you do when those witnesses- your eyes- need help to stay sharp and focused? When the going gets blurred, the blurred go to Zenni Optical.

Here are ten things to love about the Zenni Optical site:

1. BALANCE: The Zenni Optical website offers eyewear options that are both stylish and affordable without sacrificing their health benefits. Affordable prescription eyeglasses that are practical, fashionable, without costing an arm and a leg.

2. NUMBERS: There are literally thousands of choices, all with photos, so you will see what you will be actually purchasing. Currently, some 3000-plus frames are yours for the choosing.

3. OPTIONS: The site has highly customizable options (on its left-hand panel) which can help narrow down your selection of eyewear- by price, by frame shape, by prescription type, by gender of user, among other filters.

4. TESTING: Not only will you able to see what you will purchase, you can actually see how it will look like on a human face, short of fitting it on yours. There are eight “faces” of various ages and ethnicity on Zenni Optical’s Frame Fit application where you can “try on” the frames you are considering to buy.


5. FREEBIES: Purchases have lots of bonuses, like free anti-scratch coating, eyeglass case and microfiber cleaning cloth.

6. HELP: The site has an extensive Help section which guides buyers with information like how to order from the site and understanding prescriptions for eyeglasses.

7. CONTACT: Zenni Optical’s team makes itself very accessible to the public. Inquiries can be fielded via email, live chat, phone, Facebook, and Twitter.

8. BLOG: Zenni Optical has a blog where additional information- so-called tips and tricks- for patrons are available at their fingertips.

9. TESTIMONIALS: Customers have a corner where they can share their very own Zenni Optical stories. Here's another corner of the blogosphere where the benefits of Zenni Optical are being heralded by a satisfied patron.

10. APPROVAL: Seals of good business practice can be found at the bottom part of the site, thus increasing buyer confidence in the site.

To see is to believe. Head on over to Zenni Optical and open your eyes to the endless possibilities for your eye care needs.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Something BIG is swimming into The Mind Museum- soon!

Something big is swimming into The Mind Musuem in Taguig City- a regular of the Philippine waters, the butanding or whaleshark. It's another reason to come visit the Philippines' first world-class science museum opening before the year ends.

For more updates about The Mind Museum and the critters that will inhabit its halls, follow them on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook.

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Friday, July 01, 2011

UPDATE: Task Force NOAH for survivors of floods in Cotabato City

Reposting the article by Marc Reuben Cuento, Disaster Response Program Manager of Simbahang Lingkod Ng Bayan, regarding SLB's response to the flooding situation in Cotabato City. Things are getting better versus when I first posted about the floods here but help is still needed. How to be of assistance to survivors of the floods can be found at the following article's end.

--==+==--

On June 18, residents of Cotabato City woke up from the previous night’s rainfall to find their house submerged at least waist deep in water in the wake of a spill over from Rio Grande River. More than 2,500 families were forced to evacuate from their houses as sustained downpour over the weekend caused water levels to rise further.

It was the discovered the same morning that a 20-hectare mass of decomposing hyacinths have formed an artificial island that caused clogging in the city’s tributaries and canals, which was the subsequent cause of flooding especially in the suburban areas.

In the midst of all this, the parishioners of the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral Parish have been helping out with their volunteer relief efforts, led by Fr. Edwin Degracias, DCC.

Eleven days later, the flood water has still not subsided in many areas due to continued rainfall and the influx of more hyacinths from the. At least 1000 families remain displaced from their homes, and relief efforts are being sustained to meet their needs. In the absence of any strong downpour in the next week, the flood water levels should recede.

As of June 30, 2011, donations amounting to at least Php500,000 have been sent to Cotabato City through SLB's generous network of donors, Php275,000 of which was spent on rice.

SLB is currently working with Miriam College regarding their upcoming disaster response campaign.

