PRES. BS AQUINO III VETOED P2K PENSION INCREASE.
Dahil dito, binansagan siyiang #WalangPuso.

Reaction ng netizens:
Wala ngang utak at bay*g, puso pa?

Masyado naman kayong demanding!

*****

MATAPOS GASTUSAN, BUSISIIN, PAGDEBATIHAN
at paasahin ang mga matatandang pensioners —
at matapos makapasa sa House of Representatives
at sa Senado…

iiputan lang pala ng pangulo?

At hinintay niya talaga ang VERY LAST DAY
bago mag-lapse into law ang panukalang batas.

Ibang klaseng sadista talaga!

*****

PRES. BS AQUINO III:
“It’s better to be heartless now than careless later.”

But YOU, sir, are ALWAYS heartless AND careless.

Sama mo pa ang tactless.
At hairless.

*****

SABI NI PNOY, MABABANGKAROTE RAW
ang SSS pagdating ng 2029
kung ipatutupad ang P2k pension increase.

Paki-check po ang calculator mo, ser.
Mukhang may topak.
Mana-mana.

******

MARAMING EXPERTS ANG NAGSASABING
hindi totoo ang tinuran ni PNoy
na pagdating ng 2029 ay magiging ZERO
ang Investment Reserve Fund (IRF) ng SSS
na pagkukunan ng pambayad sa pensions.

Sabi ng Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education
and Research, Inc. (EILER):

“Malacañang did the wrong computation to make it appear
that the cost of the SSS pension hike outweighs SSS income
from investments. If we include total contributions aside from
income from investments, it will be clear that SSS has
more than enough funds to finance the pension increase.”

Parang humaba ulit ang ilong ng pangulo, ‘no?

*****

BAKIT KAPAG NAGTATATAS NG KAKALTASIN
sa kinikita natin ang SSS,
mabilis pa sila sa alas-kuwatro?

Pero ‘pag ang hinihingi ay
PARA SA SSS MEMBERS / PENSIONERS —
kasimbilis sila ng tren ng MRT?

Tumitirik pa.

*****

BAKIT KAPAG INCREASE SA SUWELDO NG
pangulo at iba pang public officials,
mabilis pa sila sa alas-kwatro?

Pero kapag ang benepisyo ay para sa ordinaryong tao,
ang sagot nila ay —- VETO.

Sarap veto-hin ng veto, ‘no?!!

*****

MARAMI ANG NAGTATANONG:
Kung totoong walang pera ang SSS…
bakit MILYON-MILYON ang bonuses
na ibinibigay ng mga officers nito
sa kanilang mga sarili???

Rhetorical question po ‘yan.

*****

AT MARAMI PA SA MGA LINTANG ITO
ang nakakatanggap ng limpak-limpak
sa pag-attend lang ng minsanang meetings.
(P80k/month each sa pag-attend ng 2 meetings lang).

Sarap, ‘no?
Sarap sipain.

*****

EH, ANO ANG GINAGAWA NG
SSS president na in-appoint ni PNoy
na si Emilio de Quiros Jr.???

Di ba’t P6.8 MILLION ang tinanggap nito
na salaries and allowances noong 2014?

Para saan ito?
Para hindi mag-isip ng solusyon
na mabigyan ng increase ang pension?

Sarap talaga!!!!

*****

SABI NG IBA, ANG TUNAY NA DAHILAN
sa pag-veto ni PNoy sa SSS pension increase
ay para protektahan ang malalaking businesses.

Bakit kamo?
Humihina ang collection ng SSS
dahli sa CONTRACTUALIZATION
na pinatutupad ng malalaking negosyo.

Pag naungkat ito, baka masilip din
ang unfair labor practice na ito.
Paktay ang mga kaibigan ni PNoy.

Syempre, ang mayayaman ang priority.
Kawawang mga “boss” (daw)
Mistulang busa-boss na talaga.

*****

MARENG WINNIE MONSOD:

“If the private sector wants larger pensions,
it should contribute larger amounts. Truth hurts.”

Ouch.
Gusto n’yo pa talagang dagdagan
ang kinakaltas ninyo sa mga kawawang boss???

Ibang level ang pagka-sadista n’yo!!!
******

MARENG WINNIE MONSOD:

“Legislators thinking only of themselves
in pushing SSS pension hike.”

Wala na.
Wala na ang natitirang respeto ko
para sa ex-teacher kong ito.

*****

BUT WAIT…!!!
MAY PAMPALUBAG-LOOB NA P500 DAW — BAKA!
Pag-aaralan pa raw.

Asa pa.
Saksak n’yo na lang sa baga n’yo!

*****

PNOY ALSO VETOED THE MAGNA CARTA FOR THE POOR
in 2013, remember?
.
Baka ang gusto niyang ipasa ay yung
Magna Nakaw of the Poor.

*****

REP. NERI COLMENARES:
“Govt pays taxes of big businesses
amounting to BILLIONS and BILLIONS,
tapos hindi nila ma-subsidize ang P56 BILLION
para ma-cover ang P2k SSS pension increase?”

Mayaman vs. Mahirap.
Alam n’yo na sino ang panalo kay PNoy.

*****

SA IBANG BANSA,
subsidized ng gobyerno ang social security.

Sa atin, magkano ang binibigay na subsidy
ng goberyo para sa SSS?

Parang puso ni PNoy…
ZERO.

*****

SEN. TRILLANES:
“PNoy, palpak dahil kulang sa leadership
and management skills.”

Ngayon mo lang talaga napansin??

*****

AS IF HINDI PA SAPAT ANG DAGOK NA ITO,
makakarinig ka pa ng balitang tulad nito:

DOTC FEES FOR CONSULTANTS SHOOT UP BY 2,000%
UNDER SEC. JUN ABAYA.

Bakit nakaupo pa rin ‘yan???

*****

PNOY BLAMES GLORIA AGAIN.
Para naman sa bad water service ngayon.

Josko, ‘teh!
Matatapos na ang term mo,
sa IBA mo pa rin sinisisi ang kapalpakan mo???

Kung sinabi mo ‘yan nung first year mo sa office,
maniniwala pa kami.

Pero ngayon..??
Naman.

*****

ABAYA: RECENT MRT GLITCH MAY BE SABOTAGE.

Isa pa ito.
Isisi sa iba ang kapalpakan —
hanggang sa huli talaga???

******

SPEAKING OF ABAYA….

SAAN NAPUNTA PERA PARA SA MGA TOILET?
P351 MILLION ang nawawala.
Inilaan ito para comfort rooms
sa train stations, ports and airports.

Umaalingasaw na ang baho mo, ser.

Ligo na, este,
RESIGN NA!

*****

SAAN DIN NAPUNTA ANG P120.7 BILLION
na inilagay sa MRTC?

Sagot!!!

*****

LUMALAKAS ANG PANAWAGAN
na mag-resign na si Sec. Abaya
dahil sa deteriorating commuter train services
at sa pag-approve niya sa questionable contracts
na nagpapalala sa sitwasyon ng services na ito.

SEC. JUN ABAYA:
“I’m in the DoTC not to be applauded,
but to solve problems.”

You failed.
NOW, you have a problem.

*****

EX-MRT-3 GENERAL MANAGER AL VITANGCOL:
“May 5% kickback sa pagbili ng MRT-3 coaches.”

Laglagan na!!!!

*****

SEN. CHIZ ESCUDERO TELLS VITANGCOL TO NAME
MAR, ABAYA AS MASTERMINDS OF MRT SCAM

“Ilaglag mo na. Wala nang mawawala sa ‘yo” – Chiz

Pero wala ring mawawala kay Mar.
Kulelat nga eh.

*****

MAR ROXAS SQUARELY RESPONSIBLE FOR MRT-3 MESS.

BOBI TIGLAO:
“Ang criminal mismanagement ni Roxas
ang sanhi ng gusot at gulo sa MRT.”

Marimar! Awww!!!

*****

MAR PROCLAIMED DATU BY LANAO SULTANATE.

Ano ang datu name niya?

Datu Wadnadaan.

*****

SABI SA NEWS ABOUT MAR’S PROCLAMATION:

They hung a medallion of honor around his neck,
and conferred on him the Amai Pakpak Award.

Mas bagay yata ang Amai Palpak Award.

*****

MARAWI CITY TEACHERS
FORCED TO GO TO ROXAS RALLY.

“We’re mad. We teachers should be non-partisan
but they forced us to go here,” sabi ng isang teacher.

Intindihin n’yo na lang.
Baka nga naman kasi langawin.
Mahal ang insecticide.

******

PNOY ATTENDS CLIMATE SUMMIT IN FRANCE,
THEN PROMPTLY INAUGURATES COAL MINE IN DAVAO.

Haha!!!
Ibang klase talaga.

*****

MOST CORRUPT AGENCY: LTO POCKETED P400M+
FROM NON-EXISTING 2015 STICKERS.

Laganap na talaga.

*****

SA ISANG LTO-ISSUED DRIVER’S LICENCE,
ang nakalagay na year of birth ay 2044.

Magaling!
Futuristic!

*****

VP BINAY TOPS RECENT SWS SURVEY.

At nasamid si Sen. Trillanes.

*****

BINAY GETS BOOS FROM CEBUANO CROWD.
Obviously, hindi sila natanong
sa huling SWS survey.

*****

PNOY BELITTLES BINAY LEAD.

Natural, mamaliitin ‘yan ni Boy Coolangot.

Affected kasi si Mar a.k.a. Boy Coolelat.

*****

ENRILE’S MOVE TO REOPEN MAMASAPANO PROBE
SHOCKED PNOY, MAR

Na-shock sila kasi…
akala nila ulyanin na ang lolo n’yo.

*****

ENRILE VOWS TO ESTABLISH PNOY ROLE
IN MAMASAPANO MASSACRE

Ihanda n’yo na ang wheelchair
para kay Boy Sisi.

Yung kulay dilaw.

*****

HOVERBOARD SALES HIHIGPITAN DAW.

At nalungkot ‘yung paring kumakanta

*****

KIM HENARES:
Hindi ligtas si Pia Wurtzbach sa taxes.

Kaya naman pala naiyak si Pia
nang malamang uuwi na siya sa Pinas!

*****

MAY ILANG ESTUDYANTE NA
ang nagpakamatay dahil sa
walang pera para makapag-aral.

Tapos makakarinig ka ng ganitong balita:

P1.2 BILLION FUND FOR POOR STUDENTS
HINDI GINAMIT NG GOBYERNO.

Sarap bitayin.

*****

BONG REVILLA AND JINGGOY’S REQUEST
TO ATTEND KUYA GERM’S INTERMENT DENIED.

Si Kuya Germs na lang daw
ang dadalaw sa inyo.

*****

SA LIBING NI KUYA GERMS,
ISA LALAKI NAGWALA
Inagaw pa raw ang isang megaphone.

Aba’y baka gustong sumama kay Kuya Germs!
Pagbigyan.
Itulak na ‘yan!

*****

SABI NG NAGWALANG LALAKI,
tatakbo daw siya bilang pangulo.

Bakit hindi?
Yung nakaupo nga, nagwawala rin, di ba?
Na-inspire si manong.

*****

SA LIBING PA RIN…
Superstar Nora Aunor
sinabi sa speech na gusto niyang ipagpatuloy
para kay Kuya Germs ang pagho-host ng
“Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman.”

Thought bubble ni JOHN NITE:
“Bruhang ito!
Aagawan pa ako ng trono!!!”

*****

KAPAG SI ATE GUY ANG PAPALIT KAY KUYA GERMS,
papalitan din kaya ang title ng show?

Pwede.
Baka gawin itong…
“Wala Pong Tulugan Po with the Superstar Po.”

*****

OR PWEDE RING…

“Walaaaaang……

HIMALA!!!”

*****

PHOTO CREDITS:
PRES.  BS AQUINO III: http://gulf-times.com/story/475118/Marriage-top-priority-for-Aquino-at-end-of-term
VETO STAMP: pulse.ncpolicywatch.org
VETO AD: www.ebay.ca
SEC. JUN ABAYA: news5.com.ph
MRT-3 TRAIN:  http://personal-story-told-by-my-friends.blogspot.com/

,

Live to a hundred and productive? It’s not as much the food as the discipline. Also important is the “why.” Why would I want to become a vegan? To live to a hundred. Why? To play with my great grandchildren, them piggybacked on the horseback that is me.

We need to rationalize how we will go about it, being vegan.

Take, for example, children thin and frail, prematurely born as infants, and as their teeth slowly emerge, so does their appetite for grinding meats. Do we, as parents, coax them into going vegan, when there is a medical need for protein-rich foods readily supplied by the wonder food for children that is chicken? Eating meat here is akin to being medicinal, most would agree.

That is not entirely true.

Soybean products are available as protein substitutes. Question is, will the child take it?

Surprisingly, most vegan recipes are child-friendly. Even the psychology of going vegan jives with a child’s eating habits. A kid would want fast snacks that will allow them to nibble and go, spending more time playing outdoors and with their friends. Vegans have small portions eaten frequently, and often combine chocolate (a general term), oats, nuts, and other protein sources, with the help of a food processor.

In the Philippines, if you buy a food processor then it means you’re serious about having fun with cooking. Moreso with vegan recipes. Most of them naturally blend together the oats, soy, and various seeds that are protein sources at par with meats, but are easier to digest and better for the body.

Peanut butter? Vegan. Done with a food processor. So’s almond butter. Offer your child some almond butter. Then, after the sandwich, an avocado smoothie. If that doesn’t make them eat, I don’t know what will, vegan or no vegan.

Throw into your food processor some pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds (I told you you’re going to use a lotta seeds), pitted dates, cocoa powder, and choco powder protein, and you’d have Dreena Burton’s Power Balls recipe. Note the absence of sugar. For sweeteners, vegans can use maple syrup or agave nectar.

The only downside of not having meat is not being able to sink your teeth into your food, and then chewing it crazy like a llama. For octogenarians, who are challenged with chewing, going vegan is the sweetest thing (credits to U2) as well. Elle Penner blends green peas into a pesto, and serves this with hummus. This always reminds me of Mitch Albom’s Professor Morrie.

Vegans have scitan, which looks like duck meat and tastes like chicken. Easier on the incisors.

Even though being vegan ultimately leads to good looks and a rockin’ hot bod, most of the individuals who do opt for vegetables as staple tend to overlook that seemingly obvious reason. In my opinion, the better physique you can get from crossfit training and the paleo diet (slow-cooking meats, staying away from starches), and becoming wholely, solely vegan has more to do with being kind.

Kindness to animals. Kindness to the environment. Kindness to oneself.

Stories of conversion to vegetarianism after witnessing the brutal butchering of poultry, cattle, and swine is aversion to violence and indirectly inflicting hurt on a living being, particularly the mammals, of which we are close relatives.

Converting forest acres to grazing land for cows or strictly for monocropping corn to be fed to the pigs is harmful. This is just the iceberg of this particular discourse.

Having peace of mind knowing that because of you, at least one animal will be spared, a parcel of forest will go unrazed, this is, and these are reasons enough to go vegetarian.

Being vegan is a way of life, and trickles down to choosing organic products – not just in food, but our clothes, and whether we support clean, renewable energy, and so on.

Here, we will juxtapose being vegan, vegetarian, and use both these terms but also mention semi-vegetarian food, because pure vegetarianism means staying away from foods with animal derivatives – like, quite possibly, honey. Being partly vegetarian, is eating more veggies and seafoods, and staying away (mostly) from chicken, pork, and beef.

In the Philippines, vegetables are regarded as food of the impoverished, having no access to fish, chicken, pork, and beef. For the sweet potato and the kamoteng kahoy, that is still true; but for green, leafy vegetables, particularly the ones from Baguio, since it’s always raining down, and even the Summer Capital is suddenly experiencing floods, veggies have become more precious, money-wise.

The bottomline is it’s now more expensive to eat vegetables, and other organic products, and so it is more fitting and gratifying for a socialite, for a person with an exquisite lifestyle and taste, to be a vegan. About time, also, for veggies to follow suit in the Filipino mindset – to be proud that we are a culture naturally semi-vegan, being farm and fisherfolk.

Sure you’re going to be hungry all the time, but veggies can be carried anywhere, and you can eat however much you want and you won’t have to feel guilt that the fatty meat you hankered for will add an extra centimeter to your cheeks. And it’s chic to be carrying those salad lunchboxes and forking a few lettuce leaves every now and then, like after a meeting with the regional director, and your breath will be fresh from all the mint and basil.

The most traditional eats pizza, pasta, noodles, ramen, because they have eggs with flour, aren’t strictly vegan, but being partly-vegetarian, it’s a good start. Whole wheat bread and pasta can be eaten by vegans. Gnocchi (pronounced ‘nyoki’) or ‘badly-made’ pasta knuckles can also be made vegan. Pasta with tomatoes is the classic Italian food for the masses.

Now we have vegan cheeses for an uber traditional pasta with cheese. According to themedievalclassroom, boiled pasta was eaten with cheese in the middle ages and tomatoes were considered poisonous. With every bite, you get to taste class, culture, and being vegan is its evolution. It’s so simple and yet so awe-inspiring.

