Tag Archives: philippines

My Two Centavos

Pretty Purple Finger

I feel very Filipino today, can you guess why?

In case you’re living under a rock, today is election day for the Philippines. Today, we elect our leaders for the next six years. Today is also the day where we get to see the automation of the elections, which everyone has been talking/writing/discussing about for months and months now.

I finished voting about an hour ago. The entire voting process took about 5 minutes, but waiting took 3 hours. Here are some observations:

  • There seems to be more people voting today. I don’t have a point of comparison since it’s my first time to vote, but my mom who was with me, told me there were more people there. No complaining on the crowds here, because a huge crowd meant more votes, which means more people are getting involved.
  • Knowing your precinct and your cluster number before you line up is going to help. Seriously, it would help you a lot! I made sure I knew our precinct last night, and so when we asked around, it was easier to know. Don’t forget to ask for your sequence number when you check your cluster, so it’s easier to find you.
  • Bring something to get your mind off the waiting. Waiting for three hours isn’t easy. Good thing my mom’s friends were there and I had a book to read while waiting. This is the perfect time for you to make a dent in that book you’ve been planning to read or need to finish.
  • Patience! What’s three or so hours of waiting if it means 6 years of a better country? Smile as you wait, make friends with the people on the line. :) It’s hot, yes, and it may feel like you’re in a place with no furnace filters, but it’s just one day out of the year, for our country, it’s worth the sacrifice, right?
  • The PCOS machine looked…well, cool. It may be the geek in me that rejoiced when I saw the machine. But it was cool. One step to making things easier for us, I hope?
  • Be careful with shading. A note of warning: the ballots are kind of thin, and some of the marks you make on one side will be seen on the other side. It didn’t affect my ballot, but still, better be careful, right?
  • I couldn’t breathe until I see “Congratulations!” on the PCOS screen. One guy went out after he voted and said that there were no rejected ballots in our room so far. I didn’t want to be the first one, so I was extremely careful while shading. My hands get sweaty at the most inopportune times, so I was careful to put my hand on my hanky so it won’t leave marks on the ballot! So I put it in the machine and it felt like forever before the machine told me the ballot was accepted. Then I breathed normally. :P

I’m pretty lucky to be in a municipality that isn’t really hot in the elections. It was quiet, and it was actually nice to see some of our neighbors and old high school classmates out. :)

And also I guess people were expecting a faster voting process, but remember, what they only automated is the counting, not the actual voting! If this is successful (or somewhat successful, one can hope :p), maybe they should work on making searching the names and places faster? Like putting everything in a centralized database so it’s computerized and it’s faster to find your name and all. Of course, precincts in the far-flung provinces might not get to use that…but then, whoever gets to be the next president can hopefully do something about that, right?

Now all we can do is wait and watch and pray for the rest of the day and for the results.

It’s a pretty successful voting experience for me, and I hope it gets better for others. Truth be told, I almost didn’t want to go later because I felt lazy, but I’m glad I did. I’m glad that even if I was just one person out of millions of voters, I did my part. :) How about you? Will you do yours?

My Two Centavos

May 10, 2010

It’s Friday, and I’m facing another long weekend, but somehow, I don’t feel like this weekend is going to be relaxing. Sure, I’ll be meeting my friends tonight, I’ll be working out tomorrow and it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday, but Monday is a whole new ball game.

Monday is the day when changes will happen. I don’t know if it’s for the good, but I’m pretty sure changes will happen.

I admit to being apathetic in the past few years. Truth be told, I used to not care at all, and I avoid reading newspapers or listening/watching news because I don’t care about giving an opinion or even just having an opinion about something that I can’t even defend, or I can’t even really understand fully. I suck at debates like that, so I avoid it, and in the process, I avoid anything that happens to talk about the society. Sure, I volunteer for Gawad Kalinga, I sponsor a kid in World Vision…but government issues? Politics? Who’s the next best leader? I’d rather research about the best weight loss drinks in the market. Seriously, get me out.

That’s one of the reasons why I chose not to vote in the last presidential elections. I didn’t even register, because I felt like my vote would just be wasted. Besides, it’s my choice not to vote, right? There’s no one deserving of my vote, anyway.

