What's Going On?

As we drove to work yesterday, it occurred to me how blessed I was to be just where I am.

I had said goodbye several months ago to a friend of more than four years, who thanks to the recession has lost her job at the worst possible time.

With much prayers , it is my dearest hope that I hear from her in the very near future that she has made a new start and that good has come out of bad.

To have gone my entire life without a day out of work is a blessing. I’ve been doing my best and striving hard to earn a buck since I left the comforts of my beloved Philippines. But in times of extreme recession, your best is sometimes not good enough and people lose their jobs however hard they have worked. Or however loyal they may have been to their employer.

It concerned me to hear from friends that they’ve been given a termination letter or their paycheck were a certain percentile less than usual just so that their companies can cope up with the circumstances. But despite this, I would like to consider ourselves fortunate as compared to people on the breadline- many of whom have lost their homes along with their livelihoods.

However dim it may seems, this may not be the right time to start heaving those accusing fingers to those who started all these follies that triggered the US sub-prime crash and consequent global credit panic. It will be much better for everyone to be hopeful. Trust in the Lord for He will provide.

Avaha and shalom.

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Listen now to the featured song: WHAT'S GOING ON by Cyndi Lauper (1987)

A Repost To All the Ladies Out There

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

...And it is only fitting for edsabhrain weblog to honor this month with a blog posting dedicated to such a very important issue.

I would like to think that almost everyone of us, knew or have met someone who had died from breast cancer or had been inflicted with it. I, myself had a first cousin who passed away from this disease in 2004 and the irony was, she was a nurse. I thought to myself, she should have known better in terms of its early detection, but it turned out she was not :(

Alarmingly, the Philippines ranked number 1 with the highest prevalence of breast cancer in Asia (Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2004). Chances are, 22 females out of 100 females and 1 male for every 105 males may be diagnosed with breast cancer in the Philippines. On a personal note, it is very hard to comprehend for a man to have this kind of disease but the statics cleary show that it is a disease that knows no boundaries, in regardless of someone's gender for that matter.

Just like any cancer, breast cancer is curable if you catch it early. Sadly, a lot of Filipinas with breast problems always consult with their doctors when it is too late and at this point, the cancer is most often at an advanced stage mainly due to the following reasons:

• economic factors.
• non-awareness of the gravity of breast cancer
• fear of being diagnosed with cancer.

For this post, I would like to encourage everyone (men included) please learn how to do a Breast-Self-Examination (BSE), and do not fear going to your doctor for a consultation.

Here's an excellent video on how to do a BREAST SELF EXAMINATION (BSE), just be sure to turn on your speakers; it will teach you the step-by-step procedures of BSE.

WARNING:

This video may contain content that is inappropriate for some readers. Please bear in mind that this has been posted to educate and to inform everyone on the early detection of breast cancer.

DISCLAIMER: This video has been posted by the author without malice.

An American Reflection on the Philippines-pt 2

Read Part 1 HERE.

I've been off from the Philippines for almost seven years now. For that period of time, I've been to Saudi Arabia, UAE and presently here in Bahrain. Being in these countries, it is inevitable to meet different people from different nationalities. Majority of them are from south Asia - India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, etc.

Sadly, being in constant connection with them, be it at work or in public places, some Filipinos had conceived some prejudices towards them. Some are funny, some are true, but most of them are just plain preconceived notions.

This made me into thinking if how are these people thought of ourselves in return? With that question in mind I would like to share with you this video made by whitedragonawa, wherein he talks about his reflections about the Philippines. He went to our country to do some missionary works for a period of six weeks. He is a white guy but claims that he is 100 percent pure Pinoy by heart (notice the shirt he is wearing).

SERIOUS REFLECTIONS:

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Mabuhay! Welcome to Third World Philippines.

"Majority are urban poor living in squatters area. The kind of houses they live in is ridiculous. Totally inhumane. But they survive. They just don't give up."

REFLECTIONS WORTH MENTIONING:

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Talaga lang huh?

"Friendship and family mean everything. It is like a medicine that eases the pain and sufferings of life."

Kain na tayo.

"People are loving and caring. They give you rice. You come in. They give you food. They give eventhough they don't have anything to give."

