How much is your P2 worth to a boy (and the lesson of plastic bag)

I was at the chicken section of the Manggahan Market last night and was haggling with the lady vendor when someone touch my right arm. Even before I could turn my head I knew it was another persistent seller of sando plastic bag. I'm preparing to drive him away when I saw this little boy who is about three and a half feet and wearing a ragged blue shirt and tattered black short. His right eye has some condition. I don't know if it is a cataract, but his iris (the colored part of eye) is all white. His eyes were droopy making him look more piteous. I don't really need another sando bag. I'm carrying three small ones for the stuff that I bought. Instead of getting the plastic bag, I just gave him P2. If I have a bigger amount in my pocket I would have given him more than that. His face lightened up when I said he can have the coins and his bag. He uttered thank you in a muffled voice and walk away.

(~Disposable plastic bags takes thousands of years to degrade in landfill. I don't feel less guilty in using one. I don't even promote its use. So next time I won't forget to bring my bayong (reusable plastic bag made of sturdy material) to my next visit to the market.~)

Old woman's woes (and the 40 richest Filipinos)

Hubby was waiting for me at the waiting shed in front of the school ground this morning while I'm meeting with my kids' teachers and get their report card. He decided to wait outside thinking that it won't take me long. I had some concerns to discuss with the teachers about my kids' performance in class besides there are other mothers who were there before me so I have to wait for a while. Hubby was looking after our motorcycle parked nearby when he saw an old and frail-looking woman sitting, resting just beside him on the bench. He said she was slowly counting her money in 20 peso bills and coins apparently she earned from selling a few pieces of foams (for dish washing). Beside her was a sack-load of wares. He said the old woman kept her money in a small wallet and hid it safely in her pant's pocket. Considering her age the old woman should be staying at home but from the looks of it hubby said she could be the one supporting her family. The small amount of money will help them get by for a day. In hubby's mind he was thinking life isn't fair for the old woman and the others like her who have barely enough to spend when in reality there are people who are spending so much money on food and travel alone.

Just before posting this entry hubby share this info he was reading on line: 40 richest Filipinos got richer.

Forbes’ 40 richest Filipinos

2009 rank Net worth($milion) Age 2008 rank Net worth($million)

1 Henry Sy 3,800 84 1 3,100
2 Lucio Tan 1,700 75 2 1,500
3 Jaime Zobel de Ayala 1,200 75 3 1,200
4 Andrew Tan 850 57 4 700
5 John Gokongwei 720 82 6 680
6 Tony Tan Caktiong 710 59 5 690
7 Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. 660 74 7 610
8 Enrique Razon Jr. 620 49 8 525
9 Manuel Villar 530 59 11 425
10 George Ty 515 76 9 435
11 Emilio Yap 510 83 12 420
12 Inigo & Mercedes Zobel 440 NA 10 430
13 Beatrice Campos 410 NA 14 325
14 Vivian Que Azcona 390 NA 13 360
15 Oscar Lopez 350 79 16 240
16 Andrew Gotianun 310 81 17 235
17 David Consunji 300 88 26 105
18 Robert Coyiuto Jr. 290 56 Not in 2008 top 40 list
19 Alfonso Yuchengco 230 86 18 200
20 Mariano Tan 180 NA 19 195
21 Menardo Jimenez 160 77 21 129
22 Gilberto M. Duavit 159 74 22 127
23 Felipe Gozon 135 69 25 110
24 Jon Ramon Aboitiz 125 60 24 125
25 Betty Ang 120 NA 29 80
26 Alfredo Ramos 115 65 23 126
27 Manuel Zamora Jr. 110 69 20 130
28 Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. 90 88 37 45
29 Tomas Alcantara 75 63 30 75
30 Benjamin Romualdez 70 79 Not in 2008 top 40 list
31 Wilfred Uytengsu Sr. 65 81 34 55
32 Lourdes Montinola 60 81 31 68
33 Luis Virata 56 55 15 270
34 Eugenio Lopez III 55 57 28 85
35 Enrique Aboitiz 53 87 35 50
36 Philip Ang 50 68 33 63
37 Jesus Tambunting 45 72 38 40
38 Frederick Dy 40 54 36 49
39 Rolando & Rosalinda Hortaleza 39 50/52 27 90
40 Marian Rosario Fong 38 NA Not in 2008 top 40 list

It made me wonder how many persons on the list are willing to help or could be helping a foam seller like the old woman in my story.

