Life, Day by Day

While we were browsing at a bookstore, my son who was a pre-teen then found this little story about a mother and her son, and showed it to me.  It was a touching read but looking at the price, I thought it was too expensive for a children's book...so we put it back.  But I never forgot the story.  As my son grew up, I would remember the story and wish that I bought the book.  Last February, I was tasked to give a talk on "honoring our parents". As I was preparing my slides, I thought about the message of that book and how apt it would be for my talk. However, the only thing I can remember was the story line, the picture on the cover and nothing else. So I started searching on the internet...and many hours later, I found it...Thank God that today everything is in the internet!  The book is " Love me Forever " by Robert Munsch .  Here is a video presentation taken from YouTube. After my talk, I showed this video and needless to say, there were not a ...

After retirement in April 2021, I heartily said...It is ME time, but a year & seven months after...NOPE, not really. When I ended my time spent on all the bureaucratic maze of government service, I thought...this is it, finally Freedom. But you know what, all that is an illusion because I just got busier...at home. With what, one might ask...with everything...EVERY LITTLE and BIG THING. All of a sudden, I was at home everyday, available within sight any time, with no clear schedule for my day. This is the first time in 60 years that this (I am home the whole day & night) happened. I started school at age 6, and I began working right off college, until mandatory retirement. Unlike my Mom who both managed work, home, and children, I was all work and play. When she passed in 2019, I was still out at work the whole day, and although now I had to run the household, work was still the priority. Looking back these last 19 months of being at home almost 24/7, I am at awe at how my mot...

My Mom and Tita Mimi were very close, being the only 2 sisters among 4 brothers, both born in Cebu while the 3 younger boys were Manila-born. Tita Mimi at 3 years old suffered complications from measles and had special needs, so Mom always gave her special attention.

What is it about the word "retirement" that make some people afraid? Not me, because after 39 years, it's Cheers to retirement!  When my mandatory retirement from government service finally arrived,  I was so excited that weeks before, I could not fully concentrate on work anymore. I was counting the days and literally daydreaming about the things I wanted to do. 

My work as a civil servant will be ending soon. I have served for 39 years...why so long, what made me stay? Well, for a thousand reasons that I will share in future posts. Right now, it is apt that I end my journey with a short story of my time in government, first as a resident physician, then as a hospital chief.

When the Covid19 global outbreak was declared a pandemic in March 2020, everyone thought that this will last about 3 months at most. Well, that was 12 months ago with no end in sight. Today, life has changed for everyone, and many of the things we take for granted are no longer easy to do. Take schooling, for instance. My preteen daughter was so looking forward to Junior High at a new and bigger school. Then Covid19 happened and government suspended opening of classes all over the country. A "new normal" was implemented, and when school finally opened in August last year (October for public schools), there was a shift from face to face classes to online learning which may continue even until the next school year. To say that she was not prepared for this is an understatement, and neither was I.

Technology has advanced so fast in the last 20 years, putting the world in a digital age that has changed the way many people parent their kids. It was not so long ago that life in this world was so much simpler, less complicated compared to what we have now.  While it is true that there is such a thing as "the generation gap" a term first used in the 60's,  when the younger generation seemed to go against everything their parents had previously believed in terms of music, values, governmental and political views as well as cultural tastes, this "gap" is more pronounced in this present generation, among the so called  Millennials, or th ose born  between the mid-1980's and early 2000 .

Last November, 2018, I had the privilege of another heritage experience, this time at the former Army Navy Club of Manila , now known as The Rizal Park Hotel .  I spent three days of comfort, warmth and beauty in this wonderfully renovated and preserved edifice.  If you are the type who  likes  to avoid big crowds and noisy places, this is the place for you. 

The widespread use of the internet has given rise to the emergence of internet-related crimes such as rape, theft, bullying and piracy which made the public, especially the youth, very vulnerable. I have a nine year old (soon to be ten) daughter whose online presence is growing day by day. This is something inevitable and so, for my peace of mind and for my daughter's online safety, I have established a set of rules regarding internet usage.

It seems that  all those 'lemons' thrown at me and my family in 2016 aren't quite done yet.   Take my younger brother, for instance...

A new hotel in town will have it's soft opening in time for the MassKara Festival!  A press release* from AyalaLand Hotels and Resorts has announced that it will open it's seventh property in the country, the homegrown brand Seda hotels, by October 2017.   This is Seda Capitol Central in Bacolod City which will have 154 rooms, catering largely to business travelers. By 2021, Bacolod will join the ranks of the top five cities in Visayas and Mindanao with the largest office gross floor areas catering mostly to Business Process Outsourcing firms (BPOs) seeking provincial sites, according to industry studies. Cebu City will take the lead with Davao, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod following in that order. “Anticipating this economic growth, Seda began establishing properties as early as 2013 in the two key Mindanao cities; in Iloilo, last year; and now, in Bacolod,” according to Al Legaspi, President and Chief Executive Officer of AyalaLand Hotels and Resorts. Seda’s...

