Duh...Keep It To Yourself!

1. Let there be peace on earth. 2. A pink diamond pendant . 3. Panasonic home theater system with wireless rear speakers . 4. POD by Atlantic CD organizer . 5. Cereal dispenser by Zevro . 6. Carlos Falchi handbag . 7. Nohonon desk character . 8. Sennheiser wireless headphones . 9. Kindle digital reading device by Amazon 10. A trip to the banana republic . Happy Holidays one and all!

Around this time last year, I lost a piece of jewelry, a gold bracelet that is worth more or less $300. The strange thing was, I put it with my other jewelries in an easy access cabinet in my room, and the rest of my jewelries were there and remained untouched. At first I was thinking that perhaps one of my kids played with it and probably misplaced it around the house. So I let the days go by, hoping that somehow the missing jewelry will be recovered somewhere in the house. Then I started getting suspicious with one of my house helpers because she was acting strange. She was actually the most responsible and most trusted of three nannies that I had, and suddenly she wouldn’t even look me in the eyes when we talked. In the Philippines, it is commonplace to resort to black magic and witchcraft and things that are considered taboo and superstitious in this modern world. So it is not a surprise to hear stories about skulls and magic oils or cards and beads that has some kind of spell ...

It's December. Yeah, it's been a while since I posted anything on my blog. It's not that nothing noteworthy transpired but I was still very busy putting my blogging life on track. Anyway, Halloween passed and nothing scary happened. You know it's always fun when something really freaks you out then you realize that it's not really what you think? That's why it's always fun to put on a "Chuckie" mask during trick-or-treat night then watch people jump out of the way as you cruise past them. Halloween's long been over. I can't see any residue of it now, but I would like to note something that happened after Halloween that really sent me to panic. In the month of November alone there were countless fires in California Hills that raised thousands of homes to the ground. It was a scary time. It was also a time wherein people were extra cautious about fires or the possibility of a fire igniting anywhere in the dry part of California. I was myself ...

Imagine for a minute that you're a king, what would you eat for breakfast? Some people think that breakfast is not as important as the other meals in the day. In fact, some people skip breakfast and some combine their breakfast with lunch, thus, the term "brunch". For some of you who don't know breakfast, breakfast is the most essential meal of the day. Breakfast is meant to break your 8-12 hour fast, depending on what time before you go to bed do you stop eating. During your resting hours you deprive yourself of food because you're not using much energy compared to when you are up and about. Besides, you can't eat and sleep at the same time, unless you are a sleepwalker who manage your way to the fridge even while you're in deep slumber. There are people who are on a diet, who think that by skipping breakfast they are able to increase their chance of losing weight. It's the notion that less meal intake equals less calorie intake too. And this is a...

I used to work with a guy, well, not really. He was a bit on the feminine side. He was actually my mentor when I was in college, then surprisingly when I started my job we ended up as colleagues. Anyway, he was not the nicest of people. He was actually nasty, typical of his gender preference. It's almost as if gay guys are given that privilege to talk nasty to other people. Of course it is well-tolerated in the country where I come from. People think that they're entitled to it because they're different. I used to hear other people criticize him for being tactless, brutally honest and just plain a**hole sometimes. But that was the way he was, even when I used to attend his Spanish class. He always had his way of awakening your fighting spirit, if you have one. Anyway, I do remember him because he used to look at me, teased me and pretended to chase me, while I also pretended to run away. He used to say, "I'm gonna eat you" then he would put his fist clo...

What would you do if your car stalls right in a busy intersection just as when visibility is poor because it's past nine o'clock at night and you are in a dark-colored vehicle? Add to that the fact that you are not travelling alone, but you have your precious little children inside your car. You have your entire family with you. You feel an inconceivable horror but you cannot panic because the lives of your family is in your hands. You restart the car hoping that it will be brought back to life and you can wheel your family to safety. As you click the key to start the car, still nothing happens. Now you are overcome with fear, as well as with the hope of all hopes that no vehicle goes blind-sighted and hit your car and injure your entire family that's inside your car. Right away, you think that your only chance of survival is to take everyone out of the car and take them to a safe spot, not minding if the car gets mangled up for as long as all the passengers are safe. But ...

Tonight American Idol reached out to millions of its global audience to give back to the needy, the hungry, and the less fortunate ones. Surprisingly, some Americans especially those that come from tragedy-stricken areas are also suffering and need immediate help as well. The picture painted was more on the devastating effects of poverty. It is a realization for everyone of us that indeed no matter how much in need of help we are, still more people out there have more serious woes than we do. The hunger pangs brought about by starvation is something that you cannot ignore. Its immediate remedy cannot be postponed as well. I know what it's like to be poor and how hard it is to appreciate life when you're starving. I've been there once in the earlier part of my life, and I would never wish any of my children to go through the pains of starvation and hunger. I grew up in a family of seven. My parents were self-employed but it wasn't a secure and stable kind of self-employm...

