Today's Children are Having Children

Have you seen the news on TV?  A 13 year old boy became a father when his 15 year old girlfriend gave birth to a bouncing baby girl. Baby-faced Alfie Patten and his girlfriend, Chantelle Steadman became parents to a 7lb 3 oz baby girl whom they named Maisie Roxanne. One good thing about this story is that the kids, barely into their teens, said that they never considered abortion. When they found out that Chantelle was pregnant, Alfie thought “it would be good to have a baby”. Being parents for only a couple of days, I don’t think the gravity of their predicament hasn’t dawned on them yet. When he was asked whether he knew how much diapers cost nowadays, he said he has no idea, but “ I think it’s a lot!”.

What is our world coming to? Yeah sure, during our grandparent’s time, they also married young. But those were different times. People were more responsible. They knew they were responsible for their actions and tried their darn best to establish their family through good ‘ole hard work. They didn’t stay home all day playing playstation.

Oh well. Life is funny like that. Some people are desperate to have babies. Some children are already having children of their own.

Oh well.

undecided on valentine's day

It’s Friday, the day before valentine’s day. I see guys and girls carrying bouquets for or from their loved ones. I overhear them talking about their valentine’s plans. I find myself envying them. Time was when I would eagerly go to work because I would expect delivered roses, or a surprise lunch date, or at least roses from hubby in the car… then a marriage happened, and then I find myself going for the practical route. I know how expensive flowers can be during this season, and how crowded restaurants can be. Sure, I still received flowers during the early years, but then (stupid me) I actually told hubby I wanted to be practical. so there were years when I opted to stay home with hubby. I reasoned we go on dates during regular non-valentine days anyway. No romance lost I guess.

Now, I find myself secretly hoping for something special this valentine’s. sure, budget is limited, it doesn’t have to be expensive, I just want something to mark it as a special night. It doesn’t have to be the usual dinner and movie kinda thing. I just want to do something out of the ordinary. It’s not that I’m bored already, it’s just that recently, hubby and I haven’t been spending as much time as we should. He has been so busy at work. I just want to reconnect with him. There’s no harm in wishing…(fingers crossed) =)

True Love

True love causes pain.

Jesus, in order to give us the proof of his love, died on the cross.

A mother, in order to give birth to her baby, has to suffer.

If you really love one another, you will not be able to avoid making sacrifices. –Mother Teresa

 

So don’t go moping around feeling bad if your loved one causes you pain… if it hurts, endure it, it must be true love…. =)

change

We have a saying that nothing in the world is permanent, except for change. That is so true. You may be living quietly in your own little world, then all of a sudden, a force outside of your control shakes you up and life changing decisions are made for you. When this happens, you are actually facing a fork in the road. you may either throw a tantrum, be angry at the universe and rebel. Hate and blame everything that moves and breathes. Or you may take the high road, take everything as a challenge, take it as an opportunity for a clean start. Accept that change will be hard, but trust in a Higher Force that you are at the right place at the right time. Everything happens for a reason. Accept and be grateful.

Looking back, a lot of things about my life have changed this past year. Last year, I was moaning and groaning about how boring and stagnant my life was, how stuck I was in a rut, how I hated my job and how jealous I was of friends who had the guts to quit the rat race already. Now, a year after, I am an officer in a job I still hate (hehehe), but am now more grateful. God made me realize that there definitely IS a plan for me and my family. There is a reason why I was too scared to quit my job, why we weren’t able to submit our immigration application years ago, why the sale of our lot did not push through, and why we are still financially struggling. I realize now that I am exactly where God intended me to be, He has plans for me.

Change in our lives does not necessarily mean a bad thing. It just means that our plans are not aligned with God’s plans.

Be brave, take a deep breath and face CHANGE head on.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Feb 9, 2009

“A penumbral eclipse of the Moon will occur on Feb. 9 and it will be visible in the Philippines,” Pagasa said in its monthly astronomical diary.

This is the second of the six eclipse events this year.

Pagasa said the eclipse begins when the Moon enters penumbra at 8:36 p.m. and ends the following morning at 12:39 a.m.

