One Day Without Shoes '11

April 5.
Worldwide.

Visit TOMS and Walking Without Shoes For One Day for more information.

Where I'm From, Everyone's a Hero: A Tale of Two Storms

After being hit by two terrible storms, one after the other, parts of the Philippine archipelago have been left submerged in murky flood water...and much sorrow for lives lost, homes destroyed, livelihoods crippled. But, as in any tragedy or calamity, the Filipino spirit remains resilient and unwavering.

This leaves all of us to ask: "Why did this happen?"

There have been many theories, overly complicated analyzations. But the bottom line is that Mother Earth has reached its boiling point and all of these are simply the results of our actions (or inactions). Not just by Filipinos but by the citizens of the world.

It's not too late. Sure, we've got our work cut out for us. But for as long as there are clear skies, air to breathe, water to drink, lives to protect, we should never abandon our cause. Save what needs saving, and save the world. Recycle, reuse, reinforce green policies, and remember that other people rely on this finite Earth, too.

STOP CLIMATE CHANGE.
OPEN YOUR EYES.
AFFECT OTHERS.
MOVE.
NOW.

Many relief operations and donations from within the country and abroad have helped our ailing brothers and sisters, and for this we are very grateful as a nation. But the nightmare is still far from over for most. Many have completely lost their homes and are still taking refuge from evacuation centers, relying on relief assistance for food and water.

If you wish to provide ANY kind of assistance, go to the Google Help Typhoon Victims in the Philippines page.

To read other Blog Action Day posts, go to BlogActionDay.Org

The Age Of Stupid: How More Stupid Can We Get?

Also featuring Moby, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Gillian Anderson, Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Heather Graham, and many others.

Time for a Cool Change

Wordless: For Corazon

This is my favorite Gospel song. I dedicate it to a woman who I've never met...but love nonetheless. Rest in peace, Tita Cory Aquino. Give my Gramps and Grandma a big hug for me...

"Ipagpapatuloy ko." ~ Corazon Aquino

After death, there is REBIRTH. Sometimes it DOES take a great loss to realize an even greater purpose. It may dwindle, but it will never die. Never again.

Healed The World

Michael Jackson, despite controversies surrounding his evolving physical appearance and so-called "extra friendliness" toward young boys, is and always will be an unwavering force in the music industry. He will be remembered by fans and musical contemporaries as someone who had changed the face of pop culture forever (rightfully so).

I may not be a hardcore Jacko fan, but I did appreciate his genius. He was a musical alchemist; every song and melody stuck even when we made no conscious effort to like him or his work.

Now that this...legend has passed on, we are left with all sorts of memories of him -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. The last two will always be there, that's the undeniable truth. But, if we recognize how brilliant and kind and loving he was as an artist and as a human being, the rest shouldn't really matter anymore.

Have a look at these inmates from the province of Cebu in the Philippines -- convicted felons who, at least at one point in their lives made such grave mistakes against country and God, are now making-over their broken spirits with such powerful, life-altering avenues as music and dance. Their tribute to Michael Jackson is just outstanding. And for a few minutes, you forget why they're all there in the first place. CNN was there and here's the full story.

The Great Fall Of China...town

This was where my mom tripped/fell over, hard, in the middle of Chinatown in NYC. One of the cops who responded to the 911 call almost tripped himself! What the!@#$%


Some TLC from the FDNY.

Thanks, boys! (behave, Mother!!! lol)

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

1. When I look to the left, I see my red door.

2. The living room adjacent to the terrace is the room that has the best view in my home.

3. Let it work, dang it!

4. Dirty deeds done dirt cheap!

5. Accountability is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.

6. If you have any money to spare feel free to share.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to not cleaning, tomorrow my plans include binging on cranberry juice, making posters for the garage sale, drop by our church for the monthly Lectors' meeting, and "Talladega Night" with Angelo, and Sunday, I want to hear mass, finish up cleaning, and feel no more pain!

25 Random Facts About Me

Was tagged on Facebook. Thought I'd share them on here as well. Here we go...