All that changed last year. I guess you could say this one side of me woke up, and I decided to start doing something, even if it’s just in my own small way, to help the country. The first time I felt that tug was when Former President Cory Aquino passed away. That was enough for me to actually go and be a registered voter, because I was born when she was president and was restoring democracy, and well…it’s a big thing. The second time I felt the tug — and a stronger one, this time — was when Ondoy hit. I talk about this all the time, but it really changed my life. I’ve explained it in this entry in detail, but I quote:

The point is, because of the flood, I’ve learned to care even more. I am determined to make my vote count, and to make sure I use my power to do my best to help put the right person in the positions in 2010.

With all these election talk, issues, campaign jingles (that have been driving me nuts, really) and posters, it’s kind of hard to believe that Monday will (hopefully) end all that. On Monday, we will all cast our votes, in hopes of electing the right people into the positions of power in our government. I may be one person out of millions of voters, but a vote is a vote, and it’s powerful. It may be highly improbable for two candidates to have only a vote in difference…but it’s only improbable, not impossible. My vote is that important, and in a way, it’s kind of scary.

But as I said, I care, and I am determined to make my vote count. This is probably the one of the few election-related posts I’ll be doing on this blog (the other one will probably be after the elections itself). I avoid these things because I hate having political discussions on my blog, and I still have to scrub off the years of apathy that is still in me…but I have to start somewhere, so I’m going to take this chance to let all these out. So on Monday:

  • Vote. I know some people who are not going to because they feel like their votes won’t count anyway, or they just don’t feel like it…but please, please change your mind and do. It’s your right, and it’s one of the most concrete ways that we can make a difference in this country.
  • And if you’re voting, vote for the right people. Don’t just vote for someone because they’re nice, or because they’re the most popular in the survey or because they’re the lesser evil and you don’t want the other one to win. Vote for the right people, the ones who are capable, who can face adversity head on, and can knock some sense into us. Read platforms, look at credentials, at track records. Read between the lines, don’t focus on the ads and promises they say on TV or radio. Being a leader is not an easy job, and we need a leader who is strong, who can do what needs to be done to bring this country up.  I don’t really care if you’re yellow or green or red or whatever color you carry, but do make an informed and educated choice on Monday.
  • Pray. I know not everyone believes in God, but if there’s one day when you choose to pray to whoever you believe in, make it this day, on election day. Pray for a peaceful, bloodless and successful elections. Pray for the whoever handles the ballots, pray for the machines, pray for our country. There’s no harm in doing so, and to all who share the same faith as I do, we all know that prayers can move mountains. :)

And if you’d like to know, yes, I have chosen my president and vice president, and a handful of senators. I’m still researching for my senators, party list, and other local government positions, so I’m going to take my free time this weekend to do just that.

It’s time for a change. God bless the Philippines.

Itchy Feet, Say Cheese!

Coron, Palawan

I’ve dreamt of going to that province for the longest time. I remember, ever since seeing the place somewhere on TV or reading about how beautiful it is there (I can’t remember which, exactly), I told myself: someday, I will go there. And I did. Before 2009 ended, I was able to see a part of Palawan, Philippines.

View before landing
View before landing

It’s ironic how we got to book the trip on the day we got flooded. I remember coming out of my room that morning, totally jubilant, because I had just booked my flight to Coron, and then all that joy got wiped out when I saw the water rising up our street.

But let’s not talk about that.

It was a trip I looked forward to after the entire flood thing. It was a trip that I looked forward to after I suffered through major burnout last November. It was a trip that I wanted to experience to make  my 2009 a little bit better than it was turning out to be.

And what do you know, it was.

Now, I won’t be able to write down every single detail that happened, so let me put them down in bullets and photos. :)

  • Coron is a province. I haven’t been to Puerto Prinsesa yet, which is a city, but Coron is far from being a city. I don’t think I saw any cars, save for the vans we rode, and everything is walking distance. And don’t expect to see anything like Minka Aire there, because there’s none. I almost thought we would be landing in the middle of nowhere as the plane descended when we got there. This was my view:
    The view WHILE landing
    The view WHILE landing

    It was a bit unfortunate that while we were there, the island was having electricity problems. Then again, we were always out of the house, so it didn’t matter anyway. :)
    Continue reading Coron, Palawan →

Dear Diary, In His Steps

Blessed be His Name

So that wasn’t so bad.

To those who don’t know, another typhoon hit the Philippines yesterday — the fourth one that came inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility in the span of four/five weeks. Just today, five weeks ago, our house got flooded, and in a way I find it funny that another typhoon just left the country. And I hear there’s more?

But anyway. I have been enjoying good weather for the past few days. Every time I wake up with the sun shining through the window, I feel a huge sense of relief. When news hit that another typhoon was coming in, I couldn’t sit still. I try, but at the back of my mind, I feel so restless, so powerless, and all I could do was just pray.

