19 July 2009
09 July 2009
LP: Basa (Wet)

Do you know where is this place? This photo was taken in one of the markets in Phnom Penh. However, we can see this in any market where the management is not so efficient. There should be a canal so the water can flow out making the place cleaner. So the road will not always be wet like this. This condition is also bad as it can bring many diseases.
This is where they dump their wet garbage/solid wastes and the smell is so terrible. It stuck even on our clothes. Hopefully they can all learn to work together to make their market clean.
07 July 2009
Of a new month and a city experience
After my breakfast I took the sky train to go to the nearest mall. Then I remembered that near this mall there is a second hand bookshop. I have ordered books from this shop many times by mail. So it would be my first time to really go there and choose the books myself. So I walked to this bookstore and spent some time there browsing through the shelves. It was quite difficult to look for the books and I think it is better for me to just download their database in excel and browse the file to order the books. I finally settled on two books which I have just heard and read about before. So this time I could really read them. I had 2 more books added to my collection that day.
I finally was able to leave the Embassy at around 215pm. I immediately left to go back to my office. Coz of the sky train and special service from my dear husband who picked me up at the last sky train station, I arrived in the office at about 330 pm so I still had enough time to continue my work. I was at the office until 6 pm. I was glad that I was able to get the documents I needed from the Embassy that day. I also thank God for protection and for keeping me in good condition as usually I do not feel good going into the city using public transport, due to the heat, pollution and the general atmosphere in the city that us folks who live in a quiet and green environment could never get used to.
25 June 2009
LP: Dito Lang (Only Here)

Mararamdaman ko ang init
Dahil sa lamig ng Disyembreng gabi
Dito lang sa iyong tabi.
Only here by your side
I can feel the warmth
Coz of the cold December night
Only here by your side.
I took this photo last December when I went to an area near the mountains. It was really cold and you really need to have somebody by your side so you can sleep really well. We are already happy wherever we may be as long as our loved ones are by our side.
Marami pang mga kwentong Dito Lang/
More Only Here stories
19 June 2009
On Father's Day
By this time we would already have gone online shopping for some Father’s Day gifts for my Dad. We would usually send cards wishing him well and to express our love and gratitude to him as our Dad, send him text messages, call him and pray for him. At home, he would always wait for those greetings from all of us. And he would know who would not be able to greet him. Sometimes he would feel bad about it but he was mature enough to understand if we called him late, probably due to time zone differences or the phone network instability. The latter often happens on such occasions, including Christmas and New Year, as everybody is trying to call home.
But this time, we can only remember our Dad in our minds and hearts. As he is not here physically anymore. What we could do to honor his memory is to do what he would usually advise us to do – to live a life of integrity before man and God, to be strong and remain steadfast in our faith in the midst of difficulty and adversity, to trust the Lord at all times, to be happy, to do our best, to be compassionate towards others especially the disadvantaged and the oppressed, to live simply, to keep reading and learning ... so many more that he has taught us about life. So much treasure, but priceless.
And so, for our Dad’s memory, we would like to share this poem by D.J. Brown. He had already read this, because this was on a card sent by my sister to him way back in 2003, when she wrote to him during her (my sister’s) birthday to express her thankfulness and appreciation to him for all his love, sacrifices, care and goodness as she was growing up. She said that she thanked God for giving her a father like him, and she considered it a blessing really! She added in her P.S. that this came from her heart. I am sure that all of us children have the same words to say to him, time and time again, not only on Fathers’ Day but on every occasion that we have the opportunity to do so. I am sure that when he read this message he was also touched.
Dad, as I was growing up,
you always made my world feel safe.
The deep calm of your voice steadied me…
and the strong circle of your arms shielded me.
I never felt vulnerable or afraid,
Because for me, you seemed unshakable.
As I got older, though,
It dawned on me that the world you faced everyday
was a lot bigger and scarier
Than the one you had created for me.
And I wondered, sometimes,
if you felt like relying on someone else’s strength for a change…
Now that I’m an adult
and living on the outside of your safety net,
I finally understand what sacrifices you made
to make sure “my world” felt all right all the time.
Growing up in the sanctuary of your love is something
I will always cherish and a memory I could never forget.
Now, more than ever,
I appreciate you for that.
I love you, Dad.
May you all express your love and appreciation to your Dads on Father’s Day and every time that you have the opportunity to do so.
18 June 2009
LP: Imposible Ba Ito?
Imposible ba ito? Naghaharana itong mama habang kami ay kumakain sa isang Lesehan, ang kainan sa gilid ng kalsada sa Yogyakarta, Indonesia, kung saan nakaupo lamang sa sahig ang mga kumakain. Di ba parang imposible na maging instrumento ng musika itong hawak nya? Pero kahit ganito lang ito kasimple nakakatulong pa rin ito sa paghahanapbuhay.Is this impossible? This man is serenading us while we are eating in a Lesehan, a streetside restaurant in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where the diners sit on the floor. It seems impossible that this piece can be used as a musical instrument, isn't it? However, even if it is just simple it can still help in earning an income.
Is this impossible? The man wearing a cap is also trying to earn an income. Guess what he is doing. He is drawing the picture which is in the cellphone.
12 June 2009
Philippines celebrates 111th Independence Day
Even as we celebrate as a country and a people more than a hundred years of independence from colonial rule, may we also experience personally freedom from all bondage and slavery which go beyond what can be seen.