1. I am addicted to fiction.
2. To me, music is just as important as atmosphere.
3. I sleep with the oldest pillow in existence.
4. I secretly like free stuff. Can't appear too eager, you know how it is.
5. I find the cold comforting.
6. I know in my heart I was Irish in a past life. Ireland rocks my socks off.
7. I wrote the first draft of my last will and testament when I was in high school.
8. I had a basset hound named Molly which I later changed to Leigh. She died. And although I find ALL dogs adorable (yes, even those small, shaky ones), I've always been afraid to have another.
9. I am in-love and in-like with Angelo.
10. My heart breaks like nothing else in this world -- silent but deadly. That brings me to my 5,325,366th life now.
11. Nothing ticks me off more than arrogance. And cruelty.
12. I take too many pictures of myself, it's unhealthy.
13. If I could sing for a living, I would.
14. I can eat steak/shrimp/chicken fajitas for days.
15. Once I walked by a homeless, shoe-less guy propped up on one of those street pole platform things, and as I bent over to give him some money, I MANAGED to accidentally touch his feet with my hand. I felt completely wretched...for the both of us. But, believe it or not, more for him.
16. Fast forward to a few years later, I end up in the same place and this guy (a totally different guy) spits over his shoulder and it lands dead smack on MY feet.
17. I'm a spit/germ magnet.
18. I would rather touch that homeless guy's feet again and be spit on than eat lychees.
19. I have a serious case of stage fright. Seriously.
20. I hope to stumble upon the cure for all diseases someday. And host the grandest food fight party in Africa.
21. I've never done laundry in my life until June of last year.
22. I used to drink like a dude, ask anyone. Now, I look at a bottle of Patron and I feel dizzy.
23. Confession of the century: The first time I got in an accident while I was driving? Totally my fault.
24. I get by with a little help from my friends.
25. There is no place like home (to those who don't know where home is, it's Manila).

On Beer, Pureed Food, And The Big Apple

LunaNina says ... and I think ... ?

1. Take :: ...though 'tis better to give.
   
2. 350 :: # of times I fantasized about eating real, solid, yummy food today.
   
3. Stand :: ...By Me circa 1986.
   
4. Raspberry :: ...beer. Ah, beer.
   
5. Turnstile :: Pay as you enter.
   
6. Infomercial :: "But wait, there's more!!!"
   
7. Dejected :: Lost hope.
   
8. What’s the word? :: Sale!!!
   
9. Awestruck :: New York City.
   
10. Smashed :: Perfectly describes the kind of food I've been eating.
    

Wordless: Sea World, San Diego

10 On Tuesday: [Old] New Year's Resolutions

Pretty much everything on here has been in my perpetual new year's resolutions list. I guess it helps to "revisit" them at least once a year to, you know, remind me how much progress (sure) I'm making. lol

1. Lose weight. Nowadays, even skinny people think they need to lose weight. I think it's time to update this. Healthier living. Yes, I think that's more positive.

2. Be nicer. To people who deserve it.

3. Go to church/pray more. Because I want to, not because I have to.

4. Clean up. I'm pretty sure my room back home is spotless -- now that I'm living thousands of miles away. Oh, thinking about the environment falls under this category, too. I'm doing OK there.

5. Touch base with family and friends overseas. I'm visiting family and friends here in the States. One country at a time, I guess. :)

6. Revive poetry and songwriting. The last time I wrote a full song was...3 years ago. I'm missing my guitar more than ever.

7. Don't sweat the small stuff. This takes a lot of effort on my part. Some days I'm successful, other days I don't really do so well. Crap.

8. Be a good daughter. I was told I sucked at it. They're probably right.

9. Read more. Yes, I'm doing pretty good in this area.

10. Find the best job and stick to it. This one, well, not so much. lol I will though, as soon as I get back home (said the echo from 2008).

10 On Tuesday: Best Holiday Tunes

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."

OK, so I haven't had chestnuts, like ever, and I most definitely haven't roasted any kind of nut on an open fire. But, I do catch myself stopping whatever it is I'm doing whenever the song comes on the radio. It's just a great, feel-good Christmas song. Here are the rest of my top 10 best holiday songs of all time...

1. Santa Baby. No other version than Ms. Marilyn's.

2. Do They Know It's Christmas. By the original Band Aid (1984) and Band Aid 20 (2004). The 1989 version...enh, not so much. I'd still listen to it though. "Feeeeed thaaaa woooooorld!"