If you think that veggies taste like damp, soggy socks, think again.

Flavor, or umami. It comes in minute quantities from seaweeds, and was just synthesized chemically by the Japanese. Being partly vegan – eating veggies and seafood – we can still harvest the flavors of the sea. And while we’re talking about the sea. The most simple product – table salt, manufactured in Pangasinan, and fish paste, or bagoong (bagoong isda, comes from Pangasinan as well) add a robust flavor to those Ilocano dishes. Please note that serious vegetarians do not eat bagoong isda, which is produced from fish.

Atsara is pickled pawpaws (papaya), which can be a side-salad, slightly sweet, slightly sour, for balancing out the strong flavors of the main dish. Soy sauce is a sumptuous flavor enhancer. It’s mellowed salt, with a classy black sauce. It is paired commonly with other soyabean products like tofu, and is an excellent replacement for meat.

Mushrooms are also a potent source of protein for vegetarians. Being fungi, just like the yeast we use to raise dough for breadmaking, they are safe, but for vegans, it’s up to them to decide on this. The substrate on which mushrooms grew should be disclosed. Fungi are decomposers and can grow on dead plant and animal material. But mostly the edible mushrooms grow on dead trees and plants.

The way of the vegan teaches patience, prudence, and always being on the lookout for unhealthy additives. Meat eaters like us would fare better taking it a step at a time, so we don’t stumble.

More of seafood and veggies and less of meat is already a good healthy headstart. In that regard, please try a kani salad as you head off towards the path to veganism:

You will need lettuce, Japanese mayo, crab sticks, and cucumber. Shred the cucumber into strips with a coconut scraper, add salt, squeeze, to remove excess water, then add the mayo, crab sticks, and lettuce.

Live to a hundred and productive? It’s not as much the food as the discipline. Also important is the “why.” Why would I want to become a vegan? To live to a hundred. Why? To play with my great grandchildren, them piggybacked on the horseback that is me.

We need to rationalize how we will go about it, being vegan.

Take, for example, children thin and frail, prematurely born as infants, and as their teeth slowly emerge, so does their appetite for grinding meats. Do we, as parents, coax them into going vegan, when there is a medical need for protein-rich foods readily supplied by the wonder food for children that is chicken? Eating meat here is akin to being medicinal, most would agree.

That is not entirely true.

Soybean products are available as protein substitutes. Question is, will the child take it?

Surprisingly, most vegan recipes are child-friendly. Even the psychology of going vegan jives with a child’s eating habits. A kid would want fast snacks that will allow them to nibble and go, spending more time playing outdoors and with their friends. Vegans have small portions eaten frequently, and often combine chocolate (a general term), oats, nuts, and other protein sources, with the help of a food processor.

In the Philippines, if you buy a food processor then it means you’re serious about having fun with cooking. Moreso with vegan recipes. Most of them naturally blend together the oats, soy, and various seeds that are protein sources at par with meats, but are easier to digest and better for the body.

Peanut butter? Vegan. Done with a food processor. So’s almond butter. Offer your child some almond butter. Then, after the sandwich, an avocado smoothie. If that doesn’t make them eat, I don’t know what will, vegan or no vegan.

Throw into your food processor some pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds (I told you you’re going to use a lotta seeds), pitted dates, cocoa powder, and choco powder protein, and you’d have Dreena Burton’s Power Balls recipe. Note the absence of sugar. For sweeteners, vegans can use maple syrup or agave nectar.

The only downside of not having meat is not being able to sink your teeth into your food, and then chewing it crazy like a llama. For octogenarians, who are challenged with chewing, going vegan is the sweetest thing (credits to U2) as well. Elle Penner blends green peas into a pesto, and serves this with hummus. This always reminds me of Mitch Albom’s Professor Morrie.

Vegans have scitan, which looks like duck meat and tastes like chicken. Easier on the incisors.

Even though being vegan ultimately leads to good looks and a rockin’ hot bod, most of the individuals who do opt for vegetables as staple tend to overlook that seemingly obvious reason. In my opinion, the better physique you can get from crossfit training and the paleo diet (slow-cooking meats, staying away from starches), and becoming wholely, solely vegan has more to do with being kind.

Kindness to animals. Kindness to the environment. Kindness to oneself.

Stories of conversion to vegetarianism after witnessing the brutal butchering of poultry, cattle, and swine is aversion to violence and indirectly inflicting hurt on a living being, particularly the mammals, of which we are close relatives.

Converting forest acres to grazing land for cows or strictly for monocropping corn to be fed to the pigs is harmful. This is just the iceberg of this particular discourse.

Having peace of mind knowing that because of you, at least one animal will be spared, a parcel of forest will go unrazed, this is, and these are reasons enough to go vegetarian.

Being vegan is a way of life, and trickles down to choosing organic products – not just in food, but our clothes, and whether we support clean, renewable energy, and so on.

Here, we will juxtapose being vegan, vegetarian, and use both these terms but also mention semi-vegetarian food, because pure vegetarianism means staying away from foods with animal derivatives – like, quite possibly, honey. Being partly vegetarian, is eating more veggies and seafoods, and staying away (mostly) from chicken, pork, and beef.

In the Philippines, vegetables are regarded as food of the impoverished, having no access to fish, chicken, pork, and beef. For the sweet potato and the kamoteng kahoy, that is still true; but for green, leafy vegetables, particularly the ones from Baguio, since it’s always raining down, and even the Summer Capital is suddenly experiencing floods, veggies have become more precious, money-wise.

The bottomline is it’s now more expensive to eat vegetables, and other organic products, and so it is more fitting and gratifying for a socialite, for a person with an exquisite lifestyle and taste, to be a vegan. About time, also, for veggies to follow suit in the Filipino mindset – to be proud that we are a culture naturally semi-vegan, being farm and fisherfolk.

Sure you’re going to be hungry all the time, but veggies can be carried anywhere, and you can eat however much you want and you won’t have to feel guilt that the fatty meat you hankered for will add an extra centimeter to your cheeks. And it’s chic to be carrying those salad lunchboxes and forking a few lettuce leaves every now and then, like after a meeting with the regional director, and your breath will be fresh from all the mint and basil.

The most traditional eats pizza, pasta, noodles, ramen, because they have eggs with flour, aren’t strictly vegan, but being partly-vegetarian, it’s a good start. Whole wheat bread and pasta can be eaten by vegans. Gnocchi (pronounced ‘nyoki’) or ‘badly-made’ pasta knuckles can also be made vegan. Pasta with tomatoes is the classic Italian food for the masses.

Now we have vegan cheeses for an uber traditional pasta with cheese. According to themedievalclassroom, boiled pasta was eaten with cheese in the middle ages and tomatoes were considered poisonous. With every bite, you get to taste class, culture, and being vegan is its evolution. It’s so simple and yet so awe-inspiring.

If you think that veggies taste like damp, soggy socks, think again.

Flavor, or umami. It comes in minute quantities from seaweeds, and was just synthesized chemically by the Japanese. Being partly vegan – eating veggies and seafood – we can still harvest the flavors of the sea. And while we’re talking about the sea. The most simple product – table salt, manufactured in Pangasinan, and fish paste, or bagoong (bagoong isda, comes from Pangasinan as well) add a robust flavor to those Ilocano dishes. Please note that serious vegetarians do not eat bagoong isda, which is produced from fish.

Atsara is pickled pawpaws (papaya), which can be a side-salad, slightly sweet, slightly sour, for balancing out the strong flavors of the main dish. Soy sauce is a sumptuous flavor enhancer. It’s mellowed salt, with a classy black sauce. It is paired commonly with other soyabean products like tofu, and is an excellent replacement for meat.

Mushrooms are also a potent source of protein for vegetarians. Being fungi, just like the yeast we use to raise dough for breadmaking, they are safe, but for vegans, it’s up to them to decide on this. The substrate on which mushrooms grew should be disclosed. Fungi are decomposers and can grow on dead plant and animal material. But mostly the edible mushrooms grow on dead trees and plants.

The way of the vegan teaches patience, prudence, and always being on the lookout for unhealthy additives. Meat eaters like us would fare better taking it a step at a time, so we don’t stumble.

More of seafood and veggies and less of meat is already a good healthy headstart. In that regard, please try a kani salad as you head off towards the path to veganism:

You will need lettuce, Japanese mayo, crab sticks, and cucumber. Shred the cucumber into strips with a coconut scraper, add salt, squeeze, to remove excess water, then add the mayo, crab sticks, and lettuce.
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/missy-and-the-universe, some rights reserved

FLASHBACK MUNA TAYO SA HEADLINE
NOONG AUGUST 7, 2015:

Sa 114th Police Service anniversary,
pinarangalan ni PNoy ang 6 na pulis at 8 police units.
PERO NI WALANG BANGGIT TUNGKOL SA SAF 44.

Pero ngayon yata ay uulan ng medals para sa kanila.

Anyare?

Takot sa wheelchair ang lolo n’yo.

*****

BALIKAN NATIN MAMAYA ANG MAMASAPANO.
MEANWHILE…

Sabi sa latest survey ng SWS,
tumaas daw ang satisfaction rate
ng government ni Pres. BS Aquino III.

What GOVERNment???

*****

KASAMA SA GOBYERNONG ‘YAN SINA
Sec. Jun Abaya at Sec. Dinky Soliman, di ba?

Think BULOK na mass transport system.
Think BULOK relief goods.

Paano tumaas ang rating ng gobyerno???

*****

SIGE, IPAGPALAGAY NATIN
NA HINDI DINOKTOR ANG SURVEY…

Ilan ang respondents sa survey?
1,200.

Ilan ang populasyon ng Pilipinas?
100 MILLION.

‘Yun na.

*****

JUSTICE SEC. ALFREDO BENJAMIN CAGUIOA
inappoint ni PNoy bilang associate justice
sa Supreme Court.

Si Caguioa ay classmate ni PNoy muna
elementary hanggang college.

Nabibigla pa ba kayo
na siya ang pinili ni PNoy?

Four letters for you: KKKK.

*****

SI CAGUIOA ANG PINILI NI PINOY
sa limang pangalan
na nasa shortlist na isinubmit sa kanya.

Kung ikaw ang pangulo
at binabatikos na nga ang iyong KKKK,
di ba IBA na lang ang pipiliin mo?
Tutal, naka-pwesto na naman
si Caguioa bilang Justice Secretary, diba?

Eh kaso hindi nga IKAW ang pangulo eh.

AT HINDI NAMAN
MAKAPAL ANG MUKHA MO!!!

*****

PAYO NI PNOY SA MGA KABATAAN:
“Tularang ang mga nanalo sa T.A.Y.O. awards.”
(Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations).

Tama.
At HUWAG tularan ang pangulo na may…
T.O.Y.O. award.

*****

“TULARAN NATIN ANG T.A.Y.O. AWARDEES” – PNOY.

May award din ang pangulo:
T.A.Y.O.-T.A.Y.O. award.

*****

PNOY EXCITED NANG MAGING TURISTA
PAGTAPOS NG KANYANG TERMINO.

Why not?!
Pwede namang mag-tour sa Bilibid, di ba?

*****

PNOY BINIBILANG NA ANG MGA ARAW
KUNG KAILAN SIYA MAGIGING TURISTA.

We’re excited na rin po for you, Mr. Presdient.
Ipapahanda na po namain
ang welcoming committee mo sa…

Mamasapano.

Enjoy!

*****

Speaking of Mamasapano…

BUKAS, JANUARY 25, AY ISANG TAON NA
ang Mamasapano Massacre.

PNOY TO CONGRESS: HONOR SLAIN COPS
BY PASSING THE BBL.

Ano ‘yan, HOLDUP???

****

NASAAN NA ANG MAIN PLAYER
NG OPLAN EXODUS
NA SI DATING PNP CHIEF ALAN PURISIMA?

Matatandaang siya ang itinalaga ni PNoy
na pamunuan ang ill-fated mission
kahit na noong panahong iyon
ay suspended siya ng Ombudman
dahil sa umano’y maanomalyang contract
na pinasok ng PNP sa pamumuno nito.

Akala nila hindi mabubuking
ang kanilang “secret affair.”

*****

MATATANDAAN DIN NA UMAMIN SI PURI
sa kanyang partipasyon
sa Oplan Exodus (January 2015)
pero binawi niya ito later (April 2015).

Pabago-bago ng repertoire!
Ano na kaya ang bagong kanta ni Puri ngayon?

Mukhang “Sounds of Silence.”

*****

MATATANDAAN DING PARANG KINULA
SA KAPUTIAN SI ALAN PURISIMA NOON.

Bakit kanyo?

Eh, sinabon siya nang husto
ni Sen. Miriam, di ba?

Happy times!

*****

SABI NI SEN. MIRIAM NOON,
buhay pa sana ang SAF44
kung hindi nakialam si Purisima.

SEN. MIRIAM:
“A suspended official is barred from performing
functions of his office. You performed the function
of your office albeit in a surreptitious manner.
Nakialam ka eh!”

Honga.
Nangingialam ka eh!

*****

NAALALA N’YO RIN ITONG QUOTABLE QUOTE
NI SEN. MIRIAM KAY PURISIMA?

“Why did you do that
while you’re under preventive suspension?
And don’t play words with me.
Words are my livelihood.”

Taray, di ba?!!
Webster Dictionary lang ang peg!

*****

“THIS IS A GO, BUT I HAVE TO TELL THE PRESIDENT.”
— Gen. Alan Purisima

Ang tinutukoy ni Purisima ay ang
mga plano (Terminator 1 and 2, Oplan Exodus)
na i-“neutralize” sina Marwan at Usman Sali.

Sa Board of Inquiry na mismo
nanggaling ang quote na ‘yan.

Ano ibig sabihin nito?

Na kabaligtaran sa sinasabi ni Leila de Lima
na hindi kasali ang pangulo sa chain of command
ng PNP….

ang pangulo ang NAG-APPROVE
at NAG-OVERSEE ng mga mission na ito.

Hindi s’ya ligtas sa wheelchair.

*****

BALLIK TAYO SA PRESENT…

2 SA SAF44 ANG BIBIGYAN NG MEDAL OF VALOR:
Chief Inspector Gednat Tabdi at
Police Officer 2 Romeo Cempron.

At ang LAHAT ng nasawing SAF 44
ay bibigyan din ng Medalya ng Kabayanihan
(PNP Distinguished Conduct Medal).

Si PNoy daw mismo ang magbibigay ng medals
bukas, sa 25TH anniversary ng PNP.

Yes, January 25 din ang anniversary ng PNP.
Yes, January 25 naganap ang Mamasapano massacre.
Yes, January 25 ang birthday ng nanay ni PNoy.

Wala kang kawala, ser.

Awoooo!!!

*****

DEAR PRESIDENT PNOY:

Medals are NOT equal to JUSTICE.

Hindi porke’t binigyan mo ng medals ang SAF44
ay nangangahulugang ABSWELTO KA NA
sa pananagutan sa pagkamatay nila.

Kailangang panagutan mo ang iyong papel
sa madugong masaker na ito.

Enoy your Bilibid tour, sir!

*****

NEW PROBE TO OPEN A CAN OF WORMS?

Sa Miyerkules (January 27) na gagawin
ang muling pagdinig sa Senado
ng Mamasapano massacre.

Bakit nga ba bubuksan ulit ito?

Kasi nga, wala namang kinahinatnan
ang unang pagdinig dito.
Hindi naman kasi talaga natukoy
ang TOTOONG may pananagutan
at kung sino TALAGA ang dapat managot
sa pagkamatay ng SAF44.

*****

ANO’NG NANGYARI SA PROBE
ng Committee ni Sen. Grace Poe noon?

Hindi niya sinubmit sa Senate.
Nabulok lang sa office niya.

Ohh…
ginamit lang para mag-grandstand!

Ikaw na, Sen. Llamanzares (a.k.a. Poe)!

*****

PALACE WANTS SENATE COMMITTEE
to give them a list of questions
na itatanong sa mga gabinete
na inimbitahan sa Senate hearings.

Bakeeet?
Para mapaghandaan ninyo
ang kasinungalingan???

CHEATERS!

*****

THE REOPENING OF THE MAMASAPANO CASE,
the backlash of Pnoy’s vetoing of the SSS pension hike,
the ever worsening transport situation.

Sino ang kawawa sa lahat ng ito?

Ang kulelat na si Mar.

Si Mar na walang malay.
At walang alam.

*****

THAT’S THE PRICE YOU HAVE TO PAY, MAR.

Ikaw kasi ay…
SUMAMASAPANOT.

*****

PNOY:
“Dadalhin ko hanggang sa kahuli-hulihan
ang alaala ng mga nasawi sa Mamasapano.”

NOLI DE CASTRO:
“Hindi tama yan. Bakit mo dadalhin sa hukay?
Dapat ay ilantad ang katotohanan.
MAGPAKALALAKI ka at harapin ang imbestigasyon
para malaman ang katotohanan.”