The astronomical event will also be observed in Alaska, Australia, eastern Asia, Hawaii, New Zealand and the western parts of Canada and the United States.

A penumbra refers to a partially shaded outer region of a shadow that an object casts. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the faint penumbral portion of the Earth’s shadow, Pagasa said. - philstar.com


i eagerly waited for this phenomenon last night, along with my hubby and sister, but to our dismay, it was such a cloudy night! and around 8:40pm when the penumbral lunar eclipse was scheduled to start, the moon was totally covered by thick clouds! argh!

i was able to take this pic though around 8:35pm. the moon peaked a bit, and the nearby clouds are starting to reflect a yellowish color from the moon...

better late than never: project 365

Some blog friends got into project 365 last year, i didn't join because i didn't see the use... i always take pictures anyway... why oblige myself to do it every single day? that was until i read the logic behind the concept.... it was a daily photo diary.... i'm sold... and will start posting soon.

here's what i got off the internet:

Taking a photo a day is a big undertaking with big payoffs. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider doing it:

Imagine being able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!)

Your year-long photo album will be an amazing way to document your travels and accomplishments, your haircuts and relationships. Time moves surprisingly fast.

Taking a photo a day will make you a better photographer. Using your camera every day will help you learn its limits. You will get better at composing your shots, you’ll start to care about lighting, and you’ll become more creative with your photography when you’re forced to come up with something new every single day.

Tips on How to Do It
Here are six tips on how to create your own Project 365:

Bring Your Camera Everywhere
Yes, everywhere. Get in the habit. Grocery stores, restaurants, parties, work, and school. Going to a movie theatre? Snap a pic of the flick with your phone–there are photo-ops everywhere. If you have one of those tiny tiny cameras, you have no excuse not to have it in your pocket all the time. And if you don’t? Camera phones are a great substitute.

Make Posting Easy
You can install blog software like Movable Type or Wordpress on your own site and create an entry for each photo, but for true ease of use, try a photo sharing site. Flickr will let you post a week’s worth of photos in 2 minutes flat, and fotolog and Photoblog.com are geared toward a photo-a-day workflow. Making it fast and easy means you’re much more likely to do it.

Vary Your Themes
Try to capture the day’s events in a single photo. Perform photographic experiments. Take a photo of someone new you meet, something you ate for the first time, or something you just learned how to do. Take a photo of something that made you smile. And don’t forget to take a photo of yourself at least once a month so you can remember how you’ve changed, too.

Tell a Story
Use your blog entry, or your photo description, to explain what’s going on in each day’s photograph. How good did that dinner taste? What made you want to take a photo of that stranger? It’ll help you remember down the road, and it gives friends following along a better appreciation of why you took the photo you did. You don’t need to write a lot, just enough to add some color.

Don’t Stop, No Matter What
This is perhaps the most important tip of all. You will get tired of taking a photo every single day. Some days, you will consider giving up. Don’t. The end result is worth the effort. Remind yourself why you wanted to do it in first place.

There will be times you’ll think there’s nothing interesting left to take a photo of, and times you’ll think you didn’t do anything exciting enough to take a photo of. There’s always a great photo to be made.

Get out of the house and take a walk. Or stay inside and look around. Take a photo of something important to you. Take a photo of the inside of your house so you can see how your taste has changed over the years. Take a photo of anything, just don’t stop.

N.b. It helps if you’ve told your friends about the project and asked them to follow along. Their encouragement will keep you going!

Post early, post often
Plan on going through and posting your photos at least once a week so you don’t get backlogged and feel overwhelmed. Ideally, post every day or two. Again, spend the time up front to make sure it’s quick and easy to post. It’ll make all the difference.

http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/

Complaint Letter to CDRKING

From: *****
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 12:51 PM
To: 'support@cdrking.com'
Subject: FW: letter of complaint - SM Marikina Branch
Importance: High

I submitted this letter one week ago, and I still haven’t heard from you. It is very disappointing. Apparently, my complaint did fall on deaf ears. This shows that my high regard for your company is undeserved. It is no longer a surprise that your staff acted that way. It is evident that customer service and support is not your company’s priority.

