New look for my other home...

My other blog Growing Up With Bea just got a new look. i downloaded a new template from www.deluxetemplates.net and it is just the cutest! actually there are many more templates to choose from, but i chose the pink bunny and bears template... it's so bea. cute and fixated with the color pink (for the moment)

I've been trying to choose a template for this blog... just can't find the perfect one yet. there are just so many pretty, elegant, grungy templates to choose from... depending on your taste.

hmmm... maybe tomorrow... =)

Choosing between upgrading to a new (old) desktop or a new (old) laptop...

My laptop has conked out on me so many times, I’ve lost count already. A mommy who’s snap-happy and a self-confessed freebie addict, scrap enthusiast plus a 2 yr old laptop with a 30GB HD…not a very good combination. Years ago when I got my laptop, the 30GB HD seemed enough. After all, my digital camera back then was a 3.2 mp bulky sony, and my cell phone had a VGA camera… so they took up less space whenever I uploaded pics to the laptop. Fast forward to today. A 7mp digicam and 5mp cell phones… not to mention the tons of digital scrapbooking resources I’ve accumulated…yep, no wonder the ancient laptop has  been trying to retire.

When I was first introduced to digital scrapbooking… I first upgraded my memory, since Photoshop won’t even open. Then, everything was ok for a year or so… then DVD writer just won’t burn files anymore… then it got so slooooow to even just boot it. There were even times when it just wont boot. Good thing an officemate offered to reformat my laptop and upgrade its OS to windows 7. Now it’s running smoothly but the hard drive is still so limited.

My sister recently got the thing she’s been trying to attract for some time now…a mac book.  So now, she’s selling her old desktop and is offering it to me with a very tempting price and terms. Argh! I so want to… now that I have an official “home office”… but I just can’t let my trusted old laptop go… it’s been so loyal to me… hay. Maybe it’s just the pack rat in me… I love to acquire stuff but I just can’t let anything (no matter how old) go.

So after much contemplation… I have decided to pass up on my sister’s offer and just upgrade my laptop. Maybe I can get a new hard drive with a bigger capacity and a cheaper price (megamall’s having a sale this weekend… hehehe)… hopefully my laptop’s model can still accommodate the upgrade… =)

Photohunt : Sports

Last year, my family decided to embark into a wellness journey. Yes, we were overweight and had to do someting about it. hehehe. Family members from hubby's side and my side both have history of heart ailments, diabetes, hypertension and cancer... the four major death causing diseases in the world. That's why we knew it was time to get off our butts and start working out.
Here's a picture taken during one of our morning jogs at our local sports center....

It was a fun family bonding session.



the little one was not too keen about the heat though... =)









PhotoHunt

Bangon Marikina! Bangon Pilipinas!

Let me share with my fellow Marikeños and others who were affected by the floods brought by Typhoon Ondoy a part of a book that I’ve read recently:

“Good is underneath every single thing that appears to be negative. If we can know that good is all there is, including in a negative situation, then we will see a negative situation transform into all good. Most people keep the good away from themselves because they label something as bad, and then, of course, that becomes their reality. But there is no bad in the universe; it is just our inability to see things clearly from the bigger perspective.

Peace comes from knowing that good is all that exists.”

-The Secret - Daily Teachings

Let’s try to believe that there is a bigger plan for all of us. Typhoon Ondoy is a mere bump on the road. Don’t get derailed. Just look forward and continue moving forward. Don’t wallow in the sadness and loss, for you’ll attract more sadness and loss. Be grateful…be proactive…and attract only the good things. Bangon Marikina! Bangon Pilipinas!

Typhoon Ondoy '09

September 26, 2009. This is a date that will definitely go down in Philippine history. The country was hit with a very different kind of storm. The President described the deluge, which was the worst to hit Metro Manila in more than four decades and left 80 percent of the metropolis under water, as a “once-in-a-lifetime” storm.

It had already started raining the night before. It was a strong, steady downpour. There was no roaring wind or frightening lightning that went with it, just torrents of rain. It was reported after the incident that it was actually a month’s worth of rain that heaven poured upon us. No wonder we were flooded! Most affected were areas in the metro: Marikina, Pasig, Cainta and Taguig. Bulacan, Laguna and Pampanga were also flooded. These areas were the MOST affected, but the heavy rains affected almost everybody and every place. Areas that were not known to be affected by flooding in the past were surprised to find themselves in chest-deep water. I was in one of these areas.

I have been living in Nangka, Marikina almost all of my life. We transferred here from Rodriguez, Rizal when I was only 7 years old. Since then, we have suffered numerous different storms and typhoons, but never was there even a threat of flooding in our village. The worst is when my foot would be totally submerged in clean rain water, when I’d walk along our street. Never was there a threat that the water would rise and enter our home, affect our vehicles, furniture and appliances. None like that. Even during the terrible typhoon years back that also totally flooded Provident Village. We were barely affected.

But not this time. We were very affected. And not just us.

Authorities said some people remained stranded in their flooded homes more than 48 hours after the floods, while power and telephone services were still cut in the worst-hit areas of Metro Manila.

Poor drainage systems meant some places remained waist-deep in water, while vast swathes of the sprawling metropolis of 12 million people were covered in sludge.

In schools, open-air gymnasiums and other makeshift evacuation camps, tens of thousands of people were desperately short of food, water and clothes.

As many areas of Metro Manila remained without power Sunday, rescuers plucked bodies from muddy floodwaters and scrambled to save drenched survivors on rooftops after Storm “Ondoy” left 73 people dead in a strike across the region.

