The World of Second Chances

Boboto Ka Ba?

April 20, 2010

Life & Love

Nakatanggap ako ng text message mula sa isang kababayan.

“Malaki daw bigayan ngayon, boboto ka ba?”

Boboto daw ba ako? Malaki daw ang bigayan?

Teka, kelan ba ako nakatikim ng malaking lagay? Sa murang edad na 18 noon, 300 pesos lang ang natanggap ko mula sa lider ng isang kandidato. Tuwang-tuwa pa ako noon. Malaking bagay ang 300 pesos sa isang estudyanteng pakainin ng magulang.

Ilan pa kayang gaya ko noon ang nalagyan at sinulat ang pangalan ng kandidatong “naglagay” sa kanya. Sa mura kong edad, namulat ako sa isang lipunan na marumi. A, pwede naman palang bilhin ang pagkatao ko sa halagang 300 piso. Noon yon! Bata pa ako noon. Lahat naman tayo’y natututo sa mga pagkakamali.

Boboto ba ako ngayon dahil malaki ang lagay ng kandidato? A, mahal mamuhunan ang kandidato ngayon. Wala marahil tiwala sa sariling kakayahan. Wala marahil garantya na gusto rin sya ng mga kababayan. Papaano kung sabihin ko sa kanila na “bakit kailangan pa ng lagay eh kayo talaga ang nasa isip ko?” Bibigyan kaya ako ng pabuya dahil sa tuwa nila?

Ano ba meron sa pulitika para bumili ng boto? At paano naman nila babawiin ang ipinuhunang pamimili ng boto? Mahiwaga. Kailangan nila ng paliwanag.
Happy Bataan Day!

April 9, 2010

Life & Love

Happy Bataan Day!

Ano, dinalaw ba kayo ni Gloria?

Ano affair ninyo dyan?

Sino sa inyo ang bumisita sa Mt. Samat? Hehehe…..

Paano ko naman malilimot ang Bataan Day. Bisperas to ng

kamatayan ng lola ko, the late Ma’am Baby.

Nung nariyan pa ako, hindi ko naman pansin ang Bataan Day

na yan. Taken for granted, kumbaga.

Pag tumira ka pala sa ibang lugar ng bansang Pilipinas na may

ibang kultura at rehiyonalismo, doon mo maa-appreciate na

ansarap mabuhay sa sariling bayan. Ilang lugar na ang

natirhan ko, pero bakit ba balik ako nang balik dyan?

Kahuli-hulihan noong Mahal na Araw. May ilan nga lang

pagbabago gaya ng pagka-demolish ng Balanga Arcade na

kinalakhan ko. Asan na kaya ang mga parlorista doon na

pinagpapagupitan ko? Ah, sana naman sa itatayong 5-storey

mall, maraming tao ang mabigyan ng trabaho. O, baka

interesado kayo sa serbisyo ko? Hahaha!

Ansarap umuwi sa Balanga kahit na sabihin ng iba na ang

pulitika dyan ay iba. Ang sarap mabuhay sa bayang

kinalakhan. Ang sarap tignan ng plaza kung saan kami

naglalarong magkapatid dati. Ang laki na ng pinagbago ng

Balanga. Maunlad na nga ito. Ah, sana mas marami pang

trabaho ang dumating dyan.

Ang Beanery ay halos ka-level na ng Starbucks.

Ang Michelle’s, ay pride ko yan pag sinasabi ng mga kaopisina

ko na ang sarap ng cake nila. Ang Tomas Del Rosario College,

bakit parang may mini-forest na?

Natatangay ako ng emosyon at kung ako ang tatanungin,

gustung-gusto ko na pong umuwi dyan at makasalamuha

ang mga kababayan ko.

Happy Bataan Day sa inyo!
Crime Rate in Balanga City

April 7, 2010

Life & Love

http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/12822

This news came as a shock to me. Marion Joseph Ariem,an altar old boy was found dead at the Mahogany Forest Park inside the BNHS campus. Why? Is it a case of robbery and murder? Hazing? Frat war? Love triangle? What?

He was an altar boy when he was alive and he dreamed of becoming a priest someday. How could anyone with that seemingly tame character clash with someone who is capable of killing him? How was he killed? Is it possible that someone from that school is responsible for his death?

Sa mga kabataan dyan sa Balanga, ingat-ingat po. Always pray before you leave the house. Inform your parents about your whereabouts. Bring your cellphone with you and please, have it fully-charged so that your parents or guardian can call you up to check on you. Hindi jologs ang chinecheck ng magulang. Don’t hang out late at night. Your life is so dear.
The Agua Bendita That I Remember

March 31, 2010

That’s Entertainment

Serialized in Liwayway Magazine, this Ron Santiago story is about a twin born to an upper middle-class family. The father, a doctor, is Marcial Cristi. His wife ,who finds it hard to conceive a child ,is Mercedes Cristi. From what I remember, Marcial is a surgeon and he is the one taking care of Mercedes’s poor heart condition. I cannot remember if Marcial steals the holy water from the church. Anyway, Mercedes gives birth to a twin and to Marcial’s shock, the other one is a freak, jelly-like in appearance. Afraid that Mercedes might suffer an attack, Marcial declares that the other one is dead. The freak one is kept on a secret room and only Tonyang,the househelp, is allowed to see her. Bendita is raised as a solo child. As I remember, Dita is closer to her dad than her mom. Mercedes discovers about Agua and nearly suffers an attack. Marcial tells her that Agua is Dita’s twin and Mercedes accepts her. Dita becomes jealous of Agua and the sibling rivalry begins.

