Top Entrecard Droppers

I would like to thank all Entrecard Droppers. Thanks for visiting and dropping your cards, for commenting as well as for your friendship; and of course for helping drive more traffic to my blog. Most especially I would like to acknowledge my top card droppers (& the # of drops during the month of January 2009) . More power to you and to blogging. Your sites are inspiring and encouraging...Keep tapping...keep living...keep blogging (& keep dropping here).

Working Abroad

LP43: Lila (Violet)

Suot ko ang aking paboritong "jumper" na kulay lila. Ito rin ang isa sa mga paborito kong kulay. Pinabili ko ito sa isang kaibigan na pumunta sa Bangladesh noong late 90s doon sa export market. Tuwing nakikita ko ang kulay lila ito ang nasa isip ko: maganda, masarap, mabango, matamis, tahimik, romantiko, creative, kabataan ... kahit kaligayahan naisip ko na rin. Marahil iba naman ang naiisip ng ibang tao tuwing nakikita nila ang kulay na ito. Siguro depende yan sa kung anu-ano ang nagiging karanasan ng bawat tao sa kulay na ito at sa lahat ng mga kulay.

I am wearing my favorite jumper. Violet is also one of my favorite colors. I requested a friend who went to Bangladesh in the late 90s to buy this for me from the export market there . Every time I see this color these things come to mind: beautiful, delicious, fragrant, sweet, quiet, romantic, creative, youth ... I even think of joy. Others might have a different perception when they see this color. I think it depends on what kind of experiences we had with this color and with all the other colors which will form our perception and association with them.

Marami pang mga kuwentong Lila sa Litratong Pinoy.
There are a lot more Violet stories at Litratong Pinoy.

PAL (paak?)

I have just returned from a trip to the Philippines. Every time I take a domestic flight I would book online through the Philippine Airlines (PAL) website. But there is often something wrong with their system, as when I made bookings for this trip. Even the PAL in Bangkok informed me that many customers contacted them about this. When I made a booking and entered my credit card details on 7 Jan, PAL did not give me confirmation of the flight I booked. The message said to contact onlinebooking@pal.com.ph to ask for verification but there was no reply (as always). So I called my credit card company (CCC) to check if the payment registered in their system and lo and behold, CCC informed me that the payment was approved! That means I paid PAL for something they did not deliver. My CCC instructed me to contact PAL to tell them to cancel the payment within 14 days so it will not be billed to me. So I sent an email on 7 Jan to webmgr@pal.com.ph (Ms. Claire Cornelio) about this and she immediately forwarded it to their Fulfillment Center (onlinebooking@pal.com.ph) - the same one I sent an email to earlier. This is the email address that appears in the PAL website to contact for any online booking information but they are not replying or it takes them days to reply. In this case, they have not replied at all.

It is now 29 Jan. I have just received my CC statement and the charge is still there. That means PAL Fulfillment Center has not done anything to correct this mistake. I contacted my CCC again just this morning and they said that PAL has not contacted them to cancel this transaction. I do hope PAL will get their act together after so many years of being proud they are Asia's first. Hope they will live up to their slogan. First and not last or late in everything.

From across the South China Sea

I have been absent for some days from blogging coz I travelled to my home town. As the title of this post says, I am sending this blog from across the South China Sea. It's such a long way from the international airport. I had to take a domestic flight to the nearest city, then a (rough) van ride through mountains for about 2 hours. My internet connection is not so fast so I could not upload photos for now. Anyway hope everyone's doing ok. For me, I have to discipline myself not to think about work (too stressful) and just enjoy being here. But there are also other stressors here.

LP41: Asul (Blue)

Hayyy! Ang sirap tumingin sa langit pag ganito ang kulay. Nakakarelaks. Parang ang gaan ng loob. Maliwanag ang paligid. Lalo na pagkatapos ng madilim na araw dala ng tig-lamig. Binubusog ko ang aking mga mata --- hindi nakakasawa. Maya't maya didilim na naman ngunit meron akong litrato na titingnan hanggang sa muling lalabas ang asul na langit.