Okay, maybe not powerless exactly. I just can’t rely on my own power.

Yesterday was kind of funny. I woke up and I heard that there was already a Public Storm Warning Signal # 2 in Metro Manila. And the sun was shining through my window.

For the rest of the day, everyone was confused at the storm signal. By seven in the evening, the storm signal was raised to #3…and there was still no sight of rain or wind. It only started raining around eight in the evening. My mom and brother and I were already planning stuff in case we needed to evacuate again. I stacked my books up my shelf, and then started fixing things in case we have to leave.

In the end, we decided not to leave. We prayed the rosary, and I read myself to sleep, trying to hear if the rain would pour down harder, and to see if we need to go.

But we didn’t. I slept through the winds, woke up with no power and saw later that the sun is shining through the window.

There. That really wasn’t so bad. :)

I want to say that I’m over the trauma of the flood…I pray I am. But I feel victorious over what happened today. Like I’ve passed a major hurdle, and that I’ll be able to face anything else that comes for me after this. Like I’m stronger somehow.

But of course, all by God’s grace. :) Always, always.

Right now life is almost back to normal after yesterday. I’m just waiting for cable to be back, but I can actually live without that. Now I’m back to preparing for NaNoWriMo (which starts tomorrow!!!), and for our first chat tonight (using some kind of live chat software — or not. Hello IRC!). I might even drop by our street’s  Halloween Party tonight.

Thank You Lord, for always being faithful. Blessed be Your Name. :)

Big, Fun and Scary Things, Dear Diary, In His Steps

More Ondoy Aftermath

It’s been five days since that day that I saw our house submerged in the flood, and sometimes I still wonder if everything that happened was just a dream.

I never thought I'd see our house like this.
I never thought I'd see our house like this.

But every time I go back home and see the mess that we have to clean up, the furniture that we have to bring out of the house, the mattresses that needed to be washed out and dried…and the fact that my dad is leaving so soon, I am brought back to reality and I can feel despair creeping into my heart again.

Yesterday I said that I will stop being a victim and start being a survivor. However, the moment I got home and learned that there was no water that we could use to clean up, I started feeling down again. When my brother dropped me off at the condo, I took some time at Galleria to get some wifi and look around (yes, I tried looking for the bag. Failed). As I checked Twitter and Facebook, I read a lot of updates about Pepeng and I felt full-fledged fear. The kind of fear that I only used to feel when I was thinking about my thesis back in college, and yet not quite because this time it’s not just the grades I am worrying about but our own lives.

It was enough to make me teary-eyed…but I didn’t cry just yet. It wasn’t until I got to the condo, with my first nutritious dinner in four days that I found myself bawling after almost slipping on the growing pool of water under the refrigerator that was there because my dad defrosted the freezer.

I know it’s something no one should ever cry about, but I was tired. I felt beaten. I was despairing, I was afraid. All I could think of was, “Lord, please stop hitting me while I’m still down. Please, please, let me recover first before bringing me anything else.”

It was the first time I’ve cried like that for the longest time. It was the type of crying that had actual sobs, not the kind of crying I usually do with laughter in between. I almost just wanted to sit there and just cry because I felt like my heart couldn’t take it anymore. Lord, I’m not strong enough. Lord, I can’t do this anymore, I can’t deal with it. Lord, I’m sorry I can’t be stronger.

I thought I was okay…but I wasn’t. I don’t think I’ll be really, really okay yet. Yesterday while I was cleaning up, I started wondering what I would have been doing at that moment if the flood didn’t happen. I probably would’ve been at work. My brother would be somewhere, working on a project, probably. My parents would be buying stuff for my dad’s return to Saipan. I would’ve gone to Body Jam earlier today before heading to work. I would’ve been making plans for NaNoWriMo 2009. I would’ve been buried in CSS codes at work. I would’ve been planning something to do for the weekend…I would have. I would have. But I’m not.

I miss a lot of things back before the flood. Work. My normal everyday routine. I know things will go back to normal eventually, but I know the flood has changed me. There will always be the “before the flood” and “after the flood”. I will always remember September 26 as the day that the seemingly impossible happened to us, and changed all our lives.

* * *

There’s Pepeng news all around, and right now I just don’t want to listen to it. I’m scared, because we haven’t fully recovered yet and here comes another possible big blow. And it’s not over yet because I hear there’s another one coming soon. But there’s nothing else I can do (other than get ready) but pray. And believe that God is faithful. Because He is. And when my strength is not enough, I’m sure His is.