Kasi mga uzisero sila.

"In the US, people like to be isolated from each other, but in the Philippines they like to be close together."

FUNNY REFLECTIONS:

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Si Yaya.

"They don't want to call their helpers as "servants" (katulong). Because it's kinda strong word."

O sa'yo na lang 'tong t-shirt ko ha?

"A lot of kids just wear shirts (maybe its a hand-me-down from his kuya)not knowing what the printed word on it means about." - Referring to a kid he saw in a supermarket wearing a SUFFOCATION shirt (whatever it is).

Si Bantay, si muning at kung anu-ano pa.

"There are lots of stray dogs, cats and frogs in the streets. There are bats zooming around at nights."

Cool and Exciting. Hahaha :)

"There are lizards in almost every house. Cockroaches are all over the place. But its cool and exciting."

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For more Youtube videos by whitedragonawa click HERE.

Arnel Pineda's Journey

He's another Filipino talent making it big in the Americas. His voice has caught the attention of Neal Schon, lead guitarist of the American rock band Journey over at Youtube. And now, as they say, the rest is history. Arnel is now with the band on tour in the America promoting their latest CD album as its lead singer. Go Arnel, don’t stop believing and make the Philippines proud.

The Journey had several hits during the 80s. But the most popular among them was the song “Open Arms” which was revived by pop diva Mariah Carey in 1996. I remember it so well when this song was made as a love theme for Janice de Belen and JC Bonnin in the hit tv soap opera FLORDELUNA. I was a budding teenager at that time, kaya medyo may kilig factor na ‘yong mga eksena.LOLZ.

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Listen now to Journey's Open Arms (1982)

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Listen now to Mariah Carey's Open Arms (1996)

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FRASIER

I came to know FRASIER when I was still in the Philippines. It was his brother Niles that keeps me coming back to sit with them every night in my living room. The first time I saw them was when Daphne was about to give birth, Niles was so hilarious in that incident. There was no dull moments every time I am with them. It’s a good thing that they were so gracious enough to have the 11 years of their life occurrences be captured in DVD. That is why, I tried to get a copy of this memorabilia during my vacation in the Philippines last June.

I Voted for Efren Penaflorida

I received an e-mail sent forth to the TORCH Yahoo Group message board by Sis. Aileen Badiong and after checking the legitimacy of the story I casted my vote for Efren Penaflorida nominated for CNN's Hero of the Year.

edsabhrain weblogs would like to encourage everyone as well to support our fellow kababayan by casting your votes for him. The recognition comes with a great sum of cash, which hopefully will help Efren in his endeavors in case he wins the competition.

Read the full story of Efren and his Dynamic Teen Company (the organization he founded) HERE and cast your votes HERE (you can vote as many as you can).

I Survived Typhoon Ondoy

As the saying goes, truly a picture is worth a thousand words. It refers to the idea that complex stories can be described with just a single still picture. Point in case is the picture above.

You probably had already seen this from one of the attached pictures you had received from your e-mails. The catastrophic aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy "flooded" (no pun intended) the cyberworld with digital affirmation of its wrath as it passes through Metro Manila that fateful and unsuspectful morning of September 26.

This picture made me realized how fragile life can be. In a second you can be dead electrocuted from those dangling wires or be swept away by those strong currents. Its so frightening when the thought hit me. How will I decide if I am challenge with the same predicament?

Fairly enough, I had experienced a few disasters of lesser magnitude.

I had walked from the university belt all the way to Sampaloc district of Manila where I reside, right after the July 16, 1990, 7.8 Luzon earthquake. There was panic and stampede everywhere.

I had walked flooded streets of Manila countless times and also was stranded on a bus for the longest time because of it. Or when I was flabbergasted by the ash fall brought about by the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo when it awakened in 1991.

But, what if I am trapped in this kind of a situation. The water is neck-deep and with a strong current. I cannot be criss-crossing my feet over those electric wires. Look at that man in a black shirt, parang action superstar ang porma / he looks like an action superstar. I don't have the guts to do that. However, we really can not anticipate and underestimate the power and control when adrenalin overpowers us in cases like this. So the possibility is still there. LOLZ.

