The World of Second Chances

Pamamahayag – August 26, 2013

August 27, 2013

Life & Love

“Humayo kayo’t mag-akay ng panauhin.”

I would like to share my “pag-aakay experience” with my brothers and sisters in Iglesia Ni Cristo. I have been a member of this church since 2009 but this is my first time to go with the group to literally go out and invite people to attend the “Pamamahayag.”

Being a convert, I always have second thoughts if I can do activities that old-time members do. In college, my brother and I lived in a place where majority of the dwellers were members of the INC. We were not invited to any of their church activities and I thought that it was a good deal because I used to be sensitive about other people preaching about their religion to me.

Monday morning (August 26), my husband reminded me about the “pag-aakay” and I told him to go ahead; a hint that I would not be going. While eating lunch, I thought, “what’s wrong with pag-aakay, anyway?”
What’s wrong with finding people to spread the word of God?
What’s wrong with inviting people to see how we do it in INC?
I am not inviting them for a gambling session!
I am not inviting them for a pot session!
I am not even using a gun to force them to go with me to the church.
Take it or leave it, it’s up to them.

The first person to receive my invitation was a sales agent. Funny and awkward because I wasn’t even looking for a house in their subdivision. I just looked in her direction and she gave me her brochure. In return, I gave her my invitation. She was trying to sell a unit, I was trying to “sell” the word of God. Haha!

What’s so good about “pag-aakay” is enjoying the social interaction with almost all kinds of people. The positive thing in our area is that, the people are receptive. Last night, we were able to fill the church with our guests alone! All of them were curious what the invite was all about so they came. I hope that most, if not all, of our guests will be a member by next year. It’s their choice; nobody’s forcing them to convert. 🙂
Bye-bye Rebond!

August 5, 2013

Career, Finance & Product

Hindi lahat ng kulot ay salot.=p

“Would you like to try our hair rebonding?”

That seems to be the SOP of every hairdresser here in the Philippines. Hair rebonding is a lucrative business in a country where the standard of beauty is having fair skin and straight hair. My hair is wavy though it does not fall under the rough and kinky type. My hair is effortlessly wavy and resembles a beach hair. It has a lot of volume so a good conditioner like Tresemme is what I need to keep it tidy-looking.

I started with hair relaxing in 2003 but I hated its effect on my hair. My hair’s texture became rough and dry and I needed to spend too much on hair treatment. My first rebonding was great but it limited me to certain hairstyles that would not break the strand or else, I would have “crooked” hair.

I stopped rebonding my hair when my youngest child was born. Robi has curly hair and though people find him cute with it, the question on where he got his curly locks sometimes gets into my nerves.

“He got his hair from my father’s side of the family and oh, my mother was curly-haired, too!” I would often reply. At that time, the effect of the rebonding treatment was still evident on my straight hair.

I realize that my son does not have to pick up that having curly hair is NOT normal in a society that appreciates fair skin and straight hair. He does not have to feel different because his siblings and parents have straight hair. I don’t want him to feel how I felt when as a child, I felt out-of-placed whenever people would say that I looked different from my brother and parents. Children like affiliation and acceptance. If the basis of Robi’s sense of belonging would come from his mother who share the same physical trait with him, then bye-bye hair rebonding!

To those who prefer their hair to be rebonded- it’s your money and your choice. Get a good hair treatment afterwards.

To those who prefer to maintain their curly/wavy locks- try Tresemme! Promise, it’s a very good conditioner for our type of hair.
Bakit Hindi Ako Naging Crush Ng Crush Ko?

August 1, 2013

Life & Love

Ganito ako noon. Noon yun!

Bihira akong magka-crush. Mabibilang sa daliri ang mga taong hinahangaan ko, babae man o lalaki. Dahil bibihira kong maramdaman yung pakiramdam na natataranta, namumula, di makakilos ng normal, mabilis din sa aking bumalik ang mga ala-ala kung bakit nga ba hindi ako naging crush ng crush ko?

