MikeLigalig.com

Hi Mahal,

Your birthday is getting near, though this will be the 2nd time around that I will miss this special day of yours but I know you knew that my heart stays there inside of you. I hope that you still remain thankful of all the blessings that our family is continuously receiving from Him. Giving us these wonderful kids are more than enough to say that we are rich in God's grace and love.

I want you to know that I'm happy to see how our family; most especially our marriage relationship evolve with God in its midst. We may not have the material riches in the world but we are abundant of God's love and He really changed us from our once childish ways and thinking. I, for one really can't believe the kind of spiritual transformation that I have. Despite the distance between us, miles and miles away, but seems like God is working in His ways of making us feel closer. We’re miles apart yet so closed. Perhaps pure love is really what made us feel this way. 

Really, it must be our trust and faith with the Lord that make everything possible for us. Yes, we still have problems but I’m happy that these problems remain for these what make us continue to grow stronger bonded by God’s love. I’m also happy that our problems are merely financial unlike before. But I really don’t consider it as problem at all but rather a dynamo to keep us goes further, helping one another for a common cause guided by God under His wings.

Mahal, I don’t resent being here miles away from you and our kids for I already had accepted my fate as His messenger and message. He really blessed me with the gift of intelligence so that I can use it in spreading His messages outside of our family. Now I fully understand what ME’s “Reaching out for others” is all about. I may not be able to help them in material things but I believed that my prayers are more than enough for me to extend the kind of help that is expected of me. God has also blessed us with emotional and spiritual maturity and these are very evident in the ways how we handle things around us; spiritual salvation, children, dreams and aspiration in life   

As I continue to be God's messenger, may God bless us with good health for us to remain His stewards. Other than that, I couldn’t ask for anything more for we are already full of His love and grace. The fruit of our labor and sacrifices are seen the way how He is giving us the discernment in handling our marriage life. We may not be perfect but together, we are complete and are unique creations of God strongly banded by our individual imperfections.

Mahal, you are the most treasured gift that God has given me and I couldn’t ask for anything more. You complete me and I pray for us to remain in love this way, united not only in flesh but in spirit.

HAPPY __ BIRTHDAY MAHAL.


P.S.
No need to fill in your age in the blank spaces for it will only reminds us of how old we are 

Well, sad to say but true esp. in our materialistic world. can't help but most od the times, money matters shake every relationship, thus, learning how to deal with questions related to money issues at times can help esp. for couples

Quote from: glacier_71 on April 20, 2009, 08:34:37 PM
masturbation is just like gossip...one thinks of the other, while enjoying the act itself.

good point too. i think it would be a very difficult task if not on imagining somebody (and just like one poster had said, mostly, fantasizing somebody other than their husband or wife), then, there it goes adultery as as cited by fdaray taken from the bible.

Quote from: bol-anon nga cebuano on March 20, 2009, 12:21:04 AM
i don't think there is someone here who will masturbate while imagining their wife. why masturbate when you can have your wife anytime? some will even think of somebody when making love to their wives.

you have a nice point there bro and i agree in part but how about those who are working away from their respective spouses?

i tried to search for an answer for this thread question (both scientific and biblical) and the result of course varies depending on which side of the fence one is standing.
My personal view about masturbation is it's a sin since the question implies biblical reference more than scientific reasoning (Is musterbation a sin?). Aside from Fdaray's citing of bible passage, in the old testament, if a man had ejaculated, he is considered unclean. Bw if the question incline towards health benefit, thus requires scientific basis, then my answer could be different.

Quote from: ms da binsi on March 29, 2009, 05:52:42 AM
very well said Gener...

Asa naman ka Gener???

Im currently on vacation in the Philippines but I'm based in the Middle East.

Greed Not Financial Crisis

The news I read from the internet reported that unemployment rate in January of 2009 rose by 0.3 percentage point to 7.7 percent in January. Translating these figures into layman’s terms, it means that for the month of January alone, there were 2.8 million unemployed Filipinos. NSO data showed that of 37.1 million Filipinos who applied for a job, only 34.3 million got the jobs.
The country’s jobless rates climbed and this would rise further owing to the fact that there are about 275,000 people who lost their jobs since October last year. This figure is expected to rise with the addition of number s of fresh graduates this March. Analysts said it would rise further as the country feels the impact of financial crisis.

Job Mismatch is Caused by Obsolete School Curriculum

While there may be plenty of jobs available in the Philippines, job placement agencies claim that job seeker’s skills didn’t matched the required skills for the jobs. This is mainly because the curriculum that the students were getting from formal schoolings doesn’t match with the demand of the jobs that these future graduates will pursue in the future. Take for example the subjects being taught (still) in the colleges and universities. There are still History subjects, Rizal’s Work, Spanish, Panitikan, etc. Well, I’m not saying that they should not be taught to every Filipino student but these subjects should have “proper” place in the school curriculum. Introducing these subjects in the primary and secondary levels are enough but not anymore in college. Instead, CHED should initiate a thorough review of tertiary level curriculum and focus more on subjects which are requisite of specific course and put additional units in on-the-job training or internship. Perhaps, engineering courses instead of the usual 5-year program can be shortened to 4-year courses without sacrificing the knowledge and skills to be learned.

However, there are those who can meet or even excel the skills and experience required by the job but were not accepted anyway because of age factor. While others, gifted with talent (and the age factor on their side) opted to work abroad in exchange of hefty salary.  As a result, the Philippines continuously lose its battle on brain-drain while the problem of job mismatch is also increasing exponentially.

Greed Not Financial Crisis

The rising unemployment rate has always been the problem of the Philippines even before the financial global crisis. While it is true that economic crunch contributes to the rising numbers of unemployed and underemployed, however it is the unabated corruption in most government dealings and its agencies that are causing this social problem (unemployment) since the early beginning.

Low income earners and middle class Filipinos who had insured education of their children into various pre need companies, hoping that one day, they could provide better education for their children end up victims of these greedy businessmen who made used of their “intelligence” to dupe unsuspecting or gullible investors. Worse, the government agency, mandated to protect the interest of the general public ends up with some of its official, either conniving or taking part of the share in the “loot bag.”  As a result; no formal or proper education means unemployment.

At the end of the day, one need not be a financial wizard or a degree in economics from A.I.M. to understand the cause of Filipino sufferings but a careful analysis and right decision of who you will put to the position to run our country this coming 2010 election.

 

Why is that “political harassment” has always been the excuse of anybody (government or non government) accused of either corruption, misused or illegal diversion of funds; public or private?  If the accused is a public official, how come one can separate political issue wherein fact his/her assumption of position is by way of election or appointment; both political by nature? If the accused is a private entity, the lame excuse for his evil act is always political harassment. When these devil’s apostles embezzled ordinary people’s hard-earned money, political harassment is definitely not in their agenda but greed. And now that these ordinary people are seeking justice (if justice still exists in this country), they (accused) in all audacity, cried political harassment.

The same goes with their alleged protector or coddler in the government. They seem to be masters in the science of denial. How disgusting to see their faces in the national broadsheet or television professing in high heaven their innocence. “Kung nakakamatay lang ang pagmumura, matagal na siguro akong mamamatay-tao.” (If hurling invective could kill, I was a murderer then)

Quote from: hofelina on March 10, 2009, 07:49:44 PM
I fully agree with you Gener, despite the big gap of my 2 siblings, 11 yrs, they still quarrel. But  this is a sound advice, basta wag lang gumamit ng kutsilyo.

hahhaha, e kung baril manay tess, pwede? nyahhahha

Kids Are Quick
____________ _________ _________ ______

TEACHER:   Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA:         Here it is.
TEACHER:  Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS:         Maria.
____________ _________ _________ ______

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN:           You told me to do it without using tables.
____________ _________ _________ _________ ___

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN:         K-R-O-K-O-D- I-A-L'
TEACHER:  No, that's wrong
GLENN:         Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.


(I Love this kid)
____________ _________ _________ _________ _____

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD:     H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER:  What are you talking about?
DONALD:     Yesterday you said it's H to O.
____________ _________ _________ ____

TEACHER:  Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE:       Me!
____________ _________ _________ _________ ___

TEACHER:  Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN:           Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
____________ _________ _________ _________

TEACHER:    Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE:           I is..
TEACHER:    No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE:           All right...  'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'     
____________ _________ _________ __

TEACHER:   George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.  Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS:          Because George still had the axe in his hand.   
____________ _________ _________ ________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON:        No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
____________ _________ _________

TEACHER:   Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE :       No, sir. It's the same dog.
____________ _________ _________ _____

TEACHER:  Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD:   A teacher

Tired of Dealing With Your Truculent Teensâ€"Let Me Share My Experience

I was in the construction site when my mobile phone rang. It was my wife on the other line but the signal wasn’t clear so I decided to hang up. When I reached my office, I found her off-line messages in my YM and after few “buzzing”; we were able to chat finally. Her message seems to be in resignation for a fact that she just had witnessed a quarrel between our eldest and youngest sibling. Tired from work and coming from a short errand in a grocery store, the sight of commotion understandably, is not a good way of welcoming a work-tired mother.

I waited for her to cool down and for a while, I listened as she expressed all her torment and anguish about the pressure of raising single-handedly, truculent teen and naughty youngster. By the way, lest I forget to tell, I was working overseas while my wife and my kids are in the Philippines. Absentee parenting is a great challenge and requires a lot of painstaking effort to maintain the level of discipline within the family while providing the means to sustain a living.

Parents are often pushed to the threshold of surrender when it comes to child rearing. I was once a living witness during a quarrel between my eldest son and daughter. I was taken aback by the sight of the commotion that almost shook our house. The only thing that preserved my sanity was thinking that in twenty years, my teenage boy and three girls would be having the same with their children. (LOL) What a way to get even, huh? Kidding aside, I am too tired for the terrible two’s (my 2 youngsters) and truculent teens (my eldest son and daughter). And you know what I have discovered as the best way to deal with it?â€"just let them be. As long as no one is hurting physically and no foul words are used, let your children spill out their emotions and yell out the anger. After all, feeling is neither right or wrong (Marriage Encounter Principle) so why suppress it? At the end of the day, once they are tired of the yelling and yakking, they will surely stop and will cool down naturally. Have you tried to shout continuously for 30 minutes? If not, try to do this simple test if this tip really works.

The best thing to deal with truculent teens is to do nothing. After all, weren’t you be just like your kids when you were in your teenage years?

Quote from: kiamoy on March 09, 2009, 11:49:51 AM
http://francismagalona.multiply.com/journal?&=&page_start=0

Gen, iya blogs. he wrote all his hospital experience..am still reading. CA is scary!

You are right Kiamoy, his bout with pains really require lots of patience and perseverance and I also noticed in his blogs how he recognized God as his deliverer. Truly, God has His own and mysterious ways of touching our lives and letting us know how to go back again to Him after all these years.

GAWAD HAYDEE YORAC
Bohol couple’s passion: teaching physics


By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:54:00 03/08/2009

Filed Under: Awards and Prizes, Science (general)


MANILA, Philippinesâ€"This couple, both physicists, quit their promising careers at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, and moved to the literally greener pastures of a far-flung town in Bohol.

In 10 years, they “double-handedly” transformed the way physics, mathematics and other tough subjects are taught to high school students in the small seaside town of Jagna and many other places beyond.

For their efforts, Christopher C. Bernido and Ma. Victoria Carpio Bernido, the president and principal, respectively, of the Research Center for Theoretical Physics, have been conferred the Gawad Haydee Yorac. They are the first couple to be thus recognized.

“This comes as a total surprise for us,” Victoria, 47, said upon accepting the award on Wednesday night at the Meralco Theater in Pasig City.

Said Christopher, 52: “[This award] appears to be bigger than anything good that we might have done in the past. So how can we really pay back those people who have made this marvelous miracle?”

Now on its third year, the Gawad Haydee Yorac honors Filipino leaders who have shown outstanding public service and are shining examples of everyday heroism.

The award is handed out annually by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) in collaboration with UP and the Yorac family.

Haydee Yorac was a UP alumna who once served as legal counsel of Meralco. She was also director general of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Government and chair of the Commission on Elections.

She died on Sept. 13, 2005.

Strengthening basic ed

In the early 1990s, the Bernidos headed UP’s National Institute of Physicsâ€"one of the most prestigious science institutions in the countryâ€"with Christopher serving as director and Victoria as assistant director.

But having seen the need to strengthen basic education from their experience in teaching college students, the couple left the Diliman campus and moved to Jagna, their hometown, some two hours away from the Bohol capital of Tagbilaran.

“I remember from my days as an instructor in UP Diliman, I was always saddened when I heard stories of students failing in math and in physics,” Victoria said.

She said even some students from good schools like the Philippine Science High School inexplicably failed in algebra, trigonometry, calculus and physics.

“It always bothered me. Some students even seemed brighter or more intelligent than I am, but they failed. Why?” she said.

The Bernidos eventually came to the conclusion that the best way to produce good college graduates is to produce good grade school and high school graduates.

Physics workshops

The Research Center for Theoretical Physics, which the Bernidos founded under the Dynamic Learning Program of the Central Visayan Institute Foundation, is a private school in Jagna.

Since its inception, the Research Center has been hosting physics workshops every three years, drawing experts from around the world. Two of themâ€"Gerard t’Hooft and Frank Wilczekâ€"are Nobel laureates in physics.

The workshops connect the physics departments in the Philippines to the global community, providing the faculty and graduate students the chance to network with fellow scientists abroad.

At the Research Center, the Bernidos also pioneered the “Learning Physics as a Nation” program, which limits lectures to 20 minutes and devotes 40 minutes to individual or group work.

The students are given no homework “so they can still do chores and have family time,” according to the citation prepared by the Gawad Haydee Yorac board of judges led by Washington Sycip.

The program is beginning to “revolutionize high school education in the country,” with over 30 high schools from all regions adopting it in their curriculum. It is also supported by the Department of Education’s Fund for Assistance to Private Education.

Walking the talk

UP president Emerlinda Roman commended the Bernidos, both UP alumni, for their “strategy” of simplifying the teaching of physics by limiting teacher participation to only 30 percent of the process, with the remaining 70 percent devoted to learning activities independent of instructors.