Nalaglag ang panty ni Pnoy.

*****

GUIA GOMEZ ENDORSES MAR,
SON JV EJERCITO ENDORSES GRACE POE,
ERAP EITHER FOR BINAY OR POE.

Ang tawag po diyan ay
COVERING ALL BASES.

In short:
NANINIGURADO.

*****

MAR WEARS TATTERED SHIRTS AT HOME,
sabi ng asawang si Korina Sanchez.

Wow!
Ibig mong sabihin, DOWN-TO-EARTH si Mar???

O…
hindi ka marunong magsulsi???

*****

LP STALWARTS TO DUMP MAR, LENI
and support Poe, Chiz.

Nakup!
Nagpatahi na po ng inauguration gown si Korina!!!

*****

Sa ibang balita…

BINOO SI VP BINAY SA SINULOG FESTIVAL.

Dapat siguro sa SINUNOG Festival
na lang siya pumunta.

Siguradong welcome siya roon.

*****

SA SSS PENSION INCREASE NAMAN TAYO…
(na vineto ni PNoy).

SABI NI SEN. SERGE OSMEÑA
tama raw ang ginawa ni PNoy
na pag-veto ng SSS pension increase.

Wha….???
Eh di ba dumaan ito sa Senado
at in-approve ninyo???

TANG IN A PACK NAMAN O!

******

HINDI RAW NILA NABUSISI SA SENADO
ang panukalang batas na ito.

Ganun?

So, inaamin n’yo na
TALAGANG WALA KAYONG SILBI SA SENADO!

*****

THIS PAST WEEK, SUMIKAT BIGLA SI
MARINES COL. FERDINAND MARCELINO.

Nahuli si Marcelino, kasama ang isang Chinese national,
noong Huwebes, January 21, sa Sta. Cruz, Manila
nang magsagawa ng raid ang PDEA
(Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency).

64 kilos lang naman ng shabu ang nakuha nila.
Ang halaga nito?
P383 million lang naman.

Barya ni Mar Roxas.

*****

WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT MARCELINO?

Officer lang naman siya dati ng… PDEA.

Ahh…
Bantay-salakay.

Uso ‘yan sa gobyerno ni Pnoy.

*****

HINALA NI MARCELINO, NA-FRAME-UP DAW SIYA
ng mga “powerful people” sa gobyerno
matapos masabit ang mga ito
sa drug-related crimes nung siya (Marcelino)
ay nasa PDEA pa.

Unang lumabas ang report na si Marcelino
ay nagre-report directly kay
Executive Sec. Paquito Ochoa
sa Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission
(PAOCC).

Si Ochoa ang anti-crime czar ng PNoy administration.

Connect the dots.

*****

PALACE DISOWNS BUSTED MARINE.
Hindi raw siya nagtrabaho sa PAOCC.

Sinabi kasi ni Marcelino na kaya siya
naroon sa ni-raid na laboratory sa Sta. Cruz
ay dahil may surveillance work daw siya doon
under the PAOCC.

Who is telling the truth?

Tignan n’yo kung sino ang humaba ang ilong.

*****

PISTON BINABABABA RIN ANG PAMASAHE SA MRT/LRT
Isama na nating pababain
yung palpak na namumuno d’yan!

A-baba-ya!!
Yes, ya!!!

*****

SPEAKING OF MRT…

GOOD NEWS:
Dumating na po ang bagong bagon para sa MRT.

BAD NEWS:
Iisa lang ito at sa katapusan pa ng March magagamit.

*****

GOOD NEWS:
Dumating na po ang bagong bagon para sa MRT.

BAD NEWS:
Wala itong makina, at hindi tinesting bago dineliver.
At sabi ng mga experts, hindi raw ito safe.

Paging Sec. Abaya!
pABAYA KA TALAGA!!!

Resign na! Or…
PASAGASA NA!!!

*****

PIA WURTZBACH NAKAUWI NA!

Alam n’yo kung sino ang tuwang-tuwa?

Clue: Kapangalan siya ni Kuya Atienza.

*****

BAGO UMUWI SI PIA,
NAGKAHARAP NA RIN SILA ULIT NI STEVE HARVEY.

Steve to Pia: You are a CLASS ACT.

Yeah, said the CRASS ACT.

*****

BUKAS GAGAWIN ANG MOTORCADE
PARA KAY PIA ALONZO WURTZBACH,
ang Pinay na “confidently beautiful with a heart.”

Siguradong bukas ay confidently heavy…
TRAFFIC.

*****

BUKAS DIN ANG COURTESY CALL NIYA KAY PNOY.

Balita ko, super excited daw ang pangulo.

Right.
Kasi, kahit sandali ay…
mahihiram n’ya na ang korona ni Pia.

*****

PHOTO CREDITS:
SAF 44: www.rappler.com
PIA WURTZBACH: www.mb.com.ph
COL. MARCELINO: www.philstar.com
ALAN PURISIMA: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Forgiveness

“Forgive or be unhappy. Which do you prefer?” – William Fergus Martin

Other people’s actions and words can hurt and cause you emotional pain. When someone you care about hurts you, the pain can overwhelm better judgment. Emotional pain can make you feel bitter and long for vengeance. When you allow anger and resentment to rule over your head and heart, it can prevent you from forgiving and moving on. When you deprive yourself of forgiveness, you also strip yourself of peace of mind, hope and joy.

Whether it’s a spouse who had an affair, a friend who betrayed your confidence, a parent who abandoned you when you were young, a sibling who let you down, a business partner who cheated on you, a colleague who took credit for your work, and so on, there comes a point in time when you must open yourself to forgiveness.

What is forgiveness? In a general sense, forgiveness is a personal decision of letting go of resentment and need to get even. Forgiveness is also the act of freeing yourself of negative thoughts. You may not be able to totally erase the memory of being hurt or let down, but forgiveness can help lessen the pain and bitterness.

What are the benefits of forgiveness? The act of forgiveness is good for the health according to Mayo Clinic. It lowers blood pressure and lessens anxiety, stress and hostility. Forgiveness promotes healthier relationships and greater spiritual and psychological well-being. Embracing forgiveness can also improve immune system, heart health and decrease symptoms of depressions. It can also boost self-esteem.

When you stop hating and blaming the person who has wronged you, you can enjoy better physical, emotional and mental health.

What happens when you deprive yourself of forgiveness? When you create a wall, you trap negative emotions inside of you. Anger and bitterness continue to build up and affect your actions, relationships and experiences. It’s hard to appreciate the beauty of the present because the past is always there to cast a shadow over you. Depression easily sets in and you may feel a sense of hopelessness.

How do you start to forgive? There’s no easy road to forgiveness but here are some ways to help cultivate forgiveness and help you in your journey.

Express what you feel inside. Before you can forgive, you must allow yourself to feel hurt and angry. You cannot begin to heal when you block your real feelings. The pain of the past can affect your present relationships, decisions and experiences. It is important to express your emotions to release the tension from your body. You can do so verbally by talking to the person concerned if possible. Make sure that you are calm and composed when you speak to the person who hurt you. Avoid talking to the person during the height of your anger to avoid saying things that you don’t really mean. You may just end up hurting each other more. Find a safe environment where you can talk peacefully. If you’re not yet ready to talk to the person, you can choose to confide in a friend or family member.

You can also express your feelings in other healthy ways like writing. You can keep a journal where you can pour out your feelings. Don’t be afraid to write down what you think and feel. Be honest to yourself. By writing daily, you will gradually find it easier to let go of your anger. After acknowledging the pain and hurt that you experienced, you can begin your journey towards forgiveness.

Reflect on what happened. Try to recall the details of the incident that made you feel that way and how you reacted to the situation. Think of how your response affected your everyday life, health and general well-being. What did you discover about yourself after the incident? Have you become aware of certain personal strengths and weaknesses? Do you consider yourself a wiser and stronger individual today because you survived a painful experience?

Stop expecting things from the person who hurt you. You cannot control what the other person thinks or feels. You cannot push someone to do something that you want especially if the other person is not ready or willing to do so. Do not expect the individual to suddenly own up to his/her mistakes and beg forgiveness, especially if the person is not aware of the pain he/she caused you. Disappointment can only fuel your anger and bitterness.

Make a commitment to yourself to let go. Keep in mind that forgiveness is your gift to yourself.  Be aware that by forgiving the person who caused you pain in the past, you will be helping yourself attain better physical, emotional and psychological health.

You will be the first to benefit from the decision before anyone else. Begin by letting go of the desire to have revenge on the person who has hurt you. Stop harboring ill feelings for that individual and hope that someday you could enjoy retribution. When you start letting go of the negativity, you can begin to open yourself to compassion and understanding.

Stop seeing yourself as the victim in the situation.  Make a conscious choice not to let painful thoughts dwell inside of you. Stop seeing yourself as the distressed party and take charge. It may not be possible to get rid of all the pain at once especially if it stems from a deep emotional wound. Be patient. It will happen gradually if you make a firm commitment.

Does forgiveness lead to reconciliation? Forgiving the person who hurt you is not a guarantee that you can mend the tainted relationship. Reconciliation requires the participation of both sides. If the concerned parties are willing to communicate and forgive each other, then reconciliation is possible.

Reconciliation is hard to achieve if the person who offended you does not want to admit that he/she did anything wrong.

Forgiveness is possible even if reconciliation does not happen. If reconciliation takes place, do not expect things to immediately return to normal. It may take time to rebuild a relationship especially if there was a violation of trust. Both sides may need time to restore trust and goodwill to the relationship.

Forgiveness is a process. Allow it to takes its course but remain committed on your intention.

Photo c/o Pixabay. Public domain.
—————————–
Rachel Yapchiongco, also known as Rach to her friends, is a Psychology and Marketing Management graduate of De La Salle University. Rachel is a mom to a charming boy and married to an entrepreneur who has a passion for cooking. She shares parenting experiences and slices of everyday life on her personal blog called Heart of Rachel.

You know a brand is a big part of your life when you use it as a verb. In the world of transportation, Uber is definitely one of those brands. “Mag-u-Uber na ako papunta dyan.” I’m a happy Uber user. I work at Bonifacio Global City and live in Quezon City, so I’ve felt the frustration of being turned down by regular cab drivers because of the traffic and distance. We know that Uber drivers don’t get to choose their passengers based on the destination, so that’s one assurance for us passengers that we’ll almost always get a ride home.

It’s not all perfect – I’ve had irritating encounters with drivers who canceled the ride because of the distance (“Naku, may appointment kasi ako sa airport. Kung sa Quezon City po kayo ihahatid, di po ako aabot pabalik ng airport.”) I’ve had one driver who just cancelled the trip because he said I was not in the designated pickup area, when the truth was I was there the whole time and never saw his car. Truth or fiction on his part? Both still a source of frustration and irritation. But these negative instances happened so rarely it’s not a big cause for anger with the whole Uber service. I’ve had far more positive experiences with Uber, so I’m still a happy supporter.

While it’s the driver who’s responsible for a smooth drive to your destination, you can also make your Uber ride more smooth-sailing. Here are some tips I’ve come to learn along the way to make Uber rides frustration-free.

Call the driver as soon as he accepts your request. This ensures that he didn’t press the accept button by accident (yep, I’ve heard that from another driver who canceled on me). This also helps him ask questions about your location, if he is unfamiliar with it. “Manong, alam niyo po ba kung saan ang (insert subdivision name here)?” “Naku Ma’am, hindi po. Sundan ko nalang yun pin.” “Pwede naman po, pero para po sigurado, bigyan ko po kayo ng landmark.” “Sige po Ma’am!” That irons out any wrong turns and waiting time for both you and the driver.

When you get on that call, confirm the car type and plate number. I’ve had two experiences that the car registered with Uber (the details you see on the screen) was different from the car that picked me up. Both drivers mentioned that the details weren’t updated on Uber’s end. You can help report this to Uber as well, as a form of security for yourself too.

Be present at the pick-up location when they arrive. Don’t keep your Uber driver waiting. They do not charge passengers or swipe on “start trip” until the passenger is inside the car already. Having him wait for you while you go pack up your things and go down the elevator can be unfair. If you are running late, inform your driver through the “call driver” or “text driver” feature of the app. Resist doing so though. After all, before booking a ride you are able to see how far the Uber cars are from your area. Once a driver has also accepted your request, you’ll be able to see how far from your location he is, giving you that time to walk over to the exact pick-up spot. Just as you don’t like to be kept waiting, don’t keep your Uber drivers waiting too.

Do not cancel at the last minute. Once a driver accepts your request, he’ll be using up gas and time to get to your location. He’ll also be choosing you over other customers, other opportunities for possibly more expensive rides for them. Don’t cancel when they are already on their way to picking you up. You’ll also be charged if you cancel more than five minutes after making your request. Save your driver and yourself the unneeded headache by canceling at the last minute. 

Tip your Uber driver. While Uber does not have a policy that requires you to tip their drivers, you can give your driver a tip. If you’d tip a regular taxi driver, all the more you should tip your Uber driver. Your ride is cleaner, nicer, even safer.

Nag-u-Uber ka rin ba? Uber has made going to and from work less of a hassle and worry for a lot of folks in the metro. You too can do your part in ensuring your ride is smooth-sailing and frustration-free.

There’s nothing like the coming of a new year to get you thinking about the changes you should make in your life. Motivational quotes about turning over a new leaf or writing Page 1 of a 366-page book may have appeared several times in our Facebook feed and inspired us. There are many resolutions you can make – weight-related (“I want to lose 10 pounds by end of the year”), love life-related (“I promise to open myself up more and take risks in love”), or finance-related (“I vow to save 20% of my salary monthly”). Citing specific goals for resolutions can be very effective, especially when they are measurable and actionable.

Thinking about what the future can bring because of fulfilled resolutions can be exciting. While we can keep moving forward, it’s also important to reflect on what happened well in the past year and what could work better.

There’s a reason why thinking about what went wrong in 2015 can give us a better 2016. It means we aren’t sweeping moments under the rug, hiding from them for our convenience (but we know they’re just there, lurking in the dark). Reflecting on our regrets the past year, and more importantly, forgiving ourselves, can help us feel lighter and more empowered in the new year.

 Giving yourself a clean slate

What are the things you liked about yourself last year? What are the things you wish you could improve on from the previous year? Before writing down new year’s resolutions, it’s critical to identify what worked for you. This helps refresh your perspective of yourself. Sometimes we focus only on what parts of ourselves we need improvement on, not necessarily our strengths. To start fresh in the next year, you need to determine what your strengths were. Then see how you can take these with you in the coming year. Move yourself from good to great. Then embrace that greatness.

As for the things you need improvement on, be candid with yourself. Only you know for sure what your weaknesses are. Two of the biggest moves you can make in giving yourself a clean slate for the new year are forgiving yourself and letting go.

Are you too hard on yourself? Is there anything about yourself that you can’t stop disliking? No matter what New Year’s resolutions you make, you may not feel fulfilled if you don’t change your mindset about how you feel about yourself. Forgive yourself for your shortcomings in the past year. Giving yourself this clean slate will help you be able to move on more easily in the coming year.

Letting go is another way to give yourself a clean slate. What sources of negativity are you holding on to? If you find yourself associated with friends who you feel give you nothing but toxic energy, consider limiting social time with them. Are there habits that negatively affect your daily living? Then you must know what the consequences of these bad habits are, and that they must be let go of.

Giving others a clean slate

As you give yourself a chance to renew yourself in 2016, you should also give this chance to others. They may also be in the process of creating giving themselves their own clean slates.

Whether or not you know what other folks’ resolutions are, one way to be supportive is to be kind and gentle. Have you noticed your officemate turning down snacks that you offer? Before feeling offended, think about where he may be coming from. Perhaps he has a weight goal this year, and the snacks you just offered prevent him from achieving his goal. His rejection is not about you, but his own motivations. Instead of feeling bad about it, you can be more considerate next time. If you’ve determined for sure that it was a weight goal that made him turn your snack offer down, be kind and avoid snacking beside him, or offer healthier snack alternatives if you have any.

Start the new year with a clean slate. But as you prepare your resolutions, consider looking back at the past to see what can help you start with a cleaner, fresher perspective on the year.

Leafing through a newspaper or magazine, one is sure to come across an article or two on the favorite topic these days.

New Year’s Resolutions

One is sure to read in them also a singular theme or message and that is, in one word, change.

Change for the better, they say. They have been naughty the past twelve months and so now they promise, resolve, to be nice this year.

Notice, too, that the New Year’s resolutions being trumpeted are mostly, if not all, those of celebs. Why them? Well, celebs make good copies which are sure to be read by star gazers.

A scary, jostling, crying and clapping, stomping and shrieking millions, enough to elect, and in fact, have put into public offices many a ham from the stage, film and tv screens.

That’s another story, however.

Why not, indeed, make public the otherwise private and personal New Year’s resolutions of celebs when even the most trivial about them are lapped up by their star-struck fans?

Never mind if their present list of resolutions to better their careers are but a rehash of some of those of last year and the years before.

