iba talaga ang Pinoy

people deal with various events in life differently from others.  

what may seem tragic and hopeless to a vast majority may be considered trivial and hopeful for some. ganyan ang mga pinoy. amidst tragedies and calamities, we always find time to smile and take them all in, not with bitterness and despair but with a smile on our faces, ready and willing to help those who are far worst than we are.

our glass is always half full. never empty. 

taking care of the elderly

pag nadapa, babangon. pag masakit, iiyak ng sandali. we don't wallow. we can't afford to. to say we are used to hardships in life is an understatement. we grew up knowing we are not entitled. this may seem negative to others but that's how we are raised.  that's why we strive and work harder than the person next to us. nobody's gonna hand things to us on a silver platter. we make things happen.

no boat? this boy made his own

don't get me wrong, we don't trivialize serious matters such as natural calamities. we just don't take them hard. nangyari na eh, what's the use of crying over it for a long period of time. we are handed a bad card and yet Filipinos choose not to fold but to play their darnest best.

when Ondoy happened in 2009, people didn't have time to feel sorry for themselves or wallow in self-pity. everyone who is able to help, albeit small, lend a hand. the rich, the poor, the young and the old. again, doing so with a smile on their faces. 

the Philippines is once again in a state of calamity. the monsoon rains have not stopped for the last 2 days, engulfing most of Luzon in water. once again, i see smiling faces. they know, we know we can handle it just like we always do.

reaching out to help

Filipinos always find solidarity in times of trouble. we always find the silver lining - the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. we remain strong and undeterred and resilient at every blow life throws us. we believe that things will work out in the end. we never lose hope. 

it goes without saying that we don't just sit and wait for our knight in shining armor. we deal. we stand and help ourselves up and move on and in doing so, we still have the energy and love to help those we meet along the way.

as in Ondoy, i am not there to witness it all. looking at the pictures and videos, i cannot help but feel not sorry but proud. relief and rescue efforts mostly from private individuals and organizations are immediately in effect. they can't afford to wait for the government to come to their aid. they don't need to as everyone is pitching in.

even the animals are not forgotten

social media once again played a vital role in all of this. prayers and helpful information flooded the web. twitter and facebook were filled with real time updates, not to scare anyone but to spread the news in the hopes that they, in their own little way, are able to help pass on information.

kahit maliit, basta makatulong. 

of course there will still be the runts of the litter. the opportunists and the pessimists and the so-called haters. to them i say, sorry na lang kayo. Filipinos will not falter nor give in. make fun and hate all you want, nobody's listening anyway as everybody else is busy dealing with it the best way they can.

yan ang Pinoy and i am proud to be one.

~~~~~~~~

for those who wish to help in any way, here are a few info:

• Cash donations may be deposited to Philippine Star's Operation Damayan: MBTC Port Area Branch Account No. 151-304-161622-9. Or you may call The STAR hotline 527-7901 local 148 or direct line 301-9598 and look for Emie Cruz.
• For Bankard card holders, you may also donate by calling the Bankard hotline 888-1-888.
• A list of evacuation centers and relief operations can be found in this link

*** photos are taken from the web

manila hostage crisis, my half cents worth

it's been 5 days after the manila hostage crisis took place. rolando mendoza will be buried today.

has the Philippine government done something about it besides pointing fingers on who is to blame?

i am currently in KL and the front page of the news for the days following the incident was that. being a filipino in a foreign land at a time like this makes one feel not shame but guilt. but i spoke too soon.

pictures have circulated the web which tainted what is left of our country's dignity. cops and students alike posed and smiled in front of the bus. so yes, for that i am shameful to be called a Filipino.

i have read a number of articles about those who survived and i can't help but feel that the people in my country did this to them. a mother lost a husband and 2 duaghters with a son in ICU. what do you make of that? how will they feel if they see that while they are in grief, people still had the audacity to strike a pose?

does it matter now whether mendoza meant to kill anyone or not? or that media aired the arrest or not?

at the end of the day, lives were lost.
 
that was that.
 
 
 

guilt and irony

while i was watching the footy finals at the Federation Square. secretly having fun under the rain...

i wasn't aware that this was happening in Manila...

that's not right. that is so not right.

my heart goes out to those who were severely affected by typhoon Ondoy.

donations/volunteers can be coursed thru the ff:
Philippine National Red Cross - contact numbers: Pasay Chapter 8542748/4343751; Las Pinas Chapter 8734873/4689688; Pasig Chapter 6350922; Alabang Chapter 8097131/8506813; Bulacan Chapter 0446625388into NHQ Manila 5245787/5270864; Caritas Mnl 5639298; DSWD 9318101
Manor Typhoon Relief Drive

sources:
The Globe and Mail
more pictures from this blog

au revoir heath

he was found dead inside his New York apartment yesterday.

how sad. another great actor gone and he has yet to reach his prime.

he will be missed.

2007 in a glance

as i welcome every new year, it think it's best to look back and reflect on the year that was. here are the highlights of 2007:

january

my family spent the new year in baguio. it is one of those holidays that i shall forever remember.

bought a house in Bulacan

march

bottomless margaritas @ TGI Friday's

my sister and i got back together after months of falling out

april

my personal life took a major blow

dear friend samantha got married in boracay

two of my closest friends lost their loved ones

may

beach! beach! beach!

voted hoolah hot momma at the company outing

june

found out the ex had a new baby

consecutive weekends in Tagaytay first with chinabank friends then with my family to celebrate father's day

less than a month upon diagnosis, cousin kuya pochie passed away due to liver cancer

july

had a minor episode on being single and got all weepy about it

august

got promoted

september

watched cinderella

sucky turnover month

pau's car came

october

had a minor disagreement with a friend from work

dear friend pam got her visa

much to my utter surprise, my sister told me she was getting married and being the overprotective sister that i am, i was of course apprehensive

november

met my sister's bf, marlon who turned out to be a fine man and my family approved.

Sabangan Beach with chinabank friends...last out of town trip before pam leaves for the US.

the itch that couldn't be scratched struck again. fuck it!

had one of them pre-birthday episodes

the Manila Peninsula Mutiny

december

wasn't too excited when i turned 32

pau got married

missy the newest bitch in the house made a debut

mama lily (papa's sister) passed away at the age of 86

on christmas eve, pau told us she's pregnant and everybody was ecstatic! i remember my dad did one of his silly dances and i got teary hehe.

finally found the perfect template for this blog.

here's to better things to come in 2008

related post:
recap of 2006

today in history

first, there was the oakwood mutiny

today, it was the manila peninsula

when will it stop?

i work in ayala ave. and i have witnessed more than my fair share of rallies during the last 3 years. frankly, incidents like these have become ridiculous, bordering on stupidity.

i'm no fan of GMA but i don't think she's that bad. in fact, i have come to admire her resilience and tenacity.

all i'm saying is, give her a chance. enough with all these oust-the-president drama.

if one wants to solve a problem, why be part of it?

small price to pay

tropical storm Chedeng hits Metro Manila

waist deep. that's how much water got inside our basement kitchen.

knee deep. that's how much water was on the streets on my way to work.

mile long. that's how terrible the traffic was on the road.

small inconveniences if they meant a few centimeters of water level increase in our major water reservoirs (Angat, Ipo and La Mesa dams).

our kitchen is a mess.
i was late for work.
my shoes are wet.

still, i have no right to complain.