“Carefully designed materials and simplified materials allow high school students to learn physics on their own,” Roman said.

Roman commended the couple for walking the talk instead of just making complaints.

“The couple realized something was wrong with the country’s basic education, and rather than ranting about it, they went to Bohol to do something about it. Not only did they have a job to do, but they had a mission to fulfill,” she said.

Sycip, in his congratulatory message to the couple, said: “How [the Bernidos] both devoted their life, uprooting from the comforts of the city and moving to Bohol to serve the marginalized communities of Jagna, is a choice of courage.”

Game of relay

Christopher said he and his wife had realized that history “is like a game of relay where an athlete runs as fast as he can before he passes the baton to his teammate.”

“Our generation [has] to run as fast as we can and work as effectively as we can before we pass the baton to the next generation,” he said.

Christopher cited an Indian saying: “We inherited the earth from our parents, but we are borrowing it from our children.”

He added: “One of the best gifts we can give a child is education. No one can steal it, and the child can bring it wherever he or she goes, so for our generation, one of the best gifts we can give to the succeeding generation is quality education for the rich and the poor alike.”

Said Victoria: “My husband and I disagree on many things but we agree on a few things, and one of them is our passion for physics. But there is a corollary: There is also a passion, a shared passion, for teaching physics.”

Indeed, after eight years, the students of the Research Center have begun passing the UP College Admissions Test, according to the citation.

“[The Bernidos] addressed a grassroots issue, and had the courage to blaze new science trails in their home province of Bohol, in isolated and marginalized communities, demonstrating that there are no constraints or limits to achieving the lofty vision of building a nation when courage, commitment and intellectual experience are applied to the task,” it read.

As we all know, FrancisM passed away after his long bout with leukemia and I must say; the news didn’t surprised me. (Not because I know he will die anyway because of cancer but for a fact that dying is a common reality of all the living). At first, I never had any reaction or comment about his passing for I never knew Francis M personally; other than knowing him as an artist, rapper and one of the co-hosts of Eat-Bulaga.

I just had a glimpse of his personal life when by chance I stumbled on his website after reading an online story about him where it did mentioned the link to his multiply.com site. In one of his blog entries dated February 15, 2006, he made a blog post titled: My Valentine Girls and I would like to quote a full length of his entry; “Every year I send flowers to the women in my life.  I send it to my wife, to my daughters Unna, Maxene, Saab & Clara. I know it's just one day, but at least for one day, they get flowers from their papa. They get flowers from their suitors, boyfriends and eventually, maybe from their husbands someday, but I will send them flowers forever until the day I die. I love you. I'll never stop loving you.”

This is how I came to know FrancisM as a doting father he was to his kids and a loving husband to his wife, Pia. The fact that the message was written few years back and with him saying; “…but I will send them flowers forever until the day I die” is enough for someone to shed tears especially his family and loved ones.

To FrancisM, YO! You’re really the man.

10 money questions couples should ask

By Lynda C. Corpuz
MoneySense
First Posted 10:51:00 03/05/2009

Close this 1: Why do we fight about money?
Melvin Esteban, a registered financial consultant, explains that couples fight about money because they do not have enough of it. Toti Tanchoco, Jr., Cocolife senior vice president for finance, says, “They fight about spending it â€" not money per se.”

Fr. Ted, Gonzales, S.J., Center for Family Ministries (CEFAM)-Ateneo De Manila University overall program coordinator says couples undergo counselling for a lot of reasons. “Money is one of the issues, but not the main issue. [The] money issue is maybe a symbol or a mirror of the quality of their relationship for it historically traces how they view money,” he says.

2: How do divvy up financial duties?
Melvin points out that the wife is the default keeper of the purse, especially if the couple is starting out. “Generally, females are more budget conscious,” he reasons. Toti, however, says the wife should not be handling everything. “It’s incidental she’s handling the finances but it should not be ‘binigay sa iyo, bahala ka na (It was given to you, you deal with it),’” he says. Fr. Ted explains, “Although that is not always the case, we still have the tendency to repeat the same old patterns. But a mature couple should be together in managing their household finances.”

Couple Bambi and Francous Groleaus share money responsibilities by simply doing what they’re best at. For instance, Francois attended to the particulars of their wedding venue while Bambi took care of the entourage’s needs. Planning a year in advance, and targeting a P500,000 budget, she prepared the spreadsheet while he ended up filling it in. Culturally, Bambi says Filipina wives usually budget for everything while Francois says French men often take charge of investments.

3: Should we really have to tell each other about each purchase we make?
It is just fair to tell your spouse what you buy, but there is no need to detail small purchases, Melvin says. “Just make sure you tell each other if the purchase is big, like a car, a house, or an educational plan. Both of you should decide on that big purchase,” Melvin says. “It is always best to be open with each other,” Toti points out.

4: How do deal with our personal luho? (frivolities)
It’s important that a couple sets the right priorities. Buying that new designer bag or getting yet another gadget isn’t a priority. “The way we use money is how we prioritize what is important. The couple should really sit down and talk about their priorities,” Fr. Ted says.
With two pre-teen children, Bernie and Coralu Santos follow the adage of living within your means. “For me, if it’s not yet a necessity, I won’t buy it. I’ll just look and look at it, but I won’t buy it immediately,” Bernie says. “We wait for the right timing, and if we can afford it already, we buy,” Coralu adds.

But that doesn’t mean you should never spend on yourself. You just have to put a lid on it. An allowance system is a good way to budget and limit discretionary expenses. Toti says it is wise to set aside money not just for basic requirements like food, utilities, and children’s education, but also a little for recreation. Melvin recommends 50% of one’s income go to a common fund, 30% to allowance, and 20% to savings. “As income increases, savings should also be increased. Bonuses can be used to treat yourself to your personal luho once in a while,” he says.

5: Should we only have a joint account?
Thirteen years after their marriage, the Santoses opened a joint account just two years ago. “Bakit kailan lang? Kasi wala kaming ganoon, `yun lang ang dahilan (Why just now? Because we didn’t have that before, that’s all),” Bernie says. But apart from their joint account now, they still have their personal accounts.

Meanwhile, the Groleaus started early. “When we got married, we started to contribute to the common fund for our household needs. We still continue each of our personal accounts,” Francois shares. “We put an equal amount for the common fund. When there’s extra money, Francois is the first to put in additional funds,” Bambi shares. Although they have personal accounts, it does not mean they are keeping secrets about where their money goes. “I still tell Francois how much I’m putting in my account,” she cites.

The two couples are doing an acceptable compromise. They have a joint account for common expenses and personal accounts for individual expenses. Melvin adds that having a joint account is good because you can still have access to the family’s wealth in case of your spouse’s incapacity or death.

6: How do we deal with financial crises like being victimized by a scam or piling up a huge debt?
Fr. Ted says it’s always a danger when one spouse gets into a financial mess. “Like an addiction, you don’t want to let it out with your spouse since there’s some shame about it. Those can break up the relationship and leave deep wounds. It’s truly traumatic to have creditors running after the spouse,” he says.

Toti says tendencies or habits like these should be known early on. “These should be discussed before getting married so you can agree to discipline each of your spending, saving, and investing habits,” he says.

Fr. Ted says the guilty spouse will have to be honest about the unmanageability of the situation and go through a genuine recovery. “Because if there’s no real examination of life, and a real surrender of that behavior, it will drain the whole family of their patience, resources, and understanding,” he explains.

Always remember your spouse loves you very much that he or she is willing to marry you, Melvin says. “No matter how grave the situation is, your spouse will always be your partner to help you. The more you keep it a secret, the worse it gets,” he says.

Fr. Ted says, despite everything, trust that something good will still happen and be ready to make amends. “Making amends is righting the wrong. But when you love tenderly, you will know your strengths and weaknesses, and you can act justly,” he says.

7: How do we handle power struggles related to money?
Couples should review their values if they keep on fighting about money, especially in the context of who has the bigger income, “because it can sometimes be a power to some, an excuse to dominate or lord it over the other person,” Fr. Ted says. “But if you really look at it, a family is just one unit regardless of who’s earning more.”

“The best way is to talk and there should always be a compromise for everything,” Melvin says. If the wife earns more, the husband should take it as a constructive challenge, he adds. “If the wife is earning more, it should be an inspiration for the man, especially if he is insecure about it. But should he really be insecure about it? It’s all about role-playing, and one should accept each other’s role,” Toti says.

8: Is it possible for us to live on one income?
While it is ideal for one spouse to stay at home to focus on the children and household matters, given the times, living on a single income can be difficult. The wife should only stay at home if she cannot earn more than a house help, Melvin says. “Otherwise, both should work. Of course there are other reasons to be considered, thus the saying, ‘a mother’s love is always priceless,’” he says.

The Santoses found it necessary not just to work full-time but find extra sources of income. Whenever their workload allowed, they accepted sidelines to add to their finances. Money they saved from these sidelines automatically went to their children’s accounts.

It may be difficult, but not impossible. It takes a lot of financial discipline to live within a single income, but that works easier if the working spouse is earning an adequate amount of money.

9: How should we deal with parents who are financially dependent on us?
The Santoses are helping their relatives. “Tumutulong din kami. Hindi puwedeng mawala `yun sa monthly budget naming(We help out. We need to include this in our budget),” Coralu says. Fr. Ted says the questions here are: How much do you give? And how regular? He adds that some in-laws are becoming too dependent, as in the cases of migrant workers who have the whole barangay of relatives waiting for their salaries. “Assess if there is an abuse already and what is the effect of this constant shelling out for the relatives. If unmanageable, this will drain the couple’s budget,” he warns.

Dealing with in-laws and relatives about money has emotional strains to it, Melvin says. He suggests if you are earning more than you are actually spending, it is but right that you support your parents and in-laws. “Remember, you and your spouse would not be where you are now if not for your parents,” he says.

Toti, however, believes that couples have to meet their own needs first. “It will not help in your planning as a couple and it just tolerates the parasitical situation. But if you know you’ll have to still provide for your parents, don’t marry yet. Becoming independent is the idea why you’re starting a family,” he says.

10: How do I deal with an uncooperative spouse?
Melvin subscribes to what the best sales people believe is “your 99.” “That means, 99% of the time, you’re thinking of what’s good for them. So you have to convince him or her on anything,” he says. Fr. Ted advises to first exhaust all means, like counselling or attending marriage encounters. But if it is really unmanageable, the Church will look into the marriage’s viability. “The Church wants a couple to have a relationship grounded in love. But it also tries to be objective in considering certain relationships that are out of control, especially if there were already hints of unmanageability before the marriage,” he explains.


(This article is from MoneySense, the country’s first and only personal finance magazine. Visit www.moneysense.com.ph for more.)

Quote from: hofelina on March 04, 2009, 03:36:22 PM
Good morning Gener,
Hindi kita tinatakot, pero maigi na ang maingat.
Manay

ps

Ondoy Dutch Cowboy balik naka sa Holland? Nag-enjoy ka sa bakasyon?

i appreciate your advise manay, i will take it,really, mahirap kasing magbakasakali

World's Worst Cultural Mistakes
By Sallie BradyiStock

Touching Someone
Where It’s Offensive: Korea, Thailand, China, Europe, the Middle East.

What’s Offensive: Personal space varies as you travel the globe. In Mediterranean countries, if you refrain from touching someone’s arm when talking to them or if you don’t greet them with kisses or a warm embrace, you’ll be considered cold. But backslap someone who isn’t a family member or a good friend in Korea, and you’ll make them uncomfortable. In Thailand, the head is considered sacred â€" never even pat a child on the head.

What You Should Do Instead: Observe what locals are doing and follow suit. In Eastern countries remember that touching and public displays of affection are unacceptable. In places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, men and women are forbidden from interacting, let along touching.

Knowing Your Right from Your Left
Where It’s Offensive: India, Morocco, Africa, the Middle East.

What’s Offensive: Many cultures still prefer to eat using traditional methods â€" their hands. In these cases, food is often offered communally, which is why it’s important to wash your hands before eating and observe the right-hand-is-for-eating and the left-hand-is-for-other-duties rule. If you eat with your left hand, expect your fellow diners to be mortified. And when partaking from a communal bowl, stick to a portion that’s closest to you. Do not get greedy and plunge your hand into the center.

What You Should Do Instead: Left-handed? Attempt to be ambidextrous â€" even children who are left-handed in these cultures are taught to eat with their right hand â€" or at least explain yourself to your fellow diners before plunging in.

Keeping Your Clothes On
Where It’s Offensive: Scandinavian countries, Turkey.

What’s Offensive: Wearing bathing suits, shorts and T-shirts, underwear, or any other piece of clothing into a sauna, hammam, or other place of physical purification. In some cultures, a steam room or a sauna is considered a place of purity and reflection, where the outside world (i.e., your clothes) should be left outside. In some Scandinavian countries it’s common for entire families to sauna together in the nude.

What You Should Do Instead: Sitting on a folded towel is considered acceptable. If you’re too modest to appear naked, strip down, but wrap yourself in a towel.

Getting Lei'd Off
Where It’s Offensive: Hawaii.

What’s Offensive: Refusing or immediately removing a lei.

What You Should Do Instead: Leis in the Hawaiian Islands aren’t just pretty floral necklaces that you get when you check into your hotel or show up at a luau. They’re a centuries-old cultural symbol of welcome, friendship, and appreciation. Never refuse a lei â€" it’s considered highly disrespectful â€" or whip it off in the giver’s presence. If you’re allergic to the flowers, explain so, but offer to put it in some place of honor, say in the center of the table, or on a statue. Note that closed leis should be worn not hanging from the neck, but over the shoulder, with half draped down your chest and the other half down your back.

Looking Them in the Eye … or Not
Where It’s Offensive: Korea, Japan, Germany.

What’s Offensive: For Americans, not making direct eye contact can be considered rude, indifferent, or weak, but be careful how long you hold someone’s gaze in other countries. In some Asian nations, prolonged eye contact will make a local uncomfortable, so don’t be offended if you’re negotiating a deal with someone who won’t look you straight in the eye. If toasting with friends in a German beer hall, your eyes had better meet theirs â€" if they don’t, a German superstition says you’re both in for seven years of bad luck in the bedroom.