Nearly 300,000 people were affected by the storm, including some 47,000 who were brought to schools, churches and other evacuation shelters, officials said.

As soon as we can, we tried going around Marikina trying to survey the damage brought by Typhoon Ondoy. What we saw truly heartbreaking. People grimy with mud, walking bare-foot, with glazed eyes….looking totally lost. People who fled their homes when flood waters started rushing in, were able to escape disaster with only the clothes on their back. Everything was lost. Various pieces of furniture, appliances, clothes, books etc strewn along the streets…now all junk.

As we talked to friends in Marikina, we heard stories that tore at our hearts. These are people living in “good” subdivisions. Not stubborn people living in shanties along the riverbanks and esteros who have been told time and again to transfer to another place. These are not people trained by experience to evacuate to the nearest public school whenever the rains are particularly strong.

A friend said that they were trapped in their house because the water rose so fast that they didn’t have time to evacuate. She didn’t have time to call for help or even answer her ringing cell phone. She was surprised that water started rushing in. Before they knew it, the water was already chest level. Fearing that they might drown right in their own home, her father had to break down a window just so they can escape. They had to swim to their neighbor’s 2-storey house. When the flood reached the second floor, they had to hold on to make shift ropes just to swim across to another neighbor’s house that had a third floor. They stayed there until the flood subsided. They were safe but hungry. They had to stay there overnight with other families, sharing whatever food they can find. Her diabetic father sustained a large gash on his leg and had to be rushed to the emergency room once the flood subsided.

Another friend suffered the same fate. Only they decided to break down a part of their ceiling. They thought they can stay up there until water subsided. They thought they were high enough… but the waters continued to rise, until they had no more choice but to break down part of their galvanized roof… and stay on top of their roof… for 16 hours. Neighbors just threw food and blankets at them just so they can survive.

An officemate just had enough time to evacuate to their neighbor’s 3-storey house. A self confessed techie, she packed her prized  mac book, itouch, psp, phones, digicam and a new dslr in her big backpack. But in the frenzy of evacuating, she remembered to pick up her pet dog but forgot all about the backpack. Everything was drenched, soaked…ruined.

A good friend was spared since they lived on the third floor of their apartment building. Their van and AUV though, were totally inundated. They had to be towed to the mechanics. Her parents’ house was also flooded. Inside the house, flood waters reached up to their necks. Her retiree parents had to hold on to the metal grills on their fence to steady themselves against the strong current of the murky flood waters… just so they can relocate to their neighbors house.

I’m sure there are many, many more heart-breaking stories… even more broken-hearted people. Everyone caught by surprise… everyone struggled to save their belongings, everyone fought to survive… sadly not everyone succeeded.

But Filipinos are a naturally happy, smiley people. We are known for our resiliency and ability to bounce back from every known adversity. I have seen people who were busy cleaning their muddied homes with smiles on their faces. Sure, they lost almost everything: furniture, appliances, important documents… but everyone in the family was alive and well… and for this they were grateful.

As I told my friends…This dire situation too, shall pass.

Our God is good and He is great. He knows what is best. Fear not, for He has a plan.  =)

Thank God It's Friday

Good morning folks! It’s another beautiful Friday morning! Beautiful because it is the signal the week’s end and finally some cherished time with the family. Lately, the little one has mastered the art of making me feel guilty for leaving her to go to work. Haaaay. If only she knew how I would rather stay home with her… I’m hoping I’ll be able to that soon. =)

Gratitude Journal

I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for a couple of weeks now and I’ve realized that there are just too many things to be thankful for. There are so many answered prayers that are left unnoticed and taken for granted.

Keeping a gratitude journal is simple really. It is similar to a diary where in you jot down things you are grateful for that day. However instead of ranting about the disasters and woes of the day (the ones we write about in a diary) we write only good things… and if there are bad events or people, we try to find the good in them and be thankful for that. It has really been an eye opener for me. Even when things are not so good, I am forced to think of what’s good and positive so I can thank God for that.

The gratitude journal has helped me see the silver lining in almost everything I do everyday. It has made me look for the single drop of goodness even in the man whose neck I’d like to wring the most =) It has made me a better person I think… in the past weeks at least. Hopefully I’d stick to this and do it forever. =)

Cebu here we come! Sinulog Festival 2010

I'm so excited! we are planning to go to Cebu early next year for the sinulog festival! weeee! i am really looking forward the trip! it will be my first time to ride a plane and be somewhere really far! hahaha! i know, pathetic huh?

Every January, the most anticipated event of the year brings the city to life. The Sinulog dance.... and vibrant costumes. One of the tourist attractions in Cebu is the annual celebration of Sinulog. It is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The festival is held each year during the third week of January in the City of Cebu to honor the the Santo Nino or the child Jesus.

There is a procession. After the procession, high mass is celebrated. Following the mass, devotees who have petitions begin to perform the Sinulog dance. Many people believe that their hopes in life are answered by dancing the Sinulog after the solemn procession.

Thousands of pilgrims and devotees from all over the country flock to the streets going to the Basilica bringing with them candles, rosaries, and replicas of the child Jesus. Likewise, parishioners from different parishes, business sectors, colleges and universities, government officials, archdiocesan organizations and all sectors in the Cebuano community, including group of friends, families and relatives join together in honoring the patron saint.

I really hope we can iron out all the arrangements. we have to book early as this is certainly a peak season for Cebu! =)

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Bye bye Tita Cory...

Tita Cory joined the Lord this morning...

You're free now tita cory... thanks for everything.

Bye bye tita cory, say hi to mama for me...