For Cash Donation, you can visit the SLB office at Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan road, Loyola Heights Quezon City, or deposit to

SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account name/payee)
Bank of the Philippine Islands, Loyola Katipunan Branch
BPI PESO Checking Account Number 3081-1111-61
BPI Dollar Savings Account Number 3084-0420-12
SWIFT CODE: BOPIPHMM
ROUTING NO: 021 – 0000 – 21
BANKS THAT MAY RECEIVE DEPOSITS FOR BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ACCOUNTS

FOR THOSE IN UNITED STATES:

JP MORGANS BANK
BANK OF AMERICA

FOR THOSE IN EUROPE:

COMMERCE BANK
DEUTSCHE BANK
SOCIETE GENERALE BANK

FOR THOSE IN ASIA:

ANY BANK ALL OVER ASIA

Please pass this message to your friends and network.

For more information, please contact SLB hotlines: in Manila 426-5968, or mobile number 0906-348-0476, or email slb@admu.edu.ph.

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Task Force Noah: COTABATO - Help for the flooding survivors in Mindanao

Update as of July 1st on the Cotabato floods can be found here.

--==+==--

Reposting this emailed appeal from Simbahang Lingkod Bayan, a faith-based, Jesuit-run non-government organization who is engaged in various disaster response initiatives. Photo below is from the SLB website www.slb.ph taken by their program manager for disaster response.


The number of families and individuals in the evacuation sites in Cotabato City is not decreasing despite the decrease in rainfall. The piling up of the water hyacinths covering an area of estimated 10 hectares clogged all tributaries of the watershed and thus flood level remains almost the same for the past seven days. The local government are trying to clear Rio Grande de Mindanao from water hyacinths, but the massive volume of hyacinths will require two (2) full weeks. With another threat of tropical cyclone passing our territory the next 24 hours bringing heavy rains in Mindanao according to PAGASA, the evacuees will have to bear the ordeal much longer. The situation in the various evacuation sites visited by our personnel is getting worse. More kids are getting sick, food shortage is common, potable water supply is unpredictable, sanitation is a major concern. Very few organizations are helping in the relief operations.

More Cotabato flooding pictures can be found here.

Our brothers and sisters are waiting for our urgent assistance. The Archbishop of Cotabato, Most Rev. Orlando Quevedo, OMI, DD has sent an appeal for assistance through the Social Action Center of the archdiocese. We appeal for the generosity of every Filipino out there to extend financial assistance and help our evacuees cope with the crisis. The evacuees are in need of the following:

1. Food and water supply.
2. Medical personnel and medicines.

How you can help?

1. DONATE IN CASH. Due to difficulty in transporting relief goods to the affected areas we are asking that donations be made in cash for the sake of efficiency. Kindly send by fax your validated deposit slip at (+63) 2 426-5968. And for proper acknowledgment please indicate your contact information (name of individual or organization, address, email, landline/mobile)

2. ORGANIZE A MEDICAL MISSION TEAM. SLB can assist in coordination with proper authorities and facilitate the transportation, if SLB's assistance is necessary.

For Cash Donation, you can visit the SLB office at Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan road, Loyola Heights Quezon City, or deposit to

SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account name/payee)
Bank of the Philippine Islands, Loyola Katipunan Branch
BPI PESO Checking Account Number 3081-1111-61
BPI Dollar Savings Account Number 3084-0420-12


Please pass this message to your friends and network.

For more information, please contact SLB hotlines: in Manila 426-5968, or mobile number 0949-733-7049, or email slb@admu.edu.ph

Manalangin.Manindigan.Makialam
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Loyola House of Studies
Ateneo de Manila University

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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Do one thing

This WORLD REFUGEE DAY, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie asks all of us to Do One Thing.

Please watch on.

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Friday, June 17, 2011

Jose Rizal, National Hero of the Philippines (1861-2011)

Timely reminders on what it is to be truly Filipino, on the celebration of Dr Jose Rizal's 150th birth anniversary this Sunday, June 19th.

More Rizal truisms in Rizal @ 150 on Facebook.

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Blog Rounds, Season 2 (TBR-S2): Why I blog


“Why” is a most powerful question. Through these three letters, the mind is jolted into a state of introspection that unearths reasons, validates or debunks long held assumptions and beliefs. It fortifies decisions or gnaws at them until the core is revealed and exposed and made vulnerable.

