Remembering Daddy, today and always

Got electronic reminders like the one below which we do not really need as we remember...always.

25^th August, Dad’s birthday. He would have turned 76 today. Now he is at rest, eternally with the Lord. Every time I think of him, which is almost everyday, I remind myself that he is at rest, at peace, no longer troubled by this world, no longer in pain. That he is now enjoying the blessings of eternal life with the Almighty God.

To honour his memory, and to continue his passion for education and helping others, we have established the Judge A.K. Nietes, Sr. Memorial Scholarship to provide financial assistance to high school students from Anini-y and Tobias Fornier towns of Antique Province, Philippines. Dad spent almost 15 years as the municipal judge of these two towns during the 70s till the mid-80s. He valued education and considered it as the main legacy a parent can provide to his children, or a community can provide to the youth. He loved reading, writing, crossword puzzles, music and sports, and advocated trusting in the Lord, which he considered helpful in developing the whole being of a person to become a useful member of society. In choosing students from these two towns, and a school from one of them, we hope that we can share and spread God’s blessings to those from remote areas oftentimes not reached by the support enjoyed by schools in the capital and main towns.

Through the assistance of our friends, Bernie and Fe Salcedo, Diclum National High School in Tobias Fornier was identified as the first school to benefit from this endeavor. DNHS caters to students from both towns mentioned above. The first batch of five poor but deserving high school students have already been chosen, out of ten applicants. They were requested to submit an essay focusing on reasons for going to high school, factors influencing their decision, how they are using use or improving their talents and interests, and the impact of being a high school student to their community.

Each applicant is qualified but there is only budget for five this year. The main purpose of helping out in our own small way is to help reduce the drop-out rates of students in high school. It is fortunate that tuition fee in public high school education in the Philippines is free. However students are burdened with day to day expenses as they travel to school, purchase school supplies, as well as meet the requirements of their subjects i.e. school projects.

We hope that through this effort we can instill in the youth the importance of education, encourage the recipients to keep going to pursue their dreams, that poverty is no hindrance to getting a good education and excelling in what one is doing, and that despite the difficult situation in our place and in their homes, they are still special. May they learn to always thank God for His blessings, now and in the future, when they achieve their dreams for a better life for their families and their communities.

We also hope many will follow this example, as we ourselves are also following the examples of those who have done this before us, especially those who are now abroad as OFWs or immigrants, or even those who are  still in the Philippines. Every one of them sees the need and lends a hand to help.

Will you?

Global Cafe

I haven't been faithful in blogging lately due to my study/workload. What with papers to read, analyse and critique, and presentations to prepare, along with meetings and seminars to attend, plus cooking and housework...Anyhow, I finally found the time, now.

Every Thursday, the Global Cafe is open from 430 pm until 7 pm or so. This is for students to drop by and have a chat and a hot drink and snack, and to get to know people and make friends. I have been coming although not so regularly due to my academic commitments. But I still try to go whenever I can despite the distance as the venue is quite a walk from my study room in another building, and I had to brave the cold (and sometimes the rain). It's just something that I want to go to where I can meet friends and talk about other things. And I get to meet nice people especially the organizers who are friendly and genuinely interested in us.

Today we had the Christmas Global Cafe. The last meeting for this year before students go for Christmas break. I had been looking forward to this, along with last Tuesday's Christmas Carol Service, which was also a good one, simple yet profound.

A good number of students came - some I've met before, while some were new to me, just as I was to them. But all of us have been coming to the GC during the semester.

We had some special Scottish food such as haggis, oat cakes, shortbread and pudding with cream, together with chocolates, peanuts, biscuits, and hot and cold drinks.

We also had Christmas crackers with goodies (marbles, key chain, mini-notepads, and small items), coloured paper crowns and jokes inside.

Aside from the talking and eating, there was also a sharing of what Christmas means by Ken, who came wearing his Scottish formal wear, the kilt.