What You Should Do Instead: Avoid constant staring and follow the behavior of your host â€" and by all means, look those Germans straight on.

Drinking Alcohol the Wrong Way
Where It’s Offensive: Latin America, France, Korea, Russia.

What’s Offensive: Every culture has different traditions when it comes to drinking etiquette. Fail to consume a vodka shot in one gulp in Russia, and your host will not be impressed. Refill your own wine glass in France without offering more to the rest of the table, and you’ve made a faux pas. In Korea, women can pour only men’s drinks â€" not other women’s â€" and if you want a refill, you need to drain your glass. And if you’re in Latin America, never pour with your left hand â€" that’s bad luck.

What You Should Do Instead: Until you’re culturally fluent, leave it to your pals to pour.

Blowing Your Nose
Where It’s Offensive: Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, France.

What’s Offensive: Some cultures find it disgusting to blow your nose in public â€" especially at the table. The Japanese and Chinese are also repelled by the idea of a handkerchief. As Mark McCrum points out in his book Going Dutch in Beijing, the Japanese word hanakuso unpleasantly means nose waste.

What You Should Do Instead: If traveling through Eastern and Asian countries, leave the hankies at home and opt for disposable tissues instead. In France as well as in Eastern countries, if you’re dining and need to clear your nasal passages, excuse yourself and head to the restroom. Worst-case scenario: make an exaggerated effort to steer away from the table. Let’s hope you don’t have a cold.

Removing Your Shoes…or Not
Where It’s Offensive: Hawaii, the South Pacific, Korea, China, Thailand.

What’s Offensive: Take off your shoes when arriving at the door of a London dinner party and the hostess will find you uncivilized, but fail to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands and you’ll be considered disrespectful. Not only does shoe removal very practically keeps sand and dirt out of the house, it’s a sign of leaving the outside world behind.

What You Should Do Instead: If you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your laces. If not, keep the shoes on.

Talking Over Dinner
Where It’s Offensive: Africa, Japan, Thailand, China, Finland.

What’s Offensive: In some countries, like China, Japan, and some African nations, the food’s the thing, so don’t start chatting about your day’s adventures while everyone else is digging into dinner. You’ll likely be met with silenceâ€"not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtimes are for eating, not talking. Also avoid conversations in places a country might consider sacred or reflectiveâ€"churches in Europe, temples in Thailand, and saunas in Finland.

What You Should Do Instead: Keep quiet!

Road Rage
Where It’s Offensive: Hawaii, Russia, France, Italy, around the globe.

What’s Offensive: Honk on Molokai or fail to pay a police officer a fine, a.k.a. bribe, on the spot when you’re stopped for speeding in Russia, and you’ll risk everything from scorn to prison time. Remember, too, that hand gestures have different meanings in other countries â€" a simple “thumbs-up” is interpreted as an “up yours“ in parts of the Middle East.

What You Should Do Instead: When driving abroad, make sure you have an international driver’s license; never, ever practice road rage; and keep your hands on the wheel.

Quote from: hofelina on March 03, 2009, 06:32:03 PM
Were you able to read the news about Turkey airlines that crashed in Amsterdam? It was not properly maintained, not coping with the European standards.
Maigi na ang maingat. God bless.

yes, napanood ko sa TFC, including the narration of the Pinay survivor, kakatakot talaga

Wildlife group lauds tarsier display ban


By Kit Bagaipo
Visayas Bureau
First Posted 06:49:00 03/02/2009

Filed Under: Animals


TAGBILARAN CITYâ€"Even as local businessmen who display tarsiers for tourist viewing lobby for the scrapping of a provincial ordinance that bans the commercialization of the endangered species, an international wildlife foundation is lauding Bohol lawmakers for their landmark legislation.

The Born Free Foundation, an international wildlife charity group based in the United Kingdom, thanked the provincial board for introducing the ordinance that prohibits the display of tarsiers outside their natural habitat.

In a letter to Board Members Alfonso Damalerio II and Esther Corazon Galbreath, BFF senior scientific researcher Chris Draper said the ordinance was not only “forward thinking” but also “a compassionate decision.”

“The Philippines can be justifiably proud of this legislation, and it is our hope that other regions and countries may look to your example when considering similar legislation,” Draper said.

The foundation is working all over the world to stop the sufferings of wild animals to protect threatened species in the wild.

In a visit to Bohol in January, a crew of British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) featured the tarsiers in a documentary that will be shown all over the world.

The crew, headed by British TV presenter and author Simon Reeve, highlighted the need for rescue and care of the endangered species that are caged and displayed outside their natural habitat.

Gov. Erico Aumentado has yet to sign the measure

manay thess, wala pa ako sa pinas, i will be there on the 18th of march pa. naku ganun ba? yung poor service i can somehow tolerate pero yung poor maintenance of the plane, non-nogotiable esp. that i have my entire family with me on that supposed trip. perhaps, i will take a/c bus na lang

Hi there!Can you further enlighten me on this promo?

I'm planning to have a family summer trip to Pagudpud via Laoag airport. Pardon my ignorance but, is this promo means that I will pay only P288 per head? Is it a 1-way trip only? If not, does our return trip from Laoag to Manila will costs us the same? Can I avail of this promo even though the promo period lapsed already (Feb, 2009)?

Appreciate if you can enlightnen me more on this. Here is my e-mail add: ginomarcelo@yahoo.com.ph

Thanks

The evil Pinay stereotype


By Rodel Rodis
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:07:00 02/04/2009

Filed Under: Television


WHEN ABC presented a demeaning image of Philippine-trained doctors in a "Desperate Housewives" episode (September 30, 2007), the Filipino community erupted in outrage and demanded an apology. Because Filipinos rarely appear on national TV, it was feared that the offending episode would cause Americans to view their Philippine-educated physicians in a negative light. That ABC episode is peanuts in terms of image and consequence compared to the depiction of Filipinos that CBS presented on January 31, 2009 in its CBS 48 Hours Mystery episode of "Conspiracy to Kill."

CBS correspondent Peter Van Sant's hour-long documentary began with this introduction:

"Larry Risken was a Navy officer. Earl Bourdeau was a Marine. Nineteen years apart, they married the same woman: Sonia Rios. And both military men met the same fate -- ambushed and gunned down in the Philippines, in the presence of Sonia's family. The families of Risken and Bourdeau say they're sure Sonia was the mastermind in both killings. Then a year after Larry's Risken's murder, Sonia suffered the same fate herself - gunned down in her home, on the south side of Los Angeles. By then, she'd been dubbed, "The Black Widow of Lomita."

Larry Risken was a commander in the United States Navy when he met Sonia Rios, a successful Filipina businesswoman who owned her own beauty salon in Lomita, California, and who drove around in a flashy Corvette. She had been previously married and divorced, his family was told.

Larry and Sonia were married in 1990 in three separate wedding ceremonies which excluded members of Risken's family. But Larry visited the Philippines several times to spend time with Sonia's family. In one of the visits, he met Sonia's niece, Quinzy, and nephew, Jetmark, and decided to adopt them.

Sonia was supposed to take care of the adoption but when Larry found out that Sonia had sabotaged the process and did not want them to come to the US, his relationship with Sonia soured.

Fed up with Sonia, Larry began seeing a co-teacher, Eileen Stevens. When Larry told Sonia of his feelings for Eileen, she "flew into a rage" especially after Larry asked for a divorce after 16 years of marriage.

Sonia consented to the divorce but only after Larry visited the Philippines to see Quinzy and Jetmark one last time. Despite his parents' misgivings about traveling to the Philippines by himself, Larry flew to Manila.

On April 18, 2006, while piling into a Jeep after taking one of Sonia's nieces to a hospital to be treated for an eye infection, a gunman on a motorcycle shot Larry in the head and stomach, killing him instantly.

When 14-year-old Jetmark called his aunt Sonia to tell her the devastating news, he was shocked to hear her response: "Jet, don't worry. Everything is under control. Nothing to worry about."

Risken's family, frustrated that the Philippine police could do nothing to solve the murder, decided to hire private investigator Bong Oteza, who concluded that it was a well-planned hit. Bong learned that Sonia had a $1 million insurance policy on Larry Risken.

Bong also learned that Risken was not the first Sonia husband to meet that fate. It turns out that she had been previously married to a US marine named Earl John Bourdeau who met her on his first overseas tour of duty in the Philippines in 1963. He married her and brought her to the US to meet his parents and settled in Lomita, California.

According to Sonia's good friend, Henry Hoskins, Sonia was not into fidelity. "I knew some of her boyfriends. She was dating professional people," he said.

After 21 years of marriage, Bourdeau wanted out of the marriage. But Sonia would only agree to a divorce if he would go to the Philippines to "sell a family taxi business".

Although he did not want to go, Bourdeau went and stayed at the home of Sonia's brother. He was asleep on August 15, 1987, when he was shot at point blank range. Sonia's brothers claimed that he was killed during a break-in.

Philippine police authorities would not buy that story, however, and within weeks of the murder, they solved the case. Five people, including two of Sonia Rios's brothers (one of whom had blood splatters on his shirt), were arrested and charged with the murder.

The CBS reporter then said that everything stopped. "Do you believe that someone may have been paid off to stop this investigation? Van Sant asks Oteza. "Yes, to stop the investigation. Yes, to drop the charges against the five family members," he replies. Incredibly, Oteza says it takes as little as $1,000 to stop a criminal investigation. And he thinks he knows who paid to stop this one. "The person that wanted Earl Bourdeau dead is someone that will benefit and that is Sonia Rios."

Yes, folks, visit the Philippines where you can hire a hit man to kill your spouse for a few bucks (and collect millions in insurance money) and pay as little as a thousand dollars to stop the criminal investigation.

After cashing in on Bourdeau's death, about 19 years later, Sonia did it again. But in Risken's case, Sonia was unable to collect on his million dollar policy because Risken's relatives cried foul.

Risken's sister, Ellen Jackson, told Van Sant: "Sonia used the Philippines as a killing ground in two murders and no one has been brought to justice."

About one year after Risken's murder, the 60-year-old "Black Widow of Lomita," Sonia Rios, was found dead in her home with a gunshot to her head.

The CBS 48 Hours Mystery did not end with the unsolved murders of Sonia and her two husbands. Its reporter and crew tracked down the remains of Bourdeau in the Philippines with the assistance of a Filipina forensic pathologist, Rachel Fortun. After confirming that the bones in a crypt belonged to Bourdeau, 48 Hours paid for the bones to be transported to Davenpot, Iowa where they were buried last month, 21 years after Bourdeau's murder.

Within hours after the TV episode appeared on January 31, emails poured into the CBS website denouncing Sonia Rios and other "gold diggers and murderers" from the Philippines. One wrote that "anyone who gets involved with a person born and raised in the Philippines needs to understand that they are not like us…they are for the most part materialistic, greedy, manipulative, heartless people." One psychopath ("cliffps") even suggested that "what we need to do is take the law into our own hands but do so quietly and continue evening the score. It might take time, maybe a little bit (or a lot) of scheming and strategizing on one end but justice can certainly be accomplished."

One American man married to a Filipina, Jack Spratzer, tried to stem the racist tide: "Don't paint a race of people with a broad brush. I know the Philippines and her people and I can tell you that the Filipino people are kind, loving, polite, and generous" but he was decidedly in the minority.

A new vile stereotype has been virally spread and many Filipino women married to American men will face suspicions, ugly accusations, and harassment from their husbands and their husbands' kinfolk because of Sonia Rios and the CBS show that exposed her.

(Send comments to Rodel50@aol.com or mail them to the Law Offices of Rodel Rodis at 2429 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127 or call (415) 334-7800. For past columns, log on to www.Rodel50.blogspot.com.)

hi macky, yah, right, can't help but share this wonderful love story i thought only seen in the movie.

i heard or read that there was an issue before between the boxer's father and his wife but i don't think he's "under the saya" simply because he choose his wife over his father. that's i believed how couples should be, stand for your spouse in good and bad times.

Fighters in Love
Posted by I. Wilfredo Ver on 2/16/09 • Categorized as Cover Story

Nonito Donaire and Rachel Marcial by Gary Cruz.

In the sporting world, the emergent spectator event is the mixed martial arts fights, where practitioners of varied combat disciplines such as wrestling, boxing, judo and karate are pitted against each other. Recently, a matchup of a different kind featuring a boxing champion and a taekwondo champion has captured the attention and imagination of Filipino fight fans.

Nonito Donaire Jr. is the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) Flyweight champion of the world. Rachel Marcial is a blackbelt in taekwondo and a U.S. National Champion.

Both are fierce competitors whose victories were accomplished mostly by knocking out or incapacitating their opponents. He is called the “Filipino Flash,” reminiscent of the previous century’s greatest Filipino boxer, Flash Elorde. She is called “Lady Savage” and “Knockout Queen,” descriptive of her demolishing fighting style as well as her physical attributes.

What happens when these two intense champions meet?

In the early fall of 2007, Nonito was invited to a party at a popular Los Angeles nightclub, where he found a long line of people at the entrance. Mentioning his world boxing title at the door enabled him to jump the line and, once inside, he immediately sat down with acquaintances. That didn’t really impress the host, Rachel, who was celebrating her recent victory at the AAU Nationals. When she later went up to introduce herself to him, she figured he was mayabang (arrogant). He casually replied hello, and went back to talking to someone else. Feeling slighted, she wasn’t too friendly when later on he tried to have a conversation with her. He thought she was suplada (snobbish). I suppose it’s typical of sports people to always size up their competitor at first encounter.

The duo would eventually share the dance floor, and the two champions have different versions of the event. She claims he and his friends were eyeing her all night. He claims she pulled him to the dance floor. But as the night wore on, and cupid had struck his arrow, both were soon dancing to their own private music. (She says, “he tried to kiss me”; he said, “She closed her eyes and offered me a kiss.”) Usually, this is where the referee must step in to stop the clinching.

The party continued at her place, where Rachel showed video clips of her taekwondo fights from her laptop. “That’s you?” Nonito gushed upon discovering she was also a sports champion. Displaying another of her talents, she began playing the piano, but our boxing lothario wouldn’t be beat. He promptly countered with a soulful rendition of “Unchained Melody.” Champions always control the direction of the match.

