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Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 27th, 2009

To all who are celebrating thanksgiving in the USA… HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! I remember spending a few thanksgiving celebrations in the US some time ago… mmmmm. Huge turkeys deep fried in peanut oil, cranberry sauce, cornbread, smothered greens, backyard barbecue with family and friends. I can almost taste the turkey in my mouth. yum!

We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Pinas but I think we should set aside a day just to be thankful as a nation. More than the xbox 360‘s, the psp’s, the fully loaded iphones and all the tech gadgets galore… or the LV’s and the Hermes and the Gucci’s we’ve saved up for… there’s more to life than all that.

Thanksgiving in the US is one of their most awaited holidays. It’s a time when families get together at the dinner table… to remember… to be thankful… to acknowledge the Providence of the Almighty God.

Here’s an excerpt that says it best.

The First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving given by the Continental Congress in 1777:

FOR AS MUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor;

and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance;

That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase:

To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth “in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.

And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.

(souce: Wikipedia)

For us as a nation, we have a lot to be thankful for, in spite of all the overwhelming challenges that we continuously face. From the devastation caused by typhoons to the recent horrific events in Maguindanao… these may make it more difficult to be grateful. It may be harder to see the favor of the Divine Providence. But in the end… in the end… we need to remember that what was meant for evil, God can always turn around for good. I was watching the news earlier and the candidate whose wife got killed in that incident said something about her being instrumental to the LIBERATION of his town… that DEMOCRACY, finally, has a chance, now that the alleged mastermind behind the massacre has been taken into custody. Perhaps he has seen a tiny seed to be thankful for in the midst of his tragedy. I hope that all of us will see what he sees…even in the midst of difficulties.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May we always remember why.

Tags: Current events, Faith, God, maguindanao massacre, Pinoy culture, Politics, thanksgiving day
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH | No Comments »

Blog Action Day!

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

As a nation we are still reeling from the effects of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) and Typhoon Pepeng that have struck our country one after the other. The devastation to life and property has reached billions. Whole families have been lost, the damage to infrastructure, homes and businesses is disheartening, our ricelands have been turned into rushing rivers wiping out what was to be harvested. The amount of rainfall that these two typhoons have poured upon this nation has devastated and displaced thousands of families. And the problems continue to compound. Although we are a resilient people, questions as to the cause of this tragedy have yet to be answered. We need to be informed of the WHY’s so that we can move on to the WHAT do we do to prevent this from happening again. Typhoons have always been a part of our lives. They do not surprise us at all. However, the magnitude of the destruction that we have experienced totally came from left field. Should we brace ourselves for more severe typhoons because the effects of Climate Change have finally caught up with us?

(image courtesy of boston.com)

IMHO, even if we do attribute it to Climate Change, climate change is still caused by men. Men who run corporations. Men who destroy habitats and abuse and misuse our environment. Men who make decisions that may be economically profitable but environmentally harmful. We need to rethink the way we do things today. We need to take action now. Many of us who are fortunate to have survived the disasters that have fallen upon our countrymen might not be spared the next time around. Businesses need to be more responsible and be involved in reducing their carbon footprint. Am not so sure about call center outsourcing, but buying local, manufacturing more earth-friendly products, green architecture, alternative energy sources, recycling and reusing, sustainable lifestyles – we need a paradigm shift in how we conduct our lives. We need to do something now… for the sake of the next generation and generations after that.

Tags: blog action day 2009, Climate change, Current events, global warming, Green Living, Politics
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | 3 Comments »

What do you do while uploading files?

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Really, I am just curious. Well, while my file is taking forever to upload I’ve decided to read a little bit of news online. I’m gonna play a little pin the donkey game and pick a state to see what’s making headlines right now. Let’s see. Spin around and pin it on…. TENNESSEE!

Okay here’s one I found:

Man In Critical Condition After Being Shot Twice Overnight

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A man was recovering at a local hospital after being shot in East Nashville overnight.

Police said little before midnight a male victim was walking along South 8th Court near the James Cayce Homes when a male dressed in all black came up to him and shot him twice. The victim was shot once in the stomach and once in the leg.

Emergency officials transported the victim to Vanderbilt Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition.

The identity of the victim has not been released.

Police have not made any arrests, and Tuesday morning they continued to investigate.

How horrible. I hope they catch the perpetrator and the victim recovers fast. The victim and his family would probably need really good Tennessee injury lawyers to help them out.

My file is only approx. 15% finished…. argh. More reading to do…

Tags: Current events, nashville news, Politics
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »

Yeah, I missed it…

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Yeah, I did. I missed the live chat at Pixel Canvas last Sunday. Actually, I missed both chats. I was just glued to the news since last Friday because I was monitoring my siblings in Meycauayan. I remember every time a storm would come, my dad would always ask me to check up on my siblings to see if they were already submerged in the floods since their area was always prone to flooding.

Last Saturday, I could almost see my dad telling me to check on my brother and sister so I texted them. True enough, my brother was stranded in BB in Karuhatan! The worst place to be stranded in IMHO. He told me he felt like crying and all he could do was pray. I told him to just stay put and find a place to stay overnight because there was no way for him to go home since it was flooded everywhere. Good thing he found a “motel” to stay in where a lot of other stranded folks spent the night as well. He actually slept on the floor! I also texted my sister and she told me that my niece had to brave the floods because the bus she was riding couldn’t go forward anymore. She had to walk for more than four hours just to get home. Funny girl told me that she made sure that her slippers were safe.