Hayyy! I love looking at the sky/heavens when it has this color. It is so relaxing. I feel so light inside. It's so bright all around. Especially after a period of darkness due to the winter season. I fill my eyes with it --- I never get tired of looking at it. Soon it will be dark again but I have this photo to remind me until the blue sky/heavens appear again.

Tema sa Linggong it sa Litratong Pinoy: Asul
This week's theme at Litratong Pinoy: Blue

Traveling light & trusting

This Sunday’s preaching was very encouraging, enlightening and challenging. Pastor Jess talked about traveling light in this world and trusting our Lord.

Traveling light presents our dependence on God. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to throw away everything that hinders and sin that easily encumbers us to live lives that please God. A contrast between Jacob and David was made. With Jacob, Genesis 47:9 tells us that he had lived a sad, unpleasant and short life, despite living for 130 years. He was an example of a person who was overloaded with baggage to carry all throughout his life. He faced lots of problems and struggles, including his unhealed relationship with his sibling and deception.

In contrast David in Psalm 23 exemplified a person traveling light with God. He also had lots of troubles but he was able to leave them behind and go to God. He considered the Lord as his Shepherd, which meant that he considered himself as a sheep, the weakest of all animals. Sheep never worry about food, shelter and other provisions. They are dependent on their shepherd to provide and protect. By acknowledging the Lord as his shepherd, David was able to experience provision of needs spiritually and physically, restoration from his sins/baggage of sin and freedom from guilt and worries.

Thus like David we can start the year by declaring that the Lord is our Shepherd. I should not worry because the Lord is my Shepherd. In the midst of worries about the future and past failures, we can trust God to restore us to Him if we allow Him to. We can look to God as our guide as He never makes mistakes in leading us. We do not know what the future holds but we should not worry; we should live in the present.

We need to press on to reach the goal as encouraged by Paul in Philippians 3:13-14. Our goal is to invest in heaven, whatever we do on earth. To know Jesus more, to love Him more, to serve Him more. If we let our baggages weigh us down we will never be able to do what God asks or wants us to do.

Psalm 55:22 reminds us that we can cast our burdens on the Lord, which means to completely lay it at His feet. It takes trust to do this.

Let us travel light with the Lord and trust Him at all times.

dNeero: Spitz Tunes - Happy New Year!

Attention UP grads: Let's help Mang Mel

I got this email yesterday. I do not really know him but I am also from UP and hope we can help him in one way or another. What I don't understand is why UP allowed students with outstanding loans to graduate. Is it because there was a guarantor?

=======================================

Paying It Back for Mang Meliton a.k.a "Mang Milton"

Meet Meliton Zamora, a retired University of the Philippines janitor and my hero.

For forty-five years, he swept floors, cleaned up trash, watered plants and did odd jobs at the University.

I met him when I was active with the UP Repertory Company, a theater group based (then) at the third floor lobby of the Arts & Sciences (AS) building. He would sweep and mop the hallway floors in silence, venturing only a nod and a smile whenever I passed him. Back then, for me he was just one of those characters whom you got acquainted with and left behind as soon as you earned your degree and left the university for some big job in the real world. Someone whose name would probably ring a bell but whose face you'd have a hard time picturing. But for many UP students like me who were hard up and had a difficult time paying their tuition fees, Mang Mel was a hero who gave them the opportunity to finish university and get a big job in the real world.

The year was 1993 and I was on my last semester as a Clothing Technology student. My parents had been down on their luck and were struggling to pay for my tuition fee. I had been categorized as Bracket 9 in the recently implemented Socialized Tuiton and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP). My father had lost his job and to supplement my allowance, I worked part time as a Guest Relations Officer at Sam's Diner (back when the term GRO didn't have shady undertones) and took some odd jobs as a Production Assistant, movie extra and wardrobe mistress.