Never mind if it is the same with the industry, that is, the entertainment industry.

To be fair, there were more thespians and less hams on stage and film and tv screens last year.

Perhaps challenged by the presence of an Aunor or a Bembol, the fresh crops of young talents have been holding their own in tear-shedding and face slapping scenes..

To be fair, also, there were films worth plunking a couple of fifties for and they were not of the rat-atat- tat, kabisote and Magnificent Seven kind. The indie films, for example, were revelations where viewers found unheralded actors delineating roles like the pros.

But some of the resolve to change for the better supposedly have been abandoned by the wayside. Boob tube telenovela plots remain lachrymose. The tears shed in every episode could fill a couple of drums enough to wash a week of laundry.

Alas, resolutions, like promises of politicians, have been broken, unfulfilled.

Speaking of politicians, have you heard of one making New Year’s resolutions?

Have you heard ‘honorables’ resolving not to dip their fingers into other people’s pockets?

That this time the ‘resolve’ is to be in for service, which is their mandate lest they forget or ignore, and not for the money?

Have you heard of politicians ‘resolve’ to stop treating their constituents like disaster victims? Discontinue their practice of having their ‘bosses’ line up and after waiting for hours insult them with grocery bags of NFA rice and a couple of small tins of sardines?

Abased as they are, the recipients in our little barangay – both from the informal settlers and the ‘regular’ residents – will never ‘resolve’ to thumb their noses at the give-aways (which mercifully occurs only during elections). For as with the proposed increase in pensions for senior citizens which could come down from 2000php to just 1000php or less, Ok na mabuti kaysa wala.

Now, do non-celebs make, or even bother or think, about New Year’s resolutions?

Of course, they do. But it won’t be about change. That would be asking too much and simply because it won’t happen

Less is the more apt operative word. Less alcohol after a night of beer binging and a terrible headline the morning after. Less gossiping after ‘Did you hear that?’ and ‘Did you know’ repartees at street corners turned into a full-blown barangay war among neighbors. Less intake of baby back ribs after the weighing scale groaned and broke down.

It’s status quo and same old me in 2016. Sometimes nice, sometimes cranky, makulit, maarte as the pretty librarian says I am with a pout. I will still be the incurable, great procrastinator, as like last year, my to-do list piles up and I miss my writing assignment deadlines every time.

Though I am an old dog I can still learn new tricks. But then it depends on what kind of new tricks are there for me to learn.

Photo: from handshake.uk.com

Millennials, as the current younger generation are called, has been the bane of all other older people. They have been called lazy, entitled, unproductive, and probably every other term in the book to denote a failed generation.

However, with Millennials becoming part of the work force, What is important now is how to get people to make Millennials work and be productive. Here are some points to ponder about the latest generation to join us.

Millennials are tech wizards
You’re looking at a generation that grew up with an online connection. That may sound funny, but it also means that how they use technology and consume information has become very different from older generations.

For example: While older generations may see the Internet as a tool for information – research and social communication, for millennials it is an integral part of their social network. The hoary “new” joke that kids today would not survive without their Internet connection could very well be true, from a certain point of view.

It’s the same thing with information. Millennials aren’t about digesting and understanding the ramifications of a few lines of data. They’re all about quantity and search results. This is bad in the sense that perhaps, they aren’t as philosophical or “deep” as we expect them to be, but the ability to process (albeit shallowly) large chunks of data allows them to spot trends, and perhaps even react to them instinctively.

How do you harness this?
Be it in personal life or in the workforce, the important thing to understand is that they are the most technically proficient tool users for the information age. While they may take some years to develop analytical skills to make deeper sense of the information they can gather and cull, this also makes them masters at acquiring information, and spotting trends that older people may miss. A logical extension of this is that they are also much more experienced in using the information tools and infrastructure at their disposal for marketing, sales, and database use. Just remember, though, that you’ll have to teach them that thinking about the different levels of meaning for data is just as important as acquiring a tonload of it.

Millennials have different motivations
For the longest time, the idea was to have a great life by having all needs and wants one could have. This meant, of course, that a focus on work was necessary – live to work and get all the needs and wants, such as it was. However, thanks, in part, to changing attitudes about work and quality of life, the younger generations now redefine their own pursuits in life – and this means that their motivations for doing things are very different.

For one, it’s not about monetary value, but rather experiential value. Yes, this is in conflict with their need to always have the latest gadgets. But if you think about it, their need for the latest gadgets is about improving experience, rather than simply having the best mobile device money can buy. If they can improve the performance of an older device to let it last longer as a functional tool for them, they will (and many have, particularly in the Philippines).

Since their motivation is based more on a direct line to quality of life and experience, rather than the acquisition of resources to allow for a higher quality of life, then it’s no surprise why we don’t see millennials planning things on a long-term basis to get their rewards, so to speak.

How do your harness this?
When dealing with millennials, you could, as larger companies do overseas, offer a friendly, recreation-heavy atmosphere. However, given the cost constraints of the Philippine setting, what you can do best to motivate your millennial workforce – and to make them get used to a more realistic work output – is to enforce a work schedule based on deadlines, with an option for days off or bonuses based on quality of work or earlier submission. Yes, it may sound somewhat “corny” by the standards of older generations, but let’s face it, if it works, then it works. By offering them more value for the work when done correctly, or offering the value of the work in terms of time off from work, it becomes easier for millennials to connect with the work ethic of older generations.

Millennials are living in a harsher world
One thing that most people don’t seem to realize is that millennials, in general, live in a harsher world. This is a cold reality that many of the older generation don’t see. Salaries are lower, and the cost of goods – heck, the cost of everything – is higher. It’s no surprise, then, that they value experience and other non-material things more than they do “what can be bought”. The simple reason for that is that they can’t buy much material stuff anyway. This outlook is probably exacerbated by the virtual lives they have online, where they can be anyone they want.

This means, too, that their world has smaller or nonexistent safety nets for failure, or lack of success. The shrinking set of opportunities, combined with the change in how people value time versus work, have effectively made millennials the unwanted children, whether they like it or not.

How do you harness this?
Quite frankly, millennials sometimes do feel that they are entitled to some sort of easy life – but that’s not because they feel they should have it, but more like they know they’re at the losing end of things, and will find ways to get it, even if it means they have to act like babies. What’s important, then, is to harness what their generation is good at, and then use it to add to the work that older generations do.

Instead of telling millennials to get off the proverbial lawn, maybe what should be done is to tell them that the lawn needs some mowing, and then give some incentives. Yes, not all millennials will bite at the chance to be productive, but then, it’s no surprise if any generation has its share of bad eggs.

In the end, bridging the gap with millennials is strengthened by an attitude of acceptance, combined with an understanding that, like many younger people, they do need guidance – and in their case, much more than normal, since the times they live in are definitely more difficult.

Photo: “With the cellphone at the migrating coastal dune,” Susan Nilsson c/o flickr.com

Nag-uusap ang bagong kasal. Ang sabi ni Juana, “Beh, paglipat natin sa ating bagong bahay, gusto ko minimalist ha.”

Ang tanong naman ni Pedro, “Ano yun?”

“Minimalist… Yung mga kasangkapan lang na ginagamit ang makikita, wala masyadong dekorasyon, simple lang,” paliwanag ni Juana.

Nagkusot ng mukha si Pedro, ” Ha? Anong hitsura nun?” Ang nalilito pa ring tanong ni Pedro.

Talaga nga naman hindi maka-relate si Pedro sa ayos na minimalist. Kundangan kasi sanay ang pangkaraniwang Pinoy sa borloloy.

Napapansin niyo ba? Sumakay ka ng bus, taxi o UV Express, madalang kang makakakita ng dashboard na walang dekorasyon. Halos lahat may borloloy. Una na riyan ang rosaryo at ala-kuwintas na Driver’s prayer na nakabitin sa rear view mirror . Kung segurista si Manong Drayber, may mga pampabuenas pa iyan na pang fengshui.

Sa taas ng dashboard mismo, nakapatong ang samu’t saring borloloy tulad ng air freshener at mga laruang hayop na umuugoy ang ulo. Huwag lamang pakatitigan at baka pagbaba mo ay mapagkamalan kang adik na hip hopper dahil panay na rin ang pagyuku-yuko ng ulo mo.

Ngayon, nauuso pa ang mga plastik na puno o halamang gawa sa ni-recycle na basyo ng soft drinks na pwede ring lagyan ng mga baryang panukli. Wala pa riyan ang mga okasyon tulad ng pasko kung saan mga nakasukbit din ang maliliit na parol.

Mas lalo sa pampribadong sasakyan. Dahil walang nakikialam na operator, may layang maggayak ang may-ari ng kotse. Nariyan ang isang hilerang stuffed toys sa dashboard pati na sa likuran ng mga back seat, mga throw pillows sa mga upuan pati kurtina sa bintana. Siempre, di mawawala ang signature Pinoy insignia na rosaryo o krus na nakabitin sa salamin. Pati nga sa tambutso kung minsan ay may nakasabit na stuff toy. Ang pobreng laruan kung may buhay lang ay siguradong magproprotesta sa pagpapahirap sa kaniya. Kahit sino naman ay mabibilaukan kung nakatapat ang mukha sae tambutso.

Kahit sa telebisyon, di mapagkakaila ang hilig ng Pinoy sa pagdedekorasyon. Kung ang Deutsche Welle Channel ng Alemanya o ang BBC ng Britanya ay kontento sa paglalaro sa dalawang prominenteng company colors nila tulad ng puti at bughaw o puti at pula, sa Pilipinas ay sadyang naiiba sa mala-piyestang kulay. Nariyan ang orchard look o mga set na puno ng halaman, kulang na lamang ay magmistulang hardin o kakahuyan ang hitsura.

Nariyan din ang homey look na parang hango lang sa sariling tahanan ang ayos na may sofa, plorera na may makukulay na bulaklak, mga pigurin, litrato at mga aklat sa may background. Kulang na lang ay malunod sa mga gamit ang mga host ng programa.

Ano pa kaya sa sariling bahay? Karaniwan na ang makukulay o ma-ruffles na kurtina, mga plorera ng plastik na halaman o bulaklak , mga pigurin na kinolekta pa sa bawat kasal na dinaluhan, altar na puno ng mga santo at santa pati bibliyang di naman binabasa kaya’t mukha pa ring bago kahit pa ilang dekada na itong naka-display, mga plastik na prutas sa mesa, larawan ng bawat miembro ng pamilya at siempre ang mga ipinagmamalaking dilploma at graduation picture ng mga anak na kumpleto pa sa lamination.

Nariyan din ang mga estanteng punung-puno ng iba’t ibang gamit na di mabitaw-bitawan tulad ng mga component na may cassette player at turn table na hango pa sa dekada otsenta, ilang set ng mga China dishes na di pa halos nagagamit, mga delatang expired na pero di maitapon dahil imported, koleksyon ng mga baso, tasa o plato at marami pang iba. Minsan pa, pati sa bawat apakan ng hagadanan, mayroon pa ring mga dekorasyon tulad ng mga pigurin o paso ng halaman.

Hay! Sa pagsasalarawan palang ay nakakapagod na. Eh ano pa kaya kung sa paglilinis. Sa dami ng kalat, tila di na rin nauubos ang alkabok na kaiangang linisan.

Kung babalikan naman natin, simple lang ang ating mga pinagmulan. Magkakaroon tayo ng ideya kung paano ang pamumuhay ng ating mga ninuno sa pamamagitan ng mga tahanan ng ating mga natibo. Sa norte, nariyan ang mga kubol ng mga Igorot kung sana makikita ang simpleng lutuan at maliliit na papag bilang tulugan. Sa labas nakabitin ang mga bungo ng kanilang mga kalabang tribo. Kung mas marami, mas matapang o mas mataas ang antas sa kanilang lipunan.

Pati ang mga Tausog sa dakong Mindanao kung saan ang mga payak na pagngailangan lamang ang makikita sa tahanan tulad ng mga panghuli sa isda at tapayan, pati na mga nilalakagan ng pagkain.

Kung mayroon mang maborloloy, ito ay ang mga bordado. Kung saan nakaguhit sa kanilang balat ang mga disenyo ng tribo o mahahalagang pangyayari sa kanilang buhay bilang mga kawal.

Masasabing impluwensya ng mga Kastila ang pagiging maborloloy dahil sa matingkad na paggayak sa mga pista pati na sa kanilang magagarbo, makulay, bulaklakin at magarbong kasuotan.

Mahigit tatlong daang taon ng kolonialismo ang iniwang tatak sa ating alaala kung kaya’t di nakapagtatakang dala-dala pa rin natin sa ating kamalayan ang borloloy.

Masaya nga sana sa unang tingin ang mga ganitong klase ng pag-aayos pero sa katagalan, tila masakit na sa ulo. Tila bagang nag-aagawan ng eksena ang bawat dekorasyon saan mang dako ng bahay o kotse o programa kung kaya’t sa katapus-tapusan ay masakit na sa mata kung pakatitigan.

Maihahalintulad ito sa mga politikong agaw-pansin sa mga bulaklaking tabas ng dila at makukulay na papuri sa sariling inihahain sa publiko pero sa huli, bungi ang napipiling kandidato dahil nadadala ang taumbayan sa matatamis na salita.

Maganda ring isiping ang bawat koleksyon ng gamit tulad ng mga litrato at mga antigong gamit ay isang paraan sa pagpapahalaga sa nakaraan at sa mga magagandang alaala ng pamilya.

Sa kabilang dako, senyales din ito ng bahid ng kasakiman dahil puro pakabig at pag-aangkin ang inaatupag hanggang sa puntong di na mapakawalan ang mga ari-ariang maari pang mapakinabangan ng kapwa. Aanhin ang santambak na inalmirol na mga kumot na unti-unti nang kinakain ng mga langgam at kung anong insekto kung maaari na sanang ipamahagi ang mga ito para magamit ng mga dukha sa daan para di naman lamigin sa hamog ng gabi.

Sadyang makulay ang buhay Pinoy na sumasalamin sa kung paano tayo mag-ayos ng tahanan, opisina o kahit sasakyan. Wala naman masama rito. Trip, trip lang ‘ika nga. Pero kung minsan, magandang sumubok ng bago at basagin ang trip para sa ikakabuti ng iba. Masarap ding isiping na sa ating simpleng pamumuhay, may ibang buhay ring mabibiyayaan.

‘Ika nga ng isang kilalang tagapagbalita ng Diyos, live simply so that others can simply live.

Photo: from developingiloilotogether

“The National Artist Award is the highest distinction bestowed upon Filipino Artists whose body of work is recognized by their peers and more importantly by their countrymen as sublime expression of Philippine music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature, film and media, arts, architecture and design. These are artists who have promoted Filipino cultural identity and dignity through their art.” – National Commission for Culture and the Arts

A National Artist is defined as “a Filipino citizen who has been given the rank and title of National Artist in recognition of his or her significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and letters.” It was established by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1001, s. 1972. As of present, the National Artist Award has been given to sixty-six (66) Filipino individuals.

Here are a few outstanding recipients of the National Artist Award in theater, music and literature.

Levi Celerio

Levi Celerio (April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)

Composer and lyricist Levi Celerio made a lasting mark in the hearts of Filipinos with his well-loved Christmas songs like “Pasko na Naman”, “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit,” and “Misa de Gallo”. As soon as the “Ber” months set in the Philippines, expect young carolers to come to your door singing these classic Yuletide songs.

Celerio was born in Tondo on April 30, 1910. He became a scholar at the Academy of Music in Manila. He later joined the Manila Symphony Orchestra and became its youngest member.

Love for music dominated Celerio’s life. The musical genius wrote the lyrics of more than 4,000 Filipino folk, Christmas, and love songs. Many of his songs were used as titles of Philippine movies. He wrote numerous songs for local films. Celerio was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Film Academy of the Philippines.

He is noted for lyrics that celebrated love, stressed Filipino values and expressed nationalistic sentiments.

Celerio earned his spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for his unique leaf-playing talent. He was tagged as the “only leaf player in the world.”

Some of his timeless works include “Ang Pipit,” “Dungawin Mo Hirang,” “Bagong Pagsilang,” “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” “Itik-itik,” “Tunay na Tunay,” “Tinikling,” “Waray-Waray,” “Pitong Gatang,” “Saan Ka Man Naroroon?,” “Ako ay May Singsing,” “Dahil Sa Isang Bulaklak,” Kahit Konting Pagtingin, “Ikaw,” “O Maliwanag na Buwan,” “Bagong Pagsilang,” “Sapagkat Kami’y Tao Lamang,” “Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal,” “Kapag Puso’y Sinugatan,” “Alibangbang,” “Alembong,” “Galawgaw,” “Caprichosa,” “Ang Tapis ni Inday,” “Umaga na Neneng,” “Ikaw Kasi,” and “Basta’t Mahal Kita.”

Celerio is also behind nationalistic songs like “Tinig ng Bayan,” “Ang Bagong Lipunan,” and “Lupang Pangarap.”