PEPENG, MY GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOU.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 – The Message)

Dear Diary, In His Steps

I feel like I'm Job

For those who are curious: I live in Cainta.

Obviously I’m blogging so you know I’m okay. Normally rains don’t bother me except the fact that it’s so hard to commute, because our village entrance usually gets flooded and I get stranded inside the village. Plus rains mean brownout and no internet, so you know.

Saturday gave me a whole new reason to be scared of rains. I woke up with a plan to do the following: go to the gym, go to NaNoWriMo volunteers’ meeting, then buy the bag I want and go home. However, I woke up late so I didn’t get to ride with my brother so I told myself I’d just commute. He then warned me to not go out anymore, so I just went online to book flights for our Palawan trip this December. I knew there was a typhoon but I didn’t think much of it, since it’s just rains and like I said, it doesn’t flood in our street. I cancelled the meetings and was fully prepared to be inside the house the entire day and enjoy the bed weather with my new books…but then a few hours later, I went out and my dad said, “Look, water’s rising up to the gutter.”

Again, let me reiterate: we never get flooded in our street.

By lunchtime, water was beyond our gutter, and by three in the afternoon, water was in our garage. Four, water was inside our house. By eight, we crossed waist-deep flood to get to our neighbor’s second floor with our valuables and prayed for the rain to stop.

Waking up the next morning was surreal. Our house…is…I can’t describe it. The things we put up so they won’t get wet tumbled down into the water anyway. My brother’s camera got wet because we didn’t see it. Our clothes are safe, thank goodness, but most of our furniture are wrecked. We’ve cleaned up stuff yesterday and today, but we’ve got a long way to go. Some of my books got wet, I lost a lot of files, my brother’s clothes all got soaked. It’s surreal.

I’ve helped out flood victims, but I never thought I would be a flood victim myself. I try to laugh it out and say it’s time to clean up anyway, but tell me: how does one go back to normal after something like this?

I know I’m luckier than the other ones because most of my belongings are saved and we have good neighbors and our house is still intact and everyone I know is safe (well, still waiting for the other people to text). But my heart is unsettled, and I want to be brave but I feel like I can’t. Sometimes I wish I had the power to magically make everything okay, but I can’t. How can I ever go back to functioning normally again after this?

I’m not mad at God, nor I am questioning His purpose. I’m trying very hard to trust Him right now, to trust that this is a part of His plan. I’m trying very hard not to be afraid, but I feel like I will always be afraid whenever there is rain. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep soundly with the sound of rain. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to work and hear the rain without worrying about my mom at home. I don’t know if we’ll even be able to restore our home.

It’s just so, so, surreal.

And then I remember Job.

My situation isn’t anything like Job’s of course. He got it so much worse. But there was this verse that I remember from his book that I am trying to hold onto:

I was born with nothing, I will die with nothing. The Lord gave and now He has taken away. May His name be praised! (Job 1:21)

What strength and faith he has to be able to utter that. Imagine me, losing so little and saving so much and I find difficulty to praise and thank God for it. All I could think about is “What next?”

I want to find the strength to be optimistic, to be brave and to start again. I want to be brave for my family and my friends. I don’t know how, but I know I’m out. And I know He’s got more. And He’s bigger than all of this. And He’s the only one I can hold onto in this time.

Interestingly, when we got back after the flood has gone down, we found that the altar in our house wasn’t moved at all. Everything else tumbled down/was wet, but the water didn’t even touch the Bible enthroned on our altar. If that isn’t a sign of God’s strength, I don’t know what is.

I don’t know what will happen next, and I have a feeling I’ll swing from happy to sad and back and I don’t know when we’ll be able to recover from this…but I’m going to try to hold on. I’m going to try to praise God regardless of what happened…because He is God. And I am not. And He knows and understands more than what I can understand now.

It’s going to be a long week. Maybe even months for others. Thanks to everyone who texted and sent a message through all kinds of social networking stuff. :P Thanks to our neighbors who we stayed in for two nights and to everyone in the street who helped out. It’s far from over, so please keep on praying. Not only for us but for the other people who got devastated by Ondoy.

I will do my best to echo Job in this situation. God, please give us the strength to hold on. Please don’t let us go.

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

(Blessed be Your Name, Matt Redman)

We’re okay. We’ll be okay. Other people need more help than we do, so please send donations their way. You can visit Philippineaid.com to see how you can help.