Food Trip Friday: Fish fillet and Potato Chips

I always get excited whenever I try a new dish for my picky-eaters. For today I will be sharing with you my version of Fish Fillet and potato chips. What I did was I soaked the sliced fish fillet (I bought a kilo of Yellow Fin Tuna already sliced) in a bowl of soda (Sprite) before dredging the fish in a separate bowl of all-purpose flour with a dash of salt, pepper and Vetsin. I pan-fry it in a hot-cooking oil until its golden brown. This is the finish product. I also added a sliced fried potato to serve as side dish. The whole thing was done in less than an hour.

Fresh from the pan

My children's lunchbox

I cut the sliced fillet into smaller bite size and laced it with a mixture of mayonnaise and catchup to enhance the taste. My kids love the simple presentation and gave my latest dish two thumbs up.

In my previous post I discussed about preparing nutritious food for our school-aged kids where we can add three or four food groups to their meal to fuel them through a lot of school day's activities. This include rice, fried fish (chicken or pork), buttered or boiled vegetables, and fruit in season.

This dish is not only nutritious but also easy to prepare.

Now, if you are craving for more dish you can find them all here. Have a nice Food Trip Friday!

Mommy Moments: Name Game (or the story behind my kids' name.

Another interesting theme at Mommy Moments this week, every mommies will be sharing the story behind their kids' name. I'm glad and proud to share mine today.

Our first born is now 12 years old.

In the fifth or sixth month of my pregnancy, we already knew that we are expecting a baby girl. Thanks to the inventor of ultrasound. Then comes the mind-boggling task of thinking a name for the new member of the family. I had this pregnancy booklet given my by OB-Gyne where I refer for baby names.

Abigael, Audrey, Naomi, Madison, Madeline, Mallory, Sophia, Erin Asha and Sue Erin are some of the names that we consider. We both agree in choosing Naomi (pronounced as Nay-oh-mee) over the other names.

Naomi is a Hebrew name for a girl which means pleasant, delightful or beautiful. It is also a character in the Bible. Well, my daughter is growing up to be one. She is not only beautiful but also possesses a pleasant or amiable attitude.

Our second child is 10

For our second child, we consider the names Patrick, Nathan, Nathaniel, Zachary, and Juan Miguel to name a few. There's not much to share about how we end up with Khalil's name except that it's not a common name during those time.

Khalil is an Arabic name which means friend. Khalil is indeed a friendly boy. I remember him to be always smiling as a little boy. He never threw tantrums even when he is sick.

Well, the only memorable anecdote that I can share about my bunso is the moment when I found out that our second child is going to be a boy. I was ecstatic when I stepped out of the hospital (where I had my nth ultrasound) and immediately call up my husband to share the good news.

That's all I can share with you for now. More stories are found at Mommy Moments.

Litratong Pinoy: Hapunan (Dinner)

Huwebes na naman mga ka-LP. Ang tema ngayon Linggo ay hapunan. Kaya eto ang walang kamatayang hipon. Hindi espesyal ang luto ko sa hipon na 'yan, halabos lang o pinakuluan ko sa konting asin, vetsin at paminta. Madalian kasi. Alam niyo kung bakit? Late na kasi akong nakagpagluto mabuti may inabutan pa akong hipon sa talipapa. Bakit nga? Kasi naubos ang oras ko kaka-babad sa computer. Aminin mga mommies diyan, hindi lang ako. hihi. May partner naman na gulay ang hipon nakalimutan ko lang kuhaan ng litrato kasi gutom na mga anak ko. hehe. Hayun nairaos din ang hapunan. Burp! Excuse me. Kung busog na kayo, aba dapat bisitahin niyo muna ang ibang nagluto ng hapunan dito bago kayo kumain ng panghimagas. Happy Huwebes sa lahat! :-)

How is old is old?