Welcoming the New Year is a big tradition in this country, and people everywhere celebrate new year's eve literally with a bang! My family is a little different because we would usually spend it at home, with less fun fare compared to our neighbors, since our house help would all go off-duty to be with their respective families. But there were those special occasions where we did celebrate in the hotels or clubs. In fact, one of the most memorable and fun experiences I had growing up was spending new year's eve in a hotel with my parents and brothers. I remember with nostalgia, the music, the laughter and the warm camaraderie among family, friends and yes, even strangers. 

Last Sunday, December 4, 2016, through SM Kids and SM Accessories , the Princess Academy came to the Kingdom of SM City Bacolod. We got an invitation to attend as guest and this will be the first time that Preemie girl will be attending, so you can imagine our excitement!   But with the school intramural just finished, the  on-going practices for her First H oly Communion, and as a full-time working mom nursing a bad cough, I simply had very little time and energy left to prepare. In fact by the end of the working week, I was trying to convince Preemie girl not to attend anymore.  However, unlike in the past where my little girl was not that interested, this time she really wanted to go.

A press release from Globe revealed that Globe Broadband and Bayan Broadbands are giving the gift of connectivity this Christmas through a holiday sale, where Globe Broadband and Bayan Broadband plans will be available for 50% off in select areas!

I love history and learning about culture, and whenever I get the chance to travel in the country or abroad, heritage is the first thing I look for. One does not have to go far to see heritage sites, because there are plenty of these in my country, the Philippines. Just to name a few, we have in the island of Luzon, the Banawe Rice Terraces, The City of Vigan, the Municipality of Taal, Pila in Laguna and The Walled City of Intramuros; in the Visayas, we have Cebu City, the town of Carcar, Dumaguete City, Iloilo City and of course, my very own, the “Paris of Negros” Silay City where we gave blogger friends a mini heritage tour in 2012 ; and in Mindanao, there is the town of Dapitan and Zamboanga City. In fact, many of these are still on my bucket list of must see places before even embarking on another Asian trip. It ’s almost the end of the year, and it is time to plan for summer travel. There are so lots of places to go to, but  how do I decide where to go first? These are the...

Anyone who likes to shop (me) for bargains and other interesting but affordable stuff should be familiar with DAISO Japan store. When they opened in Robinson's Place Bacolod in December 2012, little did I know that it was a store that catered to my heart.  Obviously, I am a regular shopper and so when I saw that it closed, you can imagine my anxiety attack.  I was told however that they were undergoing some renovation and will reopen soon with a bigger and better store. What a relief!

I first heard of UNIQLO watching a news documentary about 2 or three years ago.  Back then, I thought it was just another retail store trying to make it big in the world market. When a branch opened in Manila and friends would rave about the clothing the store sells, I became curious.  Of course, not being fond of Manila, I never really got to shop in their branches there. Fast forward to June 15, 2016 when Negros Bloggers were invited for a press tour and VIP shopping as a preview to their grand opening on the 17th of June. Well, folks...it was love at first try !

Negros Occidental comprises one of the two provinces of the recently created Negros Island Region, the other being Negros Oriental. I have been to many provinces and cities around the country but I dare say that Negros Occidental is indeed the sweet spot in the Philippines.  Being a native of this place, people will say I am biased. Well, perhaps I am, but it is also a fact that in a country with wet and dry spells, with typhoons and heavy rains on one hand and drought on the other bringing havoc to everyone's life and property, Negros Occidental is blessed with relatively good weather the whole year round.  This is only one of the many reasons why it is consistently voted as one of the best places to live in the country. In fact, Bacolod City in Occidental Negros was voted the most livable city in the Philippines by MoneySense Magazine in 2008, while Dumaguete City, capital of Oriental Negros has been listed in 2015 by Huffington Post as one of the best places to retire...

I drive everyday and let me just say that driving in the Philippines (and Negros Occidental in particular) is enough to give any rational human being several ulcers! I believe that the following information when driving in the Philippines are important things to know. The Filipino driver as a rule (to be fair there are exceptions like me, for example) must be all or any the following:

Driving in the highways of Negros Occidental and in the streets of Bacolod City can make a person crazy or delusional. Take me for example…a perfectly rational, calm and collected person most of the time…but when I’m driving there are many moments that I would have this big urge of getting out of my vehicle and become a traffic enforcer or a policeman or an LTO officer even for just a day. Why? Because I want to be able to catch these traffic violators that cross my path!