Big, Fun and Scary Things, Dear Diary, Yum Factor

Pan De .

Day 11First: thanks to Marvs for the topic of today’s entry.

Second: If you’re kind of squeamish, feel free to skip this entry.

So today my boss brought some bread from the nearby bakery for us at work. He lives in Marikina, and there’s an abundance of bakeries where they live. He even used to bring us this gigantic pan de sal that looked like the kind of bread that Jesus and his disciples ate back in Jerusalem. Seriously. One time when he brings one again I’ll take a picture.

So anyway, he bought us this bread:

Photo from kapeathopia.wordpress.com
Photo from kapeathopia.wordpress.com

I know everyone who grew up in the 90’s or 80’s (or even earlier) knows this bread. I’m sure you’ve seen this at one point at your small bakeries, and has eaten them at some point, too.

Anyway (again), my boss brought some of this earlier at the request of Earl (I think) and that got all of us munching happily on the bread. I wondered if the red part has some flavor, and apparently there was, but because I’m not much of a cook, I can’t explain that.

But that’s not the point. The point was, at some point during the afternoon, some of us got wondering what this bread was called. I knew it was called something weird, true to the Pinoy style, but I couldn’t remember what it is. Apparently, my teammate Grace knows, but she was keeping mum because it’s really not someone with a queasy stomach would want to know.

Then I asked Marvs and Cors, who I was chatting with earlier, and then Marvs gave me the answer:

Pan de regla.

To those who don’t know what regla means (and again, I warn those people who have queasy stomachs, because you may be grossed out after this), it’s menstrual blood. As in period (hence the title of the post, in case you didn’t get it). To quote (from the source of the photo):

Why Pan de Regla, you asked? Look closely. Red coloring right smack in the middle of bread that looks like a female sanitary napkin.

Trust Filipinos to have a weird sense of humor and call it like this. The real name of this bread is kalihim (loose translation: secretary). The bread is sweet and the red part is moist and sweet, almost like monggo, but not quite (told you I’m bad with flavors).

…I just realized my choice of words may not be right.

Oh. I think that’s the reason why I’ve been wanting to throw up ever since this afternoon. :-& Ugh.

But don’t get me wrong, this bread is good. Classic Pinoy afternoon snack, up in the line of spanish bread (yum yum). But I think I’ll try to forget the name of this one the next time I eat it. Maybe I dwelt on it too much.

11/30.

Big, Fun and Scary Things, Entertaining Angels, Randomnities

09-09-09

Day 9I really planned to do something special today, just because it’s 09/09/09…but I can’t find anything special in my day at all. Except maybe taking another route on the way to work. Or eating at Jollibee again after…what, a month and a half? Or…hiding another CD of Switchfoot’s Mess of Me (more on this tomorrow :D).

I don’t know…I guess my lack of spontaneity makes me suck at things like this. Or, maybe it’s really just the rain that makes me too lazy to think of things to do.

These days are what digital cameras are made for, you know to document the days. But if there’s nothing special happening on that day…what do you do?

Ho-hum. This Tina, whattabore.

Then again last year’s 08-08-08 entry was kind of a bore, too. But at least I had pictures…except I didn’t have any pictures of me.

I swear, 10-10-10 will be different.

But anyway. In the spirit of it being 09-09-09, here are 9 things that…well…just 9 things:

  1. Noynoy to run for president in 2010. This is something I kind of expected already (even if something inside of me is wishing he’d say no…just so it would be more interesting, I guess). I’ll reserve whatever opinions I have for another post. I’m not always apathetic, you know. Which reminds me, I still plan to write more about my being a registered voter.
  2. I Has A Hotdog and friends declared this day as “A Day Without Cats“. I Can Has Cheezburger is not hearing of it though. ;) I’m more of a cat  person, really, but I’d choose another path today and go for…foxes. Sorry, this image is just too hilarious not to share:

    Firefox Rejects your Search Request

  3. The salad I’m supposed to have for dinner is wilting, I think. I’ve switched to eating salads for dinner because I tend to eat a lot at dinner, and my nutritionist advised me to focus on veggies and fruits for my last meal of the day. I’ve done good so far…I think. I’ll know my results tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll break the 10-lbs weight loss goal by tomorrow. Wish me luck. :)I should eat this salad now, I think.
  4. This is probably the funniest discovery for the day: The Drama Button. We’ve been playing this randomly for the day — what a way to spice up conversations. :P
  5. Stop and ListenBethany Dillon, one of my favorite female singers, released a new album today! It’s been a while since her Waking Up album, and I can’t wait to hear what she has for this one. Another album I’m looking forward to being released this month is Paramore‘s Brand New Eyes.  I’m in dire need of new music. It’s been a while since I loaded some new songs in my iPod. What albums are you waiting for to be released now? Any recommendations? :)
  6. Speaking of songs…here’s a song suggestion from my friend Cors. Talk about complimenting my waiting posts. Hah.