3. All I Want For Christmas Is You. By Mariah Carey. Just too cute. No?

4. Little Drummer Boy. By Tori Amos.

5. 12 Days Of Christmas. By The Sorianos. Yeah, our family has a Christmas anthem. Most of it is in Filipino, so I won't even bother with any of the improvised lyrics. But, it's always fun singing it with the rest of the clan.

6. Merry Christmas Baby. By, no other than, Bruce Springsteen. And the E Street Band? Oooooh. I'm not worthy.

7. Last Christmas. By Wham. Nostalgia hits every single time.

8. Happy Xmas (War Is Over). John Lennon rocked it. Sarah McLachlan managed to make it just as cool.

9. The Christmas Song. The King Cole Trio original version is the best, but I'd take any cover, too. Yes, even the New Kids On The Block cover. Seriously. I was in a Kohl's store on Black Friday and this song came on the PA...man, did I ball. Again, seriously.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

10. Oi To The World. No Doubt, baby! No Doubt, you know, Gwen "pre-hollaback-b-a-n-a-n-a-s" Stefani. I just love it, love it, love it.

New White House...New Beginning

I just wanted to share an email I got from a dear friend of the family's about today's momentous turn of events. These are her thoughts...

"This generation is for the young; it is their future. As one good friend just texted me, her "son is rejoicing!" The young ones are for Barack Obama. Their gears were so oiled for this election. This brought unprecedented results...electoral votes way surpassed the mark...way beyond it...it is amazing! Watching the final tabs, I hoped 'til the end I was going to see a miracle. Apparently, he is not my choice or my friends' choice, but he will be my President - our President! We hope the best for him. We hope he goes moderate. We hope that 'neighborliness,' the true meaning of it, is defined. Not a hollow rhetoric, but it translates that the White House is for the people. He ran a brilliant campaign - hope that brilliance he channels into good use. That eloquence I admire. He may not be as bad being the President. Hope he surrounds himself with good people, not the pattern of associations he had in the past, nor pressures for gains of people who helped him to the White House. Otherwise, our children and their elation, admiration, and trust for him will be in quenched. Great evil can happen when truth is at the mercy of political pressures. The consequence? I don't even want to think about it now. We go back to our knees and pray. Diligently pray! God bless America!" ~ Star

On the plane back to LA from Portland tonight, a bunch of people (those in their 20's to their 40's), were all rejoicing as one of the stewardesses announced that Obama was leading. I was very excited for them -- for all Americans. Change is upon you. This next chapter in your history is very bright. I am only here for another 4 months, but I will definitely be back many, many times after this. I've always envied your people's ardor for freedom, justice, and country. I am with you all in prayers. God bless yours, mine, and the whole world.

Blog Action Day O8: Making Poverty History

Back in high school and all through college, my friends and I would b*tch about almost everything; our cars being 2nd-hand, our allowance wasn't gonna last us too long, we didn't have enough designer stuff. Even when reality got a little more "real" (after joining the labor force and starting our own families), we still didn't think we had enough. If I remember correctly, it was my friend Iris who said "at least we're not in Bosnia," which only meant that at least we weren't living in the midst of war or depression or famine. Just as my parents would always say during sporadic moments of gratefulness, "better than nothing" or BTN for short.

Truth of the matter is, there are people out in the world who have practically nothing and still consider themselves blessed. Those who have absolutely nothing compared to those of us who have roofs over our heads, eat up to 6 times a day (and still have leftovers for many days to come), work jobs that seem unrewarding but obviously pay for all our luxuries and vices, go under the knife not to cure a disease but to look younger and more attractive. It's not everyday I think about these things, but when I do, it makes me sick to my stomach. And a little ashamed, to be quite frank.

Poverty is more than just what it is to most of us -- a problem we'd be more than happy to ignore. Rather, it's a problem that we're all involved in no matter where or whom we were born to; a problem that won't go away until we actually do something about it; and, more importantly, a problem with a solution.

But the question remains: what can one person do? How can we, as individuals, make a difference? Precisely. By paying it forward and doing your part, which ever way you know or are willing to do, there will be results. There will be change and that's what we're aiming for. Change. If we all get involved, change becomes inevitable.

I know what you're thinking..."I'm not rich," "I can barely keep up with my bills," "I have my own children to feed," "I work AND I go to school at the same time," "I am taking medication," "I just don't have the time or energy anymore." Remember, someone has it far worse than you. Count your blessings and share them with others.

