Graduation Message

Last March 28 marked a milestone in Chesca's life---her high school graduation! However, as I sat there listening to the valedictory speech, I was disappointed. The valedictory speech should inspire the other graduates to look forward to college life and dream big! Unfortunately, the speech focused more on reminiscing high school life and the thought of missing it after they've gone their separate ways. So let me impart my own graduation message to my daughter Chesca.

1. Have a VISION. Going to college without a vision is like sailing on a boat without a rudder! Know what you want and make it happen!

2. Be Persistent. College life will definitely not be an easy task. Challenges will surely present itself in every turn. As such, one must have a strong heart to hurdle the problems that may come your way.

3. Do not be afraid to fail. Failure is part of life. A person who does not have problems is already six feet under the ground. Treat failures as opportunities that you can learn from. Two important things you get to learn in failing: (1) you will know WHAT DOESN'T WORK; and, (2) failure gives you an opportunity to try A NEW APPROACH.

4. Do not waste time. Finish your course on time. As an old Chinese saying goes, "one ounce of of time is equivalent to one ounce of gold, but an ounce of gold will not be able to buy the ounce of time already passed." Among other things, we don't have the luxury of unlimitted resources for you to gallivant through college. Additional tip: LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF "OTHERS".

5. Hard work is more important than talent. Graduating with honors is not an INSTANT SUCCESS free card! I can name a number of honor students who failed to even graduate college. Talent alone will not guarantee success but hard work will.

6. Always think POSITIVELY. Positive thinking is the fuel for persistence. Always look at the brighter side. Accept circumstances that you don't have control over and make the best out of it.

7. Choose your friends well. "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are." Friends have always been a big influence in all of our lives. Make sure that you pick them well.

8. Pray. Many people pray only during times of crisis. Don't be like that. Always keep God in your heart. Thank Him for all the blessings---great and small! Ask Him for guidance in all that needs deciding.

9. Walang nagsisisi sa huli! Regret always come in the end. Before making any major decision think first of the consequences. Make sure you will be able to live with whatever consequences your actions. Wala nang LIBRE ngayon!

Good luck and may the FORCE be with you!

PS
Yung isang picture na pinadala mo e di ko na linagay dito---seloso ako e!

Return of Investment

I attended my daughter Chesca's baccalaureate mass this morning and the presiding priest spoke about the hope each parent has of a bright future for their children. A step towards realizing this goal is to send their child to school. Now, this is a burden that all parents are willing to take. As I have told---and keep on telling---my children, "igagapang ko kayo na makapagtapos basta ayusin nyo lang ang pagaaral nyo!"

Whether we put our children to a private or public school, as parents, we have our own individual burden to take on to ensure that we are able to financially sustain our children's education. This is our investment and the return of which is to see our sons and daughters get a degree and make something out of their lives! However, we do not have a hold of life's circumstances. Our children need to see the value of this investment---this whole fuss about graduating from college and become successful professionals! They need to go beyond the "what my parents want" state of mind and think of education as an opportunity to grow wings and sore beyond the horizon! They need to see themselves beyond today and the vision should be a sunny day portrait!

I pray in behalf of all the parents whose sons and daughters are graduating (or have graduated) that God be always with them in their journey and that they be blessed with wisdom to make the right decision in all the crossroads they have to take.

Twilight Book 4: Breaking Dawn

Finally, I'm done with the Twilight series!

Honestly, I must say that I enjoyed it a lot! The books were quite thick averaging around 550 pages each. The last one, "Breaking Dawn", had 754 pages! But credit goes to Stephanie Meyer for weaving a very intricate story that will definitely keep the readers glued!

"Breaking Dawn" is divided into 3 parts: Bella's marriage to Edward, Jacob's suffering and eventual acceptance of Bella's decision to marry Edward (which is narrated in Jacob's perspective), and then culminates to Bella's "transformation".

Bella and Edward finally gets hitched---much to the consternation of Jacob. During this time, Bella is still human and it was quite intruiging how they're going to go about their honeymoon. Well, Ms. Meyer was already building the scene nicely when suddenly you seemed to have gone into a time warp and everything was over and done with! At first, I thought that I skipped a page worth of reading, but when I back tracked---that was it! It was like missing the punchline of a joke! Anyway, better that way given the target audience of this book!

Jacob still figured prominently in this installment and even if Bella did decide to go with Edward, there's this nagging feeling that she might have chosen wrongly. While Edward is finese and gentelmanly in his ways, Jacob is brusque and wild; they are opposite ends of a magnet---hot and cold! However, both are self sacrificing in their love for Bella. Initially, you would think that the love triangle will continue until the end of the book, that is until---Jacob inprints! At least he doesn't end up broken hearted!---No, I will not divulge who Jacob ends up with for the benefit of those who have yet to read the book. Spoilers ain't fun!