Crush Number 1: Grade school ako noon. Hindi ko pa alam kung ano ang crush. Basta natataranta lang ako pag nakikita ko sya. Uso noon ang autograph notebook. Malaking pagkakamali ko nung isulat ko ang initials nya sa tanong na “Who is your crush?” Grabe, kumalat sa classroom. Tinutukso ako palagi dun sa C#1 (crush #1). Naiinis ako sa atensyon ng nakakaalam. Naiinis ako sa sarili ko kung bakit ko nga ba sinulat-sulat pa. Years later, nagkita ulit kami ng di sinasadya. Wala na ang crush ko sa kanya pero hiyang-hiya pa rin ako sa mga pinaggagawa ko nung grade school ako at iyon ay ang aminin sa autograph na sya ang crush ko. Hindi nya naibalik ang paghanga although mabait sya akin that time. Napaka-gentleman, ni hindi nambastos o nagyabang. To answer my own question, hindi nya ako nagustuhan kasi hindi pa fully evolved ang hitsura ko nun. Wala akong dating. Baka natyempuhan pa nya na naka-tsinelas akong pumasok noong bumaha sa amin. Baka natyempuhan pa nya na nag-iiyak ako dahil natalo ako sa tumbang-preso. So yun.

Crush Number 2: High school na ako neto. Nung una, kaasaran ko lang. Dumating ang time, aba, nahihiya na naman ako. Masamang senyales. Pag nako-conscious, it means gusto mong i-please na lagi kang maayos, mabait, cute, funny etc. Pati sya nanibago sa biglang katahimikan ko. “May sakit ka ba?” Grabe, namula ako ng itanong nya yun. Hindi ko syempre masabing “Wala, crush lang kita!” Sa lahat ng crushes ko, sya ang pinaka-nagtagal. Iilan lang ang nakaalam ng “sikreto” ko na yun at hanggang ngayon, wala syang kamalay-malay na minsan sa buhay ko, I admired him from a distance. Naks. Paano ba nya ako magugustuhan noon eh talong-talo ako ng mga schoolmates ko pagdating sa pormahan. Sabi nga ng kaibigan ko na naging kumpare ko years later, “maganda ka pero may mali sa sinusuot mo, may mali sa hairstyle mo. Hindi namin type ang babaeng nagpo-pony tail. Hindi namin type ang masyadong geeky.”

Ngayong matanda na ako, happily married at tapos na sa stage na kilig-kiligan, natatawa na lang ako sa kababawan ko na may pa-emote emote pa noon kung anong mali sa akin at hindi ako nagustuhan ng gusto ko. Eh ngayon, ang naiisip ko, bakit ko nga ba sila nagustuhan eh better naman ang mga dumating na lalaki sa buhay ko after them? Kung ngayon ko ba sila nakilala, may chance ba na magustuhan ko sila? Baka hindi.

Gaya ng friendship, ang crush, hindi mo yan maipipilit. Hindi naman porke gusto mo, gusto ka na rin nya. Kung may criteria ka kung bakit mo sya nagustuhan, malamang, may criteria din sya ng gusto nyang tao na hangaan. Walang personalan. Para sa akin, ang crush, inililihim na lang. Mabilis mawala yan at kung matapat ka sa taong malaki ang ego, lalo mo lang palalakihin ang ego nya na isa na namang tao ang nabighani sa kanya.
Blessings and Misfortunes

July 30, 2013

Life & Love

Share your blessings if you are really grateful to the Lord!

Since January 2013, I made it a habit to count my daily blessings and misfortunes. Life is a balance of yin and yang so counting my misfortunes will help me to be realistic about what I want for tomorrow.

Food, money, good health, good relationship, my family and love are among the daily blessings that make me feel good. Blessings are meant to be shared, not hoarded. One may feel so blessed for attaining good things in life but he/she will feel more ecstatic once the blessing is shared with those who are in need.

Annoying personalities, sickness and unplanned expenses are the usual misfortunes that I encounter. Misfortunes remind me to be cool about the things that are beyond my control. Misfortunes somehow tell me that no matter how great a person is, he/she still needs God for guidance.

Proverbs 27:1 reminds me to be humble and to surrender myself to the will of the Lord because nobody knows what tomorrow will bring to us. It’s like, who am I to boast about my royal life today when I’ll be a pauper tomorrow? Or, why will I be in despair today for being a nobody when tomorrow, I will be a somebody?
Forget or Remember?