From that day on, the two were inseparable. “And that was it, I couldn’t get her off my mind,” Nonito conceded. Within two weeks, “He said ‘I love you’ first,” she declared triumphantly. Two points for Rachel. Mushiness and love are considered emotional
weaknesses among fighters.

Our squared-ring gladiator plotted a counterattack, and by mid-winter, had procured a secret weapon, the engagement ring. “I have achieved several of my life goals. I wanted to move on to something more serious, and I wanted to do it the right way,” Nonito explained.

He carefully chose the opportuned moment when Rachel was off guard, then delivered the perfect punch line. They were guesting for Makisig TV when he grabbed her and sang “I’m Yours,” then got down on his knees. “We had to punch and kick for the interview, and I was all sweaty, my makeup was running… and he put me through this on live tv!” exclaimed the FHM model and certified Estee Lauder make-up artist. The John Mraz song goes “I won’t hesitate no more no more/ It cannot wait, I’m yours.” To the ultimate question, Rachel replied, “Of course!” and they kissed before the TV cameras.

The boxer continued dictating the pace of the match. In Manila on Valentine’s Day, Nonito upped the ante by arranging dinner aboard a private yacht on a cruise around Manila Bay. “It was very intimate, very romantic, one of our best experiences,” her turn to gush. Another point for Nonito.

At a particular point in a match, the champion plans when to deliver the winner and seal the deal. This involves proper timing and executing the right moves. They chose to get married on the luckiest day of the new century, 08/08/08, a day when the world witnessed the unforgettable display of Chinese fireworks at the opening of the Beijing Olympics.

There were no such fireworks at Lover’s Point of Stewart Cove in the romantic city of Carmel, California, but the bride was fully radiant and refreshingly beautiful, and the groom was exuberant and totally cool. It was but fitting that they exchanged vows by the shores of the Pacific Ocean, the vast body of water that similarly washes the shores of their native land.

Career Trajectory
The boxing career of Nonito Donaire Jr. is surely looking good. Since winning the world title in July 2007, the “Filipino Flash” has been heralded as the heir apparent to superstar Manny Pacquaio. His surprise knockout of then undefeated and seemingly invincible champion, Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan, with a perfectly timed left hook, won for Donaire the “Knockout of the Year” and the “Upset of the Year” awards.

Nonito presents your typical rags-to-riches story, of the poor country boy from Talibon, Bohol who gets left behind by his new-U.S. immigrant father. He grew up under his grandparents’ care, where food and sodas were rationed. On the streets of General Santos City in Cotabato, he sold pomelo at 50 centavos apiece to help make ends meet. When he reached 11, his father sent for him and the family settled in San Leandro, California.

Street fights involving his older brother Glenn prompted their father to enroll them in a boxing gym. Nonito’s prodigious talent was evident from the get-go, such that he quickly rose in the amateur ranks, winning gold medals in the U.S. Junior Olympics and the International Junior Olympics. He was barely 17 years old when he entered the professional ranks; before leaving behind his teenage years he won the Asian Pacific flyweight title. He captured the North American Boxing Federation title at 23, and was only 24 when he shocked the boxing world by winning the World Flyweight crown. He has since successfully defended his title twice, demolishing both opponents by knockout.

Nonito is known for his lightning quick reflexes, his left hook darting at blinding speed with a crushing power equal to that of boxers four weight divisions heavier. In this aspect, he is easily compared to Manny Pacquiao. “There is only one Manny Pacquiao,” Nonito replied modestly when the comparison was mentioned. “He is his own legacy. And I am thankful for Manny. I trained with him in L.A., sparred with him, and he gave me tips, he was very helpful. I admire his fighting heart and the way he trains. He trains very hard, he trains at a higher level. He paved the way for all of us Pinoy boxers, to be able to achieve greater heights.”

Yet Nonito is not your typical Filipino boxing champion. He is very articulate, a classy guy with a good set of head and heart. In his last fight, his slashing punch opened a nasty cut above his opponent’s eye, and he could have jumped on his rival’s lack of vision. Instead he backed off and motioned to the referee to take a look, after which the referee put a stop to the carnage and awarded the victory to Nonito.

The Other Champion
Five months into the marriage, Nonito and Rachel are obviously still on honeymoon mode. As competitive as they both are, they alternately allow each other to have his/her say, while the other would quickly respond with a witty joke, giggling and cooing. The two-and-a-half hour interview and photo shoot for Filipinas was marked with a lot of hand-holding, shoulder-rubbing and eye contact between the two.

In this match-up, Rachel is the exciting and enigmatic one. She exudes sensual allure and raw beauty, one whose femme fatale figure has landed her an ample spread in the Filipino men’s magazine, FHM. One international boxing writer listed her in the top five Hot Chicks of boxing. But when she faces you with fire in her eyes and fervor in her demeanor, one instinctively knows to approach her with caution. The reality is, she is as deadly as she looks.

The video clips that reside in her iPhone show her in several taekwondo bouts, all ending the same way: her opponents falling like timber onto to the mat. You see her bouncing up and down in front of her opponent, left foot forward, measuring her distance to the target, then in one split-second motion, adroitly spins as her right foot travels swiftly and stiffly into her rival’s chin. It is a graceful yet menacing move. As her opponent falls, she steps in quickly to stand on top of her fallen foe, ready to strike with another kick.

Rachel Marcial is a third-generation taekwondo practitioner. Her father operates a dojang, a taekwondo training hall, where at age eight, she took naturally to the sport. By the time she was 12, she had won the gold medal in the U.S. Junior Olympics. It would be her favorite stumping ground, the Junior Olympics, winning medals, usually gold, in every year she competed until she reached 18.

During her college years at the University of Phoenix, she ruled the U.S. Collegiate Nationals, the U.S. Open and the AAU Nationals. She also took time to compete in the Philippines as a teenager and emerged champion at the Milo Philippine Nationals. She later won gold medals in the Samsung Best of the Philippines and the Philippine National Team Selections.

Like many Fil-Ams of her generation, Rachel heeded the call of service to her country and served a five-year stint with the U.S. Air Force. Accepted with a high 92 percent rating, she landed a plum job in the Personnel Division, assigned close to the commander, and was exposed to high echelon military administration and management. During this time, taekwondo took a backseat to her military career, although she managed to collect several gold medals in military tournaments.

Upon leaving the service in 2006, Rachel promptly resumed competing and won the U.S. Collegiate Nationals, the World University Games in Finland, and her second AAU Nationals Gold in 2007. The latter was the victory party she was celebrating when her life and career took a fateful turn. She met her man.

Marriage for Nonito and Rachel has been pure heaven so far. The five months have been a blissful love match. But knowing their lives are consumed by regular competition, and as fighters, control is very necessary, one wonders if they are actually on a collision course. Nonito negates that theory, “Well, actually we complement each other. She is feisty, and I’m quite calm. She brings fairness to the table, me, patience. And we both have so many things to give each other. Loyalty is something I like about her and I give her my honesty.”

There is some concern that such ideal circumstance propagates a lackadaisical attitude toward his preparation for championship fights. Nonito argues, “She has actually helped me train harder, and make me focus better on my gymwork. She arranges my schedules, takes calls for me and makes appointments and stuff like that. She understands what I do, she helps me out in a lot of things. In my training, well, she tries to join my running, and she understands nutrition which is very crucial to my making weight for my fights, so she is very helpful in my preparations.” Their partnership has so far produced one championship victory, his knockout of number one challenger Morouti Mathalane to successfully defend his world title last November.

These two champions are also conscious of the responsibilities of their celebrity. They have taken up a laudable cause and are passionate in their support of Bantay Bata, a child welfare program that rescues and rehabilitates sick and abused children. “I’ve always loved working with kids, I enjoy teaching them. It’s my way of giving back, I didn’t have much growing up; now I’m in a position to give back, I want to provide that positive influence in their lives.” In his last fight at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nonito actively promoted the sale of Bantay Bata t-shirts.

At this point in their partnership, Rachel’s blackbelt is hanging in her closet because she has chosen to focus on managing Nonito’s schedules and business, as well as participate in his training. In her MySpace page, she declares “I am a fighter and a lover and there’s only been one that could tame me.”

The articulate Nonito is as comfortable analyzing and describing a fight as [he is] expressing his thoughts and life principles. He was a boxing analyst during the Mexico vs. Philippines World Cup held in Sacramento, California, where Team Philippines won.

For the long term, he says, “My goal is to keep on going, and be part of the glory and the history. I want to give my all and achieve as much as I can. I’ll always do my best in every fight to represent the Philippines and show to the world we are really great fighters with great personalities and talents.”


Nonito Donaire - Career Highlights
Fight Record: 20 wins, 1 Loss, 13 KOs

1998 - National Silver Gloves Champion
1999 - National Jr. Olympics Champion
1999 - International Jr. Olympics Champion
2000 - National U.S.A. Tournament Champion
2000 - Finalist, U.S. Olympic Trials
2002 - WBO Asia Pacific Flyweight Champion (defeating Kaichon Sor Vorapin of Thailand, by KO in round 2)
2006 - NABF Super Flyweight Champion (defeating Kahren Harutyunyan of USA by unanimous decision in round 12)
2006 - Defended NABF Super Flyweight Championship (defeating Oscar Andrade of Mexico by unanimous decision in round 12)
2007 - World IBF and IBO Flyweight Champion (defeating Vic Darchinyan of Australia by KO in round 5)
2007- Winner of Ring Magazine’s “Knockout of the Year” and “Upset of the Year” Awards
2007 - Defended World IBF Flyweight Championship (defeating Luis Maldonado of Mexico by TKO in round
2007 - Athlete of the Year, Philippine Sports Awards
2008 - Defended World IBF Flyweight Championship (defeating Moruti Mathalane of South Africa by TKO in round 6)

RACHEL MARCIAL - Career Highlights
1994 Junior Olympics: GOLD
1995 Junior Olympics: GOLD
1997 Junior Olympics: SILVER
1998 U.S. Open: SILVER
1998 Junior Olympics: BRONZE
1998 Pan American Open: SILVER
1999 U.S. Open: SILVER
1999 Olympic Weight Division Tournament: GOLD
1999 U.S. Collegiate Nationals: BRONZE
1999 Milo Philippine Nationals: GOLD
1999 U.S. National Championships: BRONZE
2000 U.S. National Championships: SILVER
2000 Junior Olympics: GOLD
2001 Korea Open: SILVER
2001 AAU National Championships: GOLD
2001 AAU National Team Trials: GOLD
2001 Puerto Rico Open: BRONZE
2001 U.S. Collegiate Nationals: BRONZE
2001 U.S. Collegiate Team Trials: GOLD
2002 U.S. Open: BRONZE
2002 U.S. Air Force Team Selection: GOLD
2002 U.S. Armed Forces Team Selection: GOLD
2002 U.S. Collegiate Nationals: GOLD
2002 CISM World Military Games: SILVER
2002 AAU National Team Trials: GOLD
2002 U.S. Collegiate Team Trials: GOLD
2002 U.S. National Team Trials: BRONZE
2002 Samsung Best of the Philippines: GOLD
2003 U.S. Collegiate Team Trials: GOLD
2003 Aruba Open: SILVER
2006 Korea Open: BRONZE
2006 Philippine National Team Selection: GOLD
2006 Samsung Best of the Philippines: SILVER
2007 AAU Team Member (Fin)
2007 World University Games Trials (Fin): 1st
2007 U.S. Open: BRONZE
2007 U.S. Collegiate Nationals: GOLD
2007 AAU National Championships: GOLD
2008 Collegiate World Trials (Fin): 2nd
2008 U.S. Collegiate Nationals (Fin): SILVER

I. Wilfredo Ver is the Oakland Raiders’ Tagalog translator on its web site.

i beg to disagree that men or husbands who help their wives to do house chores are "under de saya." trueness and manliness is measured neither by pwoer nor the authority a man has over his wife but it's how responsible he is and how he respect his wife as a human being. it's worthy for responsible gay to be called a true man than a a full blooded but irresponsible man.

Culture of chance, enchantment, Ash Wed.


By Fr. Sid T. Marinay
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:47:00 02/25/2009

Filed Under: Casinos & Gambling, Churches (organisations), Religion & Belief


MANILA, Philippinesâ€"Four years ago, my cousin’s wife, Marie (not her real name), lost all the dollars and euros her husband earned when he worked as a seaman abroad for two years to the notorious Budol-budol Gang.

Marie gave in without the slightest resistance to the gang members. She said they had “hypnotized” her into parting with her valuables. When she came to, the men had gone and the “fortune” promised her turned out to be useless sheets of paper stashed inside a big bag.

A man had engaged her in small talk as soon as she alighted from a bus on Ortigas Avenue in Mandaluyong City, recalled Marie.

She does not remember what they talked about, but soon enough found herself joining a group inside a van and drinking a glass of water offered to her.

She had no idea how the gang ended up in her house in Bulacan where they took all the hard-earned money her husband had intended to pay for their dream house and for their children’s tuition.

Marie had voluntarily surrendered her husband’s savings, jewelry and cellular phones to the gang in exchange for “a big sum of money” stuffed in a black bag.

The realization that she was swindled, was, to say the least, a terrible realization for Marie who had fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the world. She took a chance on an instant get-rich scheme and, predictably, lost.

Value of hard work

The pervading culture of chance in our society, which, at its very core is fatalistic, makes many people vulnerable to swindling, manipulation and addicted to gambling their lives away. It is associated with wishful thinking and acquiring wealth without having to work hard.

The newspapers and television newscasts are full of stories of an increase in the sale of lotto tickets and a rise in the number of people who lose their jobs every day. There could be a correlation.

Gambling has greatly diminished the value of hard work and industry. To surmount this cultural malaise requires the collaboration, not the separation, of Church and State. Right now, while the Church has launched an antigambling campaign, the State masks it with legalese.

In Pampanga province, for example, the government is into small-town lottery (STL), which appears to be the legal version of “jueteng.”