The Volturi once more gets involved, but this time, they have a more sinister plot against Bella and the rest of the Cullens. And Bella...well, from being the weakest link at the start of this saga we will see her as a formidable character to reckon with!

Rest in Peace, Amiel!

Everything happens for a reason.

In God's mysterious ways, He puts us in situations that would test our faith. I can only imagine the pain of all the people who knew and loved Amiel. Amiel was the boy who died in a vehicular accident in the Ateneo grounds last February 24. He was 10 years old.

According to eyewitness accounts, it was an accident. No one intended it to happen. This being said, I'm sure Amiel's death will be a lifetime burden to the individual who was on the driver's seat when this happened. But what does this mean, not only to Amiel's loved ones, but to all of us who have been affected by this incident whether we read it in the tabloid, seen on TV, or through forwarded e-mails? What is God's message here? Obviously, our lives can be cut short anytime. Can we honestly say that we are ready to face God tomorrow if it comes to it? For those who have children, can you say that you have given enough of your time to share with them and let them feel that you love them? Let us look into our hearts and let Amiel's passing give a better meaning to our lives.

I commiserate with Amiel's family and I pray that God provide you the strenght to deal with this loss.

Rest in peace, Amiel! In our hearts you will live until the day we see each other again in the after life!

A Post-Valentine's Celebration

Housewife chores can be very monotonous! Being at home most of the time and taking care of Tim can be very tasking---specially with his penchant for attracting all kinds of accidents and his uncanny way of getting into your nerves! Now, with Justin already walking, it's definitely double the craziness! Which is why I take my wife for a date every opportunity I get. Naturally, Valentine's is such an opportunity. With the kids all bribed and oriented as to what needs to be done at home, we scurried off to Cubao to do some post-valentine's celebrating last February 15!

It has been years since we set foot in this part of town that we both agreed to check it out. I have been hearing much about Gateway that we made this the target of our gallivanting. Well, the place did not disappoint us but getting there(from Farmer's Plaza) proved to be an adventure! The myriads of stalls coupled by the volume of shoppers made navigating disorienting! Anyway, we finally made it to Gateway and it was a real treat! Lots of shops and...there's Taco Bell! I have

been craving burritos ever since I got a taste at Enchanted Kingdom last year, unfortunately, no burrito joint is within my area of prowling---now here I am face to face with a menuboard screaming BURRITOS!! I was already salivating as I ordered two burritos for me and the wife. Oh! Now I understand why the cashier was looking at me oddly! To hell with that oggling cashier! At that point, everyone looked like a burrito to me!

I also spotted Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Since Jhoy haven't tasted that yet, I bought one for her to counteract the rich spicy flavor of the burrito. When I finally got to sit down, it was with great effort not to gulp down that one foot size burrito in one giant bite! So I controlled myself to be as finese as I could possibly be! Mental note: plan for a return to Taco Bell in the near future.

As I tried not to choke on the burrito I was trying to savor in small bites, Jhoy told me about a Nescafe promo girl who approached her to sign up to become a member of Nescafe's elite club. So I looked around and there was this foreign looking young lady going about handing out membership cards for anyone who'd care. I was a marketing assistant at Jollibee before and it was part of the gig to approach strangers during surveys and I can emphatize with her going about the foodcourt and trying to choose who's not going to reject her approach. I'm sure that she had a quota to deliver so I called on to her to give me one. Jhoy and I exchanged small talk with her and found out that she was half German and half Filipino. No wonder she looked foreign. Anyway, her age reminded us of our daughter Chesca---kinda look a little bit the same too...

After we had our fill, we chanced upon a condominium showroom and decided to check it out. Who knows, the 210M lotto jackpot is still for grabs! Well, according to the agent, Ayala has big plans for the Cubao area and by the looks of it, they are planning a building spree of high rise condos in the next 3 years! I say it's about time that somebody decided to develop Cubao! In the 70's and 80's it was the primier commercial district. I can still remember the time when my parents would bring us to Cubao every after Christmas to spend our "pinamaskuhan" at SM, Ali Mall, COD or Rustan's and then go for rides in the carnaval. Cubao lost its luster when SM started building their one stop malls!

We were ushered by an agent who showed us the different condo models available. Price tag is between 2M - 6M depending on the model and what floor your unit is at. There were three condo models but what we loved the most was the "two bedroom combine" because it had space for each part of the house: sala, kitchen, dining area, and a laundry room. It also had 3 bathrooms that were absolutely georgeous! However, it can only accomodate a family with three children. Hmmm...I wonder who I need to give away...nahh, just kidding!

Not wanting to get stuck in the helter skelter at the Cubao bus stop, we decided to go back to SM Fairview for dinner and buy that winning lotto ticket (can't win if you don't buy, right?).