I think Mercedes died on the comics version. To protect Agua’s safety, Marcial decides to hide her in a family resort by the beach with Tonyang. Marcial and Dita migrate to the US. (Oh, please tell me I am wrong! I cannot really remember!)

Agua is delighted that another kid does not find her horrifying. She discovers that Roni is blind and two forges a friendship. Roni leaves with his mother for his medical treatment and Agua is again left alone with Tonyang.

Years later, Marcial and Dita come back to the Philippines. Agua thinks that this time, things will be better between her and Dita. She tries to copy Dita’s fashion style only to be ridiculed by her twin.

The seductive Dita is swimming on the beach when she meets Roni. Roni remembers her voice and thinking that she is Agua, he approaches her. Dita is caught off-guard and runs back home.

Dita tells Tonyang and Agua about her encounter with a stranger and wonders how Roni is fascinated by Agua,her being a freak. Agua tells her that Roni used to be blind when they were kids.

Correct me if I’m wrong, Dita gets interested in Roni and pretends to be Agua.

Now, I really can’t remember the ending of this comics series. Anybody from the 80’s who is familiar with the story is free to contribute. 🙂
Beware of donaldfreeman_02@yahoo.com

March 27, 2010

Career, Finance & Product

I chanced upon this link about Donald Freeman: http://419.bittenus.com/8/3/iwca2.html.

I have a personal story about Donald. I met him through an online dating site in 2008 when I was at the height of being experimental when it comes to finding my true love. We exchanged friendly letters for two weeks in February 2008. According to him, he was born on January 5, 1969 to Dr. Dones Freeman and Monica Barrister. He has two sisters, Clara and Catherine. He works for the IWCA and holds office in USA, UK and Germany.

He offered me a job either in USA or UK for the purpose of “starting our life together” in either country. Whoa! He was not even my online bf yet when he offered that. With much apprehensions, I told him that I am fine living in my home country with my family and we need to establish a relationship first before taking that big step.

He then became uninterested on me. I thought that he got interested on some horny women on the net. (How many poor and innocent women took his bait?)

Donald Freeman, if that is his real name, even sent me his picture. He doesn’t look like a 39-year old man. He looks like somebody in his 50’s. Btw, he claimed to be from Louiseville, Kentucky and is part-Native American.

I hope to hear from the other ladies who encountered him online.
I Cut My Mabuhay Miles Credit Card!

March 27, 2010

Life & Love

I called up HSBC customer service to inform the company that I have the intention of cutting my Mabuhay Miles Credit Card. Thank God, I was able to pay off in full my credit card debt last Wednesday, March 24. I still maintain my HSBC Red Card though.

What turned me off in using my credit card is its high interest rate. For HSBC, they claimed that its 3.5% per month or 42% per annum. When I computed, it was actually 4% per month or 48% per annum. If you’re just paying the minimum amount due per month, then you’re doomed to get buried in a huge credit card debt.

Credit card per se is actually not evil; it’s our ignorance of how the credit card system works that becomes the culprit of our huge credit card debt.

I am happy with just one card left. I learned my lesson never to pay just the minimum amount due per month; as much as possible, pay it in full. 🙂
I Feel Cesar Montano’s Grief

March 27, 2010

That’s Entertainment

Cesar lost his eldest son by his first wife. The latter took his own life by firing a gun through his right temple. (Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/03/25/10/cesar-montanos-son-commits-suicide)

I don’t personally know the Manhilot family. I have no idea on how Cesar is as a father. I have no idea about Angelo’s character. Is he passive? Is he secretive?

Judging from the showbiz reports, Cesar took care of his children from his first marriage. In my opinion, it’s very rare for somebody who projects a macho image on silver screen to take the custody of his young children and let the whole showbiz world that he has children. Cesar loves his children.

Angelo appeared timid most of the time. Cesar trusted him the management of their three restaurants. Cesar had confidence in his eldest son.

What was Angelo thinking the day he committed suicide? His relationship with his young step-mom Sunshine Cruz looked fair enough. He was reportedly fond of his three half-sisters by Sunshine and his half-brother by Teresa Loyzaga. His elder sister Angela looked like somebody who would protect him at all times. He appeared to have a healthy relationship with anyone inside his family circle. So why did he took his own life?

He reportedly had a fight with his girlfriend. Maybe the girl wanted to end the relationship. Maybe the girl did not expect that Angelo could commit such an act.

I feel for Cesar Montano. His son’s demise happened in the worst timing. Cesar is running for a gubernatorial seat in Bohol. How would that affect his candidacy? Will his political opponents use this incident to conclude that Cesar was not a good father to Angelo?

Cesar could be thinking of the 23 wonderful years that he spent with Angelo. He could be thinking of their hardest times when he was not yet known as Cesar Montano.

My condolences to the Manhilot family.
My condolences to Shine and Buboy.