Thanks to Joan (& Ken), Carol & Christine for organizing this. See you again next year!

Merry/Happy Christmas! May we all experience the peace, joy & love that Christmas brings, which come from our loving Saviour!

Chamchuri Square on a Saturday

I spent my whole Saturday afternoon at Chamchuri Square, a.k.a. Edutainment Gateway, in Bangkok. My dear hubby had a meeting there so I tagged along as I have never been to this place. Both of us have never been there although we have passed this building a few times along Rama IV Rd. while it was still under construction. This commercial/residential project is owned by Chulalongkorn University. The complex itself has changed the whole landscape of the area, which used to have old shophouses selling noodles and other stuff. From the outside you can see the contrast between the old city feeling on the one hand, and the new, cosmopolitan, chic atmosphere on the other.

As we entered the complex, we were directed to the parking building. The meeting venue was on the 3rd floor so we went to park on that floor. Good that we were able to find a parking space. We had about 30 minutes to spare before the meeting. We stopped at a coffee bar nearby and we had the typical thai toasted bread with pandan cream. I ordered hot Japanese green tea while Key ordered espresso. Then he was off to his meeting and I was all by myself, with the whole mall to be explored.

As this Square is an "edutainment" complex, you can quickly notice that there is something different here from the other malls. For one, most of the people roaming or hanging around are young, mainly students from Chulalongkorn University. And the older ones are probably faculty members. Also there are a number of kids probably enrolled in special classes in learning centers located at the Square. There are also a number of bookstores such as Asia Books, Se-ed, Naiin, Nanmee, etc. Unfortunately, B2S bookstore has no branch there. I wanted to buy some books there using the B2S gift certificate which I won from The Bangkok Post.

My first target was to visit a bookstore. So I went to Asia Books as I am a member there and I was sure to find English books. I browsed through the many books they have. In the fiction section, they had a shelf of booksellers and others by popular authors. I had most of the chick lit they have which I could buy from a second hand bookshop (Dasa Books in Sukhumvit) so I decided to buy something else. Finally I settled on a book entitled, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards. The book is about a man who abandons his Down syndrome baby. It was in the NY Times Paperback bestsellers' list in 2006 and a film has been done on it. I am waiting for the DVD so I can watch it. With bookstores left and right, who could resist not buying a book? Thus I was happy to buy this book and I got a 10% discount as a member. Now I have something to read while waiting for Key.

Then next I moved around until I got to the basement. As I was on the escalator on the way down, I saw tables full of students with papers, notebooks, books and laptops, studying, reading, discussing. At first I thought maybe I was in a library of sorts. But the direction board says "Raintree Food Center" that's why I decided to go there so I can sit and read my book. It just seemed strange and I remember that since this is near the university of course there will be students here. Studying. That's why this place looks different from other malls. When I reached the basement I went to buy a fruit smoothie (apple and cantaloupe, no ice, no milk, no yoghurt, no syrup). The seller asked me how she could blend them together without the syrup? I told her to just use some water. It cost me 50 baht.

So there with my fruit smoothie I chose a table with a comfortable seat and started reading my book. I sat there for more than an hour. The book has some sad moments and I had some tears but since I was in a public place I tried to control myself. Anyway I felt that I was not in Thailand then. I could be in any other place like in the Manila or Singapore. I decided to go up to the 3rd floor again and see if Key has finished their meeting. Not yet. So I went back to the 2nd floor to go to Coffee World where I ordered Mocha Coffee without the whipped cream. I am happy to know that they have a branch here and this is one of my favorite coffee shops. I just wanted to drink something hot as I was really feeling cold. I was thinking that they could save a lot of energy by adjusting the AC but this is Thailand. Hope they will realize it soon and adjust the temperature to an acceptable level.

I sent a text message to Key where I was. After another hour or so he came to the coffee shop. Then we had dinner there at the basement before finally going home. At 8 pm, we arrived at our condo where our laundry was waiting!