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)

Cars for Sale

My colleagues at work were all shocked when we were told that my manager’s Honda Civic car was stolen as it was parked in front of the church one Sunday morning of 2003. She was attending her usual church service together with her two sons that fateful day. The thing that made it so unbelievable was it happened inside an exclusive subdivision somewhere in Greenhills, San Juan.

This is why, I find it so amusing to see these cars parked alongside major thoroughfares of Bahrain. These cars are for sale. Though there are incidents of reported cases of stolen cars here in Bahrain, most of the owners of these cars are unmindful of such risk. Chances are you will see a lot them almost anywhere in any significant vacant lots in here.

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Listen now to the featured song: CARS by Gary Numan (1979

Mabuhay si Efren Penaflorida!

CNN 2009 Heroe of the Year.

You made us proud. Mabuhay!

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See related post here.

See awarding ceremony here.

A Mug of Coffee from South Africa

Here’s another piece for my collection.

Collecting coffee mugs of this kind all started when one of my clients from Ayala-Alabang Subdivision flaunts her collection neatly stacked up in a cupboard in one corner of her kitchen. They were given emphasis inside the cupboard by the glistening reflections cause by the halogen lights installed within its enclosure. She’s been collecting these coffee mugs from countries that she’s been to. I could still remember how proudly she was telling anecdotes of her trips abroad that she associated with those mugs. I could see in her eyes how happy she was as she tells those stories.

I like the idea of it. Collecting a piece of souvenir not just for the sake of if but having a passion for something that relates fragments of happy moments of your life. This reminds me of the movie With Honors when Simon Walder (played by Joe Pesci), a homeless man, shows his collection of "memories" (a bag of stones) to Montgomery "Monty" Kessler (played by Brendan Fraser). At the end of the movie, after his graduation ceremony, Monty and his friends sit together and embrace as they are celebrated as the Class of 1994. They walk out, with Monty grabbing a stone for his own "memory".

As to my collection, I do have pieces that I was able to obtained from places abroad that I’ve been to. The rest were mostly given to me by friends and relatives dispersed all around the world. I may have not actually acquired them by myself from its country of origin, but they do represent faces of people that somehow had touched (ang OA mo Edwin) my life.

Whatever memories their coffee mugs signify to my life, just give me the prerogative to keep it to myself. Just what I had (mildly) seethed from my previous blog [READ HERE], let me just state (again) that some things are better left unsaid. ;-) [wink].

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Listen now to the featured song.

AFRICA by Toto (1983)

Shhhhh.....

For some decisions I have to make, I am comfortable consulting about it to some of my friends. I ask for their opinions then weigh the logic and practicality of it. In the end, if not most of the case,my final decision is the amalgamation of my thoughts and theirs too.

But just recently, actually about 5 months ago, something happened that convinced me to consider and believe that some things are better left unsaid. To view it in a better perspective, let me just say that anything I say (or do) can be held agaisnt me. Besides, I also have the right to remain silent so I better exploit it to my own advantage.

To conclude, at times, it is better to keep our mouth shut to keep the pesky bugs away.

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Listen to Hall and Oates' Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid (1984)

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.