On October 9, 1997, Celerio was awarded National Artist in Music and Literature by President Fidel V. Ramos.

He died on April 2, 2002 at the age of 91. He lies at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Felipe Padilla de Leon (May 1, 1912 – December 5, 1992)

Felipe Padilla de Leon

Composer, conductor, and scholar Felipe Padilla de Leon was responsible for translating the lyrics of the Philippine National Anthem from Spanish to Tagalog.

He was born in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija on May 1, 1912. He studied in Manila and the United States.

De Leon is best known for Filipinizing western music forms. His compositions for orchestra include “Mariang Makiling Overture” (1939), “Roca Encantada” (1950), “Maynila Overture” (1976), and“Orchesterstuk” (1981); and for choral music “Ako’y Pilipino,” “Lupang Tinubuan,” and “Ama Namin.” He also wrote classic songs like “Bulaklak,” “Alitaptap,” “Mutya ng Lahi,” and the kundiman “Sarong Banggi”.

His love for country reflected in his works like “Payapang Daigdig” which he wrote on the day he saw the destruction of the city of Manila during World War II and “Bagong Lipunan.” De Leon also composed full-length Filipino operas “Noli Me Tangere” (1957) and “ El Filibusterismo (1970).

De Leon became a columnist in the Manila Times, Taliba, and others. He promoted Philippine music and culture in his articles and lectures. He established the organizations like Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP) and Pambansang Samahan ng mga Bandas sa Pilipinas (PASAMBAP).

He received various awards and distinctions including Republic Cultural Heritage Award, Doctor of Humanities from UP, Rizal Pro-Patria Award, Presidential Award of Merit, and Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award.

In 1997, De Leon was posthumously named National Artist of the Philippines for music by President Fidel V. Ramos.

Atang de la Rama (January 11, 1905 – July 11, 1991)

Atang de la Rama

Honorata de la Rama Hernandez, more popularly known as Atang de la Rama was a renowned singer and performer. She was considered as the first star of the Philippine Cinema.

She was born in Pandacan, Manila on January 11, 1905. At the tender age of five, De la Rama appeared in Spanish zarzuelas “Mascota, Sueño de un Vals” and “Marina.” When she reached the age of 15, De la Rama shined in the sarsuela “Dalagang Bukid.”  During the American occupation of the Philippines, she helped foster the love for the Philippine folk song, kundiman. She was named “Queen of the Kundiman and of the Sarsuela” in 1979.

She was married to National Artist for Literature, Amado V. Hernandez.

On May 8, 1987, De la Rama was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines for Theater and Music by President Corazon C. Aquino.

She died on July 11, 1991.

F. Sionil Jose (December 3, 1924)

F. Sionil Jose

Francisco Sionil Jose or F. Sionil Jose was born on December 3, 1924. He is a journalist and fictionist.

Jose was born in Rosales, Pangasinan. He took pre-medicine courses at the Manila College of Pharmacy and Dentistry. He later took Liberal Arts at the University of Santo Tomas where he became the editor-in-chief of the “The Vasitarian,” the university’s paper.

Jose worked for different international and local publications including the United States Information Service (USIS), Sunday Times, Comment, Commonwealth, and Asia Magazine. He was the publisher of Solidaridad Publishing House. He runs Solidaridad Bookshop located at Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila with his wife. The bookshop features Filipiniana reading materials and hard-to-find books. He has a regular column in The Philippine Star called “Hindsight.”

Jose founded the PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists) Philippine Center in 1958
He lectures at Arellano University, University of the East graduate school, and at the De La Salle University.

He has written numerous novels, short stories, and essays. His works have been translated into various languages including Russian, Latvian, Ukranian, Dutch, Indonesian, and Ilocano.

In 2001, Jose was declared a National Artist for Literature.

Photos: “Levi celerio” screencap from Youtube; “Felipe Padilla de Leon” c/o WikiPilipinas, Public domain; “Atang de la Rama” c/o WikiFilipino, Public domain; F. Sionil Jose screencap from Youtube.
Videos c/o Youtube.

GRACE POE TOPS LATEST PULSE ASIA SURVEY.

Para saang pelikula ito?

*****

SA LATEST PULSE ASIA SURVEY,
nag-tie sa second place sina
VP Binay, Mayor Duterte at Mar Roxas.

Wha…?
TATLO ang Miss Colombia???

*****

LENI ROBREDO ESCAPES CAR BOMBING.
Wow!
Pampelikula rin!

Masyado ka kasing nagdididikit kay Boy Epal eh.
Nahahawa ka na tuloy.

*****

TONIGHT, FEBRUARY 6, IPAPALABAS
sa “Maala-ala Mo Kaya”
ang buhay ni Leni Robredo.

Ayun!
Baka promo gimik ‘yung car bombing ek.

****

LENI ROBREDO ESCAPES CAR BOMBING.

Kapag kulelat talaga,
maraming gimik.
Itanong n’yo pa kay Boy Epal.

*****

ANG INCREASE SA SSS PENSION
ay vineto ni Pres. BS Aquino III
noong Janaury 12.

Pinagdamot ang P2,000 increase.
Kaya si Boy Sisi ay may bagong pangalan:
Mula Boy Kulangot, naging Boy Kuripot.

*****

SA HULING SESSION NG KAMARA
noong Miyerkules, February 6,
tinangka ng ilang mambabatas
na i-override o baligtarin
ang pag-veto na ito ni PNoy.

Pero, tama si Ate Guy.

Walang…. himala!!!

*****

NABIGO ANG MGA MAMBABATAS NA ITO.
Biglang inadjourn ang session
at pinatayan ng microphone
si Rep. Neri Colmenares.

Di nila type ang kanta n’ya?

*****

GANYAN PO KABASTOS ANG MGA DILAWAN.

Manang-mana sa bossing nila.

*****

REP. LITO ATIENZA:
“Binastos ang mga miyembro ng Kongreso.
You do not do that in a civilized society.”

Ahem, ser…
nasaan po ba ‘yang sinasabi ninyong
civilized society na ‘yan?

*****

PATI ANG MGA LOLO’T LOLA
na dumalo sa session ay nanggalaiti.

Nangatog ang mga pustiso nila sa galit.
Napatungga silang lahat ng…
maintenance meds.

Pinagkaitan at inapi ang mga lolo’t lola
ng mga kapwa nila lolo’t lola…
NA BUWAYA.

*****

SABI NG ISANG 66-YEAR-OLD PENSIONER:
“Nanawagan kami na ‘yung dalawang libo
sana maibigay kasi malaking bagay sa amin ‘yun.
Pambili namin ng mga gamot, ng mga kailangan,
lalo na sa panahon ngayon, hirap na ang buhay.”

Alam ko na po ang isasagot sa inyo ni PNoy:
“Who you?”

*****

192 VOTES ANG KAILANGAN
para ma-override ang veto ni PNoy.
Sabi nina Reps. Colmenares at Atienza,
kayang-kaya daw maabot ito
kung natuloy lang ang botohan.

Ang tanong:
May pambayad ba kayo
sa mga buwitreng boboto?

*****

INAMIN NAMAN NI SPEAKER SONNY BELMONTE
na in-adjourn nila ang session
para iligtas si Pnoy sa kahihiyan.

MAY HIYA PA PALA ‘YUN???

*****

SPEAKER BELMONTE:
“Ayaw naming itali yung kaniyang kamay.”

Itali n’yo na po.
Sa RILES, kung pwede.

*****

SPEAKER BELMONTE:
“Ayaw din namin to embarrass PNoy in any way.”

Pero sa 2.1 million pensioners,
wala kayong hiya?
Ganern???

*****

SPEAKER BELMONTE:
“Ayaw din namin to embarrass PNoy.”

Sir, huwag po kayong mag-alala.
Matagal na po siyang kahihiyan ng bayan.

*****

MALINAW NA NGAYON
na marami sa ating binotong
mga REPRESENTATIVES
ay hindi TAYO ang nire-represent
kundi ang mga diyos-diyosan nila
sa gobyerno.

Nakakasuklam.
Nakakasuka.

*****

PATI ANG BBL NA SINASABING PINAGLALABAN NI PNOY
ay isinakripisyo, para lamang hindi ma-ovveride
ang pag-veto ni Boy Sisi sa SSS pension hike.

Para lang makaiwas sa kahihiyan ang presidente?

Ibang level na talaga kayo, mga ser!

*****

DAHIL SA PAG-ADJOURN NA ITO,
namatay na rin ang BBL,
anti-dynasty bill, at pati na ang
Freedom of Information (FOI) bill.

In other words…
LAHAT ng ipinangako ni PNoy,
napako na.

*****

PINANGAKUAN NA NGA KAYO,
gusto n’yo pa…. tuparin???

Demanding naman!

*****

NANDOON DIN SA BATASAN SI ROBIN PADILLA
para suportahan ang ang pag-override ng veto.

Kwento ni Robin sa kanyang Facebook account:

“Sa loob ng building na ito naranasan ko
ang sarhan ng pintuan at ipagtabuyan ng security men.
Nakita ko kung paano ipagtulakan ng isang security
ang kasama kong babae. Ipinakita sa akin
ng building na ito ang pambihirang trato
sa mga matatandang babae at lalaki
na humihingi lamang ng konsiderasyon…”

Eh, Robin…
ang building kasi na napasukan mo ay
CROCODILE FARM.

*****

DAGDAG PA NI ROBIN:
“Nais ko sana sumugod tumayo at sumigaw
sa gitna ng floor ng congress upang gisingin
sa kanilang mga pagkakahimbing
yakap ang kapangyarihan……
ngunit hindi ko nagawa dahil sa isang pangako
na dapat ay maging …… MAPAYAPA !!!!
Masyado ng naabuso ang salitang ito.
Inabuso ng mga taong nangako ng pagsisilbi
sa mga kapus palad.
Lumagpas ang isang pagkakataong
makarebolosyonaryo dahil ako’y naging mapayapa.
Bakit nga ba ang mga mahihirap lamang
ang nakakaintindi sa salitang kapayapaan
at ang mga makapangyarihan ay hindi?”

Tatakbo ka ba, Robin?

*****

SO, KUNG WALA NAMAN PALANG SILBI
ang kamara at ang senado eh…
bakit di pa natin ito buwagin???

Malaki pa ang matitipid sa kaban ng bayan.

Mababawasan pa ang mga buwaya.

*****

MGA 50 BARIL NA-CONFISCATE SA CHECKPOINTS.

Pa’no ‘yon?
Di ba isa sa mga dapat tandaan sa checkpoints ay:

“You are not obliged to open
glove compartment, trunk or bags.”

So… paano nila nakikitang may baril?
Tanga ang may-ari? Hindi itinago?
O may x-ray vision ang mga pulis?
Paki-explain nga po.

*****

ABAYA’S “GOOD NEWS”

Itong si DOTC Sec. JUN pABAYA ay nagmalaki
na gawa na raw ang escalators ng MRT-3.

Clap! Clap! Clap!!!

But wait…. there’s more!!!

12 escalators lang pala ang ginawa.
34 pa ang sira.
At meron pang 32 elevators
ang hindi rin umaandar.

Pasikat pa more, useless secretary!

*****

PALASYO:
“Next president must be as committed as PNoy.”

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

You’re funny, Palasyo!
Apir!!!!

*****

OPLAN GALUGAD PATULOY NA NAKAKUHA
NG ILLEGAL ITEMS SA BILIBID.

Subukan n’yo kayang mag-Oplan Galugad
sa Palasyo at sa cabinet ni PNoy?

Sigurado pang…
BILYONES ang makukuha n’yo.

*****

DSWD EMPLOYEES GET BONUS FROM PNOY.
Dinky Soliman pinuri nang husto ni PNoy.

Ngayon, sigurado na tayo:
Type ng pangulo ang mga BULOK.

Sarap yata ng bulok na relief goods,
di ba, Dinky Doo?

******

PAPURI NI PNOY:
“Shortly after the announcement
of a coming typhoon, relief goods
are already prepositioned
and ready for distribution.”

Mr. President,
paki-check lang po ang expiration date, k?

*****

ENRILE:
“To those who wish I were dead,
you will have your wish one day.”

Wag muna, sir.
Ipapakulong mo pa si PNoy at Puri, di ba?

Pakibilisan na lang po.
Salamat!

*****

TRILLANES GETS ARREST WARRANT
para sa libel case ni Junjun Binay laban sa kanya.
Sabi niya, harassment daw ito.

Pero yung 25 senate hearings
niya laban kay VP Binay
na tumagal ng isa’t kalahating taon,
“search for truth” daw.

Ang bully ayaw ma-bully.

*****

TRILLANES MAY WARRANT OF ARREST.
Junjun Binay kakasuhan sa Ombudsman.

Ang saya-saya!!!

*****

BISHOP TO VOTERS: DON’T VOTE FOR MAR.

Don’t worry, Father, we won’t.

*****

MAR: HINDI KO KAYO NANAKAWAN.

Naghihintay po kami ng punchline.

*****

MAR TO DUTERTE: “SORRY, DI KITA TYPE.”

Ang lalim ng quotable quote mo, sir!

*****

PNOY APPROVED PRIVATIZATION OF CHANNEL 13.

Sa pagbaba kaya ni PNoy,
may matitira pang pag-aari ang gobyerno?

*****

ROY SEÑERES QUITS PRESIDENTIAL RACE.

Patay si Marimar.

Talagang SIYA na ang kulelat ngayon.

*****

PHOTO CREDITS:
ROBIN PADILLA: www.asianfightscene.com
NERI COLMENARES: www.ndb-online.com
SONNY BELMONTE: alchetron.com
LENI ROBREDO: news.abs-cbs.com
GRACE POE: www.presidentiables.ph

If a just billionaire manufacturer found some way in his factory to chemically extract love from the air, put it in a bottle, and package it in a box, the Boodle Fight would be first tier in that assembly line. Naturally, the first to test his innovative technique would be his family. And technically, the factory is the plant owner’s home. The Boodle Fight is the dining experience designed for maximum sharing and huge profits. It does away with superfluous dinnerware. It has no liking for heirloom hardwood 24-seater dining tables. It is a manufacturing plant stripped down to the barest of essentials – the tools, the people, the method and the product.

Tools
What we need are whole banana leaves. The long tables must fit a medium-sized banana leaf, around 3-4 meters. When done outside, usually two long tables will be enough for the family. Since we’re doing this at home, and should we have no carpenter handy for the makeshift dinner tables, we Boodle inside. The good thing about Filipinos is they build their homes in close proximity of each other. Do it Bayanihan style and hold it where two long tables can be accommodated.

Swab the banana leaves with water and detergent, then do a second run with water only on dish-drier cloth. The banana leaves will be your plates. The midrib of the leaf will be the divider for the diners on each side of the table. There are a million ways that artsy-craftsy people can stylize the Boodle table. For example, you can poke lollipop cakes onto the midrib, for dessert. Or cut pastillas wrapper-like trimmings on the outer edges of the leaves.

You do not need cutlery, such as spoons and forks. You will eat with your hands. Wash them thoroughly. Cut your nails. You do not need foam-cushioned dinner armchairs. You will eat standing up, literally rubbing elbows with your cousin or auntie.

People
The soldiers were the ones who originally ate this way. In the movies we would always hear that they work as one unit, and that the life of the person beside them depends on them. What better way to feel that you are part of one unit, of one family, equal as brothers, than if you were to Boodle Fight?

Last Christmas, there was one scene from what the kids call “Kuya Cardo” or FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, where Kuya Cardo eats Boodle Fight style outside of his house. He was with the entire barangay, and even with his estranged love interest. All of them are laughing and sharing a gargantuan lechon baboy. And then his arch nemesis is shown alone at home, with all the expensive dishes on Noche Buena.

When you want to share your blessing, the Boodle Fight is one way to go. It can be done anytime, anywhere, and with anyone. If you go to a Boodle Fight, it means you are a friendly, or a person who might not even be a friend, but is sure as hell not going to be anyone’s enemy at that time. This is in contrast to drinking sprees. Many stabbings we have heard about in these occasions. It is a tragedy when we drink with people disguised as our friends. No way that will happen with Boodle Fights.

Method
It can be done with any type of food. But the best type of eating will happen if we imagine that we are on the beach. Grilled seafood and fried pork will never let you down.

For kindling of charcoal, use newspapers, and place the charcoal on top of the grill, and the burning newspapers below. This way, you do not need gaas and plastic, and you can get an ember in the same amount of time. After firing up the charcoal, leave it for five minutes before barbecuing if you don’t want to burn the meat. As you sprinkle more water, the lesser the heat will be.

Before grilling the squid and shrimps, stir fry them. You can concentrate more on not burning them when you know that it’s impossible now to serve them raw. The crabs you can steam beforehand and just reheat over charcoal. The milkfish can be stuffed with green mangoes, garlic, and onions, and wrapped with tinfoil before grilling. The pork chops you can soak in brine (salt + water) overnight and barbecue in low heat. The brine softens the fat. If you want, you can smack the pork chop meat with a tenderizer like Nigella Lawson does. For pork barbecue, use adobo cuts, and use soy sauce, garlic, and calamansi juice and marinate overnight. Two nights would be awesome.