Shielding gambling

For it to be able to serve the common good, the State must not take advantage of the people’s vulnerability. Providing a shield or “protection” to gambling for more government revenues by legal means, enhances the culture of chance, and is tantamount to building a nation on shaky ground. That nation crumbles like a cookie and turns into ashes in the face of a storm.

A nation with a vision knows exactly where to go and how to get there. A nation that is fatalistic does not have a clear direction and knows not where it is going.

Education

In a society where so many people are fatalistic, the State, in secular terms, can serve its constituents better by promoting cultural values through education.

On the other hand, the Church, in religious terms, can serve its flock by promoting values found in the Gospels. By joining forces, education and evangelization can cleanse our society of its primitive elements.

Pre-modern or primitive society is characterized by a deep fondness for games of chance, luck, and enchantment, or a fascination for what is hidden and magical. Enchantment perpetuates the dichotomy between the sacred and the profane rooted in an ignorance of nature’s secrets.

In a pre-modern society, destiny is looked upon as the handiwork of unknown and unfathomed forces in nature. This comes from not knowing the Christian faith in general, and the lack of knowledge in the social sciences, in particular. The unappealing combination oftentimes results in allowing superstition to thrive.

One of the perennial problems of Philippine society that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines addressed in past pastoral letters is the inequitable distribution of wealth. The presumption, however, is that equitable distribution of wealth would result in the eradication of illiteracy, on whose fertile grounds thrives the culture of chance, luck and enchantment.

Blessed, not lucky

The equitable distribution of wealth requires empowerment through education. For if uneducated people hooked on the culture of chance were to be entrusted with wealth, it is quite probable that they will just squander it away.

While our neighbors in Southeast Asia have entered the modern and even post-modern era, ours still remains in the primitive stage. While they talk about disenchantment, ours is, for the most part, still enchanted. Many remain in the dark thinking of success in terms of meeting Lady Luck, which is why gambling is a very attractive form of entertainment.

Luck and chance are not biblical categories. In the Bible, the term is “blessed,” not “lucky.”

This leads me to the conclusion that Christian values have not yet sunk deeply into our culture. Indeed, the observation of a missionary priest is quite accurate. He said the Philippines is sacramentalized, but not evangelized.

As we celebrate Ash Wednesday today, many Catholics fill our churches. I wonder what goes on in their heads when the priest, ashes in hand, makes the sign of the cross on their foreheads.

Enchanted world

Ash Wednesday is a time for repentance, symbolized by the ashes. It is a time for conversion, a change of heart, or in secular terms, a transformation. To be able to face the challenges of a constantly changing world, we must be able to undergo an unending series of changes.

The essence of Ash Wednesday must be clearly understood by Catholics, or else it will just perpetuate a ritual of enchantment in this enchanted world of fatalistic people.

Understanding is symbolized by the light, that is also interpreted to mean life, goodness, truth, forgiveness, love, happiness, truth, vision and beauty.

In the Old Testament, God created light first. Jesus, the son of God, is depicted as the true light in the New Testament.

Church and State

The State must continue to educate to be able to cleanse our society of its primitive elements characterized by the culture of chance. The Church must evangelize to be able to transform enchantment, in the mind of Filipino Catholics, into the paschal mysteryâ€"the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

The Church, in its mission of evangelization, must help eradicate the dichotomy between the sacred and the profane.

For, according to Jesus, we must worship not just in Jerusalem but in spirit and truth.

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Marinay is the parish priest of St. Maria Goretti church on UN Avenue in Manila. A former Vicar Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Manila, he is also the author of “The Happy Life of Sin,” a biography of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin.)

In my opinion, I dont see providing the means for the family that a husband can be excempted from doing house hold chores. In fact a husband, having a fulltime housewife should help more in household chores esp. if the family couldn't afford a helper because housewife is a 24/7 profession, unlike us husbands who have a fixed working hours. If husbands have a day or 2 of dayoffs, perhaps, relieving our wives or helping them will not be much of a problem even for a working husbands.
Again, as I have said make use of this time as perfect bonding times with our wives, trust me on this. Been there, done that, that's why my wife loves me so much. Imagine, my wife telling me na mas handsome pa daw ako kaysa kay Piolo Pascual? It really works, promise

Quote from: lindy on February 24, 2009, 06:21:07 PM
You don't have to ask. just do it.

diba mas ok  na while the husband is asking his wife how could he be of help eh nakayapos sa babae habang naghuhugas ng pingan, sabay bulong ng ganito, "pagkatapos niyan dear, ikaw naman ang huhugasan ko" hehehe

kidding aside, husbands helping wives doing house chores by asking first could serve many purpose; to help in house chores and make use of that moment as an intimate bonding moments. while husband is helping in the house chores, why not turn it as perfect bonding moment? maganda yung may pasakalye muna siempre para di naman masyadong mechanical. do you want your husband to immediately jump with you on the bed without any foreplay? i simply doubt it.

this thread reminds of a movie "CHOPSUEY", starring Piolo Pascual though I forgot the name of that young actress who played the role of a martyr wife of a Fil-Chi mama's boy.

Disagreement â€" Learn to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable

Disagreement is innate in every marriage and thus far; a common cause of dysfunctional marriage. Though marital disagreements at times are an essential part of a healthy relationship, however couples should make a consented effort to keep the “rules of engagement” in effect, lest lose the marriage. Whenever argument arises, always remember this thing: Learn to disagree without being disagreeable.

Agree To Disagree

All married couples disagree at one time or another. Remember this rule for fighting fair: Feelings are neither right nor wrong, they merely are. (Marriage Encounter Principle) Accept your spouse’s feelings even if you don’t share them. Arguing about who’s right usually leads to resentment. "You may be right" is a handy phrase in which the speaker doesn't admit to being wrong, but allows that your spouse has a valid position. Sometimes that's enough to break a deadlock.

Good Argument Is Like Dancing

In an argument, we lead and follow. It’s like a dance in which we have to be sensitive to the signals of the other and balance our own needs with those of our spouse. Are you more of a leader or a follower? A good argument can be a labor of love. Have something sensitive or difficult to talk about with your spouse? Try holding hands and maintaining direct eye contact when you are having a discussion about a disagreement.

Trading “Places”

When you and your spouse disagree about something, try changing places -- figuratively. Take your spouse’s position to see how it feels from another point of view. You don't have to agree, but it helps your spouse to know you understand. It may reduce repeating and shouting. Share your own feelings without bitterness. It takes attentiveness to notice when your spouse is hurting. What looks like anger might be fear or hurt.

The Magic Words

“I guess you were right.” Although marriage is not a competition, still this phrase is one of the sweetest things a spouse can say. It may come after a disagreement in which both partners were sure they were right. It doesn’t fix the mistake but it’s so much better than “I told you so!” Is there something your spouse was “right” about recently?

Lastly, don't argue with anyone today -- even if you're right. And if someone has to win an argument, let it be your spouse. Even if you disagree, don't make your spouse wrong. You don't have to win every argument, lest you lose the marriage.

The Magic Words that husbands can tell their wives: "What can I do to help?"

Marriage used to bait, traffic women


By Delmar Cariño
Northern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 23:18:00 02/20/2009

Filed Under: Regional authorities, Women, Crime


LA TRINIDAD, Benguet â€" The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has warned Filipino women to be extra careful in accepting marriage proposals from foreigners to avoid becoming victims of human trafficking.

Cherry Joy Veniles, senior emigrant services officer of the CFO’s Migrant Integration and Education Office, said the same word of caution holds true for Filipinos who applied for overseas work as complaints for breach of job contracts had increased over the years.

Veniles said based on cases that the CFO had investigated, six out of 10 marriages between Filipinos and foreigners “often turned out very bad with the Filipina wife later turning out to be missing or (being) sold as a commodity.”

Contract violations

In the case of overseas workers, Veniles said violations of the terms of employment contract remained the main concern.

Veniles spoke at the Benguet State University here on Tuesday and urged relatives of overseas workers and those married abroad to coordinate with the CFO concerning problems relayed to them by their relatives who are working abroad as OFWs.

She said the CFO chose to visit Benguet since most immigrants from the Cordillera who went abroad came from Benguet and Mt. Province.

The CFO has identified the Cordillera as the fifth among the top 10 provinces in the country where the most number of OFWs and immigrants originated.

Nikkeijins

Benguet, like Davao, was also identified as the province where most “Nikkeijins” who go to work in Japan come from. “Nikkeijins” are Filipino descendants of Japanese nationals.

Veniles said not all overseas Filipinos are considered OFWs, which meant their problems are not all job related, to be handled by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

There are Filipino immigrants who hold permanent resident visas whose problems could be worse than the ordinary OFWs, she said.

CFO records showed that 8.72 million Filipinos were abroad as of 2007. Of this number, 3.69 million held permanent resident visas, 4.13 million were OFWs while less than a million were considered irregulars, also known as TNTs (Tago nang Tago or undocumented Filipinos hiding from immigration authorities).

Holders of permanent visas often find themselves helpless since their stay in a foreign land is not guaranteed by job contracts but by their marriage to foreigners, Veniles said.

12 convictions

The prosecution, however, of human traffickers still leaves much to be desired, said Eumardo Tolosa, a member of CFO’s Task Force on Human Trafficking.

He said since the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (Republic Act No. 9208) was enacted in 2003, only 12 people have so far been convicted

Quote from: Angie Gulle on February 16, 2009, 11:29:00 PM
she said, "where's the party?" and you reply....

" I wanna free my soul." But you hate that song of Madonna that's why...

Quote from: Angie Gulle on February 16, 2009, 07:31:44 AM
you decide to just keep on dancing, dancing and dancing....but....

..there's no music that's why you decided to...

Quote from: Angie Gulle on February 15, 2009, 08:34:56 AM
she will call you to come back, tell her "mag antus ka dli ka tilaw nako!"...then....

...you will give in to her pleadings because you can't...

Quote from: -<GEC348>- on February 14, 2009, 06:20:29 PM

Yeah, ask your partner: "Magbaid ta's gabas?" or "Baida akong gabas" or "Magpabaid ka's imong gabas?" 

waahhhhh, wa ako kasabot, help manay tess, (pa-translate)hehehe


Steven Covey is brilliant!

ZZzzzz  ZZzzz

Quote from: A Layman on February 12, 2009, 05:29:21 PM
'Long and lasting Kiss' from a Filipino lovers, to be featured on Valentines Day, February 14 at SM Mall of Asia. Motan aw jod ko ini para makakita ug mga pares nga nag hawkanay.

Manong layman, paano kaya kung magkapalit ng mga partner kasi naka pikit eh

Quote from: Angie Gulle on February 13, 2009, 12:40:55 PM
if it's okay not to ask permission, then go..nevertheless....

...see to it that your partner is in the mood, or else...

I have a Tagalog Poem,

Ang CONDOM...bow

Ang CONDOM ay lubhang mabisa,
Sapagkat lahat ng taga Tubag-Bohol ay sadyang nakikiisa;
Sa pag-participate sa thread na ito
Ang lahat ay di magkanda-tuto

Ang CONDOM...bow

Quote from: hofelina on February 13, 2009, 05:39:40 AM
Jama-jama jud mo, basta ang thread adunay sexual overtones, sadya ang discussions.
Gener gusto ko yong condom na may pulp bits, please.., Manay

Royal True Orange Condoms? hehhee

Yehey, adopted Bohalanon na ako, 

O, usapang CONDOM uli tayo. Alam ninyo ba na maraming varieties and Pinoy Condoms, heto, read on:

1. Smart Condoms: Wala nang long distance charges!
2. Cali Condoms: Tastes 10, feels 10!
3. Royal True Orange Condoms: May tunay na pulp bits.
4. Magnolia Condoms: Pinipili ng mapipiling ina
5. Johnson's Baby Condoms: No more tears!
6. Super Dry Condoms: What's on your mind? (No way if it's super dry)
7. White Castle Condoms: Okay lang ang tama, walang hang-over. Sakto ang White Castle (condoms).
8. 7-11, Chowking & Whistle Stop: Open 24 hours (can you beat that?)
9. PAL Condoms: "We apologize for your delay..." (ngek !)
10. PLDT Condoms: Touching lives.
11. Tropical Hut Condoms: Solved ka sa sarap!
12. Lancer GSR Condoms: Pure driving pleasure.
13. Gard Condoms: Wala ng dandruffs!
14. Smart Condoms: "Sa bahay, pinag-Smart (condoms) ko na rin sila. Mas madaling maka-contact."
15. Axe Condoms: ...because first impressions last...
16. Standard Electric Condoms: Free lifetime service. (laban ka?)
17. Makati Condoms: Mahalin natin... Atin 'to. (talaga!)
18. Green Cross Condoms: Di lang pampamilya, pang sports pa.
19. Neozep Condoms: Works fast... real fast!
20. Biogesic Condoms: Safe, even for pregnant women.
21. Terramycin, Nizoral & Robitusin Condoms: If symptoms persist, consult your Doctor!
22. Visine Condoms: Keeps the red out in 60 seconds!
23. Ivory Condoms: Ultra mild.
24. Safeguard Condoms: "Ako ang iyong konsyensya."
25. Palmolive Condoms: Natural na hiyang sa'yo.
26. Ivory Condoms: "Ang gaan-gaan ng feeling. Ang gaan-gaan ng loob ko sa'yo."
27. Dunkin Condoms: Sounds good, tastes even better!
28. RPN 9 Condoms: Leading the way.
29. ABC 5 Condoms: Reaching out to you.
30. GMA 7 Condoms: Where you belong.
31. Smart Condoms: "Ralph, kailan ka uuwi? See you later..."
32. Nescafe Condoms: A classic taste the world enjoys.
33. Boysen Condoms: You cover more surfaces with less coat.
34. Zonrox Condoms: Oks na oks sa konting Zonrox.
35. Purefoods Condom: "Coffee na lang, dear."
36. Condura Condoms: New quiet series with unique anti-rust design!(wow)
37. Winston Condoms: Give me the feeling, give me the taste.
38. Rexona Condoms: It won't let you down. (sure)
39. Coke Condoms: Aloc Acoc... Rapsa!
40. Pepsi Condoms: Singkooooo, Singko na

Quote from: hofelina on February 12, 2009, 05:34:10 PM
Balinsungay, yong hindi tuwid, parang sungay, Gener.  Ang mga Bol-anon ang mga ari  ay balinsungay as a sentence for example, he he he he.

hahhaa, parang may sima pala , murag panguli ng pusit, hehhe

Quote from: apothecary on February 12, 2009, 10:33:03 AM
Magpa order ta Bay Calle, kanang Condom nga with matching Balinsungay. LOL

Pardon my ignorance, "Ano po ang ibig sabihin ng "Balinsungay?"