About fifteen years ago, I was caught in a tragic vehicular accident. It was in the summer of 1992. We were campaigning for one of the most heated local elections in our city's history. We went to the remote coastal areas in the city to campaign for the candidates whom we believed were fit to run the city and bring favorable change to our community. We didn't know much. We were young. But young as we were, we were high-spirited and full of promise that we will be able to effect change in our community, thus, without any compensation, we volunteered to campaign for our favored candidates and really sweat hard for them to have a landslide victory in our place. Just like any other day, we were enthusiastic and cheerful as we headed to our destination for the day. One of the guys that I campaigned with, owned a top-down jiffy, and he came early to pick us up so we can reach our target area before noon time. I remember getting in the car, then getting off to get something that I for...

Just recently I took a 21 hour flight on my way back to the U.S. We had a stop over in Hong Kong because our flight for the U.S. doesn’t leave until the following day. On the day when we were to take the Hong Kong to New York flight, I was shocked at the new rules for taking liquids with you on board an airplane. Starting 21 March 2007, departing passengers can carry only a limited quantity of liquids in their hand baggage as an additional security measure as directed by the Civil Aviation Department. This is also a new guideline adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization. According to the new rule, the following items may be carried in your hand baggage only if they are stored in containers up to 100 ml and placed in transparent re-sealable plastic bag. (They actually give out transparent re-sealable plastic bags at the airport which is approximately 8” by 8” in dimension.) Gels (e.g., hair gel, shower gel) Lotions and liquids (e.g., sun cream, suntan oil, suntan spray...

Who amongst us here enjoy a good pampering every once in a while? I do. It comes in the form of a massage. A periodic massage to the body actually helps especially during stressful times. A massage often gives you the feeling of relief and rejuvenation. I don't know why, but it must be the release of tension that really makes massaging the body such a relaxing experience. If you have the money, you can do the massage on a regular basis. The rate could go from about P300 to P5000 depending on where you get it. You can get it locally for a cheaper price or you can get it at a more exclusive spa for a much higher price. With me though, I get it through an old lady who visits me every two weeks and renders a body massage at a price that is left to my own discretion. I get more than a massage though. It's like doing something for several reasons and here are a few of them: I get the massage because I like it. Surprisingly, my 84 year old masseuse has unrivaled strength even at such ...

A Story From the Old Days I grew up hearing stories about witches, witchcraft, black magic, supernatural spells and more. But this one story somehow is clearly etched in my memory. It’s the story about my father’s grandfather who displayed some kind of a supernatural ability. According to my father, his grandfather stood a little over four feet, and yet according to him, he’s capable of pulling with one arm, to the shore a boat that can only be moved by ten men. It’s really fascinating how things like that could be possible. My father narrated how it all started. According to him his grandfather once was laying on a little hut that sat by the sea and was dozing off for an afternoon siesta when his grandfather saw these tiny people, about half a foot in height. It was a couple who lived under the sea and on that day they were mourning because they were burying their son, and when my father’s grandfather saw them, he was very sympathetic. He even helped them bury their dead son. ...

"Ma is as selfless as I am" can be read the same way backwards. The shortest complete sentence in the English language is . . . "Go." "Pack my red box with five dozen quality jugs." is a sentence that contains all twenty-six letters of the English alphabet, and it's called a panagram . "Sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is the toughest tongue twister. Well, there it is. Do you have more? Share it with us. We'll be glad to expand this list.

I read these excerpts from a local publication and feel compelled to quote them here because of the irresistible humor and wit embodied in each thought. Cojones --means balls in Spanish which can also be referred to as guts. Yet, what is the difference between balls and guts ? "Guts is when you arrive home late, after a night out with the boys. Your wife opens the door wielding a broom. If you have guts, you ask: Are you still cleaning or are you flying somewhere?" And balls? Again, you come home late after a night out with the boys. You reek of perfume and beer. And there are lipstick smears on your collar. If you have balls, you whack your wife on her bottom and snort: 'You're next'. There is no difference in the outcome. "Both will ultimately result in death." And speaking of death, get this: "When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep; not screaming--like all the other passengers in his car." An obstetri...

Let me start by saying that I'm nowhere near obese. I don't consider myself fat. However, I felt like it would be nice to lose a few pounds just for the trouble of it. My target--lose at least five(5) pounds in a month's time. With the schedule that I have, it's impossible to go to the gym, and do some exercise. So I decided to look for some weight loss pills that I can take that will aid me in my pursuit of shedding off a few pounds--be a guinea pig for a while. There's a lot of weight loss pills out there, but I don't necessarily trust them. But the one that I decided on trying was a weight loss product shared to me by a trusted friend. I actually started taking it about a month ago. I will not specify the name of the product but I'll give away a few hints just for the curious reader. The product is manufactured in Japan. That alone is a plus because most Japanese products have high quality standards. These are the ingredients supposedly contained in each ...