To be eligible for graduation, I had to enroll in my last three courses and pay my tuition fee. Since my parents didn't have enough money for my matriculation, I applied for a student loan hoping that my one of my Home Economics (HE) professors would take pity on me and sign on as a guarantor for the student loan. But those whom I approached either refused or were not eligible as guarantors. After two unsuccessful weeks of looking for a guarantor, my prospects looked dim, my future dark. And so, there I was, a downtrodden twenty year old with a foggy future, crying in the AS lobby. I only had twenty four hours left to look for a guarantor.

Mang Mel, with a mop in hand, approached me and asked me why I was crying. I told him I had no guarantor for my student loan and will probably not be able to enroll this semester. I had no hopes that he would be able to help me. After all, he was just a janitor. He borrowed my loan application papers and said softly, "Puwede ako pumirma.Empleyado ako ng UP." He borrowed my pen and signed his name. With his simple act of faith, Mang Mel not only saved my day, he also saved my future.

I paid my student loan the summer after that fateful day with Mang Milton and it has been 15 years since then. I am not filthy rich but I do have a good job in the real world that allows me to support my family and eat three meals a day. A few weeks ago, a friend and UP Professor, Daki, told me that Mang Mel recently recorded an album which he sells to supplement his meager retirement pay, I asked another friend, Blaise, who's taking his Master's degree at UP to find out how we could contact Mang Mel. My gesture of gratitude for Mang Mel's altruism has been long overdue. As fate would have it, my friend saw Mang Mel coming out of the shrubbery from behind the UP library, carrying firewood. He got Mang Mel's address and promised him that we would come over to buy his album.

Together with Blaise and my husband Augie, I went to pay Mang Mel a visit last Sunday. Unfortunately, he was out doing a little sideline gardening for a UP professor in Tandang Sora. We were welcomed into their home by his daughter Kit. As she pointed out to a laminated photo of Mang Mel on the wall, she proudly told us that her father did retire with recognition from the University. However, she sadly related to us that many of the students whose loans Mang Mel guaranteed neglected to settle their student loans. After forty-five years of service to the University, Mang Mel was only attributed 171 days of work for his retirement pay because all the unpaid student loans were deducted from his full retirement pay of about 675 days. This seems to me a cruel repayment for his kindness.

This is a cybercall to anyone who did not get to pay their student loans that were guaranteed by Mang Mel. Anytime would be a good time to show Mang Mel your gratitude.

Mang Mel is not asking for a dole out, though I know he will be thankful for any assistance you can give. So I ask those of you who also benefited from Mang Meliton's goodness or for those who simply wish to share your blessings, please do visit Mang Mel and buy his CD (P350 only) at No. 16-A, Block 1, Pook Ricarte, U.P. Campus, Diliman, Quezon City (behind UP International House) or contact his daughter Kit V. Zamora at 0916-4058104.
==================================================

Strawberry fields & thoughts

Thanks for all the comments on my strawberry post. When I was in the Philippines I have never eaten fresh strawberries. I did not like it coz they were sour (the ones that I came across, anyway) and I lived far from where it was produced. So by the time strawberries reached the nearest city, it would be so expensive. And when it was available as a flavor such as ice cream, I also did not like it coz it was too sweet and you could taste the artificial flavoring. But later when I went abroad I learned that there are many other ways to eat strawberries, or use them in food. One of the most delicious I have tasted is the strawberry milk shake. However I still could not eat the fresh ones unless they are really sweet. Now, it is ok for me to eat strawberry flavored yoghurt as a topping for fresh fruit salad. But I still could not eat the fresh ones if they are sour because my teeth are so sensitive to sour things. Now I am salivating just thinking about it, not because I want to eat it but because of the word “sour”. Also I do not really dig strawberry flavored ice cream. I’m ok with strawberry jam and butter on toasted whole wheat bread. It is delicious but fattening so better use unsalted and cholesterol free butter. They said strawberries are good for health as they contain high levels of phytochemicals which are good for our immune system. Well as long as they are organically grown but it’s a known fact that a lot of pesticides are used to produce nice looking strawberries.