Quote from: Angie Gulle on February 12, 2009, 07:58:50 AM
still you can't sleep...

wake up your partner to spend the night with you but...

hahaha, hindi nila alam ng mga hubog kaya nga "My Way" e, kanya-kanyang version ng My Way

Quote from: glacier_71 on February 11, 2009, 10:32:44 PM
what? how come?

ITs true and normally, killing incident happens in some local videoke house. kapag may kumanta ng "My Way" lalo na pag mga hubog na bitaw, pupintasan ang naunang kumanta at siya naman ang kakanta, kadalasan nauuwi sa saksakan at away

Quote from: glacier_71 on February 10, 2009, 08:59:34 PM
not many have died because of death penalty
many have lost their lives in pursuit of criminals instead

People who lost their lives while discharging responsibilities died in pursuit of upholding what is right. They died fighting for noble cause. However, killing another who we believed is the cause will not bring back the lives that are lost.

Paule confined in hospitalâ€"lawyer

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090211-188618/Paule-confined-in-hospitallawyer

Why is it that hospital has always been the famous sanctuary of those personalities allegedly involved in government irregularities when the circumstance requires them to be investigated? Take for example the case of former Agriculture Secretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante, then his alleged “fixer,” Jaime Paule (Fertilizer Scam) and just recently, the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo (WB mess).

While I don’t intend to discredit one’s right for a medical treatment however, the timing and circumstances remain a question that lingers in the mind of the Filipino people who deserved to know the truth and nothing but the truth.

Is it because heaven is demanding them to pay for their sin against the Filipino people or is it because doctors are the next easiest source (second to court) of TRO (Temporary Restraining Order)?

that's a good idea. well, basta wala lang kakanta ng  "My Way", dami na kasing namatay dahil sa kanta na yan e

Quote from: glacier_71 on February 10, 2009, 09:04:18 PM
you have ED...

Sometimes doing it alone can give a bit satisfaction and will induced you to sleep but.....

Quote from: Angie Gulle on February 10, 2009, 02:04:39 PM
Ako???  Bird, I believe I can fly.

And I believed I can touch the sky...

Quote from: Gener on February 11, 2009, 01:36:26 PM
To the tune of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"

...You've never closed your eyes anymore when I kissed your lips.
There is no tenderness, like before in your finger tips.
You're trying hard not show it, baby;
But baby, baby I know it...

To the tune of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"

...You've never close your eyes anymore when I kissed your lips.
There is no tenderness, like before in your finger tips.
You're trying hard not show it, baby;
But baby, baby I know it...

The exhortation of the Church for the fullness of life respects what the Church believes to be the plan of God for man. The fullness and sanctity of life is not for us to decide who will live and who will not. While every human is empowered to make decisions, but such decision doesn't include the right to judge whose sinner and who is saint; for He alone has the sole authority to do so.

The gift of life is the manifestation of God's love and abundance of heaven. It is, then, a primordial obligation of everyone to pave way for the emanticipation of life, including that of the unborn inside a mother's womb. It is sometimes one's quietness to shed light or be the sources of light that enables darkness to shadow the sanctity of life.


* * *

Confucius: "Cowardice is seeing what is right, and failing to do it."

Quote from: Angie Gulle on February 10, 2009, 02:00:41 PM
What???

...if you're alone; unless...

SEX is scientifically proven way of inducing sleep for this relax your muscles and release tensions. The problem is .....

Kung ako ay magiging HAYOP o ANI-MAL, gusto ko maging SENADOR gaya nila Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla at iba pa na parating wala pag session (ang katwiran panay lang daw kasi inglesan ng inglesan) pero nasa Top 3 na senador na may pinaka-malaking admin and travel expenses

Quote from: glacier_71 on February 09, 2009, 10:07:15 PM
i left my heart in San Francisco...dudududu

hahaha, paramg pamilyar sa akin ang lyrics, wait, nasaan na ba ang microphone at makapag sing-a-long na, hehehe

Quote from: glacier_71 on February 09, 2009, 10:11:02 PM
sa lips pa rin, gen. hehehe

oo nga e, pero siguro kailangang kapain muna baka ang mahalikan ng isa ay yung ilong ng partner nia, hahaha

True friends are those persons that will tell you what you want and dont want to hear but is true.

hahaha, e paano kung ang lalake ang taga durex? hehehehe siguro dapat before the actual simulation, may contract of agreement muna para merong parental support from durex

in as much as i dont want to make use of the bible as the source of my answer, but since history and a passage reckoned from the bible has been used, i will invoke a phrase taken from the bible asked by no less than Jesus himself: "He who does not sin casts the first stone?"

Quote from: hofelina on February 09, 2009, 03:54:14 PM
Wag mong sisipin yun! We have to live from day to day, ma igi na nga at may internet, may kontakt anytime, diba? wala nga lang himas.

hahahha

These are more effective than 911

When;

You are sad, phone John 14

You have sinned, phone Psalm 51

You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91

People have failed you, phone Psalm 27

It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139

Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11

You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23

You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34

You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13

You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18

You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39

You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30

It feels as if the world is b igger than God, phone Psalm 90

You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30

You are leaving home for a trip , phone Psalm 121

You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87

You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1

Inflation's and investments are hogging your thoughts, phone Mark 10:17-31

You are depressive, phone Psalm 27

Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37

You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13

It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15

You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126

You feel the world is small comp ared to you, phone Psalm 19

You want to carry fruit, phone John 15

Paul's secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17

With big opportunity/ discovery, phone Isaiah 55

To get along with other people, phone Romans 12

ALTERNATE NUMBERS

For dealing with fear, call Psalm 47

For security, call Psalm 121:3

For assurance, call Mark 8:35

For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18

ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY  -   

Just click on them and your hurt, your need and your doubt will be answered.

NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.

ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.

FEED YOUR FAITH, AND DOUBT WILL STARVE TO DEATH

pag bulag kaya paano mag-kiss?

Be Honest - Even When Others Are Not

The article I read from on-line news prompted me to write this blog. It’s all about how someone’s act of dishonesty causes other’s misery.

A father working in Australia sent a package for his daughter in Cebu as a gift for her graduation. The package contained, among other things, a digital camera. When his family received the box that held the package, they found that it had been forcibly opened, the sealing tape destroyed and everything it contained was gone.

What made me to write this articleâ€"was the fact that nothing will surely happen to this incident nor this story did not seem to be getting anywhere with the concern authority. It seems nobody is unduly concerned about the man’s problem.

Who’s at Fault?

Those of us who have had an unhappy and unfortunate experience like this manâ€"I am sure there are many â€"will probably exclaim, “Why in heaven’s name, if the package contained something valuable, did he send it by post?”

This is not the first time people have lost stuff sent by post. Even ordinary mail that comes from abroad often arrives mangled and torn, resealed with scotch tape and with the notation “Received in this condition” or something like that.

But was it really the man’s fault or is it that people nowadays doesn’t have regards about honesty? After all, isn’t that sending mails and packages to its intended recipients is the job of these postal employees? Not to mangle and tear almost every envelope and packages from abroad and cannibalized its content before reaching its rightful owner?

A Test of My Faith and Work

Two weeks ago, my fellow OFW office mate encountered a minor vehicular accident while going back to our camp. I was immediately called upon to assess the situation. The driver of the other vehicle; a Pakistani, upon learning that I was about to call a Police for the necessary report begged me not to. It turns out that he doesn’t have a driver’s license and was driving recklessly; a serious traffic violation here in the Kingdom with a penalty of imprisonment plus 20-body lashes, confiscation of the vehicle plus fine. After some negotiation, I gave in to his pleadings and decided not to report the incident to the Police as long as he will shoulder the cost of the damage to our company vehicle.

The True Measure of a Man

We went to the motor shop to have the damage asses by a tinsmith. After a while, the Pakistani handed to me the money as per assessment by the tinsmith. The Pakistani driver thanked me for the favor I did to him and we parted ways. Then my colleagues chided me not to hand over the full amount to the company’s in-charge of vehicle maintenance and insurance. I was told not to give the full amount but half, since it will just be corrupted anyway by the person. My quick hesitation and persuasion offer no defense to their plan. Indeed, they were serious about it and just to avoid further arguments, I transferred to them the responsibility and conscience over the money. Then and there, I drew the line between friendship and doing what is ought to be right.

“The true measure of a man is what he ought to do when nobody is looking.”

From this quote, one can easily tell a hypocrite from a man who value his honor. The one who value his personal integrity cannot be dissuaded from doing what is truly right. And if you are having “I will do it first before others can do it” kind of thinking, what difference does it make from others we condemned for wrong doings? The end does not justify the means.

oo nga eh, next  month na and im too excited of it. i hope i will not feel despair when my vacation time is over, that's the hardest part kasi.

"Absence makes the heart grows ponder"

Some guys feel the need to love a thousand different women, but a real man knows how to love one woman ... a thousand different ways

3 simple ways to make love grow

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:46:00 02/08/2009

Close this KEEPING a relationship could use a rule of corporate management: manage expectations. Don’t promise the moon so you don’t disappointâ€"yourself or your partner. That’s most unromantic, but then a relationship or marriage, while it begins with romance (ideally, that is), must go beyond romance. In many cases, marriage is what you still haveâ€"even after romance.

Once you realize that, you know you have reached the age of reason.

Keeping a relationship or marriage is like corporate managementâ€"againâ€"in that you have target performance vis-a-vis actual performance. In many instances again, the actual is way below the target. You realize that the morning after.

But unlike corporate management, a relationship or marriage has no finish line. You can’t start anew with zero budget. You just have to keep plodding on, without counting your returns.

Here we asked some couples to simplify for us into three ways how they keep their relationship or marriage. Why simplify?

Because if you think about it, the beauty of a relationship is its sheer simplicity. No complex load. We also made sure the men answered separately from the women. Why? Because men are from Mars and women from Venus. (The men also go tongue-in-cheek. No emotional striptease for themâ€"another thing you discover about the species.)

Come to think of it, after you’ve gone through the inequities and virtues of being in a relationship, what you truly want at the end of day is someone you can dump your day’s cares and woes on, and someone who can turn these tears into laughter. Day after day.

The feisty and feared lawyer Lorna Kapunan, after her husband’s death years ago, had one realization as she continued to pine for him: “Death only ends life, not a relationship.” How true.

Taguig Mayor Freddie and Kaye Tiñga

Kaye:

He is my biggest fan, in his eyes I can do so many things I didn’t think I was capable of, but with his support I actually can.

He is the world’s coolest dad. I love it when he spends time playing video games, watching sci-fi movies into the wee hours with the kids.

He goes with me to all these places he hates like the shopping mall, New York City, girly events, because it makes him happy to see me happy.

Freddie:

She keeps me standing tall. She helps me through it all. I’m always strong when she’s beside me.

She doesn’t give just clever conversation. She never makes me work that hard. She is someone I can just talk to.

She will listen to me when I want to speak about the world we live in and life in general. Though my views may be wrong, they may even be perverted, she’ll hear me out and won’t easily be converted to my way of thinking. In fact she’ll often disagree but in the end, she will understand me.

Julius and Shelly Mojica

Julius:

I make sure she’s No. 1 priority, always.

I don’t forget any special occasion, and take her out on a special date every time.

I’m her number one critic and fan.

Shelly:

I don’t keep any secrets from him, except for shopping once in a while, and we make sure we have this bonding moment before we sleep, even just chatting.

I respect his decisions, views, interests and make him have the last say, or make him believe at least that’s the case.

He’s my No. 1 priority, no matter what it costs me.

Pete and Margo Felix

Pete:

I say ok when she wants something.

I say “you’re right” when we go into potentially heated discussion.

I do not forget to do Nos. 1 and 2 at all times.

Margot:

Encourage his dreams, support his decisions, respect his needs and make sure he has a home he can’t wait to come home to.

Pj and Suyin Enriquez

Pj:

Trust

Family vacations

Kids

Suyin:

Go out on dates or go out with friends without our daughter

Have a family day, usually Sunday when we do something together with our daughter, like go to Timezone or to the mall.

Surprise each other with gifts on special occasions

Valentine for singles: A primer

By Wanggo Gallaga
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Last updated 17:43:00 02/06/2009

WEARING black on Valentine’s Day to show protest against a day meant only for those lucky in relationships, is so passé. But going to a singles bar is just a little desperate.

However, if you couldn’t hit it off with someone before Valentine’s, then the singles bar, with its communal feeling of misery, might be the best place for you. It may also be a good place for a nookie. But honestly, that would just give you problemsâ€"such as trying to remember the person’s name the next day, and having to remember why you met in the first place.

There’s nothing wrong with being single on Valentine’s Day. I say this with no bitterness. I am, after all, a pro in this, having spent 28 of my 29 years dateless on V-Day. Dateless, you can always go for the best explanationâ€"“I’m picky and choosy. I don’t settle and I just haven’t found the right person yet.”

Let’s just hope it’s true and you’re no loser. And don’t sound bitter when you say it. Say it with a little frustrationâ€"that sounds more genuine. The point is not to stress out and don’t let it get to you.

There’s a whole lot of fun to be had on the day meant for couples as long as you remember that when two become one, the more the “many-er!”

There are 365 days in a year. So you missed out on one that had all the best promos for eating for two, but who cares, really? Once you find that person, it will be magic, but while you haven’t, it’s best to avoid the horrors of Valentine’s: all the good restaurants are fully booked; movie theaters running romantic flicks are filled with lovers; flowers and chocolates are very expensiveâ€"and traffic is horrible. Finding parking is even more horrible.

