DURIAN in Cebu

I never tasted a Durian fruit, but I had eaten a durian flavor candy. My boyfriend's hometown is Davao, a place known as abundant in Durian. I never been to Davao yet I am expecting sooner I'll be there and first thing I expect if ever I'll be in Davao is to see a Durian Tree. But I never expected that today I'll see one and I deed. We went to Campo3 just to have a look to our God-son as well as to asked for a Coconut Water to our friend Anabel. As we were on our way to get a coconut, we passed in a tree with bundles of flowers on its trunk, my boyfriend and my friend told me it was a Durian Tree. Without further thinking, I get my phone and took a picture of the Durian Tree. It feels like I'm in  Davao while taking these pictures attached below. I didn't even expect that Durian Tree looks like these (in the pictures):

here comes a baby Durian Fruit

bundles of durian flowers on its trunk

a baby Durian Fruit on a trunk

Durian flowers falling

The Sampaguita, The Girl, The Street.

We were walking towards McDonald's in Tabunok to have our dinner when a little girl approach me and asked me to buy her sold "sampaguita". I often encountered the same scenario specially in colon near Sto.Niño  church yet I hadn't buy one. But this one, captured me through my deepest soul, watching a little girl striving to earn for her family and as to feed her hungry stomach. I get a ten peso coin unto my pocket and gave it to her and took the "sampaguita" flower. While taking our dinner at McDonald's, I was watching the "Sampaguita flower" laid on the dining table. I was watching it not as a flower itself but the one who sold it to me. Of how she was treated in their family, if how many are they in the family, if she was told to do the selling or she just want to help her family earn a living. I then think, I may don't have a bundle of thousands of money, don't have a big house, don't have wheels, but I am blessed more than those children on streets.

Hope each of us will realize this thing and even a single centavo we can contribute to those poor little children, it's NOT ONLY the RICH who can help them but it is US! The one who have a shelter, a food to eat 3 times a day or more, and a number of clothes in our cabinet to wear.

As we went out to McDonald's, I still saw her outside. I gave her a coin not in return with another "sampaguita" but for her to buy a food to fed her hungry stomach. ^_^

My First Zipline Adventure in PAPA KIT'S MARINA and FISHING LAGOON

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1701157329135&comments

This was my first ZIPLINE ADVENTURE (located in Lilo-an Cebu in PAPA KIT"S MARINA and FISHING LAGOON) taken last May 1, 2011 yesterday. At first, I don't want to try it. I am afraid of heights, I am even afraid of crossing the bridge on our way to the zipline zone. Many things pop-up in my mind, what if I will fall, what if the harness is not that strong, I don't know. Maybe I got phobia on crossing bridges with water under it since my elementary years and made it as basis of my fear of heights until now. By watching the zipline, I imagine it as like I am crossing a  bridge since under the zipline is a lagoon.

By watching my friends who were through the zipline ride, and watch their photos and videos, I felt that I want to have a try. I don't know what push me to throw my fear of heights and I bought the ticket. I am still nervous of the possibility of falling but I ignore it and proceed. When I am already at the top, I get scared watching below and how high I am into. But as they start putting the harness and clamp into it, I can't believe that even a little bit of fear inside I didn't felt. I still have time to got video of mine and my friend with me. My friends watching us below thought I will shout but I didn't since I didn't get scared. I am enjoying hanging into it while watching the beauty of the lagoon below. It's a nice experience and I am also inspired to get weight so I can enjoy more the zipline adventure. (The zipline didn't slide so fast due to my light weight, maybe one day if I gain weight it would be more thrill for me when it moves so fast.)

MY Hi-TECH BABY

The baby with his picture on the right is my godson and cousin Lance Ethan Unabia. Look at the excitement on his face as he was holding the cellular phone. He was only 4 months old when that picture was taken. Now, he is 5 months. I am posting this not only to show how less than 1yr old baby can hold a cellular phone but how Hi-Tech do babies now a days. Before, when a baby cry out loud when we don’t know why since they can’t able to talk on what they feels, but we concluded maybe he/she is hungry, or diapers need to change or he/she feels boredom so we give toys. But now, give a baby candy, toys, and even make yourself like a clown just to make them laugh but they’re hard to. Hold unto your phone and press any of its keys to flash the light on the screen then he/she will stop crying. He/she will begin to open his/her eyes wide while observing and curious on the cellular phone. 