To learn more about what you can do about the fight against poverty, go to blogactionday.org.

October Fifteen Two Thousand And Eight

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

10 On Tuesday: Things That Give Me The Creeps

1. Heights. I have no problem going up (planes taking off, hiking up the mountain, taking elevators)...it's the going down part I'm scared sh*tless of. So, I guess it's not height I'm really afraid of, but plummeting to a painful, inevitable death.

2. The dark. Sometimes.

3. Insects. Especially creepy crawlies. They bug me out (get it? lol). This can be a problem because my boyfriend is just FASCINATED by them. Why? I have no freakin' idea why.

4. Talking dolls. They're not supposed to talk. Come on.

5. Jelly fish. More than sea urchins or sharks. Thank God for Cortizone-10. And pee. ;)

6. Knowing my loved-ones are in harm's way.

7. Talks about the end of the world. I don't necessarily believe them, but they still send shivers up my spine.

8. Man-made and environmental catastrophes. Earthquakes and tsunamis are right up there with acts of terrorism and physical abuse.

9. The Hills Have Eyes. Most disturbing piece of nonsense I've ever seen.

10. Poverty and oppression. Seriously, this should be all our #1's (not that my list is in chronological order). Not the idea of becoming poor ourselves, but the idea that people out there are starving while some are throwing out leftovers, intentionally throwing up their food, and storing cans upon cans upon boxes of "emergency groceries" in storage rooms and endless pantries. We should all be conscious about that.

photo by Paul Jeffrey/ACT April 2000

A Few Words From The Wise #6

Godspeed, Memey. I love you...



"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."


~ Lance Armstrong

Pride Circa 1984

And we're still singing it. Here's to love, country, and the good kind of pride...

New7Wonders: Philippines Nominated 4 Times

Four of the countless natural gems (I've been to three of them) in the Philippines have been nominated for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. And I couldn't be happier/prouder.

In 11th place, so far, is the Bicol Region's very own Mayon Volcano. Even after erupting over 40 times (it is said to be the most active volcano in our country), it still boasts its perfect cone shape. It's amazing how something so beautiful can also be powerful and violent. Same goes for people I guess, right? I was fortunate to see [part] of the volcano during my first trip to Bicol in March '07. It was very cloudy that time. The locals believe that when the volcano senses tourists, it shies away and hides in the mist. I'm definitely going back for a closer, better view next time.

Coming close in 8th place is the famous Subterranean River National Park located in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The water flows through a long stretch of darkness (said to be the longest underground river in the world) and out into the South China Sea. The picture on the right is a shot of the lagoon located at the mouth of the cave. I was able to ride a boat (with a very animated tour guide, no less) into the cave and down the river in August last year, and it just completely took my breath away. Limestone, stalactite, and stalagmite formations inside the cave were just majestic. Some took shape of famous people, world events, and monuments -- it was chilling and awesome alright.

Currently in the 5th spot is the breathtaking landscape of the Chocolate Hills in Carmen City, Bohol. Just to clarify, no, they're not made of cocoa. They just look like mounds upon mounds of yummy dark chocolate, especially during the height of summer when the grass just self-ignite once the scorching sun goes psychotic. The climb to the top-most part of the viewing deck was a struggle, but I got there fine. It was well worth it, I'd say. I'd go up there again the next chance I get, that's for sure. The panoramic view was just simply priceless. If it doesn't get into the final 7, I'd think the whole 7 natural wonders system is flawed. I really hope it stays in the top 7 though. It truly is amazing.

Hopefully not the last of the bunch (you can still send in your nominations), the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, is in 3rd place. A spectacular 8 kilometer-wide channel is sandwiched by the North and South atolls, both of which can be seen from the surface of the water. The UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site is a protected marine sanctuary and home to over 1,000 species -- some even endangered. I've never been, but I would love to travel there and see its majesty for myself. When I decide to go scuba diving, I'm definitely hitting the Tubbataha Reef first.

Voting for your favorites will last until the end of the year. After that, an expert panel will come up with the semi-finalists (21 candidates) from the top 77. Voting will commence again from 2009 until 2010. The final 7 will be officially released around the summer of 2010. Exciting.

Support the Philippines and vote for all four natural wonders. Pinoy pride 'to, 'pre!