So gather all your single friends and take advantage of the wretched Saturday by turning Valentine’s Day into the best “gimik night” your friends ever had. Because if marriage is an institution, then being single means being part of a fraternity.

Valentine singles party ideas

Hole up at home. Since V-Day starts on Saturday, make it a long weekend in someone’s house. Get there Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon when the carnage of Manila traffic is over. Do movie marathons or play Rock Band. Just stay out of the way of pesky couples and their demented idea of rubbing it into your face that you’ve no date. Best choice for a movie marathonâ€"a horror/slasher film. Stay away from romantic comedies!

Go out of town. Leave Friday night and come back on Sunday. February is usually cold so it’s best to put up a bonfire on the beach. The pictures are going to be so gorgeous their going to make your couples-friends green with envy. Too bad they were never invited.

Do karaoke. Take the barkada to your friendly neighborhood karaoke place. Sing mushy love songs or your favorite break-up ballads. Make that your way of pointing the dirty finger to all the two-less-lonely-people-in-the-world.


     

Cafe with no cashier, no bill for real


By Fe Zamora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:43:00 02/08/2009

Filed Under: Good news, Retail, Beverages


IVANA, Batanesâ€"In this coffee shop, there is no barista to make Frappuccinos, accept payment or give change.

There is, however, something refreshingly unique about Honesty Coffee Shop where everything is bought and sold on the basis of, well, honesty.

On the wall is a price list of items for saleâ€"including coffeeâ€"and beside it a box and a sign, “Please pay here.”

For something to warm up the body, there’s hot water in a thermos bottle and beside it packets of coffee and some biscuits. For cold refreshments, there’s a refrigerator with bottled drinks. There are also T-shirts and souvenir items.

People help themselves to whatever they need and leave money in the box. Honest.

That’s business as usual at the Honesty Coffee Shop.

God is always watching

Not even the report of an alleged break-in at the café last December could convince its owner, Elena Gabilo, to put locks on the door or hire someone to watch the coffee shop.

“No need,” Gabilo, a 73-year-old retired schoolteacher, says in an interview. “Locked doors are not part of our tradition. If they don’t pay, it’s not done purposely. God is always watching.”

In an affidavit, Gabilo reported that on Dec. 18, some men entered her house and took 15 bottles of gin and left-over fried fish on her dining table. The bottles of gin were kept in boxes in the dining room.

The retired schoolteacher’s house is adjacent to the Honesty Coffee Shop.

Gabilo and her husband had just stepped out for “Misa de Gallo” when the intruders came. “There were no signs of forced entry because our doors were not locked,” she says.

Gin and fish

She did not report the incident to the police but asked them to “patrol the vicinity” of her house.

“I think the intruders only wanted gin, because the [town’s] supply was low,” Gabilo says. “And maybe fried fish for their pulutan (dish to go with liquor).”

She says gin is the preferred drink by the menfolk here, especially during the cold months. Bad weather had delayed the ship bearing supplies from Manila, thus the low supply of gin that week.

But Gabilo still had five boxes stashed in her dining room. “I think some people knew about this,” she says.

Not in the daytime

The Honesty Coffee Shop does not sell gin in the daytime.

“Gin is only available after sundown, when I’m back from the farm and I can personally sell it. I want to be sure the buyers are of legal age,” Gabilo says.

Neither does the coffee shop sell cigarettes.

A sixth class municipality with 1,300 residents, this town has six policemen to maintain the peace.

“We have zero crime rate,” says Mayor Ramon Elizondo.

Jail rarely used

In fact, the only crime committed here is “drunkenness and unruly behavior under the influence of gin,” Elizondo says.

“We detain the unruly drunk for six hours or until he’s sober. That’s the only time the jail gets used,” he adds.

Elizondo says the town’s peace and the people’s honesty are exemplified in the Honesty Coffee Shop, which Gabilo opened in 1995 when she retired as a public school teacher.

She opened the café initially to give warm drinks in the early morning to boat passengers bound for the outlying islands of Itbayat and Sabtang.

i understand your predicament for we are standing on the same shoe. But i tell you, our loved ones know how much we loved them despite our physical absence for we can touch their lives with love direct from the heart more than just our physical touch.

love doesn't always be looking at each other but both should be looking on the same direction.

Single on a Day for Two


By Monette Quiogue
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:36:00 02/08/2009

Filed Under: relationships and dating, People, Festive Events (including Carnivals), Lifestyle & Leisure


LET’S face it: Valentine’s Day is for couples. It’s when the prices of flowers are sky high, walk-ins at restaurants are turned away, chocolate sales go through the roof, traffic goes haywire and single, unattached women feel like freaks.

We could shrug off the day and say that it’s all just a commercial holiday fueled by greeting card manufacturers and ad agencies. But at the end of the day, the fact remains: we single, unattached folks feel desolate and alone on Valentine’s Day.

Well, we could wallow in self-pity, lock ourselves in our room till the day is over, drink ourselves into a stupor or bury our heads, ostrich style, ignoring this ignominious day. But what for? Unless we meet the man of our dreams posthaste, we’ll have to repeat this exercise a year from now. So instead of having a one-woman pity party, here are a few tips on how to enjoy being single on this day for two:

1. Spend the day with family.

Yes folks, before you even met your honeys, babes, and darlings, Mom and Dad were there. Go back home and show the people who’ve loved you since birth just how special they are by taking them out for a nice meal, or better yet, haul out that apron and whip up something good for dinner.

2. Gather your posse.

There’s no better time to plan a girl’s night out than tonight. Spending the day with fellow singletons will make you realize you are not alone. You can go out to dinner. And for dessert? How about a round of jokes about all the PDA’s going on around you?

3. Movie night.

If you’re the type who feels a physical twitch somewhere in the chest when you see other couples cozying up, then stay in and make it a movie night. Pick-out films that make you feel good. My personal favorites? Action movies. Give me two hours of graphic violence and senseless killings by a gorgeous leading man. There’s nothing more cathartic than that! Take it from me.

4. Work overtime.

A fine excuse to explain why you’re not out on a date, plus it makes you sound important and indispensable, and even better, it gives you a good reason to avoid the hellish traffic that usually erupts this time of year. Hey, it’s probably going to take you twice the time to get home tonight anyway, so just stay at work, get stuff done and make some extra bucks.

5. Shop, shop, shop.

Nothing puts a bigger smile on a woman’s face than retail therapy. As in, why not pick up a new pair of shoes? Instead of wallowing in your misery, why not step into a pair of high heels and find yourself above it all? And if you do feel some pain, put it down to breaking in your new pair.

6. Take a “Me” Day.

Make today all about the person you should love most: yourself. Go on a trip to your favorite place, sign up for a four-hour deluxe spa package, spend hours at the salon getting a make-over, and so on. Pamper yourself; look good, feel goodâ€"for YOURSELF!

So stop feeling sorry for yourself. Lovers need a Valentine’s Day to find time for each other in the midst of all that work and other distractions. Give it to them. As for yourself, you have the rest of the year to feel the love. Now, ain’t that grand?

there's no better place like home

Quote from: hofelina on February 06, 2009, 12:00:37 AM
If the age requirements is widened, basin adunay kondom nga mapilo?

ps
For Gener sa tagalog ng mapilo, yung matupi.

hahaha, meron bang ganun na condom? hehehe

Marriage â€" Why Fix If Ain't Broke?

We value and take good care of things we considered useful and important to us. Things like house, cars or even cellular phones and other techie gadgets are our most valuable possessions that we can’t live our life without. We regularly keep it in good conditions so that they can be of good use to us at any given time. Sometimes, failing to fix it properly or at the very least; before anything goes wrong bring us more harm than good; cost-wise and convenience.
It also goes without saying with marriage.

When our group hosted a Marriage Encounter Seminar, the hardest part of it was neither logistics nor coming up with our target participants, but it is getting couples to say “yes” to our invitation. Unavailability, time constraints and work preoccupations were some of the “polite” reasons of them in turning down our invitations. But the sad and lame reason that we got so far was this: “Why the need to attend a marriage enhancement seminar? We don’t have any problem in our marriage? None at all, so why the need?”

Most of our lifetimes were spent in making our self good; physically and mentally. We spent about half of it for our intellectual development needed to sustain our career or perhaps our dreams and ambitions.  We devote considerable time as well for our physical conditioning in order to live a life longer so as to enjoy whatever luxuries we possessed. But how much time you’ve spent (if any) maintaining your marriage?

Marriage, like any other priced possessions needs certain “maintenance” in order for it to grow. Love provides nourishment to our marriage that will enable it to grow more into becoming a matured and secured. The “quality and amount” of effort put by both partners in making their relationship work defines the readiness of their relationship to go to the next level. Marriage, like learning is a never-ending cycle of progress. One must not cease in finding new ways in making his or her partner happy. Expression of love doesn’t goes out of style. However, love just re-invents itself to adopt the ever changing ways of how one expressed it.

Without the mutual effort and concern from both partners, a marriage relationship will succumb to its normal “wear and tear” to the passing of times. Definitely, you don’t need to wait for your marriage to be broken before deciding to fix it, unless you wanted to bear the high cost of terminating it.

Quote from: A Layman on February 05, 2009, 12:59:57 PM
I know the training is all practicum! Sana they'll consider widening the range of the age requirement.

HAHAHA, Learning is best achieved in theory and practice...(Joke lang bros and sis)

Quote from: glacier_71 on February 05, 2009, 12:47:48 PM
way chance ko ani...i'm over 35, not married, no experience, with arthritis and the door is always close for training...huhuhu

HAHAHAHA, i like the training part of this job though

Quote from: Gingah on February 05, 2009, 05:14:51 AM
Candidates must be 21 to 35 years of age, married, and "experienced." Participants must also be "open to further training," have "strong knees," and "willing to work long hours."


ang qualified, hala apply na!

Gusto ko sana, kaso 20 y.o. lang ako eh, hahahha

Wanted: Condom testers

By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 17:50:00 02/04/2009

Filed Under: Unemployment, Employment


MANILA, Philippinesâ€"Are you married, have “strong knees”, and looking for a job? Try condom testing.

Durex condom is looking for 500 official condom testers in the Philippines. And all you need to do is try out Durex products for four weeks and comment online on their quality.

The first to accomplish the form and give the best answer to the question "What makes me the best Durex Condom Tester?" will win P50,000 cash, plus free products from Durex.

On it's website, Durex said applicants have to go to www.durex.com.ph and click on the portion that will lead them to durexcondomtester.com.ph where they can fill out a screener form.

“Chosen applicants will also be given a tester kit which contains a pack of each of the following Durex variants -- Love, Pleasuremax, Performa, Fetherlite, Tingle, Strawberry,” Durex said.

Tester kits will be sent to chosen applicants via courier, it said.

Candidates must be 21 to 35 years of age, married, and "experienced." Participants must also be "open to further training," have "strong knees," and "willing to work long hours."

So guys, wanna give it a try?

Quote from: hofelina on January 30, 2009, 01:22:10 AM
Help! Who knows the Bible well? I know this is a phrase said during the wedding. Tabangi si Manay

Manay Tess,
Try this:  Mark 10: 6-12

“Perfecting” an Imperfect Marriage

A Filipina married to a foreigner based in the Middle East asked me a question in a social networking forum. “Just wandering if perfect marriage does exist? I mean the one that doesn’t have any quarrel or misunderstanding?” She described her relationship as atypical of what marriage relationship that most of us probably knew.

Our definition of “perfect” marriage depends on how we look at our marriage life. Sometimes, we gauged our relationship’s performance by comparing it to such unrealistic “standards” of what perfect marriage should be.  Romance we see in movies or probably read in novels is an example of a relationship in its highest form of exaggeration. More often, such illusional relationship is a way of achieving the product’s commercial purpose -- to sell. The more you tried to compare yours to such illusionary relationship, the more you feel resentful of your marriage. 

While most of us think that a perfect marriage is the one who is a worry-free relationship, however, we could not even come up with an example of a self-confessed couple, claiming that they have a real fantastic relationship that is worth of everyone’s envy. The truth is, you can’t find any; not even one.

Marriage is similar to cooking. A dish can’t have its distinct taste without its flavorful ingredients, and so does marriage. A marriage relationship with partners having occasional misunderstandings, whether trivial or complicated; or where one partner caused hurt feelings to another is a relationship “perfected” by its imperfections. Lest we forget that these imperfections make our marriage becomes matured and immune to the same marital woes.

There is no secret in perfecting an imperfect marriage but partners, both ready to do their individual share in their relationship. An effort to reach a decision by making sure that whatever imperfections they might have will just be things of the past. You can never plan your marriage future if either one of you or both are still dwelling in the past.

Why, (Still) I'm against Death Penalty?

We all know that grass and weeds deprived protein that palay rice deserve most and for a farmer to have a bountiful harvest; he has to remove these weeds from the rice fields. Kaingin (field burning) is one way of clearing grass before the planting season, this method seems to be the fastest and easy way of clearing the fields of grass but there's bigger chance that grass will grow back. Another way of ensuring that the grass will not grow back is to ensure that grass are weeded out from its main roots, thus comes the popular problem-solving problem method employ by most learned peopleâ€"Root Cause Analysis. This is to ensure that the problem is analyzed from its root and not superficially.

Death Penalty is somewhat equivalent to KAINGIN. While the punishment seems like forceful and swift but will not guarantee a long term solution to Coup 'd etat, rape, murder, corruption and other heinous crimes and cancers of our society. You cannot threaten somebody with an empty stomach. A hungry person knows one thing and has a one-track mind; that he will die if will not do something about his hunger.

Killing all these criminals will not eradicate this cancer of our society, UNLESS we deal with the very root cause of the problem. And you know what the root cause of all these problems is? Greed. If all of us can only learn how to moderate the greed that lives within us, no amount of worse punishment can curb these social cancer that enslave people not only in the Philippines but the world in its entirety. Now probably, you will be asking, “Then, how you will solve crimes if you are not in favor of Death penalty?"

In order for the Justice System to work in any country (not only in the Philippines), one should understand the 4 Pillars of Justice System.