*****

---

From: *****
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 3:37 PM
To: 'support@cdrking.com'
Subject: letter of complaint-SM Marikina Branch
Importance: High

January 21, 2009

To whom it may concern:

I would like to file a complaint regarding my distasteful experience in your SM Marikina branch last Friday, January 16, 2009 at around 7:45pm. I was there to purchase a big leatherette case worth P300.00 and a usb hub worth P180.00. The sales staff who assisted me was pleasant enough and I was satisfied with her service, the problem started when staff MARISSA CASTRO proceeded to prepare my receipt. While waiting for her to finish, I noticed that the cd case was also available in a smaller size worth P150.00. I cordially asked her “Pwede pa bang palitan? Ok lang ba kung yung mas maliit na lang ang bilhin ko?” Had she said no, then that would’ve settled the matter, I would’ve paid for my purchases and went on with my evening, but instead she did not answer, stood up abruptly making a loud noise with her chair and slightly pushing the receipt pad she was writing on. It was obvious she was irritated. Then she went to her supervisor to have the transaction voided and to prepare a new receipt. I felt insulted with the way she acted, I was a customer and I felt that my request was not that unreasonable to solicit such reaction. Despite all these, I kept my cool and in a soft voice, making sure no other customer can hear me so as not to embarrass her, I told her “Miss sa susunod, huwag ka magdadabog kasi customer ako. Pangit yung ganoon.” My intention was purely to correct her work ethic. I expected some sort of acknowledgement from her, an apology, a nod, eye contact, anything… but got NOTHING. She just went writing my receipt, without even lifting her eyes and acknowledging that there was a human being in front of her, a customer no less! Again I gave her a chance, still in a soft, calm voice I asked her “Miss, narinig mo ba ako?” that was the only time she met my eyes and said “Opo”. No sorry, no explanations no nothing.

After that experience I paid for my purchases and left the store, but I was still mad in the inside. I barely passed the store doors when I returned and asked for the manager. I was informed that they did not have any they only had a supervisor, DIANE A. ROSALES. I told her what happened. She then asked MARISSA CASTRO to come and face me. Ms. Rosales apologized for what happened but I expected her to admonish her staff for her rude behavior but she did not. As a supervisor, I felt she didn’t handle the situation well. She just let me rant in the store, while she continued to entertain other customers. All that time, I still got no apology from MARISSA CASTRO, who just stood there in front of me, she even had the nerve to accommodate other customers’ inquiries while I was in front of her expressing my disappointment at the service I got. She even continued to prepare receipts, before Ms. Rosales went and assigned the task to somebody else. Only when I said that I was mad because I didn’t even receive an apology or any acknowledgement of any sort did she offer a half-hearted sorry.

I know that you are a good company, I am certain that you offer affordable products with very good quality. I know because I have been an avid customer of your company, and I have patronized your products for years. Most of our household’s computer peripherals were purchased from your store, not to mention the innumerable CD’s and DVD’s we’ve bought there. I have watched your company grow through the years, it is without a doubt due to excellent products and good service that your company offers. I am therefore sure that you company will appreciate this feedback from a loyal customer. The hardwork you put into making sure that the company’s integrity and reputation is intact is made futile by insensitive and rude people like MARISSA CASTRO.

I will highly appreciate your preferential attention regarding this matter. Please give a feedback as to your actions in dealing with this situation. I would like to make sure that this complaint does not fall on deaf ears.

Thank you.

Start being your own boss! Start your path to financial independence!

my birthday girl!

Happy Birthday Dear Bea!!! =)

How is your new year so far?

We are into the 7^th day of the new year, how is it for you so far? Me, ok I guess. Work is hectic, year end processing and everything. Traffic is still terrible. No-meat policy still holding up. 30-minute-aerobic-exercise-a-day failed last night. I just tumbled to bed after dinner and woke up early this morning, with no recollection at all as to what happened in between. Hubby said he made me drink my meds and vitamins but I just couldn’t remember. It’s probably because I still feel sick. My sinuses are still clogged and my head feels heavy… and this rainy morning didn’t help a bit. Oh well.

I didn’t want to dwell on the negative stuff but that’s what I have so far. =)