I can’t deny though that thinking about strawberries gives me a nice feeling as I associate it with summer, fun, romance, happiness, high school life, friendship, being carefree. The same feeling you get when you hear or sing the song, “Strawberry Fields Forever” by the Beatles (…Let me take you down coz I’m going to strawberry fields …Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about...Strawberry fields forever). What does it remind you of now?

Try to listen here:

Strawberry Fields Forever -

LP40: Pula (Red)

Mapulang istroberi ... matingkad ang kulay at nakaka-engganyo. Parang gusto kong kainin. Masarap. Kinuha ko ito doon sa Amerongen, Netherlands kung saan may isang trak na umiikot sa mga bahay-bahay upang magbenta nga mga prutas, gulay, at kung ano-ano pang mga pagkain. Kaya yong mga tao hindi na kailangang pumunta sa palengke at maglakad na lang upang makabili ng preskang produkto. Menos gastos sa gasolina at oras.

Red strawberries ... the color is so bright and inviting. I feel like eating it. Delicious. I took this photo in Amerongen, Netherlands where a truck moves around the housing villages to sell fruits, vegetables and other food items. So the people in the area don't have to go to the market; they can just walk a few meters to buy fresh produce. It saves fuel and time.

The New Year's Blog Award

I got this very interesting award from Rechie which talks about New Year’s Resolutions. For sure all of us must have made some resolutions to follow for this year. Thanks for sharing this award with me, Rechie. I am truly a New Year lover. I have the following resolutions, which I really pray that I can follow, by God's grace.

My 5 New Year's Resolutions

• Not to complain and whine but be forgiving and patient and to see Jesus' work/plan/purpose in every situation.
• To keep going and not be distracted so I can be consistent in bible reading, study, reflection, meditation, journaling, praying. This could also mean less time spent blogging and chatting, and follow good time management.
• Discipline in achieving good health, diligently joining weekly aerobics on campus, wisdom in choosing healthy food.
• Wise stewardship of time, resources & esp. finances, i.e. sustainable consumption.
• Witness for Christ through life as well as active sharing when opportunity comes, and to trust in Him who is faithful.

Rules:

• You must be a true lover of the New Year to receive this award. The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with the New Year.
• Post at least five New Year’s Resolutions. If you can’t limit it to five, then continue until you go out of space.
• Pass the award along to as many bloggers as you like.
• Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving a comment on their site. Also, link back the person who gave you the award.

I am passing this award to my fellow bloggers and friends: frances, fritz, linapuhan, anne, leah, julie, sheryl, lara and jopac.

Hello 2009! Goodbye (& thanks) 2008!

Photo by key&jigsz, hogmanay at stirling

So 2009 is now here! We were in a hotel upcountry when the new year came! We said our goodbyes to 2008 on the 6th flr of our hotel room! Before that we joined the gala new year dinner prepared by the hotel at 350 Baht per person. It was a set dinner where you got to choose from 4 sets of western food and 2 sets of thai food. I chose set A but the waiters and waitresses kept giving me the food from either set B or C. To the extent that we just made a joke out of it but could not keep wondering why it was so! The only thing they got right for my order was the tea (choice of coffee or tea). Oh well, sure as it went, after dinner, I just felt not so good. I think even when were making jokes about the "lost in translation" in the orders, my stress hormones were acting up. Thus it affected my digestion after dinner. I visited the toilet a few times until midnight. So one of my NY resolutions that night was not to complain about food and not to let the poor staff suffer! Maybe they were wishing I should get a stomach ache...so I "discursed" whatever it was, just in case. I really prayed for healing.

Goodbye 2008. And thank you for all the experiences esp. the stumblings, learnings, blessings, joys, even the pains. And thanks also to all friends and readers I've met here. Let's keep blogging to make the world a better place. We do not know what's in store for us all in 2009 but one thing for sure, we can look up to the Lord Almighty for guidance and assurance that He will be with us, at all times. My prayer is that I will continue to be faithful to the Lord and to keep walking in His ways. To delight in Him, in His words, in His works.

A couple of photos taken from our hotel room last 31 Dec 2008: