"Fingerprint", Charice Pempengco's First Single

She performed at "After Oscar's Party". Congratulations, Charice! You make us proud again!

After Short Hiatus

My apologies for my absence. It has been a mad week for me. I got my Queensland Nursing Council registration (Australia) and I am presently working on our visa application. Still have to undergo the medical examination. I have been through the same situation years ago to get to work here in the UK (2003).

Now, why Australia? I believe that there are wider options for my son out there. Their outdoor lifestyle and the diversity. That's the most important thing for me. If it all go through rightly I will be working in one of the big hospitals in Queensland. I hope things will go smoothly, fingers crossed. Will keep you all updated. Have a lovely Saturday!

Let's Talk about Philippine Culture

Wealth and Beauty

The belief that white is beautiful is held by many Filipino women, leading them to stay out of the sun to keep their skin from getting dark. Even at a young age, children are taught and practice this belief. Furthermore, many of these women use bleaching or whitening skin products to keep their skin white, and also use anti pimple or anti blackhead products. This bias towards favoring white skin came from the influential behaviours of the Spanish, and the American during the colonial period, and continues to be used among many Filipinos to this day.

Fatness was once associated with wealth, while being too skinny, on the other hand, a sign of poverty. Nowadays, being slim has become a trend not only among the young but also among the older generations.

Rebonding, and hair relaxing are popular among teenagers. Spa treatments are also famous. Indulging in various salon treatments is a common activity among well-off Filipinos which helps the rising popularity of many salons.

Try Bulad/ Daing/ Dried Fish of the Pinoys

Bulad ("boo-lahd"- for Visayans) or Daing (for Luzonians) : Dried, salted fish. Foreigners not usually like the smell of frying bulad which penetrates deep into the nostrils, but many Cebuanos and Mindanaoans can't get through the day without their plateful of fried bulad and rice. I have seen and tasted the best "bulad" when I went to Cebu City (Philippines). They are the top producers of the delicacy.

Like many other provincial residents, they love their dried fish. Millions of fishes are caught, split open and de-gutted, liberally sprinkled with salt and left out to dry in the hot sun. These fishes are laid on screens so that the process of air and sun drying can occur faster. Used of salt is compulsory to prevent deadly bacteria from forming on the surface of the fish. Once the fish are dry enough, they can be stored for months without risk of deterioration.

My favorite is the boneless danggit . Large or small, the bones had been extracted and the stuff fried up nice and crisp. At least 5 kilos of live danggit to make a kilo of boneless dried fish. I can sit happily at breakfast with several fried bulad na danggit, a sawsawan (dip) of spicy vinegar, a large plate of steaming rice and a fried egg or two mixed in. This is the ultimate comfort food and there is nothing anywhere in the world that comes close to it.

Welcome to Belfast Castle in Northern Ireland

Yesterday morning was a terrific day in Belfast. I had a chance to take some photos again with my favourite castle of all, the Belfast castle. I like the architecture and the great history of the castle. The original Belfast Castle, built in the late 12th century by the Normans, was located in the town itself, flanked by the modern day High Street, Castle Place and Donegal Place in what is now Belfast City Centre.

This was the home of Sir Arthur Chichester, baron of Belfast but was burned down in 1708, leaving only street names to mark the site. Rather than rebuild on the original site, the Chichesters decided to build a new residence in the city's suburbs, today's Belfast Castle emerging as a result. The building that stands today was completed in 1870 by 2nd Marquess of Donegall, and was designed by Charles Lanyon and his son in the Scottish baronial style. After Donegall's death and the family's financial demise, the 8th Earl of Shaftesbury completed the house.

It was his son, the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, who presented the castle to the City of Belfast in 1934. In 1978 Belfast City Council began a major refurbishment over a period of ten years at a cost of over two million pounds. The architect was the Hewitt and Haslam Partnership. The building officially re-opened to the public on 11 November 1988.