If you’re a beginner, you will do well to grill one pork barbecue at a time. The pork pieces near the handle of the stick are cooked last. To avoid burning the ones near the tip, tilt the stick upwards, so the piece by the handle gets all of the heat.

Product
Oh, what a world it would be if we had a Boodle Fight factory, instead of Budol-Budol gangs engaged in thievery. If manufacturers all turned out to be just, and billionaires at that. More people would say, “You cannot have your cake and eat it too. You can’t have everything, my friend.” Some disgruntled people find that they cannot have more, and some are pleased that they cannot have less.

That is what we have the Boodle Fight for.

That is exactly why we do the Boodle Fight. It strips away all the snobbery. How? By taking away the finest antique chairs and tables, silverware and chinaware, even propriety, ethics and etiquette.

You can eat with your hands. You can eat standing up. You can speak while you laugh and churn out spittle as the food bits from your mouth fly. Dip the grilled squid head in the salsa, with your fingers submerged. It’s fine, the people from the sanitation department won’t mind. Elbow the one to your right and put your arms around her neck. You have not seen each other for a long time. What does it matter if you dip from the same sauce and make a mess of one another’s shirts?

It is seemingly barbaric and unhygienic, yes. But have we read all those books about magical pirates and wondrous warrior kings and never learned anything? It is when we let ourselves go that we gain our life. Those are the moments when we feel and know that we are truly alive.

This is why we Boodle.

Boodle is not just food. Boodle is not only sharing. Boodle is not merely social justice. Boodle is an expression of love.

FIGHT!!!

Photo credits: Gary dela Rosa

Ang aking Lola Crispina (nanay ng tatay ko) ay mestiza Chinese. Lim ang kanyang apelyido, pero gaya ng nakagawian noong kapanahunan niya, ang ginamit niya ay ang apelyido ng ninong at ninong niya: Salazar. Ganun pa man, hindi ko natandaan na nag-celebrate kami ng Chinese New Year noong bata pa kami. Alam ko lang na IBA ang petsa ng kanilang New Year kesa sa atin. At alam ko rin na uso ang tikoy kapag papalapit na ang Chinese New Year. May mga kaibigan at classmates din ako na nakakakuha ng ang pao o ang pow, ‘yun bang maliit na red envelope na may lamang pera sa loob. Alam ko rin na laging may fireworks, parade at dragon dance sa Binondo, Manila, ang oldest Chinatown in the world. Pero tulad ng maraming Pilipino, hanggang doon lang ang kaalaman ko tungkol sa Chinese New Year.

BAKIT IBA ANG NEW YEAR NILA?

Ano ang ibig sabihin ng Lunar Year? Bakit lunar? At bakit paiba-iba ang petsa nito bawat taon? Sa buwan ba binabase ang pagbilang ng taon nila at hindi sa isang buong pag-ikot ng mundo sa araw, gaya ng ating kinagawiang pagbilang ng isang taon? Mag-crash course nga tayo!

Ang Chinese New Year — o ang tinatawag nilang “Spring Festival” sa China — ay nagsisimula sa unang NEW MOON (bagong buwan) sa pagitan ng January 21 at February 20. Ngayong 2016, ang new moon ay magsisimula ngayon, February 8. Kadalasan, ang pagdiriwang ay nagsisimula sa bisperas ng unang araw hanggang sa Lantern Festival na ginawa sa ika-15 araw mula sa unang araw ng unang buwan. Ngayong 2016, ito ay papatak sa February 22 (magbilang ka lang ng 15 days mula ngayon, February 8).

Nagsimula itong tradisyon sa China maraming centuries na ang nakalilipas, at ito ay base sa mga sinaunang traditions and myths o paniniwala nila. Paggunita at pagpugay din ito sa mga pumanaw nilang mga ninuno, pati na rin sa mga deities o mga diyos. Ang pagbilang ng taon sa China ay nagsimula noong rule ng 3rd Millennium BCE Yellow Emperor. Kaya ang 2016 sa kanila ay taong 4713, 4712 o 4653, depende sa kung sinong Chinese scholar ang tatanungin mo (mahigit kasi tatlo ang YEAR 1 na ginagamit ng iba’t ibang scholars).

CHINESE IN THE PHILIPPINES: A BRIEF HISTORY

Sabi sa mga history books, ang mga Chinese ay matagal nang nanirahan nang mapayapa sa Pilipinas kasama ang mga sinaunang PIlipino — bago pa man dumating dito ang mga Kastila noong 1521. Matagal na rin ang ating kalakal (trade) sa kanila, at dahil dito ay na-introduce sa atin hindi lang ang mga kagamitan at technology, kundi pati na rin ang kanilang traditions and customs — kasama na ang ibang pamahiin, feng shui (punsoy), at tanda ng paggalang tulad ng pagmamano. Naaala n’yo naman siguro ang film series na “Mano Po,” di ba? Isinalarawan ng mga pelikulang ito ang mga tradition — sinauna man o makabago – ng mga Filipino Chinese o mga Tsinoy.

CENTRO NG CHINESE CELEBRATION SA PILIPINAS

Siyempre, ‘pag sinabi mong Chinese Filipino, hindi mawawala sa usapan ang Binondo, ang district sa Manila na tinaguriang Chinatown. Gaya ng nabanggit kanina, ito nga ang tinuturing na oldest Chinatown in the world, na inestablish noong 1594. At obviously, marami sa mga nakatira dito ay mga Tsinoy, mula noon hanggang ngayon.

Sa matagal na panahon ay ito rin ang sentro ng selebrasyon ng Chinese New Year. Dito rin kasi matatagpuan ang mga tindahan ng iba’t ibang pang pagkain at items na tinutuking na maswerte ng mga Chinese, tulad ng tikoy, noodles, egg rolls, lucky charms, atbp. Tuwing Chinese New Year, sa Ongpin Street at iba’t ibang kalye ng Binondo umiikot ang traditional na dragon dance, na pinaniniwalaang nagdadala ng swerte. Kaya kung mas mahaba raw ang dragon, mas maraming swerte ang idudulot nito.

Bago mag-World War II, ang Binondo ang sentro ng banking and financial community (tinawag itong “Wall Street of the Philippines), pero matapos ang giyera noong 1945, marami sa mga taga-community na ito ang lumipat sa mas modernong Makati. Pati ang ibang nakasanayang tradisyon tulad ng pag-celebrate ng Chinese New Year ay kumalat at na-decentralize na rin — gaya ng pagkalat ng maraming malalaking malls na pag-aari rin ng mga Chinese Filipinos. At sa kasalukuyan, mayroong tinatayang 5 million Tsinoys sa bansa, o 5 percent ng buong populasyon natin. Pero kahit na kalat na ang mga Tsinoys sa buong bansa, ang Binondo pa rin ang tinuturing na “sentro” ng mga Tsinoy.

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2016 CELEBRATION HIGHLIGHTS

Gaya ng nabanggit, naghanda ang mga kapatid nating Tsinoy ng… pagkain! Tikoy at iba pang pagkaing malagkit (para raw sa pagsasama-sama o unity), pansit (para sa mahabang buhay), bilog na mga prutas (para sa kayamanan), at iba pa. Nariyan din ang bigayan ng ang pao (hong bao sa Mandarin at ang pow sa Hokkien, ang gamit ng maraming Tsinoys). At ang mga fireworks at mga lion dance, hindi lang sa Binondo kundi sa iba’t ibang panig na rin ng bansa. Ang iba nating kapatid na Tsinoy ay bumibisita sa mga temples para gunitain ang mga yumaong mga kapamilya o kakilala (sama mo na rin ang mga kapuso).

Kagabi ay ginanap ang countdown at fireworks display sa New Gateway ng Binondo. Pinangunahan nito ni Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. Ang Chinese community, kasama ang mga employees at officials ng Manila city government ay nagsagawa ng solidarity parade, para ipakita ang pagkakaisa ng mga Chinese at Pilipino.

CHINESE NEW YEAR OFFICIAL HOLIDAY NA NGAYON

Noong August 2015, dineklara ni Pangulong BS Aquino III na special non-working holiday ang Chinese New Year (ngayong araw na ito). Sinabi niya ang Spring Festival o Chinese New Year ang “most revered and festive event celebrated not only in China but also in the Philippines.” May mga pumuna at bumatikos sa proclamation na ito, but that’s another story. Sa ngayon, pag-aralan natin ito…

DIFFERENT WAYS OF SAYING “HAPPY NEW YEAR” IN CHINESE

1. 新年好 / 新年好 (Xīnnián hǎo)
‘New Year goodness!’
In Mandarin: /sshin-nyen haoww/
In Cantonese: /sen-nin haow/

2. 恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 (Gōngxǐ fācái)
‘Happiness and prosperity!’
In Mandarin: /gong-sshee faa-tseye/
In Cantonese: Kunghei fatchoy /gong-hey faa-chwhy/

3. 步步高升 / 步步高陞 (Bùbù gāoshēng)
A steady rise to high places! — “on the up and up”
In Mandarin: /boo-boo gaoww-shnng /
In Cantonese: /boh-boh goh-sshin /

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

SOURCES:
GRAND CELEBRATION OF CHINESE NEW YEAR TO UNFOLD IN MANILA
http://www.mb.com.ph/grand-celebration-of-chinese-new-year-to-unfold-in-manila/

BAGONG TAON NG MGA TSINO
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/philippines/chinese-new-year-day

CHINESE NEW YEAR IN THE PHILIPPINES
http://tagaloglang.com/chinese-new-year-in-the-philippines/

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2016
http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/

CHINESE NEW YEAR (WIKIPEDIA)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

CELEBRATE 2016 CHINESE NEW YEAR IN PHILIPPINES
http://newyearseveblog.com/chinese-new-year-philippines/

PHOTO CREDITS
NEW MOON: astrologyking.com
YEAR OF THE MONKEY: sillypearl.com
DRAGON DANCE DRAWING: www.meiloso.com
TIKOY: blauearth.com
ANG PAO: theserynaj.blogspot.com
CHINESE GREETING: whatsgoingonppl.blogspot.com
CHINATOWN DRAGON DANCE: traveleronfoot.wordpress.com

Habang painit nang painit ang patag na tinatapakan, tumitindi rin ang banta sa buhay. Habang patindi nang patindi ang nakasusulasok na init, pabilis nang pabilis ang karipas ng takbo. Lahat nais makaalis, lahat gustong makaagpas ngunit kahit saan mang dako tumungo, tila puro nakakapasong pader ang kinakahinatnan. Wala nang ibang mapuntuhan kundi pataas kung saan ang malamig na simoy ay humahapyaw. Walang duda, ang direksyon ng hangin ang dapat sundan pero upang ito’y marating dapat ang likod ng kapwa ay matapaktapakan.

Ito ang kwento ng mga buhay na talangka na nagkukumahog makatakas sa
kumukulong delubyong tinatawag nating sabaw. Kahit ano pa man ang potahe di na natin alintana ang panyuyurak sa isa’t isa sa ngalan ng kabusugan.

Ganyan din nga ba ang mga Pinoy na naturingang may utak talangka?

Si Agnes, sawi sa pag-ibig, walang anak, walang asawa. Matandang dalaga na nakalimot na sa tunay na diwa ng buhay. Dahil sa pait ng mga dagok na hatid ng tadhana, isa lamang ang inasam-asam… Ang makaangat sa trabaho bilang hepe ng kaniyang departamento. Nabigyan lamang ng pagkakataong maging officer-in-charge, nag-umpisa na itong maghasik ng lagim. Ang bawat taong nakitaan niya ng potensyal na banta sa kaniyang ambisyon ay ginawan ng kwento na nauwi sa pagkakaso sa kanila at pagtigbak sa trabaho.

Isang dating opisyal ng gobyerno, walang bahid na kasamaan sa kaniyang pinangangalagaang pangalan ay naatasang namuno sa isa sa pinakabuktot na ahensya ng pamahalaan. Reporma ang kaniyang sigaw na sinundan ng matinding aksyon upang mapuksa ang korupsyon. May tinamaan na malaking taong nangampanya para sa pangulo noong nakaraan eleksyon. Pinagsabihan ng presidente na kalimutan na ang kaso laban sa padrino pero hindi ito tinalikuran. Sa halip na kumampi sa tama, sa mali kumapit ang Presidente dahil sa utang na loob hanggang sa huli. Dahil hindi mabali ang maprinsipyong opisyal, siniraan muna ito upang may dahilang itigbak. Ang mga kapwa-talangka naman, nakahanap ng pagkakataong makisakay sa publisidad kaya’t nakiisa na rin sa mga inimbentong bintang hanggang sa tuluyan nang nawala sa ahensya ang kinawawang opisyal.

Sa mga naturang sitwasyon, tila dalawang lahi ng talangka ang lumalabas. May mga talangkang nagkukumahog makaangat sa buhay na di alintana ang mga tinatapakang tao. Ang isang uri naman ay mga taong nasa itaas na pilit pinupukol hanggang ito’y mapabagsak.

Bagama’t marami sa ating lahi ang tumatalangka, sapat nga bang tantuhin na ito ay natural sa mga Pinoy?

Maiigi sigurong suriin ang ating likas na reaksyon sa mga bagay-bagay na nangyayari sa ating paligid.

Si Joana, tila natural na mapamintas. High school palang, kinukuwestyon na nito ang basehan ng pagpili ng Mr. and Ms. Personality, “Sino na naman kaya ang pipiliin ngayon? Huwag naman uli si Laila, ‘no? Maganda lang naman siya pero walang ibinatbat sa talino. Napakababa naman ng qualifications ni Ma’am.”

Tumunog ang sound system at inanunsyo ang pangalan ni Joan bilang Ms. Personality para sa second grading. “Mababa pala ha,” ang banat naman ng nakarinig sa kaniyang mga kritisismo.

Pero ‘ika nga ng lumang awitin, ang taong marupok kay daling lumimot. Di nagtagal, namasukan na si trabaho Joana, “Ano? Si Ate Celia ang best employee of the month? Bakeeet?” painsulto nitong tanong.

Mangilang beses mang napahiya ang dalaga dahil sa pagiging mapagmata, tuloy pa rin sa ligaya. Aminin. May mga kabanata rin sa buhay na di natin matanggap. Bakit mas nakakaangat sa atin ang iba sa aspeto ng kagandahan, yaman at katalinuhan? At para maibsan ang inggit, tila awtomatiko na sa atin ang panlalait.

Bukod sa pamimintas, isa ring paboritong sipit ng pananakit ng mga talangka ang paninirang-puri kaya nga hit na hit ang mga tabloid dahil sa mga walang humpay na tsismis na pinagmumulan ng mga kuwentong walang kakwenta-kwenta.

Makitambay ka sa tindahan at ito ang mga uri ng usapang maririnig.

“Parang ang saya ni Bosing sa kasal nila ‘no?”

“Naku! Sa umpisa lang iyan. Eh balita ko mahillig pumatol talaga yang si Poleng sa mga matatandang mayaman. Di ba nga, naging boypren din niyan si Plastik King?”

“Ay, totoo ka. Baka ang luha ng ligaya ni Bosing ay mapapalitan din ng luha ng lungkot agad. Abangan!”

O di ba? Ramdam na ramdam nila ang pagiging malaam sa buhay ng may buhay ng iba? Animo’y kilalang kilala ang mga taong sinisiraan, tabloid lang naman ang basehan.

Mas malala ang mga talangkang kuyog. Ito ang mga taong malakas ang pakikiisa basta’t pagdating sa panlalait sa iba, maingat lamang ang sarili.

“Ano ba yang presidente ng asosasyon natin? Wala nang ginawa kundi sumipsip sa mga boss.”

” May hatiang nangyayari kasi. Di ba nga, meimbro ng bidding committee si presidente kaya malamang sa hindi, nakakipagsabwatan na iyan.”

“Kung bakit naman kasi di marunong bumoto ng maayos ang mga kasamahan natin. Pati tuloy tayo damay sa kamangmangan nila!”

Ang mahirap niyan, kung may makarinig at makisawsaw pa. Saksakan galore ito, as in saksakan ng likod na ang basehan ay maling haka-haka.

Ganyan na ba kalala ang pagkatalangka na mga Pinoy? Mahirap yatang tanggapin.

Lalo na kung ating babalik-balikan ang kadakilaan ng ating lahi. Tayo ay kilala sa buong mundo sa ating kabayanihan.

Kung noong araw, ito’y simpleng pagtulong lamang sa pagbubuhat ng bahay upang makalipat, ngayon maraming bersyon na ito sa ating pakikipagkapwa tao. Pinakasikat na nga rito ang People Power natin.

Magmasid.

