He maybe charming, he maybe dashing
Don’t fall too hard for him
You’re only a teen
You don’t know a thing
His sincerity maybe unquestionable
His love for you maybe immeasurable
But he’s only a teen just like you
Love takes time to develop and it doesn’t happen out of the blue
The time you spent together maybe so real
Your love affair could be surreal
But listen, it’s just your hormones ticking
Don’t be deceived; you’ve got to be thinking!
Life is not all about chocolates and roses
Adults do take care of bills and expenses
Don’t rush yourself in things that you’ll regret later
Focus on school, wouldn’t it be much better?
Don’t be like me, my sweet little girl
Treat yourself like a diamond or a most precious pearl
Don’t rush yourself on love, believe me, it’s just puppy love
Compose yourself and ask from guidance Above
Poverty is a disease and a hungry stomach knows no logic or morality. Yun ngang maipit ka sa traffic habang gutom na gutom ka, mabubulyawan mo kung may sisingit sa yo samantalang most likely, nakakain ka naman three hours ago, eto pa kayang mga tao na ito na since December pa gutom? It maybe true that some leftist groups provoked the people to attack the DSWD office in Davao City but if these people were not hungry enough and had their full trust on the DSWD officers enough, they wouldn’t be swayed that easily.
We admired the Japanese for being disciplined and honest in facing the 2011 tsunami disaster. We commended them for leaving alone the vendo machines even if there were opportunities ransack them. We were flabbergasted with their sense of morality, discipline and camaraderie. But how different are we from them when it comes to facing adversities?
The Japanese knew that help would come along the way. Their relief distribution system is much more organized and on time. If we are to believe the feedbacks from the people in Davao, the same cannot be said about the relief distribution system there.
These people would not take the opportunity to harm or ransack the DSWD office had they were fed enough. A father or mother would not take things sitting down if they see their children crying because of hunger. A LOT of aid was given for these people; DSWD’s slow distribution system of relief goods was the rootcause of the problem.
One may wonder how come these people are so dependent on relief goods when they could have bounced back from the calamity after two months. Let us not be quick to judge these people. Typhoon Pablo probably washed away their source of livelihood aside from their abode. Some of them are probably stuck in the helpless situation and getting a relief good is their temporary heaven.
I know that giving them relief goods is not meant to last a lifetime and rebuilding their lives must originate from the victims. But for the meantime that these people are still in shock and in poverty, let us give them the love, understanding and help that they need.
“There’s a revolution in Manila!” my mother said. Her voice sounded very worried.
“Loyalists won’t let them win it (the revolution),” my father replied.
I was a young girl then. I was a little afraid of what could happen but I was too young to grasp the severity of the situation. Of course, the loyalists were not able to “counter-attack.” A peaceful revolution happened and the Marcos family fled the Philippines in haste.
“So how was it during the 1980’s?” my daughter asked me.
My father adored Mr. Marcos and his son, Bongbong. He was impressed by Mr. Marcos’s strong leadership and intelligence. On the other hand, my mother welcomed Tita Cory and thought that maybe a change in leadership would be good for the country.
Kris Aquino was a bubbly teenager when I first saw her in See-True. She was free-spirited and charismatic. On the other hand, Ms. Imee Marcos projected a serious and intellectual character. It’s not to say that Kris was less intellectual; during those times, she was just having fun doing TV interviews and serious topics were not thrown at her during interviews.
Who would have thought that Noynoy would be P-noy two decades later? He was unassuming and he seemed to dislike the limelight then. On the contrary, Mr. Bongbong Marcos was confident and flamboyant.
I’ve always been interested about Irene Marcos but little is written about her; it’s always about Imee.
In the 80’s, red and yellow were two important colors because they were associated with either Marcos or Aquino. My mother loved to dress me in red and it caused me some trouble with my classmates who were maka-Cory.
“Ah, maka-Marcos ka ha! Makukulong ka,”my classmates would say.
I covered my face and cried. My teacher asked what the commotion was all about. My classmates told her I was wearing a red dress. (Friday is civilian day!) My teacher just laughed at us.
Even the flashing of “V” or “L” using our fingers became an issue then.
“How many papers do you need?” my classmate would ask.
“Two,” I would say while flashing the “V” sign.
“Maka-Marcos ka talaga! You should have said it like this (L-sign),” my classmate would say.