The castle hosts an antiques shop, a restaurant and visitors centre and it is a popular venue for conferences, private dining and wedding receptions.

text source:wikipedia

photography: me (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

My Mission: Make People Smile...in my own little way!

As define in physiology, a smile is a facial expression formed by flexing those muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth. When we think of smiling, we think of the mouth, but the eyes may actually be more essential to a warm, genuine smile. It is customarily an expression denoting pleasure, happiness, or amusement. What do you feel when you see somebody smiling? Is it contagiously affecting your feelings? Yes, it does work for me! A smile can light up a room that full of sorrow. It is also an antidote to language barrier if you simply put it like that. As the old saying goes, "Smile and the whole world smiles with you!"

So don’t hesitate to smile often, even if you don’t have a perfect teeth or a nice gum’s the important thing is you have a nice heart that you can share to the world.

“A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you’re at home”

“Always remember to be happy because you never know who’s falling in love with your smile”

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(Arjo )

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Count Your Blessings!
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;Love your neighbor as much as yourself.

My Lucky Escape

I've never celebrated the V-day the traditional way for over a decade now. I always believe that everyday is a special day for me. There were several occasions wherein my life was put into tests (literally between life and death situations).

One unforgettable day was when my twin sister and I got almost killed when 3 grenades exploded inside the church back home in the Philippines (1990's). It was a regular Sunday mass filled with hundreds and hundreds of devotees. We always had a favourite spot to stay inside the church. For some reason, minutes before the blasts both of us decided not to finish the mass because we had a very eerrie feeling and all the songs sang were really solemn and it was like singing in a funeral (not the usual jolly songs in that time of the day). We walked out the church and went home. We never realized that 3 grenades were thrown and 1 of which exploded at the same spot we were both standing few minutes ago. We just realized the incident happened when we reached home because my family and relatives knew that we were there at the mass. The look of relief on their faces said it all. I was trully shocked and it was indeed a lucky escape! God saved us!

I haven't slept yet the night before the incident since I was working on night shift at the hospital. Still contemplating on eveything that had happened, few hours later, I got a phone call from my Senior nurse that I had to go to the hospital to help them since there were hundreds of victims from the grenade blasts that need to be treated. We were running out of hospital staff. I did go even though I hadn't slept for 24 hours already. I had to stay in the hospital ward for another 12 hours. There was no way I could feel the lacked of sleep mode that time.

I literally saw the physical and psychological damages of the grenade victims had to go through. The broken bones, amputated limbs, embedded shrapnels to be operated, the crying and shouting of the victims and families, body counting, etc. The parking area was transformed into a hospital ward. It was like in the war zone! Thinking I would had been there getting the treatment or even counted as one of the bodies inside the body bags.

From then on I just live my life in a day to day basis. Maybe I still have a mission in life. Thats what I've learned from the incident. It was a life changing experience. Always say " I LOVE YOU" to the person you love. Make them feel special all the time. Not just on special occasions. We will never know what lies ahead of us. Just enjoy your life to the fullest. Life is too short to be wasted!

The Heart

"Araw ng mga Puso" or Valentine's Day, February 14th, is a day that traditionally evokes feelings of the heart -- of flowers, chocolates, candle-lit dinner, romance and marriage proposals. But this Valentine's Day, many people are thinking about their hearts in a far more serious way. They're learning that a healthful low-fat diet, getting good sleep, a regular exercise program, shed extra pounds, quit smoking, and finding ways to deal with life's stresses boost heart health.Your heart is an important muscle in your body. Its job is to pump blood and oxygen to all the organs in your body. That is why keeping your heart strong and healthy is so important.

....Don't forget to take care of your heart or it will stop taking care of you!

