Garbage

Sagip Kapamilya is doing so well in the distribution of goods, as well as Worldvision, and others.

But we have another problem.

Think of all the plastic bags the relief goods are being distributed in. Let's hope that the volunteers tell the recipients to collect the plastic bags and re-use them, instead of throwing them everywhere.

Now Reading...

(image:Amazon)
and

(Image: wppl.org)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

This book is aimed for tweens and older. The story takes place in present day New York. Reminds me a lot of Harry Potter. The differences are: instead of being a wizard, Percy Jackson is a Demigod, which Greek God is his parent? You have to read it to find out. And instead of Hogwarts, there's Camp Half-blood. And instead of Prof. Dumbledore, there's a centaur. And instead of Hermione, there's Annabeth, the child of Athena. Well, you get the drift. I still enjoyed the story immensely. I also liked the author's humor. A lot of dry humor and sarcasm.

There are five books in this series. There is also a movie coming out next year. I can't wait!

All in all, I give this book four stars.

I suck at book reviews.

Child Labor

Please read this post before you think about patronizing counterfeit goods. There is a lot of suffering behind the industry. Do your part.

Child Labor | Mom Exchange

Shared via AddThis

Tracy Raver

Take a look at these baby photos by Tracy Raver. Don't you just love them? Ang cute! She has a technique on how to make babies stay asleep. It only takes a full belly and a warm room to do wonders for making a baby sleepy. She says baby girls tend to be "feistier" than boys. Haha.

She was a guest on the Today Show. Makes you want to take lovely photos of your own children, right?

Check out her website: www.tracyraver.com

YAYA from HELL

I apologize for the graphic nature of the video. I also apologize for the poor quality. I was really disturbed when I saw this video being shared on Facebook. I have an 8 month old baby boy and he is showing signs of being a handful to look after but thank God his yaya is kind and patient. My heart goes out to the toddler in this video, I wanna go after this "woman" and pulverize her! According to youtube.com this woman is Indonesian and she's working in Malaysia. She was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment in 2007. Two measly years only??! This is CLEARLY a violation of human rights!

Happy Birthday Papang

Today is my father in-law's birthday.

What makes this year special, in a way, is because he has Lung cancer, stage 3. They discovered it just this year, in March. Ron, although he has a very optimistic outlook in life, is saying that this may be his Dad's last birthday. He has accepted it. I remember thinking when we found out, why can't we just feel one emotion at a time? Before March, Ron was having the time of his life, being a new Dad himself. Then came this bomb that his own Dad's life is in danger. If I were in his shoes, I'd be too stubborn to accept a fact like that.

I'm sad for our Papang. He may not be able to see Jacob grow up and go to school, or be able to graduate, or witness Jacob have a crush. I'm wishing that he would be around long enough to see Jacob walk, run, or utter his first words. Long enough to hear Jacob say "Lolo" to him.

Please pray for our Papang.

Davao City Kadayawan 2009

Here are some of the sights and sounds you can experience at the Annual Kadayawan Festival in Davao City. A festival of thanksgiving. This year's theme is “Nahiusang Katawhan Nakigdait sa Kalibutan” (“One People in Communion with the Earth”). This is Davao's own.

Hopeful

My Dad is in Cebu City at the moment. Tomorrow he meets with a potential business partner. Hope all goes well. I really want this deal, it's ridiculous! It's all I can think about. I'll divulge the details if things go as expected. Bye for now!

Sleepless

I have been having trouble sleeping for a couple of days now. It's because Jacob has a fever and colds, so I am constantly keeping watch. Last night he woke up at 4:30 AM, sobbing, and hot. Broke my heart. Good thing I was awake. That morning at 8:00AM he cried, with eyes closed. He must be having a bad dream coz when he finally opened his eyes, he stopped crying.

Food Trip - Spirale Ristorante

Anyway, break muna. I'm still weepy from my last post.

Spirale Ristorante is an Italian restaurant in Davao City. It's one of my favorite restaurants by the way. My brother arrived from a business trip in Manila so our mom treated us to dinner to this delish resto in Damosa, Lanang. This restaurant is beside Caffe Firenzo.

Some of the dishes:
Gamberi Ali Olio. My advice, the sauce is an excellent dip for the Focaccia.


Italian Pot Roast. A beef dish. Very tender and tasty.


Focaccia


Chicken Parmigiana


Another beef dish. And like the lousy blogger that I am, I forgot the name of the dish. I also wasn't able to take a picture of the pizza(frutti di mare), and dessert(triple lemon pie). Darn.


Must do it again.

Baby Brianna - Heartbreaking

This will haunt me for the rest of my life. Everytime I remember this (this happened in 2002), I cry my eyes out. How can there be parents like these? I really hope children are protected not only in our country or the US, but in all countries. Child abuse is a very serious matter, and the guilty should be punished.

Sticker

Funny ;->

Feels Like Felt

Photo: VintageCoquette on Etsy
Photo: gadgenista.com

Take a look at these cellphone pouches from Etsy. Cute right? Wait, cute is an understatement. Adorable is more like it!!! It's available on etsy for $24.00.

Guess what? I found something similar at SM supermarket, of all places. It's not as cute though. It cost me Php 79.75.



More cuteness (OT).