I got this tag from Chris.

Grey hair, poor eyesight, aching joints, and poor digestion usually characterize an old person. However, there are people who have yet to reach their 40s, but are complaining of similar signs of old age. So how old is old? Aside from the physical changes that naturally occur to a person, being old is when you think and act your age. You can't act like a teenybopper when you are already 30 years old, that's an indication of immaturity.

I hope I satisfy the question. This is a contest created by Cathara Main. Visit her site for the mechanics.

Now, I'm excited to find out what will be the answer of these lovely ladies I'm tagging. They are Shie, U. Pink, Niko, Tetcha and Gene.

iHeartFaces : Nostalgia

Toothy smile

Today at iHeartFaces the theme requires participants to post a picture that would bring a nostalgic feeling. I initially thought of posting my grandmother's picture with her siblings beside her, but I've changed my mind because the old photo made me really sad. I miss my granny so much. She passed away when my kids were little. I don't wanna cry so I look for another picture and my search lead me to this cute photo of my kids - Naomi and Khalil, taken about four or five years ago.

I instructed them to pose and give me their best smile. They wouldn't follow. They would make faces and laugh all the time. You know how I get them to stay still and 'smile' for me? I promise to give them chocolates. So this picture was the product of that little bribery. Now I'm sharing a secret behind their toothy smile.

I consider this as one of my favorite pictures. I definitely miss the time when they were younger and shower Mommy with lotsa hugs and kisses. Today, I still get kisses from them, but not as much like before. But I still get to hear them say 'I love you, Mommy' before they go to sleep.

Experience more nostalgic moments here:

Things to remember in a hostage taking situation

Tips given by then Major Marcelino Pedrozo, who himself participated in six hostage-taking incidents as a police officer, in an interview in October 2002. This is a summarized version of my article published in People's Tonight. Pedrozo is now the Superintendent of the Manila Police Department General Assignment Section.

1. Who will be deployed as the negotiator - station commander or the chief of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team or the next in rank.

2. Authorities should not allow anyone to meddle in the negotiation process. Usually, hostage takers request media people, a sibling or their parents to mediate for them.

3. Negotiator must establish rapport, reduce the hostage-taker's anger and get his attention.

4. The suspect should be reassured that you (negotiator) are there not to harm him but to peacefully talk to him.

5. The negotiator should identify himself with the hostage-taker, getting the name, age, address and other information about the suspect.

6. Call the suspect in first name or nickname to gain his trust. It will make him feel that you have known him for sometime.

7. It is better if the mediator would be in plain clothes to avoid agitating the suspect.

8. The negotiator must possess a convincing prowess.

9. The negotiator should not easily get angry. The suspect should be able to know that the negotiator is helping him realize his requests or demands.

10. Stall whenever possible. This is also called delaying tactics. Its like veering the attention of the suspect away from his hostage.

11. Speak slowly, clearly and keep you voice calm to persuade the suspect to voice out anything that bothers him. Do not curse them.

12. Speak to the hostage-taker as an equal, don't talk down on them. As much as possible the negotiator and the hostage-taker should be on equal footing.

13. Repeat or paraphrase the hostage-taker's words. The negotiator should analyze what the hostage-taker is telling him to reassure the suspect that his request is granted. Agree when possible with what the suspect is saying.

14. Remain hopeful, but no jovial, that things will work out fine for both hostage-taker and the victim.

15. Be patient and consistent.

16. Listen carefully and record all exchanges. Negotiator should mentally keep track of everything the suspect is telling him.

17. Let the hostage taker appear to make the decisions.

18. The negotiator must appear indispensable. Similar to courting a girl, the negotiator should be amenable on particular things the suspect is telling him.