Jhoy was craving for paella so we went through the menus at Jay-R's, Gerry's Grill, Flavors of China, and Max's but to no avail. Since Max's was the last eatery we went to, we just decided to

sit down and order what's in the menu. I guess, looking for that elusive paella proved to be an appetite boosting activity judging by the ceramic bare plates we had after!

Over all, it was a fruitful date: eat, window shop, eat, condo tripping, eat, more window shopping, and more eating!

The Sequitin Valentine's Day Reunion

Just came home from the Sequitin reunion held at the Red Box Trinoma. Given my normal Saturday routine, I wouldn't have been able to attend this occasion but my wife requested my presence since this was for their cousin, Kuya Edgar, whom they last saw ages ago. So to take away my reason for not attending---she did my ironing chores last Friday. Done deal.

It was Valentine's Day and Trinoma was teeming with couples celebrating the day: teens, preppies, oldies---they were all out---one hand holding a flower and the other holding the hands of their better half! You could smell the sweet aroma of love in the air! The place was so packed that the motors of three escalators overheated! Me? Well, I have plans with the wife on the 15th. All the kids have been bribed to take care of the household for the day. Flowers? No. The last time I gave my wife a flower(a Php 10 red rose bought at the side of the church near Jollibee Novaliches where we both worked) was 18 years ago when I was still courting her! Actually, everyday is Valentine's day for us! No need for flowers or chocolates to set the mood---WE GO DOWN TO BUSINESS! Now, you know why we have six kids!---he, he, he

Now back to the Sequitin reunion...

The choice of doing the reunion at Red Box was in consideration of two things: accessibility to all the attendees and the Sequitin's penchant for videoke! Any get together won't be complete without someone belting it out in the videoke machine! That's based on my personal experience in attending clan functions. This one was no different. In fairness, may "K" naman ang mga malakas ang loob kumanta! In that note, it was like attending a concert of sorts! The food was good and since it was "eat all you can" it was truly filling! Unfortunately, the function room can only comfortably accomodate 25 and with the turn out at 50 (not counting the toddlers) it was humid and crowded inside! However, with so much years in between the last time the clan saw each other last, this condition did little to dampen the spirit of the occasion! I was on baby duty that time and with the singing, playing, eating, and talking all happening at the same time I had to get out of the room to let Justin get his afternoon nap in a quiter and cooler place. I reckon I missed around an hour and a quarter of songs during this time.

Being an extended family member, it was fun seeing them re-aquaint themselves with each other. Tears were flowing at one point. But the best thing is seeing the young ones bond in such a short while, specially Kirstie, Kuya Edgar's daughter, with her Australian accent, was able to communicate well with her cousins! Well, I'm sure that this will not be the last that Kuya Edgar and his family will be visiting given all the fun they had last night!

Thank you for the blow-out Kuya Edgar!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!

Note: It seems kinda weird with me putting the title "kuya" to Edgar since he looks younger than me...hmmm...need to ask about that one...

Twilight Book 3: Eclipse

Well, what do you know---it's like my high school days once more! Well, I haven't read in between bus rides yet or brought the book to the office to devour but I haven't read this fast since I read the "Lord of the Rings" series a couple of years back! So, as of 3:34 pm of February 11---I'm officially done with "Eclipse"! I guess one of the perks of being on the sick bed is that you have nothing much better to do, when you have your eyes open, than watch tv and read! Good for me then! I'm now on the first 3o pages of "Breaking Dawn"!

"Eclipse" evolves around the continuing love story of Bella and Edward coming back from their near fatal meeting with the Volturi, the legendary vampire coven in Italy. Bella finally gets approval from the Cullens, much to the dismay of Edward, to be a vampire---a practical solution to the impasse with the Volturi. But then, there's Jacob Black: Bella's best friend and persistent third party lover. For the love of God! Why couldn't she just dump this guy and get it over with! Well, Stephanie Meyer spins this off quite nicely---Bella is ALSO in love with Jacob! For a while I was under the impression that Jacob was becoming an ass trying to fit his place in Bella's life; then, lo and behold---Jacob was actually right in his claim that Bella is indeed in love with him! I have not yet (and not planning to) kiss a dead person but I couldn't get at grip on how Bella can tolerate kissing Edward---cold and hard---it must be like kissing a marble statue! Bella and Jacob's kiss is more in the league of "passionate"! I do believe that everyone will agree that two normal persons locked in a passionate kiss can really ignite a spontaneous combustion! Anyway, enough of the romance side! What I really like about this book is the alliance forged by vampires and werewolves as they united to face a common enemy!

It was thrilling to anticipate if someone will actually die and if Bella is really safe given the perfectly laid out plan by Jasper! At this point, it was really hard for me to put down the book! I was like trying to anticipate the outcome of the story (like when watching a movie) and falling short! This book I'd really want to see become a movie!

It had a rather sad ending though...I'm not telling since Chesca has yet to finish the book and I'm sure she'll get to read this blog today! Naner-naner-naner!