On the other hand, I can't swim either. I can not be walking in that street with a neck-deep high water. Because it would feel, for me, that anytime I will be sinking or be swept away by the strong current.

I guess the best decision for me in this kind of a situation is to just stay-put in a safer and higher grounds and just be a mere spectator of those people passing by. Look at those men in front of the PhilHealth branch office, mga uzis.LOLZ.

Thank God I survived the wrath of Typhoon Ondoy. Eventhough I was not there to experience it first hand, I could feel the worries and pain our kababayans had went through. My deepest symphaties and with much prayers goes to the victims of Ondoy a.k.a Ketsana, who as of this writing is pouring much rain in Vietnam and Cambodia.

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An American Reflection on the Philippines-pt 1

I haven't tried cooking misua (rice vermecilli) eversince I got my hands dipped in a cooking pot. One day I craved for it. So I logged in to Youtube and searched on line for its recipe. As my desktop monitor reveals the playlist results for this Filipino recipe, I scrolled down and continuously searched until one video thumbnail caught my attention.

Hey, what's this white man doing in a carinderia ni Aling Holy Vanessa?

The video made me anticipate to see some foreigner commenting various funny remarks about some of our exotic food. True enough, the guy on the video ate balut,dinuguan and pig intestines in a side street carinderia. The way his Filipino companion describe balut is hilarious when he (the Filipino guy) said:

“This one is a monster called balut. There’s a monster inside.”

Pati s’ya natawa sa joke n’ya (Even him laughed at his own joke.) LOLZ. But when the American guy mentioned in his video that the man he was with was a pastor, I thought to myself,

"Hey, wait a minute, what are they doing together in a carinderia?"

Later I found out from his profile that he is a Christian and had been in the Philippines for six weeks. I think he went to the Philippines for some missionary works, though I am not sure because it was not mentioned in his profile. Maybe this trip at the carinderia, was the pastor's way of showing him around the city and to make him feel or literally taste for himself what Filipino hospitality is all about.

See part 2 of this blog as I made some comments in one of his videos where he made certain funny remarks about his experiences while he's in the Philippines.

Read part 2 HERE.

i miss u:)

Kung kayo po ay napadako sa banda rito at kayo'y nanggaling mula sa link na aking ibinandera sa FRIENDSTER bulletin na may naka-pang-aakit na title gaya ng nakasulat sa itaas, ipag-paumanhin po ninyo at kayo po ay nawalan na ng pagkakataon na ito ay mabasa sa kadahilanang tangging ako lamang ang nakakaalam (secretttt).....

At sa mga nakabasa na, ang suwerte n'yo naunahan n'yo sila.

At para naman po sa inyo na nagbabasa nito (oo, ikaw), sorry ha. Di ka kasi nagbabasa ng bulletin sa friendster mo eh, kaya ayan di mo tuloy nabasa at nahuli ka... Pero di bale, baka naman sabihin n'yo eh napaka-unfair ko naman, basahin nio na lang itong private message na natanggap ko mula sa isa sa mga sandamakmak na tagapagbasa ng blogs ko, at bahala na kayo mag-imagine kung patungkol ba saan ang blog na pinamagatang I MISS YOU :)

Dahu (read:the who) ang ng e-mail ng message na ito sa akin.....

"hahahaha. ty bro. edwin sa blog mo!! nag-enjoy ako sobra. Nawala ang antok ko kakatawa ah. Ty ulit..God bless."

First Love

Surely, we all have our first love. I had mine when I was 10 years old. I was in gradeschool then.
You know the feeling. Gusto mo s'ya laging makita at makasama. What if, after all those years, you crossed path with your first love? What if things aren't the same way it used to be? Would the feeling still be the same?

This new Mcdonald tv commercial captures it all.

A New Beginning

Welcome to my new weblog site!

What a fitting way to welcome the new year by having a new blog account? The site is still under modification so please bear with the inconvenience of seeing a not-so-interesting web page.

This weblog will continue from where I left-off from my FRIENDSTER weblog account. I shall be blogging more this year because there are still a lot to conquer and it is very much FAR FROM OVER. So watch out!

I hope to see more of you guys this year.