Later, when he/she will be 2-3 years old, he/she will never get tired tailing on you just to have your phone. He/she will asked to take him/her pictures on your phone just like my other cousin Sophia who is so fond seeing her pictures on your phone, she also loves listening music downloaded on your phone.

See, how HI-TECH the babies now compared on our times. Those times those cellular phones are still hard to have due to its price and supplies. Now, almost everyone have cellular phones. Those times that only college and a few high school students have their own phones. Now, even elementary students already have one. It’s just like computers, before when we were still young, we used to play on grounds and fields. Now, children never get sweat for they spent time more on playing computer games rather doing traditional games such as hide and seek. 

What more we got to see on our next generation? How can our modern times affect our children’s growth and attitude?

A TALK FROM A GOOD FRIEND

on (3/25/11)

There was this friend of mine who was asking for an opinion about the things she wrote. It is telling about her life when we were still high school and how she felts on it. I can feel and understand of what she felt. I may not experience the same thing as making the center for the classmates’ “bullies” but I was once the center for “teases”. I heard about some trashes that our classmates talked before – I mean trash are those not good to hear things that came on their mouth since I consider it trash for it’s USELESS and WORTHLESS! But I don’t know some of it is thrown to her. We’ve been friends before but we’re not so close but we never also been enemies. It just happens that we’ve been close during our college. I heard about her complaints on our high school life but not so detailed. It was just now I know and feel the pain she carried from our high school. I don’t know how to make her feel better but I just want her to know that once I’ve been there maybe not as similar as her but I’ve been there. I told her this as my piece of advice:

“But as a conclusion, we don't need to please everybody because doing that thing will lead us to failure. So don't worry on the people who bully you better worried for them. And in the first place can they change your life? They have nothing to do with your life so don't bother on them. Sometimes due to our differences leads to not understanding on others and better aimed to be the one who will take the lead. But who cares? That's your life. If they don't like it, it's their problem. It is just their mind and tongue who will get tired. ^_^

I was once feeling down before every time they call me doggy. I don't know how they can talk to me that way when I don't do anything to them. At first I thought it will pass away, it happens when Mark said “tse” and because there's a dog and since it sounded like my nickname “che” so I took a glance. And he called me doggy. It is nothing to me since we both know about how it started but other classmates especially the NOT CLOSE started spreading and calling me even when we're on the street walking through home.

It hurts. But I can’t change the way they look at us and the way they look into their selves.”

So what? They cannot be like me and I will never be like them too.... ^_^

                                                                                                       =Che-

It was nice thing that we talked about it. Those people are not worth keeping but this talked is worth living. I mean, it is just nice when someone shared to you something in which you also in your part have something to share and now you have it. I tried to be strong at all times but it’s just now I feel I need also someone to talk to. It is maybe not detailed as like on her writing, but it is a relief in my part that I already thrown it away with the help of my good friend.

Why PHILIPPINES suffer from POVERTY?

Is it the government? Is it the people who are in the position? Or US! FILIPINOS!

When we have nothing to feed for our dozens of children, we blame it to our government; Is it the government who told us to have a dozens of sons and daughters?

We keep on BLAMING and COMPLAINING our situation to anyone yet we never look back and see ourselves on what we have done or we have done NOTHING AT ALL.

Some point they are right. A good government will help our country to stop poverty but everything must start within US! 

It is our ATTITUDE which makes our country to be in a state of poverty. When your neighbor is selling a goods and it seems working so well and earned, you compete. The next day, you have your own, thinking to pull her down and as you to go up high. If everyone competes, ONLY ONE WILL SURVIVE! Which means only one will be RICH. But if we THINK to help each other IMPROVE, everyone will be on top and no one will be left behind. 

A son/daughter was told by his/her parents “You must go to school to HAVE A GOOD JOB in the future”. You plant into their minds that we go to school to have a good job only? Why not to build your own business? Let our little ones feel that sooner they will become an owner instead of a worker. It is our MINDSET that we should change too.