    [youtube]xyzuMqNwJoQ[/youtube]

    Lyrics here. But, I will choose to not feel sorry for myself, even if I can relate to the song. In God’s perfect time. Amen.

  7. Speaking of hope, and something like that…here’s a happy little image from icanread. :) It is a happy thought, don’t you think?

    Happy Thought :)
    Happy Thought :)
  8. I just remembered, there’s something else to look forward to during September: Manila International Book Fair! Wohoo! Bookworm’s dreams! Strangely enough, I don’t really have any to-buy  books. I’m just planning to go to MIBF this year to scout stuff and see if I can get good deals on some books that I don’t really have to have. Did that make sense? Anyway, while we’re at it…any book recommendations? :) Post away!
  9. Wow, we’re at the ninth item. I didn’t know it was that hard to think of 9 things. :P Since it’s been raining so much lately, here’s a little quote for everyone — I heard it from Lifeteen.com‘s Sunday Sunday Sunday podcast (which you should subscribe to, because it’s awesome :D):

    Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s learning how to dance in the rain.

    True. :)

And…that’s nine things. :) There’s only two hours of 09/09/09 left in the Philippines, but I know other parts of the world are just starting their 09/09/09. Wherever you are, I hope you had an interesting one. :)

9/30.

My Two Centavos

Cory

I was born a little less than a month after EDSA People Power Revolution, so I never really had much of an experience about that revolution. All I know from it are the things I heard from my parents and my grandmother and from school. I’m ashamed to admit this, but those stories never really inspired me nor drove me to care about current events; I’m just mostly relieved that I wasn’t born then.

Now here I am at home, in front of the TV, crying my eyes out while watching Kris Aquino’s interview in The Buzz. The last time I cried like this over a death of a public figure was probably during all those Rico Yan tributes…and Former President Corazon Aquino is definitely so much bigger than Rico Yan.

Cory Aquino
Photo from PCIJ

I remember the one time I got a close encounter with Cory. I was sitting at the edge of one pew, waiting for the First Friday mass to start at the Holy Family Chapel in Eastwood during June last year. As I was looking at the altar thoughtfully (back then I was praying for my supposed WYD Sydney trip), someone approached me and said, “Excuse me.” As I moved to let them pass through to sit, I realized that it was actually Cory, clad in a yellow dress, off to hear the mass with the rest of us in the chapel.

That’s probably the closest I could ever get to her, and I remember noting how healthy she seemed then. When I found out about her passing yesterday, I wasn’t surprised but I was definitely saddened. I’m not exactly a big Cory fan unlike my best friend, but I know she was a good leader, a loving mother and most of all a prayerful woman.

It’s because of her that I was born in a freer country. And for that, I thank you, Cory.

Rest in peace, Corazon Aquino.

Greetings

Ako ay Pilipino

Proudly Pinoy! Today is June 12. Other than today being a non-working holiday for me, today is Philippine Independence Day. 111 years — wow.

People often ask me why I would rather stay here in the Philippines when there are opportunities all over the world for someone in my job/industry. My answer? I like it here. As weird as it may sound, I really do. It’s not that I don’t see the opportunities and career growth out there, it’s just that I still see the same opportunities and career growth here for me. I know and respect other people’s decisions to go and work outside of the country, but for me? I’d really rather stay here (but doing travel for work is of course, welcome).

Every time I go out of the country to travel, I often find myself comparing where I am visiting to the Philippines. As much as I loved Singapore, and as much as I enjoyed HK, I always find myself  excited to go home. I can’t imagine living anywhere else but here.

It may not show in my posts, and sometimes I admit to be slightly apathetic over a lot of things in the country (this is for another post again), but I truly love being a Filipino. Despite all the surplus of troubles, the jokes, scandals and inefficiencies, I love this country and all it’s 7,107 islands and quirks. I am proud to be a Filipino.

Maligayang araw ng kasarinlan, Pilipinas! ((Happy Independence Day, Philippines))

P.S. Oh, and don’t you just love Google.com.ph‘s logo today? :D

Thanks, Google!