Isang kotse sa alanganing lugar ang lumubog sa ala-kumunoy na lupa dahil sa lakas ng ulan. Akala mo walang tutulong? Magugulat ka na lang kung saan nanggagaling ang mga anghel sa lupang biglang magsusulputan para itulak ang sasakyan palayo sa kinalulubugan nito nang di alintana ang putik na nagtatalsikan sa kanilang mga baro’t katawan. Pagkatapos iangat ang pobreng drayber sa kinasasadlakan, bigla rin silang maglalaho na parang walang nangyari.

Sa magkakapatid o magkakaibigan, kahit gaano pa kapait ang samaan ng loob sa nakaraan, magsasama-sama pa rin sila upang makaambag sa pagtulong kapag ang isa sa kanila ay minalas, naaksidente o may matinding pangangailangan.

Heto pa… Alam ng lahat kung gaano napaparumi ng mga utak-talangka ang pulitika sa bansa kung saan ang mga naglilinis-linisan at nagmamaang-maangan ay ginagamit ang samu’tsaring makinarya upang siraan ang mga kapwa kandidato.

Pero sa kabilang dako, mapapansin din ang mga tahimik na tagapagmasid na nagsasalita sa pamamagitan ng kanilang mga boto. Ngayon pa lamang, umaangat na sa mga survey ang mga inaapi. Sana lang, hindi ulit mamanipula ang bilangan upang ang tunay na hinalal ng nakararami ang siyang mananalo sa huli.

Sa bawat yin ay may yang. Sa bawat kasamaan, may katapat na kabutihan. Di rin naiiba ang isip Pinoy. Kung may utak-talangka, may utak-biyaya rin pero sa huli, ang desisyon ng bawat isa ang siyang mag-aangat o maglulubog sa pangkalahatan.

PHOTO CREDITS: www.flickr.com

We all know that Pinoys have this love for love songs – in fact, Pinoys love anything with a hint of love or sentiment. This explains why Celine Dion had such a hit with “My Heart Will Go On,”, why Pinoys love “Let it Go” (the movie version), and why “My Way” has become the killer karaoke song.

Some people think of it as part of the Spanish culture ingrained in us, the European romantic mythology, translated to our Asian roots. The truth is, it may go deeper than that, into our pre-colonial past. But if you think that our love for the romantic, sappy, or sentimental songs are just a function of present culture, then here’s some food for thought: let’s get nostalgic about the kundiman.

Kundiman, Cundiman
A good number of historians and scholars believe that kundiman songs originated from the Visayas, with the “Father of the Kundiman Art Song,” Dr. Francisco Santiago explaining that the term kundiman originates from a song where the term cundiman was a repeated term in the lyrics of the first stanza. Dr. Santiago, along with Nicanor Abelardo, would create the formal musical structure for the kundiman – including the artistic value of the lyrics, paired with the music.

The existence of the kundiman in the wild, as it were, has been noted as early as the 1870s, where it was still known as, of course, the cundiman, and was already typified as the “love song genre.”

Spanish scholars had a rather biased view of the kundiman (or as they called it, cancion indigena – native song), describing it as pathetic but with pleasant overtones.

By the 1880s, the kundiman was being recorded in lyric form by historians and scholars, with a portion of these texts Spanish translations of the original lyrics.

Oh, the feels!
The kundiman song is primarily seen as a serenading format. It’s meant to be a song that will pluck at the heart strings, no matter how saccharine-sweet the lyrics are. However, because of this ability to tap into primal emotions, the kundiman has also been used for politics and ideology. National hero Jose Rizal himself used the song form by creating a highly-charged set of kundiman lyrics in his novel, Noli me Tangere.

Later on, during the revolutionary period, the kundiman song known as the Jocelynang Baliuag would become the “Kundiman of the Revolution.”

The makings of a kundiman song
The kundiman has a very specific structure, though this may have been, in part, the formalisation of Santiago and Abelardo.

The kundiman takes on a 3 / 4 time signature, similar to the waltz. The first verse is played in a minor key (which probably sets the melancholic or emotional tone), and then this is followed by a second verse where the chords are put in a major key (an assertion within the mood) within the song. Stricter schools are explicit in that this is the kundiman formula, and nothing else.

Lyrics-wise, the kundiman is plaintive, to the point of exaggeration. Some people have observed that this could be a reflection of an innate passivity in the Filipino character, combined with a very emotional streak. There have been controversial views that this is a reflection of how Filipinos have allowed themselves to be taken over by foreign interests.

The kundiman in pop culture
The kundiman in its traditional form has not survived well in present-day pop culture. The very fact that it is a foundation for tradition makes it “baduy” in the eyes of younger Filipinos, where mournful, plaintive songs can be sneered as sounding like a Kundiman. True, there have been highlights, such as Sylvia La Torre’s career, and the popularity of songs like “sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” but these can be also seen as drawbacks, since it further puts the kundiman in the position of either being “high brow” culture, or worse, “library culture.”

One of the few times the kundiman is seen in a positive light is when the term itself is used to refer to the primary purpose: that of a song being used in serenading. In that venue, the term loses most, if not all of its negative aspects, save perhaps for the quaint idea of hearing a song sung by would-be lover, or a lover who cannot go into the home.

The key to making the kundiman acceptable in pop culture may, ironically, be in changing the form somewhat. While the strict musical structure can be retained to this day (though the instruments used and arrangements can be updated), the lyrics themselves might be the key to a kundiman resurgence. One can either go to the point of exaggeration, at the risk of sounding like a parody, or one can ditch the whole mournful and melancholic feeling altogether, and use more modern language, while liberally retaining the basic idea of the kundiman being a love song.

In some cases, you have “Kundiman” from Silent Sanctuary, which retains many of the traditional touches of the kundiman, but upgrades the arrangement and time signature. In other songs, such as Hale’s “Kung Wala Ka”, one can clearly hear the spirit or tone of the kundiman, though the actual song itself leans closer to classic western pop.

Where do we go with the kundiman?
The first thing that has to be done, obviously, is that the kundiman should be brought out from “high culture,” and then once again taken to the masses. Once could say that the kundiman as a cultural art form should have a makeover, making it more accessible to pop culture through either a glorification of its role in Philippine art and culture, or through updating it through musical releases that stay true to the idea and, if possible, to the musical structures that technically make a kundiman song a kundiman song.

Or, we can take comfort in the fact that the kundiman actually does live on in spirit in Philippine pop music, though we’ll probably never hear the original kundiman style reach the heights of popularity that it once did. Whatever the case may be, the kundiman as a signpost of Philippine character and culture should be an accepted fact. The yearning, sadness, and romanticism that the kundiman can bring to the fore are uniquely Filipino, be it bakya or high art.

Original Photo: “Singing the Kundiman,” Shubert Ciencia c/o Flickr.com
All copyrights of the Youtube videos used in the article belong to their respective youtube channel owners or original sources.

This Sunday, I and two other members of our barangay Lupon Pangkat shall try to solve a case that should be a walk in the park, as they say, if it’s just a question of settling debts, like with some disputes that regularly confront community residents. This particular case, however, involves two teen-agers, a boy and a girl, and it’s not about having to compel one to pay back money owed the other but about the boy claiming his supposed right in the upbringing of the little bundle the girl is cradling tightly in her arms.

Alas, another love story gone sour. It’s sad because this coming February 14 is Valentine’s Day and the children of Eros will go overboard in the celebration of love.

For sure there’s going to be soaring sales, and prices, of flowers, red roses, particularly, mushy-worded Valentine cards and boxes of chocolates. Not to forget prophylactics.

For sure also rooms have been reserved in advance in all the trysting places in Sta. Mesa, Pasig, around the alleys in Qiuapo, Cubao and neighboring towns. The restaurants and eateries at the malls, the eating digs in Ortigas, along Timog and other snooty streets in Makati will be full to capacity and one would be lucky to be lower than number 10 on the waiting list of diners very hungry na. Also the lines at the movie houses are going to be long if not longer as that of irate commuters hitching for MRT rides.

All these in celebration, even for just one day, of that ‘great, big, marvelous thing called love,’ as writer ‘Live’ divines it and who got 1,560,000 answers on Google to her question, ‘What is love?’

Right she is when she says love ‘will be the one thing left’ after everything else go pfft!

Really, who could resist the ‘euphoric feeling’ of love which is akin to the ‘effects of cocaine or heroin?’ asks Dr. Lucy Brown, a professor of neurology in her studies of brain activities of people in love.

Indeed the pursuit of love is so intense and strong that supposedly ‘intelligent people’ do ‘idiotic things’ going for it, according to Dr. Brown.

Like searching for love and romance in the Internet where there are hundreds, nay, perhaps thousands of bleeding-heart apps worldwide to help lovelorn searchers.

Fine, except that with the hits are the thousand-fold misses.

Incompatibility, true, is a main reason for the misconnections but those in the know point to scammers as the culprits. Savvy back alley operators know that people yearning for love and companionship oftentimes act and think irrationally. They respond only to what they want to hear or see and these are what the scammers give them. Bankbooks and hearts, broken as they are, are lost in the process.

As there are thousands of grieving hearts who rued the day they became users of dating sites and apps, there are thousands who have come to terms with being jilted or with the demise of their loved ones. They are moving on and with a smile remember that the times they had with their beloved have been simply amazing.

This Sunday I will ask the young couple why their relationship ended so early. At his moment I can guess theirs was just mere attraction to each other that needed time to nurture, for it to bloom into real love. There should have been formal courtship first like – don’t giggle – the old-fashioned but tested panunuyo where the wooer and wooed get to know each other until such time they would have attained the Japanese ‘wabisabi’ – seeing ‘beauty … in imperfections.’

But I am afraid the youngsters rushed from Dunkin Donuts through a narrow hallway to Sogo hotel one evening and realized the morning after one was just somebody the other used to love.

Photo credits: www.flickr.com/photos/vinothchandar

NAGSIMULA NA OFFICIALLY ANG CAMPAIGN PERIOD
para sa mga tumatakbo bilang
president, vice-president, senator at party list
nitong February 9.

February 9 din nang bumaha sa buong bansa.
Bumaha ng mga pangako
at bumaha ng pera
mula sa mga tatakbong politiko.

*****

KINABUKASAN, FEBRUARY 10,
tunay na bumaha sa Sta. Mesa, Manila
dahil sa nabiyak na water pipe.
Daig pa raw ng Ondoy ang dinulot nitong baha,
sabi ng mga residente ng lugar.

Ngayong problema ang supply ng tubig
dahil sa nararanasang El Niño,
nakakagalit ang ganitong kapabayaan.

Malamang si Gloria may kasalanan niyan.

*****

TSISMIS 1: Si Grace Poe ang secret candidate ni PNoy
TSISMIS 2: Si Digong ang secret candidate ni Binay.

Walang tsismis kay Mar?
Sino ‘yon?

*****

SOBRANG BUSY ANG LAHAT.

Si Pres. BS Aquino III ay ikinampanya
ang mga manok niyang sina Mar Roxas
at Leni Robredo sa Iloilo (Feb 9),
sa LMP general assembly (Feb 10),
sa LBP national assembly (Feb 11),
at sa Camarinues Sur (kahapon, Feb 12).

Sipag ng lolo n’yo!
Takot talagang makulong.

*****

SA LIGA NG MGA BARANGAY SA PILIPINAS
national assembly noong February 11,
ipinagmalaki ng pangulo
ang Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB)
para sa mga barangay.

BUB para sa mga barangay,
UNLI budgeting para sa KKKK niya.

Wais!

*****

AT MAGKANO ANG BUDGET NA INILAAN
para sa BUB na ito?

P100 BILLION lang naman.

At naihi sa excitement si Janet Napoles.

*****

SO, GINAGAMIT NG GOBYERNO
ang BUB na pera ng taumbayan
para ipangampanya
ang manok nilang sina Mar at Leni??

Ganun na nga.
Para tayong ginigisa sa sarili nating mantika.

Ouch.

*****

NAKATULONG NAMAN KAYA ITO
sa pagtaas nila Mar at Leni sa surveys?

Asa pa.

*****

PNOY:
“Piliin ang daang matuwid
kung hindi ay magiging maputik
ang ating daan.”

Eh di IMPROVEMENT po ‘yon.
Kasi, ang daan natin ngayon ay —
sa TOTOO lang —
MABURAK.

*****

MAR ROXAS:
“Tayo ang sundalo ng Daang Matuwid.
Dilaw ang kulay ng ating prinsipyo.
Dilaw ang kulay ng ating paninindigan,
at dilaw ang kulay ng ating tagumpay.”

Wow.
Pati kulay ng underwear mo, dilaw din?
O naninilaw lang?

*****

MAR ROXAS, KAPAG NANALONG PANGULO:
“Walang ibang gagawin si Korina
kundi ang mahalin ako.”

Spoken like a true chauvinist pig.

*****

MAR ROXAS:
“Wala siyang ibang gagawin
kundi ang mahalin ako.”

Ganern?

Di na n’ya kailangang sulsihan
yung butas-butas mong pambahay?

*****

NANGAKO RIN SI MAR NA IPAPASA ANG
FREEDOM OF INFOMATION (FOI) BILL
kapag siya’y nanalo bilang pangulo.

Narinig na po namin ‘yan noong 2010 eh.
Echo ka ba ni Boy Sisi, ser?

*****

MAR ROXAS PINAIIMBISTIGAHAN
sa Ombudsman dahil sa papel nito
sa maanomalyang procurement at
service contracts na pinasok ng DOTC
noong ito pa ang kalihim nito.

May mangyayari naman kaya
sa imbestigasyon na ito?

Asa pa.

*****

PNOY:
“Dapat yata, habang umaasenso tayo,
dapat nagbabago ang anyo ng problema,
dapat nababawasan ‘yung paghihirap
ng ating mga kababayan na pinangakuan
nating lahat na paglingkuran.”

Sabihin mo ‘yan sa harap ng salamin, ser.

*****

KUMUSTA NAMAN ANG CAMPAIGN
NI GRACE LLAMANZARES?

Hayun, Poe pa rin ang gamit.
At isinisingit pa rin lagi sa speeches niya
ang mga titles ng pelikula ni FPJ.

Kapag puno na ang salop,
kalusin na ‘yang Amerikanang ‘yan.

*****

TINAMAAN SIGURO SA AD NI MAR ROXAS,
heto ang sabi ni Grace sa Plaza Miranda:

“Marahil nga ay madrama ang buhay ko
dahil tulad ng karamihan
sa ating mga kababayan,
may pinagdaanan akong hirap at pait.”

Whoa!
Sino ba scriptwriter nitong pelikulang ito??

*****

VICE-MAYOR ISKO MORENO,
mukhang may kumukompetensya sa style mo!

*****

GRACE POE:
“Puno na ang salop ng kahirapan,
puno na ang salop ng katiwalian.
Dapat na itong kalusin.
Ipaglaban natin na ang bawat isa
ay may pagkain, may hanap buhay,
may edukasyon at may kalinga.”

Naku, ma’m, sana’y magkaroon ka naman
ng KAHIT KONTING PAGTINGIN, este, HIYA.

*****

Speaking of Grace Poe…

Kumakalat ngayon sa internet
ang picture ng anak nito na suot ang
2011 Limited Edition Nike Mag 10.

Weno naman ngayon?

Eh… mga P900,000 lang naman kasi ‘yan.

Wha….???

Kalusin na nga!

*****

PALIWANAG NI SEN. POE,
nagtatrabaho raw kasi ang anak niya
bilang neophyte reporter
sa isang TV station.

REPORTER? NEOPHYTE PA?
Tapos makakabili ng
halos ISANG MILYONG sapatos?

Akala ko ba sabi ni Grace Poe, eh
wala silang pera?

Sarap sapatusin.

*****

P900,000 LIMITED EDITION NIKE MAG 10.

Makamasa nga.

Daw.

*****

TALAGANG MAGASTOS POE.

At umpisa pa lang ‘yan.

*****

NAG-ALAGA KAY POE UMUWI MULA CANADA
Dala raw niya ang ebidensyang magpapatunay
ng katauhan ni Grace Poe:
Birth certificate.
Umbilical cord.
Wha….???

Sino’ng Sisa ang nagtatago
ng umbilical cord ng isang bata???

*****

NAG-ALAGA KAY POE UMUWI MULA CANADA.

Bagong character ito.

And the teleserye continues.

Abangan!

*****

SA KAMPO NAMAN NI VP BINAY…

Sa kanilang proclamation rally sa Mandaluyong,
heto ang sinabi ng senatorial bet nilang
si Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao:

“Jijomar Binay is distined
to be our nixt prisidint.”

Idiwow!

*****

DAGDAG PA NI PACMAN:
“Ang ating mahal na presidente Binay,
dumaan din sa hirap.
Kaya ako nagte-testify sa inyo ngayon
na kahit anong sigaw ng mga mahihirap,
nararamdaman ng
mahal na presidente natin yan.”

Pasilip nga ng shoe rack niya
kung walang Nike Mag 10!

*****

SA PROCLAMATION RALLY NAMAN NG KAMPO
NI MAYOR DIGONG AT ALAN PETER CAYETANO…

Nag-walkout ang mga senatorial bets nilang
sina ex-General Diomedes Santiago
at Sandra Cam.