EDSA memories. It has been two decades pala. May kinapuntahan ba?
If a community has no conflict between the civilians and the military- it is peaceful.
If a community has no conflict between the leftist and the military- it is peaceful.
If the community is vigilant enough to stand against anybody who dare to cause violence–it would be peaceful.
If the children are protected from neglectful parents–it is peaceful.
If women can go home at night without worrying about rapists and molesters–what a peaceful place!
If the family has enough food on the table–they would be peaceful.
If the husband takes care of the wife and the kids and if the wife respects the husband and loves the kids–what a peaceful home!
If everyone in the community respects one another despite the difference in religion, political views etc—it would be a peaceful place to live in.
It is our right to have a peaceful environment.
Peace must be everyone’s objective.
After reading Ms. Joyce Burton’s (Adventures of a Beauty Queen) post about the Ms. Earth “scandal,” I realize that I have the same sentiment as Ms. Lorraine Shruck: that being polite before greedy and unrighteous people may not be the best thing to do.
A typical Filipino will just smile and keep his cool even when he feels that his rights or personal space have been violated.
Somebody cut you in the middle of a long queue–wala lang. Pagpasensyahan at baka in a hurry.
Your neighbor’s dog planted “landmines” on your yard—wala lang. Maybe the dog doesn’t mean it, you can take the dust pan and cover the poop with some sand.
Your friend or lover is late on your date— sige lang, baka na-traffic.
Some people at the office are not happy about the result of your audit and asked for a less tight tolerance—ah okay po, noted, let’s revise the audit anyway.
Being nice and polite will bring you down in the long run. For example, if you always tolerate people to cut you in the line, you tolerate others to abuse you. You tolerate that person to repeat his action to others. Other persons might think it’s okay to cut somebody in the line so they might as well adapt that “diskarte.” In the end, more people are influenced that it’s okay to be undisciplined because nobody’s correcting them anyway. You’ve just created a culture of tolerance.
At work, our integrity lies on the quality of work or service that we provide. Integrity comes with a strong-willed heart to push for what is right and not be intimidated by anyone who seems powerful. That’s the “tuwid na daan” and I remember the late Secretary Robredo said “gawin mo lang ang tama dahil sa huli, tama pa rin ang magwawagi.”
It’s okay to be impolite if being impolite means not getting intimidated by anybody over what you think is the right thing to do. It’s okay not to be a people-pleaser because in the end, ilalaglag ka rin naman ng mga yan pag pumalpak ang gusto nila. It’s okay to be a bitch sometimes. Focus on what is right and forget the people who try to influence you with their wicked decisions.
Okay, Donald Trump Jr., I got your point; you’re a businessman and you’re not Filipino so who are we (Filipinos) to judge you?
But you should know where we’re coming from, too. The Tubbataha Reef is one of the most remarkable coral reefs in the world; it is not just an ordinary tourist spot. Its beauty is spectacular, the habitat beneath it is vast and diverse. It is our treasure. It is our pride and it lies on Philippine seas.
I understand that it’s a stupid act to destroy a multi-million vessel just to prevent further damage of the reef. Your economy has yet to bounce back; that money could be put to more useful projects there. But we did not ask your country’s vessel to accidentally “sail” on our reef. It was an accident, yes. But damages due to accident must be compensated. The vessel destroyed something of environmental and tourism value to us.
You value the worth of your country’s vessel while we value the worth of our reef. You may never understand the feelings of the people here and vice versa when it comes to defining what is valuable and what is not.
Again, it’s all about dignity and responsibility. It’s about paying the damages done.
Nothing is more encouraging and envigorating than receiving a word of gratitude from somebody who received a favor from us. It makes us feel special, it makes us feel needed, it makes us feel appreciated.
The sincerity of saying “Thank you” counts better; I could cry at that. Everytime I hear my toddler say “Thank you” to me, I become emotional. You could see the happiness in his eyes for having given a toy or a favorite food. Small kids are more truthful with their emotions so I know that his gratitude is not superficial.
My husband taught me to pray before meal to thank the Lord for providing us with food. No matter what food is served on the table, the important thing is we have something to eat while a lot of people on the other side of the archipelago are going hungry because of the calamities last year.
Giving thanks to whoever and whatever makes me realize to appreciate the big things and small things in life.
The World of Second Chances 