19. Once a rapport is established, be direct. You have to directly convince him to give up the hostage. Its now your turn to demand.

20. Praise any positive actions by the hostage taker.

21. The mediator should not use the term hostage so as not to agitate the suspect especially when suspect is already convinced to speak out and make demands. The suspect might remember that he is the hostage-taker and that he is under threat.

22. Lastly, authorities should be prepared for the suspect's surrender. Prepare everything including ambulance and firetruck. Members of the SWAT, police, and the negotiator himself must prepare for the suspect's surrender.

My blog name and what it tells about me

Why did I choose this name for my blog? What's my cause? My friends are just wondering until now.

Initially, the idea of creating my own blog actually originated from my husband who suggested to post all my HIV/AIDS-related stories on the Internet as a reference material. He said maybe you can make good use of those information by posting them in a blog.

I've been writing about local AIDS story for several years until my self-imposed retirement in 2007. Its like a personal cause that I'm pursuing since I wrote my first exclusive story in 2002.

This is how I got my blog name and I hope mom writes for a cause will live up to its name. How about you? What does your blog name tells about you? You can share it here.

(I might post a teaser or a summary of a featured article here and the whole article in a separate blog to keep the integral part of the article. Aside from the regular weekly memes, mom writes for a cause will not be exclusive to HIV/AIDS stories/information alone, I'll try to post other articles with social and health values.)

Photohunt: Ripples

Is that a coffee ripple or what? I spoon a little amount of coffee and slowly pour it in to generate the ripple. Visit more ripple entries here.

Litratong Pinoy: Merienda (snack)

Maraming pagkaing Pinoy ang pwedeng kainin kahit na anong oras gaya nitong pritong lumpiya. Pwede siyang kainin sa tanghalian at hapunan. Ito ang ulam namin kahapon ng tanghali. Pwede ring lantakan sa MERIENDA. Da best partner nito ang sawsawang suka na may sili at bawang.

Silipin nga natin ang ibang lahok na merienda dito.

A fan site for Michael Jackson, picture collections and more

A burial and a birthday. Michael Jackson will be laid to his final resting place on August 29, the day he is supposed to be celebrating his 51st birthday.

The birthday burial will be held at the Los Angeles' Forest Lawn Cemetery. It would be a private event according to reports. The date was set two months after the pop icon's demise on June 25 due to heart failure.

Investigators are eyeing the role of the prescription drug - a powerful anesthetics - in the death of Jackson which was said to be administered by his personal doctor Conrad Murray.

***

Meantime, my daughter is bit sad today when she learned about the announcement of MJ's interment.

My daughter is a Michael Jackson fan. About two years before the King of Pop died she was already listening to MJ's songs and even downloaded some of his popular music videos. When Michael Jackson died on June 25 her liking for the pop icon's music becomes more evident. She does not only sing his popular songs, but also dance to their upbeat tune.

She reads anything about Michael Jackson - from his childhood to the most recent event related to his death. She also started collecting pictures of Michael, mostly downloaded from the Internet, and organized them in a clear book.

She also requested her father to have MJ's image printed on her newly-bought white shirt. The latest in her collection is an original limited copy of MJ's CD (The Essential Michael Jackson). I asked her what particular Michael Jackson song is her favorite. She said all because the songs are 'addicting.' I think her fondness for the music does not interfere with her studies at all. In fact, she got good grades during her last exams.

To remember MJ in her own way she open a Friendster account that will also serve as a fan site for her and other young person her age.

Here are some of her collections which she treasure so much. She took all these pictures using a cell phone camera that's why shots are a little blurry.

Naomi's version of Moonwalker using MS paint

A final wave from the Gloved One. Taken from Time Magazine.

MJ collections (CD, magazine, leaflets, and photos)

Limited copy of The Essential Michael Jackson CD contains 45 songs from his past albums

1984 Time Magazine cover

Looking for more CDs at Odyssey, SM Megamall

She Bloggers Meet-up 2: Sorry late ako...uwian na ba?