1. Enforcement of laws
No sacred cow and no one is above the law. Enforcers such as PDEA Major Marcelino are a living example of how enforcers will enforce the rule of law

2. Prosecution of the offenders
Incorruptible prosecutors, zero tolerance to bribery. Prosecutors should be selected by an independent body such as JBC (Judicial Bar Council) and not presidential appointees

3. Judicial System
Did I say "NO TO BRIBERY?" People in the likes of Justice Hilario Divide, Jr. There are still people with integrity like him just waiting for the right moment.

4. Correction System
A penitentiary system that aims for complete rehabilitation of law offenders. No rich cow and no biased while in jail, NO VIP TREATMENT like what they extended to Claudio Tehankee, Rolito Go, Romeo Jalosjos, Ex-mayor Sanchez and the list goes on and on....and on.....and on

We don’t need DEATH PENALTY to deter crimes and we don’t need MORE LAWS for we have so many laws that are existing, just effective implementation of system is all we need to do. As I have said, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
   

Manay Tess,

Thank you for sharing with us information about St. John Bosco and like you, I admire St. John Bosco's principle and his putting of his belief into action, love rather than punishment. One principle I admired most about him is the concept of "Servant Leadership," that for one wanting to be a leader should serve rather than be served, the same teaching of Jesus through His disciples. How I wish that people in the government may somehow learn the principle of Servant-Leadership.

It is for this same reason why I enrolled my son in Don Bosco Makati from pre-school to HS, for I believed in the fundamentals of Don Bosco as learning institution as well. With God's grace, he's graduating now this coming March.   

"RUN, JUMP AND MAKE NOISE BUT DO NOT SIN" - Don Bosco

A moment with the Lord:

Dear Lord, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. 
Lord, keep my heart pure, and my message clear and simple. Amen.

Let your ways of life seeking the rightheous path explain yourself when you are misunderstood. That is more than enough to justify your point.

Bro Lorenzo, I must say that people are born stubborn and rebellious. We always asked for an evidence as a basis of our belief. Worse, sometimes, seeing doesn't lead into believing. People always believed in pure logic; that if one can't see, none exists. People always equate God's ways with our own ways and logic. Lest we forget that His ways are not our ways and our ways are not His.

That's why it is written; Happy are those who don't see but believed for the Kingdom of heaven will be theirs.

For Marriage to Work â€" It Only Takes a Forgiving Heart and a Responsible Partner
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Gener_Marcelo

Married partners in search of true happiness should steer clear of the idea that marriage is a bed of roses. The truth is; rose has its thorns.

I read a survey report conducted to 72 married couples in which the spouses were an average of 33 years old and had been married for about seven years. Most of the participants (66 percent) were Caucasian, followed by Asian (22 percent), Hispanic (5 percent) and African American (4 percent). The final 3 percent represented “other” nationalities. The participants were asked about marriage relationship, its conflict and common woes. While, money and housework were popular picks, surprisingly, sex and infidelity didn’t come up much as marital issue.

But why is it that extra-marital relation is one of the common causes of a dysfunctional marriage relationship that oftentimes leads to break-up? 

Cheating isn’t nice and unfortunately, it isn’t terribly uncommon. It is also the last thing that a wife or a husband wants to believe. Many believed that an ideal love relationship is a union of two equally faithful partners, and that no one must come in between them. It may be right in principle but far from reality.

“Infidelity is a marriage killer,” said one couple-friend of mine. There are so many articles written about marriage infidelity that offer tips, hints or sign on how to detect unfaithful spouse but unfortunately, none seems closer to offer “appropriate” ways of dealing with it. Most advices however focus on a “quick way out” and solution oftentimes veered towards practicality and preservation of one’s self-esteem. Perhaps, the idea of dispensing quick and easy solution appears more practical than the nifty but gritty ways of correcting it.

Quick-fix solution oftentimes ends up “going out-moving to” a new relationship. This quick-fix solution however overlooks the fact of morality and relationship’s sustainability. The truth is; there’s no guarantee that a newly found relationship will not lead you to the same relationship woes that you escaped from. Familiarity breeds contempt and this will not spare even your “brand-new” relationship.  No relationship is worth saving unless both partners are ready to do their respective shares in repairing their damaged relationship.

People tend to cheat no matter what their home life is like. Your spouse likewise is not an exception.  It is however one’s emotional maturity gained from the pain of having unfaithful partner and the painstaking effort of dispensing forgiveness, or the lack of both, that will pave the way for correcting one’s marital woes or simply to resign from it. And it is forgiveness that will make an unfaithful spouse to work hard on his maturity to commit himself to a pure love relationship until he gain the capacity to share his role in making the relationship work.

Marriage is not immune from trials and difficulties. In fact, these are what make a relationship even stronger. Keeping a record of your spouse’s dark past either will not make a relationship stronger. Openness however serves as an avenue for the unfaithful to understand how painful it is for you every time he cheated on you. Communicate and share with him your pain but never ask him the ever unanswerable question; “Why?” for he can’t give you any clear answer for that. Nagging, likewise will not give positive result for you might just drive him into committing more deceitful things.

Non verbal communication of pain oftentimes, is a powerful and effective way of making your man realized his mistakes. While it is true that you can’t get from a man what you didn’t asked. However, your man understands pain more when it’s spoken through his heart and not to his ears. Getting his heart to share with you the pain oftentimes prepares him to soften that completely leads him to openness and commitment, and this can happen without you asking him. His commitment normally comes after your forgiveness. His sincerest apology must be welcomed with a genuine forgiveness and both must agree to work towards the decision to sustain the relationship. This will pave the way for your man to compensate the forgiveness he had received with utmost responsibility and respect for he wants to re-build the trust he had lost.

Acceptance of mistakes and one's readiness to forgive are virtues of stronger and matured marriage. After all, marriage is a union of two forgiving partners.

Moment with the Lord:

Lord, when Moses had proclaimed Your Words to Your people, some believed him but other rediculed and despised him. Yet he had overcome such indignation for he trust in You.

Lord, I don't ask for honor but the kind of trust and humilty that Moses had shown.

PINOY AKO, Buo Aking loob, May Agimat ang Dugo Ko

Here it goes;

MAN + WOMAN = CHILD (Equation 1)
MAN + MAN + WOMAN = INSECURED MAN + HAPPY WOMAN (Equation 2)
MAN + WOMAN + WOMAN = INSECURED WOMAN + HAPPY MAN (Equation 3)

Therefore: Equations 2 & 3 should not be used at any time, either man or woman

Eto ang malufet na equation;

WO.MAN - MAN = W.O. (Equation 4)

Where: W.O. is given the value as Withdrew Outright

Withdrawal Method (no matter how fast and outright) will give an absolute value of Zero or 1.

Thus,

WO.MAN - MAN = W.O. = 0 or 1 CHILD

But, the Value of CHILD = 0 or 1 can be affected if the Principle of Withdrawal Method is applied again without the practice.

Moment with the Lord:

Lord, you once said; "Pity are those who have eyes but can't see, those with ears but can't hear."

Lord, I may not see You nor hear You but I believed in You. I believed in the Holy Trinity, Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

Lord, I may not be worthy to carry even your sandals but I pray that I may be one of Your lights and salt, through my faith and works.

...And also with you Bro Lorenzo.

From The Creator’s Hand Comes Every Masterpiece

When I was a child, my mother would always ask me to go to the pottery shop to buy vases for her orchids and flowers. My usual trip to the ceramics gallery will not be completed without visiting first the shop’s production area. It was really amazing to see how pots were transformed into a work of art from its once clay form.  But the thing that I treasured most was the life’s lesson learned from the potter. How he had explained to me the similarity between a pot and human was something I will never forget.

It all started one afternoon while watching the craftsman doing his work. I asked him how hot the furnace that he operates. “Very hot!” was the man’s reply. “Then, it’s a pity for all these pots to be put inside that furnace?” as I asked him. “Pot is like a human, both created from dust and to dust both shall return,” the man said. “But we could not be like pot for we will die if put inside that furnace?” was my reply to the man. The man replied, “You see boy, it’s the heat that makes the pot stronger. It could be very difficult for the pot to bear the heat but once he’s done, he could be tougher even you pressed him so hard.” “But how come it still breaks when you drop it to the floor; he’s not that tough, though?”I quipped. The man answered back, “That’s because the pot falls into the wrong hands.” 

In our lives come inevitable difficulties that we must face. It is these adversities that make us stronger and tougher. It is our capability to survive life’s toughest test that improves our resiliency to face a much stronger problem. However, no matter how tough we thought ourselves but if we fall into the wrong hands, like pots, we will break into pieces. Pride and arrogance are the deadly hands of sin that depart us from the ways how God wanted us to live our lives. Pride is what makes us rely on our own understanding. Arrogance is what makes us think that we should live our lives freely that we don’t need to be told what to do in our lives.

We are all God’s masterpiece for into Thy hands that we were created. But we could only be as good as His masterpiece if we remain in Him for He gives us knowledge and understanding to learn His commands and not breaking it. Lest we forget that no one knows us better than the One who created us. Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can the pot be more pure than his maker? 

Greatness of a masterpiece can only be at the hands of its creator.

Moment with the Lord:

Lord, I pray for faith to live a life according to Your will and the courage to withstand the redicule and harsh criticism I faced in glorifying You and Your Words.

I dont seek for honor but of humilty and fear of You for wisdom comes when fear of You begins. Forgive Lord when people despised the work of the Holy Spirit, Your Scriptures and Your Words.

My Lord, In faith and in works, I remain your humble servant.

Every once in a while, a person appears in the horizon and captivates the people with his/her words, work and person. Such persons become a rallying point or an inspiration that triggers the imagination of people. Such persons are catalysts and agents of change. Such persons point to something or someone greater than themselves. Such persons are driven by a mission, not ambition; and motivated by commitment, not greed.

A moment with the Lord:

Lord, more than by words, let me be your messenger and your message. Amen.

Hi Manay Tess,
I tried to fight the urge of not commenting on this post due to its sensitivity but since the thread title encourages one, so here is my position. But before anything else, i just want to make it very clear for I could be misunderstood, that my position doesn't in anyway despise any lesbians, gays and transgenders (LGT) per se but their act. Its not the person but the sin. Likewise, I have no intention to impose values on anyone nor trying to be hyper critical nor being an ULTRA moralist. Its just that I personally believed that the Bible could lead us to the truth in discerning this issue. Thank you for your understanding - Gener


How About Same Sex Marriage, Anyone?

Just recently, CHR advocates basic rights of LGTs; including the right of same sex marriage. Last year, I commented to an article posted by a well-known columnist regarding an article he posted in the PDI. You can view the link below.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view_article.php?article_id=139422

I have nothing against the advocacies to promote the rights and welfare of lesbians, gays and transgendered (LGT) if this will mean protecting their rights for equal employment, access to education, right for medical attention, freedom from abuses, and other forms of discrimination, both in private and public sector. But if these rights would also allow same-sex marriage among other detestable sins, what kind of rights are that?

Our society though biased against LGTs. However, there are those who are slowly beginning to accept lesbians and gays in particular and are recognizing their contribution in the areas where they perform most like arts, fashion, etc. While there are still areas in our society who are still intolerant of gays but to push for the legalization of this same-sex marriage still doesn’t give them acceptance from those who opposed it.

(Romans 1:26-32) “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way that men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Although, they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

(Leviticus 18:22) is clear. Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin.

Again, what I'm trying to say is this; that we can't really separates Biblical teachings from the present happenings regardless of one's values and beliefs for it is for these reasons why God created Laws as given to Moses - to guide how we should live our lives. Likewise, I'm not also trying to play as self-appointed rightheous here for no one among us is perfect, not even one. But doing what is wrong either can't right something that is already wrong.

Marriage - Open Both Eyes Before, Close One Eye After

“Undress yourselves before you get involved and make a commitment to someone for there’s no turning back once you’re there.” These were the words given to all couple-participants when my wife and I had our pre-nuptial seminar given by a parish worker in a local church where our wedding is to be solemnized.  The room was filled with laughter when I replied, “I thought undressing comes after the wedding ceremony?”

These words though rhetoric but are as equally important like what an African proverb says, “Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye.”
Before you get involved and make commitment to someone, don’t let lust, desperation, pressure from others make you blind to warning signs. You and your partner have many different expectations, emotional needs, values and dreams. Keep both eyes open and don’t fool yourself that you can change someone during the course of your marriage. Before committing yourself, have some time to observe the person who will become a part of your life. The more you open your eyes to evaluate his/her quality, respect, love and truth, the more easer it will become for you to decide who gets to sit beside you while watching your favorite television program.

Once you decide to commit to someone, over time, their flaws and vulnerabilities will become more obvious. But if you love your partner and want the relationship to grow and evolve to the next level, you’ve got to learn how to close one eye and not let little thing to bother you. These flaws however can turn into your advantage depending on how each one of you compliments the other. Neither of you are perfect, but you can be perfect for each other depending on how one completes the other. Try to look the gap in your hand’s fingers? Do you know what those gap means? Those gaps are meant to be complimented by your partner’s hand.

Marriage is accepting the person as what he/she is and not what you expect him/her to be. Partners are two imperfect but unique individual children of god who have decided to share a life together. And despite these imperfections that were seen by both eyes before marriage, closing one eye after will enables you to see not these imperfections but that someone who shared the altar with you when you said, “I do.”

In this imperfect world that we lived in, everything seems to be double standard, sexual, government, office, school, justice, etc. But it depends on who's looking and who's doing; in principle and values.  Not all men think that concubinage is socially acceptable or "Macho" in the same way that not all men believed that in adultery, it's only the woman who's at fault.

This imperfect world where justice is not fair will remain the same unless we are ready to be governed by a PERFECT, JUST and COMPASSIONATE ruler, God but in due time, He will.

Thanks Bro. Lorenzo. Really, it takes one to know one.

Freedom to choose the way we wanted to live our life is what we're always yearning since Biblical times. We despised the Lord’s way of discipline. We scorned God when He’s only concern is to keep us from sin that long separates us from Him. We call others hypocrites when all they’re after are offer their unsolicited counsel of years. We always hate to be disciplined and always yearning for freedom and right to live our life; our ways and not His. But it is our stubbornness at times that put us in harm’s way. This is Biblical and not my personal discernment.