This is an important day of the year for me. I tend to become so emotionally vulnerable on this day. I don't know why, but maybe it's because I share the pain that my mother felt when she brought me to this world. It ain't a joke for a woman to go through the pains of labor and the roller coaster ride of emotions she has to endure afterwards. Well, without getting too confusing, let me just say that birthdays are but a reminder to each and everyone of us that indeed life is so precious to be taken for granted. It's a day for us to acknowledge the many blessings that we have despite whatever kind of hardships we may be going through. A birthday is a celebration of many good things: another shot at life to become wiser, become richer in spirit; another chance to be able to connect and reach out to other human beings; another chance to find out and live our purpose in this life; another chance to becoming a better person than we were a year ago, but above all, another chan...

I am not quite the average person. In many ways I am unique. I have a broader sense of understanding than most people do. My field of interests covers a wider scope. I am independent and I chose to do things on my own if I am able to do them rather than ask somebody to do it in my behalf. In other words, I have a good sense of well-being. But as I get older, I notice strange habits that really bother me to some extent. It's my dilemma and I am still trying to dig deeper into it to find out why I do the things that I do. You decide, is it an obsession? Is it a compulsion? Or both? When I do my grocery shopping, stuff has to be grouped accordingly: ( exempli gratia ) all dry goods, canned goods, boxed goods, all frozen stuff, all veggies and fruits, all cleaning and laundry stuff--and not a single item should be mixed up with the rest. At times when the bagging attendant helps, and doesn't put away the stuff the same way I grouped, it really bothers me so much, almost to the poi...

A few weeks back I met a friend, and was just amazed that after not seeing each other for quite some time---ten years at least, he still recognized me and was the first one to call my attention. I was a bit embarrassed because, at the back of my head somehow, I could not recall his name. But he politely, reintroduced himself. More so, he still recalled how I was referred to in the old days. Anyway, it was just a short exchange of kind words, as well as phone numbers. One thing that struck me though was that he made mention about a possible business venture that we both could pursue in the near future. He was genuinely interested in it and he even emphasized to me several points like: the business aspect of it is kinda new; he's still trying to verify the authenticity of the business; he'll let me know as soon as he makes up his mind about the biz. I gladly thank him for the meeting and kept his number for future reference. When I got home and recalled the meeting I was just p...

Age is a great equalizer because rich or poor, male and female alike, go through the process of aging. Some go through it faster than they should, and some lucky few, a little slower than most people. But how do we measure aging? Is it the lines on our forehead? Is it the tightness of our skin? Is it the color of our hair? Is it the dentures that we wear? Is it the insecurities that we bear? Truly, devastating as it is, all of the above depict how well we age with time. They say that the more lines you have on your forehead, the older you look. And if your skin starts to sag somewhere, that's aging. On the other hand, our hair turns gray as we get older. Also, as we grow older some of us lose most of our teeth, which is a normal part of the body's wear and tear. Strikingly, though, as we get old, the more insecure we become. In our present generation, most older people are not treated as an influential part of society anymore. In fact, most younger people have no regard for t...

There's nothing sweeter than the memory of a wonderful childhood. It's like a gift that you'll keep on wrapping and unwrapping time and time again. I grew up in an island in the southern part of the Philippines, a nice little municipality named Dapitan . The place is paradise to me for it's where I was born and raised. I can confidently say, that it used to be my playground, and it still is, and will remain to be. Being a little kid in the 80s was sweet, for way back then life was much simpler. The air we breathe was fresher and cleaner and purer, and there was just so much beauty in the innocence of life without the hard-wired gadgets that the present generation offers. I remembered then that I never had a single toy. My parents never bought a toy for me or my siblings. But in the neighborhood, no one did, and no one had. It was a privilege that we all shared in the neighborhood and I call it as such because having nothing inspired us to be creative and resourceful ev...

My friend and I decided to go on an adventure in New York so once and for all we get the feel of the spirit of the holiday season in the big apple. We thought it would be more fun to go at night, to enjoy the city lights and the Christmas decorations and all that can only happen in NY. And true enough, we trekked the streets of 42 nd all the way to the 50 th . The streets were never empty. People of different races and backgrounds were everywhere, that it's basically impossible to tell who the real New Yorkers were and who were merely there for the fun and adventure. It was a night to remember. With the chilly night air at 48 degrees Fahrenheit you could wish that you were somewhere in your room all cuddled up under a warm blanket. But no, you won't even feel the cold. There's too much sights and sounds to numb your senses. It's pure leisure and pleasure just walking through the streets of New York. And did I say Rockefeller? The place was just packed with people, and...

I was on holiday vacation in New York when my sister sent me an e-mail that one of my colleagues called up to let me know that our friend just went into a coma. I was shocked to hear the news, at the same time, scenes were already playing in my head as to what can possibly happen next. All sort of unpleasant thoughts came hovering in my mind. Then I called up my colleague to check on our friend. The news came hard--SHE DIED!--a day after being in a comatose state. It turned out she had a brain tumor that none of us knew of. Then I looked back. In February 2005, we went out together with the other friends we had. We had fun, dining, gossiping and even doing a bowling match. She was just a spectator then cause she was already partially blind. All we knew at that time was that, she had acute glaucoma that's slowly blinding her, and in turn crippling her as well. She was a helpless soul, being single and loveless, and at that time. I would look at her and think that life could not get ...