Staying Positive in Life

Is it an overrated statement? Not at all. Personally speaking, it will make a big difference in a person's life when you remain to be positive. Thought is creative. All thought, good and bad, is creative and tends to become a material thing. That is why we must learn to be more positive. Our environment and all the experiences in our life are the result of our habitual and predominant thoughts. Accept things as they occur, as no force can change what’s intended to happen. During that period you must try to be neutral about the events happening and stay on the positive side. Be calm and composed in facing the situation you are in. This will in turn produce positive results

Negative thoughts can tell us about something that needs our attention. Our job is to discover what needs to be done and take care of it. Many people fail to see a negative occurrence as a learning experience and continue to feel victimized and helpless, ultimately blaming others for what they drew to themselves.You are not alone. You are not hopeless. You are alive, and you are your own person.

Fish Ball Kayo Riyan!

(uncooked)

I miss the fishballs in the Philippines! Fish balls as the name suggests, the ball is made of fish meat that has been finely pulverized. Gourmet fish balls are pulverized by hand. The most commonly eaten type of fish balls is colloquially known simply as fishballs. It is somewhat round in shape and served with a sweet and spicy sauce or with a thick black sweet and sour sauce.
Fish balls in the Philippines are sold by street vendors pushing wooden deep frying carts. The balls are served skewered, offered with a choice of three kinds of dipping sauces: Sour (pale orange colored) - vinegar, water, diced onions and garlic, Sweet (brown gravy colored) - corn starch, banana ketchup, sugar and salt, and Hot/Sour (amber or deeper orange colored) - the sweet variety with lots of small hot chilis added. Dark sauces are rare as these are soy sauce based and soy sauce is expensive in terms of food cost for street food. The latest iteration in the Philippine fishball industry is the introduction of 'ball' varieties: chicken, squid (cuttlefish actually), and kekiam.

....Would you like to try this?

Quote of the Day

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

- by Theodore Hesburgh

A Lesson in Life

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, if they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere.

If someone hurts you, betrays you , or breaks you heart, forgive them. For they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to who you open your heart to.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.

Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either.

You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it.

JUST A THOUGHT: Where Did It All Go?

Isn't it a big slap in your face when you have done a lot of sacrifices in your life for the person you loved and he never appreciated even a single thing you have done to him? What about the time when your life was about to go downhill? When you had nothing to prove then. It wasn't an issue before. Who tried to lift you up from there? Where's the respect and trust you used to have? The God-fearing person you seemed to be? Where did it all go? It's so sad that things change when you are brought to a different environment and situation. You are now out of reach! Maybe because of the wrong set of friends, allure of money, the freedom, infidelity, changes of plans, etc. Nobody knows! I just hope people will realise where their roots are. What sort of person were you long before you have these materially evolved- life at present? Now I believe, money is the root of all evil! Money is indeed important, but it is not everything! Just keep in mind, it might be hard to get out of the deep shithole again when no one else is around to help you.

Yes, I did good and bad decisions in life but I have never regretted any of them. I stand by it! I don't blame other person for my own mistakes. In fact, I have learned from them. Lastly, I know I am not a perfect person. But who is perfect, anyway? At least, I am trying to be the best person in my son's eyes. And the rest will follow.

Snowy White

At long last, we finally get snow! The mainland always get a lot of snow this season. First thing that comes into my mind is......where's my camera? :) That's an anticipated instinct of a photographer. I grab my baby and I take some shots outside. Never mind the chilling temperature goes right into my bones. I love the snow but oftentimes I will have to content myself with sitting indoors with a hot milky coffee looking out at it. But that goes after the photo shoot, of course. tee-hee!

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

...my backyard





....my neighborhood

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is Mom's 72nd birthday! This photo was taken (2007) after we watched the musical play "Ms Saigon" at the Grand Opera House in Belfast. At home now, she has a celebration with my family, Auntie's and cousins. I am certain they're having a great time. More birthdays to come, Mommy. Cheers! I love you.....Miss you

Get Support- QUIT SMOKING

A great video about smoking and what it does to you. Quit.... before it's too late!

video: http://www.finallyquitsmoking.net