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to my son's yaya (or nurse maid). Thank you Ling. I don't know what I would do without you.

Lingling and Jacob

Cleaning Up

Went to my parents' house last week to get some stuff. I ended up clearing my old closet. Gave stuff away. Salvaged some. That made me feel nostalgic, as some of the things I got were stuff from highschool. Cobwebs galore!


Check out my inspiration board.


Our old sewing machine. Reminded me of my Lola.

I Believe...

My Dad sent me this email. Read on. Some of the things mentioned could ring a bell.

I believe

A Birth Certificate shows we were born

A Death Certificate shows we died

Pictures show we lived!

Have a seat.....relax.. ..and read this slowly.

I Believe...
Just because two people argue,
Doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
Doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...

We don't have to change friends if
We understand friends change.

I Believe....
No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt
You every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
True friendship continues to grow, even over
The longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe....
You can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
it's taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
You should always leave loved ones with
Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe....
You can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
Heroes are the people who do what has to be done
When it needs to be done, regardless of consequences.

I Believe...
Money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
My best friend and I can do anything or nothing

And have the best time.

I Believe...
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you
When you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
Sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them, and less to do
With how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe....
It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others;
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself...

I Believe....
No matter how bad your heart is broken,

The world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
But we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
You shouldn't be so eager to find
Out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same
Thing and see something totally different..

I Believe...
Your life can be changed in a matter of
Hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
Even when you think you have no more to give, when
A friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
The people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I Believe.........
You should send this to all of the people you believe in, I just did...

'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of anything..

"Enjoy life. There's plenty of time to be dead."

Finally...

This is not a gadget review.

I am happy to say that I finally gave in and bought the Canon Powershot G10. I have been lusting after these since 2008! Now I am a proud owner of one. I already own a 400D but that's just too heavy and bulky to carry around for non-shooting days. At least with the G10, anytime inspiration hits me, I don't have to worry coz it's in my bag (although it is still quite heavy for a prosumer cam). I love it still. I also adore its old-school look. My mom didn't get why I would like something that looked like a film camera, compared to those other tiny digital cams. That's part of its charm, I guess.

I also considered the Ricoh GX200 since according to my Dad, his first SLR camera was a Ricoh and he bought one on the day I was born. Sweet story huh? But I bought the Canon. hehe.

SIGNS (This is Cute)

This is one of the 2009 Cannes Lions winners! A simple short film about communication. And may I add; routine, urban life, reality. I first saw this video on Facebook. Thought it might be nice to share, nothings beats human interaction!

The Baby Factory - A Repost

I'm borrowing this post from Chuvaness.com as I want to help this hospital too. As a new mom (having given birth just 7 months ago), I find these photos really moving and gut-wrenching. If this doesn't move you, I don't know what will. Hopefully we can help in our own ways. If you live near the area, please drop by and pay them a visit.

For other ways to help, visit this site.

About the photos
By SHEILA JUAN-CATILO

I've always loved photographing children. It's such a joy to be able to capture them whether they're in their most innocent or most mischievous moments. But this experience was different, and definitely one I would never forget.

Last Tuesday, Jorem and I went to the Dr. Jose Fabella Hospital with Rea Gomez-Harrow to shoot some pictures to post on the Moms for Moms site. It was probably the hardest shoot I've ever been through in all my years of being a photographer.

"Are you ready?" She asked, as we walked across the entrance of the ER right after a woman was brought out of the ambulance in a stretcher, her legs stained with blood, ready to give birth. There were pregnant women everywhere - in the hallways, sitting on the steps, walking around just waiting for their turn. I knew I had to brace myself for this.

The scent was familiar. It's only been 6 months since I got out of the hospital after giving birth to our first baby. Had I been there a couple of years ago, it would have been different. But as we walk into what was 4 rooms full of maybe a hundred of bassinets or more, I felt my knees weaken and my heart crumble. I look through the viewfinder and get ready to shoot, but all I see is a blur as tears start to well up. My heart was pounding to the rhythm of infants crying in chorus. I turn my head, three babies are sharing one bassinet while the other had two. One baby's face is already pushed against the other's knee. Can he still breathe? I look the other way and one baby's arm is as thin as my finger. There are tubes and needles, bottles of fluids running through their tiny bodies. Due to the lack of linens, three newly delivered babies share what looked like an old hand towel to keep them warm. Each was labeled with a medicine box cutout attached to their wrists with a string like a piece of evidence. It was hard to believe all of it was real. I knew there were going to be a lot of babies, but not like this. It was beyond what I expected. To say it was heartbreaking would be an understatement.

I've never seen so many babies all in one place at the same time, and seeing them in this condition just didn't feel right. But this is how it's always been in Fabella. Everyday, mothers flock to this place to give birth because it's the only place they can go to. Due to the sheer volume of women giving birth each day, some have to go home a few hours after delivery while others who can't share a tandem bed with 2-3 others to be able to rest. According to a social worker we talked to, some of them don't even want to leave. To them, it's a roof over their heads, a soft bed and regular meals. For their children, it's a far better environment to survive in for their first few days of life.

It's a sad reality to face, but it's real nonetheless. So if these images move you to help, please do with what you can, in any way you can. Feel free to repost, link or contact us about it. Help us help Fabella.