If Snooky Serna is known for the moniker 'pagong queen' in showbiz, I am her close counterpart in real life. Late kung late, pero I still show up parang apparition lang o paramdam. And this is what happened last Wednesday at the She Bloggers Meet up Part 2 at SM Megamall.

Me and the kids arrived at the meeting place half an hour or so before the girls decided to split up. I hurriedly look for Pehpot and spotted her easily through her signature bangs and specs (and cleavage showing-maternity dress - ang sexy mo palang preggy Peh ). I had a little chat with her and got to meet Earth as well. She's lovely in person. My kids enjoyed Fedhz' special polvoron. Meron pa ba, Fedhz? ^ ^

I don't have much to say here since I missed the meaty part of the EB - sharing galore. Pehpot has the whole event covered so its better to read her story about it. I'm sharing these photographs for our online friends who expressed their intention to come but were just too far away and busy to make it to the affair. Next time girls, we would request Pehpot to organize a bigger EB event for all of us, hehe. KKB pa rin? ^_~

Aside from Pehpot and the rest of the She Bloggers attendees, I also wish to see my other online friends Shie of Shie's Asylum and U. Pink of Utotmopink in person and my friends at Barrio Siete. Miss you guys! ^_^/

Now meet the lovely ladies...

Jade of Life of a Filipina Blogger

Earth of Earthlingorgeous

Josie of Josie's Window

Lirs of Mushings

Niko of Niko's Blog

Mara of Mara's Personal Bubble

Fedhz of Home Buddies

Tetcha of Pensive Thoughts

Mye of Blog Appetite

Me and Pehpot of Make or Break

Increase Your Link Tag

Do you want to generate more traffic to your site? How about meet new friends? Try this unique tag which I got from Chris of The Mommy Journey. Thanks, Chris!

Rules:

1. Try to make a post just like this one and mention this process.

2. From the list of blog sites below remove the number 1 and move the rest in the list 1 step higher (i. e number 2 becomes number 1, and so on). Add your blog name in the 5th position. Don't forget to copy the links. (Here's my list-my site added in the end)

1. EV Tourism Portal
2. Home of Good Ideas
3. Make or Break
4. The Mommy Journey
5. Mom writes for a cause

3. List at most five of your friends blog site here with link and inform them of this post and ask them to do the same. Here's my list:

Chubskulit of Rose's Obstacles and Glories
Beth of All about Elizabeth
Willa of PixelMinded
Acrylique of Crayons and Pastels
Salen of Sassy Mom's Corner

Getting to Know Each Other Tag

source

Sis U. Pink, thanks for this tag.

To do this, Create a New Blog Post, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your title as "Getting to Know Each Other!", then tagged as many people as you like :) Don't forget to leave a message to those you have tagged so that they will know :)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 4:00 a.m. (on school days)

2. How do you like your steak? well done

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

4. What is your favorite TV show? none at the moment

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? U.S.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Sliced bread with triple berry jam, coffee with milk

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Filipino dish

8. What foods do you dislike? Ampalaya (tolerable)

9. Favorite place to eat? Shakey's, Yellow Cab

10. Favorite dressing? the one served at Shakey's for mojos (i forgot the name)

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? we own motorcycle, but I don't drive

12. What are your favorite clothes? slightly loose shirts/blouse and straight cut jeans

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? General Santos City and then Palawan.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? anywhere near the sea or mountain

16. Favorite time of day? nighttime

17. Where were you born? Muntinlupa

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? swimmingl

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? no idea

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? I'm not sure :)

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Not really sure

22. Bird watcher? most likely

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? night person

24. Do you have any pets? none at the moment

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? none. life's a bit boring

26. What did you want to be when you were little? a flight attendant

27. What is your best childhood memory? I'll skip this one

28. Are you a cat or dog person? dog person

29. Are you married? Yes

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes (in privately-owned cars) public transport never enforce seat belt use.