Nanggalaiti ang mga ito ang sinumpang
hinding-hindi nila susuportahan o iboboto
si Alan Peter Cayetano bilang vice-president.

Ang dahilan?
Pinagbawalan daw sila ni Cayetano
na umakyat sa stage at mag-speech.

Baka naman kasi wala silang prepared na…
song and dance number.

*****

NOONG FEB 11 NAMAN AY
inatake si Digong ng matinding Cayetano.

Si Cayetano po ang kanyang
matinding sakit ng ulo.

*****

NAKAKUHA NAMAN NG BAGONG KAAWAY
si Mayor Duterte sa Kilusang Mayo Uno
nang sabihin ng mayor na bubuwagin niya
ang lahat ng labor unions.

Mayor, dahan-dahan lang.
Dagdag-sakit ulo ‘yan.

*****

SPEAKING OF ULO…

Nang hamunin ni Mar Roxas si Digong
na ilabas nito ang medical records n’ya,
ito ang naging tugon ng mayor:

“Dapat ipakita muna ni Roxas
na tuli na siya.”

At napakagat-labi si Ate Koring.

*****

MAYOR DUTERTE:
“Dapat ipakita muna ni Roxas na tuli na siya.”

At nag-blush si
Joross Gamboa.

*****

BAHAY NI PNOY SA TIMES STREET
nilusob ng mga rallyista noong birthday niya.

Awww…
They remembered his birthday!
Well-loved talaga ang pangulo, ‘no?!

*****

ANO ANG DALA NILANG GIFTS FOR PNOY?

Kamatis at bulok na itlog.

Awww talaga.

*****

PARA SA STUDENT NA GINAWANG MOP
ANG PHILIPPINE FLAG:

Alam mong mali ang ginagawa mo.
Alam mong kinukunan ka ng video.
Alam mong magiging viral ito.
Alam mong mapapa-trouble ka dahil dito.
Tinuloy mo pa rin.

Baka naman…
likas ang angkin mong KABOBOHAN.
Sayang lang binabayad na tuition fee
ng mga magulang mo.

Wala ka namang natututunan.

Magtanong ka kaya kay Isko Moreno.
Maraming alam ‘yun.

*****

SEN. SOTTO VOWS TO BRING “EAT BULAGA,”
ALDUB TO PANGASINAN KUNG MANALO SILA.

Akala ko ba, walang politika for AlDub, Tito Sen??

*****

AT PAANO KUNG MATALO SILA?
Sino ang ipapadala sa Pangasinan,
si Vice Ganda?

Ganern ba ‘yun?

*****

BALAK NA PAGSASARA
NG WHITE PLAINS AVENUE
mula February 14 to 29
kinansel na.

Eh sino ba naman kasing gunggong
ang nagplano ‘yan?
Hawa-hawa na talaga sila, ‘no?

*****

HABANG TINITIKETAN ANG ISANG TRUCK DRIVER,
bumaba ito at sinuhulan ng P2,000 ang traffic officer.

Dahil dito, hinuli siya, ikinulong
at sinampahan ng patung-patong na kaso.

Mali si Ate Guy.
May himala!!!

*****

FROM THE INTERNET:

Valentine’s Day

Tanging araw sa buong taon
kung kailan ipinadarama
ng mga magsing-irog
ang wagas nilang pagmamahal…

sa mga negosyante.

*****

SAWI KA BA BUKAS, VALENTINE’S DAY?

Sabi ni Bob Ong,
ang SAWI daw ay Single At Walang Ipon.

Napa-ouch ka rin ba?

*****

PHOTO CREDITS:
MAR ROXAS AND PNOY: https://twitter.com/maxell_lander/status/487116872685350912
MAGASTOS POE: pinoytrendingnews.net
MAYOR DUTERTE: www.sunstar.com.ph
NIKE MAG: www.nicekicks.com
STUDENT MAKES FLAG A MOP: newsinfo.inquirer.net
DAANG MATUWID: www.negroschronicle.com

What is your partner’s love language? What is your love language? Since learning about the concept of love languages a few years ago, I’ve been trying to be more conscious about how I show my love to my husband. The Five Love Languages is a book by Gary Chapman. There are five different ways to express and experience love — “love languages”. These five love languages are: 

• Receiving Gifts
• Quality Time
• Words of Affirmation
• Acts of Service
• Physical Touch

Each individual has his or her own way of expressing his love. Naturally, since this is the way we express our love, we also expect to receive love this same way. For example, I express my love best through words. I love writing long letters of affirmation, texting “I love you” to my husband during random moments of the day, having long, intimate conversations with friends. Given this, I enjoy it when I receive expressions of love through words as well. I cherish love letters, keep sentimental text messages from way back, and love long talks with my husband. But not everyone expresses love the same way. To love better, we have to be aware of how others express their own love – their love language. Gary Chapman shares that people shouldn’t use the love languages they like most to show their love, but rather the love languages that their loved ones can receive.

What’s your love language? You can discover your love language by taking this profiling test: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/. My husband and I took it individually and then shared our results. You can allot approximately ten minutes each for the test. When we got our results, it made for wonderful bonding time too! Go ahead and take the test!

Another way to find out what your love language is to observe how you most often show your love to others. If you are regularly giving presents, this could gifts could be your love language. If you enjoy showing your love for others by doing tasks, then Acts of Service is your primary love language. You can also observe how others like receiving love – this indicates what their love language is.

Loving Better through Love Language

One of the things I learned from understanding our love language as a couple better is that how my husband receives love isn’t the way I typically show love. My husband loves it when I do little tasks for him — getting him a glass of water (even if the water dispenser is just a foot away from him), preparing his food, etc. I, on the other hand, am not a very “service-oriented” person. I used to get irritated at him getting irritated when I’d point out that the water is literally just a foot away, so why couldn’t he just get the water himself? It turns out that my husband’s love language, or the way he receives love, is acts of service.

I thought back to sources of our squabbles. Half of it really was because I wasn’t doing enough to make him feel appreciated. He did find joy when I’d prepare his pajamas for him at night, put toothpaste on his toothbrush, fix his baon for work. To me, they were small acts of love. To him, they were big acts of love. I didn’t understand how much those little acts meant so much to him.

Another lesson I learned is that how my husband gives love isn’t the way I prefer to receive love. If I show my love through words of affirmation, I prefer receiving love through words of affirmation. I like hearing words of assurance and listening to pep talk. I love letters. I love words! However, my husband isn’t that wordy type of guy. So while I’m looking for words of love from him, he’s been showing me love through his love language of giving love — gifts and service. My husband enjoys shopping for presents or running an errand for me. I’ve told him on more than one occasion though not to spend on gifts anymore – I’m not really big on presents. But still he continues to do so. This is his primary love language and I’m learning to understand that. Through this, I’ve come to appreciate the presents he gets me, and the surprise milk tea runs he does for me, even more.

That’s how it all balances out in the end – being conscious about how your partner expresses love, and how you receive love. If there’s awareness both ways, it makes for a more loving relationship.

This goes for family members and friends too. I’ve become more understanding of how others show their love and how they prefer to receive love. My sisters and I have a great time trying to understand our own parents’ love languages. It gave us a deeper understanding of how they’d want to be shown love, and how we shouldn’t hold grudges against them because they have a particular way of showing love. It’s also a wonderful way to learn about your kids’ love languages, your best friends’, even your co-workers.

So the biggest gift of love languages to me is more self-awareness: how you effectively show your love to others, and how you gratefully receive the love other people show you. There are different ways of showing love after all, and just because it’s not in the way I prefer to receive it, it doesn’t mean that other person loves me less. It reminds me of this wonderful quote:

“Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with everything they have.”

Learn your and your loved ones’ love language, and you’ll be loving a lot more wholeheartedly, a lot more ferociously.

 “Love is something you do for someone else, not something you do for yourself.”  — Gary Chapman

Embrace in the moonlight

In this modern and gadget-obsessed era, many people have learned the art of playing with words and using them to their advantage. How can you not become skillful with words in a time when you cannot escape a day without sending text messages, updating your social media status and expressing yourself in 140 characters on Twitter? But all those words are meaningless without the appropriate action.

Words, no matter how eloquent have no bearing when they are not accompanied by gestures. In a relationship, words are important but you cannot depend on them alone. Of course, it feels good to hear your significant other say “I love you,” “you mean the world to me,” “I’ll do anything for you,” “you’re my everything” and so on but if that person constantly lets you down and hurt you, then those words may seem ironic.

Words are music to the ears but they should always be supported by actions. In order to mean what you say, you have to prove it with gestures. The virtual world is bombarded with sweet nothings but in reality, happiness highly depends on what you actually do. After all, actions speak louder than words.

Many complain that their partners are not vocal about their feelings. It’s a blessing to have someone who can express his/her feelings in words and gestures. Sometimes, you can’t always have the best of both worlds. If you have to choose, would you rather be with someone who showers you with sweet lines but disappoints and makes you cry or would you rather choose a person who doesn’t say much but who is always there for you and fulfills his/her promises? If you have good sense, you know you’re better off with the latter.

A relationship starts with exchange of words but in order for it to grow and develop, you need to nurture it with the right actions. Simple deeds can outweigh words. Don’t worry too much if your partner is not generous with his/her words as long as you feel that you are loved. Here are some day-to-day gestures that express affection without the need to say the words aloud.

Introduction to family and friends – You know you are special to a person when he/she introduces you to his/her family and friends. It’s a gesture that may indicate that he/she is serious about your relationship and thinking of building a future with you.

Shirley was ecstatic the day her boyfriend introduced her to his family. They have been together for a year and a half when her boyfriend invited her for brunch at his parent’s house. Shirley took it as a sign that their relationship is for keeps.

Physical display of affection – A simple and random display of affection such as giving you a tender embrace, kissing you on the cheek, holding your hand, or putting an arm around you show that your significant other wants to be in close proximity to you.

Weng, a stay-at-home mom is married to a hardworking regional sales manager of a big company. He is always on the road. They have been married for eight years now. Her husband is the quiet type but what he lacks in words, he compensates in action. Although he rarely says “I love you,” Weng feels loved because he never fails to kiss and hug her the moment he wakes up and every chance he gets whenever he is at home.

Taking the extra mile – A person can express his/her emotions through his/her behavior. He/she may go out of his/her way to cheer you up, give you advice or offer you a helping hand.

Gloria fell in love with Frank because of his genuine kindness. She remembers the time when torrential rain caused city-wide flooding. She and her sister were stuck at home because of the flood. Frank bought pandesal, bottled water and a few canned goods to bring to Gloria and her sister. Frank walked for more than an hour carrying the goods because many of the roads were impassable to public and private vehicles. Frank waded in filthy water. He disregarded his own health and safety just to get to Gloria. There was a nagging fear in his head that he might get injured by falling in a manhole or stepping on something sharp or worse something rusty. Thankfully, he arrived at Gloria’s apartment safe and sound. Little did he know that on that day, he won her heart.

Symbol of love – You can express how much you value the presence of a person in your life by giving him/her a symbolic gift.

Bernie gave his girlfriend a promise ring as a sign of commitment. The promise ring is also a pledge of love and faithfulness. It was like a pre-engagement gesture to show his girlfriend that he sees his future with her.

Showing remorse for mistakes – Being sorry goes beyond words of apology. It means making an effort to correct the problem and setting things right.

Alfred’s infidelity almost destroyed his marriage. The thought of losing his wife and children made him realize the gravity of what he has done. When his wife found out about his affair with another woman, she threatened to leave him and take their children with her. Alfred held his wife as tight as he could. She struggled to break free but he refused to let go. When his tears began to fall, his wife stopped and looked at him straight in the eye. It was the first time that she saw him cry. He has always been a strong and brave person. He is not easily moved by difficult situations unlike most people. But that moment, Alfred felt all his strength and courage escape him. He knew he had broken his wife’s heart. He wanted to apologize and beg her to stay but the words couldn’t come out. Alfred broke down. After his emotional release, he was able to talk to his wife.

He learned from his mistake. Rather than making promises, Alfred showed his wife how much he values the second chance she gave him through his actions. He severed all forms of communication with the other woman. He keeps his mobile phone in plain sight. No more secret text messages and calls. He now makes it a point to go home early. Alfred knows that it will take time for his wife to trust him again but he will keep trying.

Photo c/o Pixabay. Public domain.
—————————–
Rachel Yapchiongco, also known as Rach to her friends, is a Psychology and Marketing Management graduate of De La Salle University. Rachel is a mom to a charming boy and married to an entrepreneur who has a passion for cooking. She shares parenting experiences and slices of everyday life on her personal blog called Heart of Rachel.

Many of the Millennial Generation would probably wonder what the heck Side B means, and why we have the saying that there’s always a Side B. But for those who are familiar with magnetic tape memory – and vinyl records! – having a side B held a near sacred meaning.

Looking forward
The idea of a Side B, specifically, probably began with the use of vinyl records for audio recordings – in some cases, if people were not satisfied with the music or audio recording (yes, they did have non-musical albums) tracks in the first side of a record, one would look forward to the other side – the “B” Side of the record itself. This carried on in practice with the audio cassette tape, which had a Side A and Side B, depending on if you played it one way or the other. In fact, many cassette players took the mirroring of vinyl records to exacting lengths, by having the same amount of magnetic tape wound up to play the side of an album with the longer playing time. Presumably, this was meant to have the same experience as flipping the vinyl record over for Side B. Auto-Reverse tape players allowed cassettes to play continuously through out the whole length of the album, though.

Looking back
The idea of finding a better “something” in another part of a work probably started with books and other written texts, particularly when written texts started to be partitioned in chapters, or as a sequence of stories. It would be no surprise if people would find certain chapters or story sections better – hence, the Side B.

Music to soothe the savage breast
However, the idea that the Side B could be better seems to really be with the music formats for vinyl and tape. And that’s probably where the idea goes – though it has also been applied to underwear (and if you know the joke… ewwww!).

So, how do we really apply to the Side B idea to our lives?

Perseverance
Sometimes, the best things in life are right around the corner. While the more pessimistic among us probably think that there’s something out to get them lurking just beyond the line of sight, the important thing is that we prepare and look forward to getting to the other side – the Side B, in other words.

The reason for this is simple: if you give up easily, then you’ll always be stuck on Side A. You’ll never get out of your current track in life. But if you just muster enough endurance, you might find out that all that Side A was preparing you for was the wealth of opportunities in Side B.

That’s the real gift of looking forward to Side B, be it in your life, your work, or even your music (for the given value of “having a Side B”). You have a goal, rather than a hope. Even if Side B won’t be necessarily a great thing, the fact is, by preparing for a second wind, you will be more prepared. Remember: it’s not about optimism, but preparation – just like how many artists have songs in the first side that prepares people for the later songs, particularly for theme albums.

Preparation
We’ve actually started talking about preparation anyway, but here’s the full idea: if you want a great Side B, then you have to be prepared to have a great Side B. That means that even if you feel you are in the worst “Side A” of your life ever, the fact is, you can and should learn from all of it, so you will be prepared for opportunities or future hard knocks (which can be the same thing) as life goes on. Does this mean that life will always be difficult? Well, it will be if you keep on thinking of it that way. Once you change your outlook, what Side B is changes for you, as well. It could be horrible, like an extra project on top of your daily workload, but if you’re looking to show what you can really do, then that extra project might be the feather in your cap that you need.

Turning over a new leaf
Alternatively, having a Side B may also mean that you can walk away from whatever Side A was, and start anew. This applies to your job, your relationship, and even something like the hobby you’re in, or the choice of music you listen to. The idea here is that no matter what you are currently, no matter what you were in the past, you are still allowed to have a fresh start (at least, once your debts are paid for, be it literally or figuratively).

Going to the Side B of your life should be a real option for you, and this means that you shouldn’t keep your mind to one track. Even if your life is already very comfortable, if you feel that somehow, you can do more with it, then it’s time to pack up your bags, or get your resume ready. Side B might be the time of your life when everything does click together.

Many people ignore this side of having a Side B, thinking that all they need is to have an outlet or an occasional vacation. But if the longing or dissatisfaction is always there, then it’s time to eject the cassette, as it were, and switch to the next side of the album.

Staying in the groove
The hidden lesson of Side B, however, is practically an irony: you should stick to your guns. But it’s not about being stubborn. Rather, it’s about keeping a set of goals in mind. It means that Side B, whatever it is, isn’t something that is separate from you, or is given to you. Rather, Side B is something you create for yourself, be it a set of medium- to long-term life goals, or it could just be a life track where you have to be at a certain level of comfort and job stability at a certain age. Whatever the case, the real Side B is about you getting to your Side B, not a Side B that’s given by someone else, or imposed on you by society. It’s not about being a millionaire, it’s about being financially stable on your terms. It’s not about reaching job goals, but about personal development goals that make sense for your lifestyle.

In the end, when you say there’s always a Side B, what you should really be saying is that you should always have a Side B that you’re aiming for, or have the options prepared for.

“Philips C60 – Tape – ISO” by stuart.childs, c/o flickr.com