July 27, 2013

Wedding & Family Life

Now that Andre and Kobe Paras are more visible on the limelight, dragging old family issues that concern their parents Jackie Forster and Benjie Paras has become inevitable.The kids’ resentment towards their mom is strong and at times, uncomfortable. Maybe it’s because as audience, we are used to hearing sugar-coated statements, thus, the straightforward reply of the Paras kids against their mother draws criticism. Their frankness reminds me of the young and feisty Jackie Forster, so goes the saying that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

What I find amusing in this family drama is the reversed plot wherein the kids have the upper hand over their parent. These kids must have experienced great emotional pain and asking them about their mother will not do both parties any good. Between them and Jackie, it’s obviously the latter who’s very much affected by their family drama. Flying home from Malaysia where her new family resides, Jackie granted an interview to Boy Abunda on The Buzz. A different Jackie was there asking for her sons’ forgiveness and a second chance to become a mother to them. In her heart, she claimed that she knew her sons watched the “Remember Me” video that she made for them.

TIME is a precious element in HEALING. We can’t force anybody to forgive and forget if the pain is too deep to heal. By now and after all her futile efforts to reach out either personally or through the social media, Jackie must know that her kids are NOT yet ready and loving them from a distance is the only thing that she can do to help them heal.

In the first place, their family affair should never be asked by the press and the kids’ handler, manager and even father should set the rule about this. It’s not helping the kids to be famous in a positive way. At this point, they should create an identity for themselves minus their dramatic family life before.
So Near Yet So Far

July 17, 2013

Life & Love

The news about you broke my heart, little angels.

Reference: https://irisdcrystal.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/beware-of-child-snatchers/

I wrote about the possibility of child snatching when the two young boys in Taguig went missing in April 2, 2013. It broke my heart to know that James Naraga and Dayne Buenaflor were finally found yesterday but were in advanced stage of decomposition. An autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death of the two young boys.

The parking lot for flood-damaged vehicle is situated near the barangay hall. I don’t think that any sane organ-for-sale syndicate will return to where they got their victims to dump their dead bodies. They would have dumped them somewhere else.

These kids went missing after playing hide and seek with the neighborhood kids. They should ask how many of them were playing at that time because nobody seemed to bring out the idea that their playmates were probably trapped in the area. Well, it will also depend upon the age of the playmates. Five year olds can provide comprehensive answers than four year olds and below. I am thinking of the possibility that Dayne and James were probably in the company of a five-year old kid when they played hide and seek. The five-year old opened the car and the three of them hid inside. The five-year old left James and Dayne and since they were young kids and probably unaware of how to open the car to exit, they were trapped.

The frantic parents were occupied with the abduction theory so they did not pay close attention to find them on the near-by areas. What a way to die of hunger and dehydration!

This news makes me more paranoid about the safety of my kids. Sometimes, we are forced by circumstances to be carefree about child care. For instance, a child falls from the stairs when the mother prepares his food, a child drowns in the tub when the father gets the shampoo, a child got lost in the market when the mother gets the wallet in her bag—these unintentional actions can cause a tragedy and therefore, must be prevented.

As a parent, do not trust the environment, do not entrust your kids to the care of other people if they are not competent of trustworthy, do not leave your kids alone, do not leave your young kids with other kids, open your eyes and mind to the possible dangers so that you can prevent it and probably react well should the worst thing happens.

14.517618 121.050864
Toddlers and Homeworks

July 8, 2013

Life & Love

“Mama, this one is tiring!”

My three-year and a half year-old son is enjoying school but his homeworks are setting him off the mood every weekend. Last Friday, Adi’s assignments were for the subjects Mathematics, Language and Writing. Adi loves to color but hates to hold a pencil so writing is a torture for him. His tiny fingers cannot hold a pencil well.

As usual, Adi had a load of reasons on why he should not make his homework. He pointed at the air-conditioner and complained that the room was too cold so I turned it off. I asked him to proceed with his homework. After a few strokes, he complained that the room was too hot so I turned on the air-conditioner.

He asked me to take a look at his right eye and asked me if it was red. I did not give in so he thought of another tactic like complaining that he was sleepy. I told him that he could sleep once he’s done with his homeworks. He raised his right arm and blurted out that his armpit was itchy!

Then, I remembered that he was very excited every time he gets stars from his teacher. So I told him that teacher would be very happy to give him stars on Monday if he would finish his homeworks. Like a magic word, Adi finished his homeworks enthusiastically. That was the trick, positive reinforcement. Adi was motivated to do the job because of his strong desire to take home a star or two.