This blog has been roused from a prolonged state of stupor by this question from a fellow physician and blogger: Why do I blog. Not the most unique or earth-shattering of questions; but given my context, it could very well be one.

My relationship with this blog has arguably been the longest I’ve maintained. I think we’ve been doing fine, until recently, when the realities of life, including work, procrastination, and distractions like Twitter and Facebook, have taken me away from blogging.

I really miss blogging. These are the top 10 reasons why I still endeavor to write:

1. This blog is a piece of cyberspace that is entirely mine, where I can be alone and yet remain linked to others. In a planet with close to seven billion people, that is a challenge- personal space.

2. Writing unleashes a torrent of thoughts that the mind just has to unleash, else I’d go mad.

3. Blogging and this blog have allowed me to share things I am passionate about, from national
advocacies
to personal pursuits, under one roof. I would like to think that this is my attempt to maintain a one-stop shop for those who’d like to make the world and themselves better than before.

4. This blog has served as my life’s time stamp and online picture frame, capturing and displaying snapshots of daily events and once in a lifetime triumphs. It’s a record of what has happened, events that may ultimately be forgotten if they were not written about. Experiences when not written down have not been experienced at all; life written down is experienced twice.

5. A venue to be mundane and an avenue to be profound, this blog is.

6. Of course the online joust and cyber-tussles, virtual kudos and emoticon-laden words in the comments section are source of both stress and fodder for the ego.

7. Other modalities for sharing, such as Twitter and Facebook, while stripped of the often cumbersome trappings of blogging, can often be actually stifling and restricting, the challenge being how best to say things with limited characters to a wider audience.

8. I often make a tiny, tidy sum, from all this writing. You might want to explore, too, yourself, and go Adgitize =]

9. Bad as this will sound but I have to admit that blogging is a reason to procrastinate.

10. While one picture may already say a thousand words, just one word evokes a million other images. Imagine how powerful, then, one blog entry can be.

So there they are, the reasons why I blog, or at least attempt to continue doing so. I believe this particular blog entry could very well be one of those many re-starts to this blog, that sudden spike in the heart monitor which sparks the hope within the family members of a dying patient, that hint of the sun in the horizon in the aftermath of a tornado, that rest area sign where comfort can be had by those needing to pee or poo for the last 100 miles, that faint sound of sirens from police backup just when the villain is about to finish off the protagonist in the movie, that crescendo of music signaling the reunion of two star-crossed lovers after all the pain and suffering they had to endure to just be together…

In simpler terms, with this blog post, I’m back, I guess, I hope. Uh-oh.

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Sunday, May 08, 2011

The Mind Museum Moms' Day fundraiser: A star for the star that our moms are



This Mother's Day season and beyond, help further the cause of science education in the country while at the same giving a most unique gift to the star of our lives- our moms!

For just PhP 1,000.00 (roughly USD 24.00), you can light a star in The Mind Musuem's virtual sky. The Mind Museum is the Philippines' first world-class science museum which will provide hands on, interactive, innovative learning exhibits that aim to inspire and support young minds' love for science and technology. Choose which among the stars in Northern and Southern Hemispheres will be named after your mom. A certificate of donation, Facebook badge, and inclusion in the Universe Gallery's Donors' Marker upon the Museum's completion will be made available to each donor.

Live a lasting legacy in your mom's name. Be a champion for science. Light up a The Mind Museum star in honor of your life's finest star.

For more details, please visit The Mind Museum online, be a fan of The Mind Museum on Facebook, and follow The Mind Museum on Twitter.

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Earth Hour 2011, March 26 8.30pm-9.30pm

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Theodore Roosevelt




Breaking my blogging hiatus to just remind all of us about EARTH HOUR 2011 which happens this Saturday, March 26, 8.30pm-9.30pm in whatever part of the planet we are in. This call for collective action asks all of us to turn off non-essential electrical appliances for 60 minutes as a symbolic gesture in support of initiatives for wiser use of the planets meager, dwindling energy and environmental resources. Hopefully, participation in Earth Hour will raise enough awareness to make all of us do more beyond the hour.

For more information, visit EarthHour.org

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