31. Been in a car accident? almost

32. Any pet peeves? can't think of any

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? ham and cheeze calzone

34. Favorite Flower? Sampaguita and Ylang-ylang

35. Favorite ice cream? Mango and vanilla

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Henlin, Chowking, Shakey's, Burger King, Yellow Cab

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Haven't take any

38. From whom did you get your last email? Entrecard

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Grocery

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Like what

41. Like your job? jobless since 2007

42. Broccoli? hmmm

43. What was your favorite vacation? We never had any out of town vacation yet

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Husband

45. What are you listening to right now? radio news

46. What is your favorite color? pastel color

47. How many tattoos do you have? none

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? three only

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 8:17 a.m.

50. Coffee drinker? with two scoops of powdered milk, yes

I'm passing this to three of my online friends namely Onlinemommy, Chris, and Clarissa. Have fun girls!

You are inspirational: Your Daily Word

There are so many inspirational sites (and bloggers too) that I've seen while blog hopping. Some site owners became my regular reader and commenter. Some I'm keeping as friends. Some I have lost contact with, but remain my loyal follower. Regular or occasional, friend or acquaintance, they deserved to be acknowledged. There are 64 of them now and still growing. Thanks for showing interest in my blog. You know who you are.

This week at You Are Inspirational, I'm featuring Your Daily Word (Verses and Reflections for everyday life), maintained by Mike Sumondong. He is not a personal friend of mine and not a regular visitor of late. Hello Mike. But I got so inspired in visiting his site because he welcomes fellow bloggers' prayers request. He pray for them and even requests his church mates to pray and intercede. To make his mission (propagate word of God) effective, he uses popular social network like Tweeter.

Keep up the good work, Mike. And Chris of Inspirational Insights, thanks for this encouraging tag.

Mike describes himself as a part-time blogger, part-time engineer, part-time call center TL but a full-time minister of the Lord.

Photohunt: Artificial

artificial (adj) false, fake, mock, reproduction, synthetic, simulated, imitation, man-made

Real characters in artificial background. I enjoyed creating photos of my family using the fun images effect of Photofunia.

Taipei

Pavement drawing

Special billboard

Very old telly

More "artificial" photos on this site.

FTF: Homemade Spanish Sardines

My version of homemade Spanish Sardines

I got the original recipe from delish.wordpress.com, but made a few changes/added some ingredients to it. This is what I've got after more than one hour. My version may not be as good as the original recipe, but am proud to make my loved one's tummy full (again). Not bad cooking eh. More FTF entries here.

Mommy Moments: I gotta wear shades

NOT all babies are comfortable with shades. But my daughter is an exception. She never resisted when I put this pair of Disney shades on her. In fact she's cooing while I'm taking her pictures.

Eight month old Naomi in cute pair of Disney shades

Baby wearing shades with Daddy. She's loving it.

Proud little girl wearing pink shades. Naoms @ two-and-a-half

Still wearing shades inside the UPLB Museum. Naoms with Teacher Hazel, Khalil and some schoolmates.

More pictures of kids wearing shades here.

Litratong Pinoy: Tanghalian (Lunch)

Miswa (fine wheat noodle) with patola

Homemade tempura

Hindi ko mahindian ang hiling ng mga anak ko na lutuin ang paborito nilang tempura. Madali lang naman lutuin ang tempura ilang minuto lang pwede ng ihain mas matagal pa nga ang preparasyon nito gaya ng paghahanda ng harina, binating itlog at breadcrumbs. Nang maluto parang medyo tuyo naman masyado ang pananghalian namin kaya inihabol ko ang pagluluto ng ginisang miswa na may patola. Ayos ba?

Marami pa kayong makikitang masarap na tanghalian dito.

If you'll ask me again, I'll say I do

Our marriage is not made in heaven. We have our share of ups and downs.
Whatever is said and done we patch things up. You crack a joke to signal we're back in each other's arm. They were the same jokes that charmed me then and brighten up my moody days until now.

Thank you for believing and staying beside me for 13 years.

Happy Anniversary!