But the disasters are not over. Vietnam has just gone through the wrath of Ondoy (Ketsana). American Samoa had an est.magnitude 7++ earthquake and was hit by a tsunami as well. Indonesia has experienced a devastating earthquake with an initial estimate of 500 people killed. A super typhoon is threatening the Philippines again. And the latest I have heard on the news is that, California has been hit by an earthquake as well. What is happening is extremely disturbing. For those who cannot physically help in the stricken areas, I think the best help that can be done round the clock is to pray for now. Pray without ceasing. It transcends coastlines and oceans. So dear friends, let’s.

Tags: american samoa, Current events, Faith, God, ketsana, Politics, Prayer
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »

The Power of Crisis

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

It exposes. It reveals. It bares without prejudice. That is what crisis does. It unearths what one tries to hide and peels away the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. This is what happened to us as a nation this weekend because of Typhoon Ondoy.

It revealed the quality of our national leaders and the character of the Filipino as a nation. It exposed to us sincere and generous hearts; heroes in sandos and slippers; millionaires in barong-barongs. It also revealed those who were decisive and those who were not. Those who did it for the applause and those who did it just because.

As far as choosing the nation’s next leaders is concerned in whatever sector, that Wet Saturday was the political campaign that revealed their true colors. It revealed a lot of things that are better caught than taught. What was done speaks louder than whatever was said or will be said in the future. It separated the chaff from the wheat. It is now up to us as voters to decide whether we will HIRE these leaders again and pay their salaries with our taxpayer’s money or choose someone new who is fit for the job. It is crucial for us to choose wisely because in calamities like this, our children are on the line.

On another note, although we are used to floods and tropical storms, nothing prepared us for what happened last Saturday. It was totally out of the norm. I had plans of going downtown to buy my supplies had it not been for the fact that my kids were sick and that I chose to stay home with them. If not for that, I would have been one of the thousands stranded and unable to go home. My brother and niece were among those stranded. Thank God for twitter and other social networking sites that acted like a mass notification system for those who needed to get in touch with loved ones. For sure, technology and communications have made our world smaller and reachable for each other.

For those who wish to help Typhoon Ondoy families check out :

Philippine National Red Cross on twitter: http://twitter.com/philredcross
GMA Kapuso Foundation: http://www.kapusofoundation.com/
ABS CBN Sagip Kapamilya : http://www.sagipkapamilya.com/

Tags: Current events, GEEK STUFF, innovation, internet, PERSONAL, philippine national red cross twitter, Politics, twitter ondoy, typhoon ondoy
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »

light a candle for corazon aquino

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

Thank you, Jan.

In loving memory of former President Corazon C. Aquino, I am encouraging the blogosphere to light a candle for her. Grab the image below, add your prayer for Mrs. Aquino and link up.

1. Bits & Pieces – Thank you Lord for giving President Aquino
the gift of life. It was a well-lived life as she
touched nations all over the world.
It must have been difficult for her
especially the last months of her life.
But everything is well now as she joins you.
May her family find comfort knowing that
she is now safe in your kingdom.

2. A Matter of tEys.T - Dear God, we share the grief and we identify
with their pain. No words can describe the loss and the
void one feels when you lose someone you love
and only You, O Lord can reach into the depths
of our hearts where no one can.
Comfort them, be with them, let the silence
speak gently of your peace. Wrap your arms around them, God.
Let them know that though the world may be a little dimmer this day,
the heavens are much brighter than yesterday. Shalom.

3. your blog here

I condole with the Aquino family at this time. Our family lost our dad on Aug. 4, 2007. Though it has been almost two years already, the pain is still there… I followed President Cory’s story in the news and saw and heard what was not said. I knew what went on behind the scenes even if it was not reported. My father spent almost the same number of days at the hospital. My siblings and I had our share of hospital vigils. The stress, pain and fear of the unevitable loomed over us each day. The anguish when the expected finally came goes beyond words. The finality of the struggle became evident once we saw him in his coffin. I clung to the grace of God in the days that followed. I still do to this day. My selfishness wanted him alive. There were many what-ifs that followed but in the end I know God’s ways are higher. I see those reasons each day and I have to admit to myself, truly, God knows what is best.

Shalom!

Tags: cory aquino death, Pinoy culture, Politics, Prayer, prayer for cory aquino
Posted in PERSONAL | 1 Comment »

Iranian woman shot in the heart

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

(warning : please be advised that there are graphic scenes)

The tragedy is increasing as we follow the events that are ongoing in Iran today. This video is heartbreaking to watch… My heart goes out to her family and relatives. We know an Iranian friend who has since left the country before all this began. This person wanted to stay for noble reasons but because of circumstances concerning safety and security, the family had to leave. We had been praying for this family and God saw them through. It makes me ponder the goodness of God upon them and how He spared them from all this. But what about the rest who are living in the country? We will continue to pray for them and may the will of God prevail upon their nation.