We criticize our own hand made products, we don’t even bother watch it mesmerizing instead all comes out in our mouth are criticism. We never think of who made it, how come he/she made that kind of thing, how brilliant! Because all we think, our own products are NOT AS GOOD QUALITY than the IMPORTED ONES. How come our country improves when the people living in here won’t know how to appreciate and embrace our Philippine made products? We CRITICIZE yet we don’t give any suggestion and help on how to improve. But what most never knew is that the imported that they are craving and dying for, it is still a Filipino hand who have made it. It was produced in here for export and has U.S. brand names. 

We think WE WILL NOT GROW here in Philippines. We put our country down and left if uncultured just like a landfill left abandoned. Here comes the foreign one and see the abandoned and uncultured land. Why many foreign build business in Philippines? Why most of the manufacturing firms are owned by foreigners? Because they see an OPPROTUNITY in here which we didn’t seen for our mouth is too busy COMPLAINING while our mind kept empty. 

If we build a business, a small business, and in the middle of the operation it turns out to be failure, you feel so bad and never have a spirit to retry. We are AFRAID TO FAIL and we never try to do our own so we will not fail. We have this attitude of feeling afraid though we haven’t done it yet for we are afraid to fail. If we fail, we don’t accept it rather BLAMES it to anyone or everyone include in the operation excluding yourself so you won’t be criticize. We are more on what others will say rather than on how can I make this work out and what make this not to work out? We don’t accept mistake but point it out to anyone. We are good in washing our own hands and throwing the dirt unto others.

It is not our government, it is not the people in the position, they may take part of being abusive and corrupt but they are no the main issue; It is within US! Our attitude for competition and envy, mindset, criticizing our country, complaining with no done action, afraid to fail so we prefer to remain as is and never tries to step forward, and keep on blaming our mistakes and error in life.

0.50 ₵ still matters!

Now, the minimum fare here in Cebu is already Php 7.50 from Php 6.50 last year due to gasoline increase. I understand the part of the drivers, especially those who have families, why they want an increase. Though they are given already an increase but some been abusive. They made their own minimum fare which is the Php 8.00. They posted “TARIPA” a proof that they are able to implement the minimum fare of Php 7.50 but in fact they are getting Php 8.00 on the passengers. Maybe a reason also is that 0.50 ₵ is hard to find or they were out of  0.50 ₵. When I rode yesterday and found my pocket was out of 0.50 ₵, so I gave Php 10.00 coin and the driver changed me Php 2.00 only. I found out that even other passengers were charge of Php 8.00 each even if they paid for two which means for only Php 15.00 but the driver get Php 16.00. CORRUPTION BEGINS.

Even before, when the minimum Php 6.50 was implemented, they rounded it off to Php 7.00. I remember once, when I am still a college student, I debate the assistant of the driver “konduktor”. As far as I know, students were given 10% discount and so the senior citizens but drivers still get Php 7.00 on the students and plus Php 1.00 for an every 1km beyond the 5 kilometer for minimum fare. I and my friends used to take two rides from school going home. We rode a TABUNOK signage multicab with a fare of PHP 8.50 if the rules of fare is ONLY followed but drivers considered it to Php 9.00. Since we were students so we just pay Php 8.00 though 10% of 9 is 0.90 wherein Php 8.50 subtracted with 0.90 is Php 7.60. But the “konduktor” complain why we were just paying Php 8.00 which is supposed to be Php 9.00. So I reason out to him and even made him realize how much is the 10% of the minimum fare in which they haven’t implemented to students. He kept on murmuring but I and my friends haven’t bother to get from our pocket additional Php 1.00.

Now that the fare reaches Php 7.50 as minimum fare, the same scenario happened. They still rounded it off to Php 8.00. Some don’t bother to ask for their change for it is just a 0.50 ₵ but what if you were 2 or more and the driver still charged Php 8.00 per head with you and your companion? It was last week, when I and my boy friend on our way home and took a ride in Tabunok, where I am currently working. There were two ladies paid Php 15.00 and ask for a change of Php 1.00 not knowing the fare already increases. The driver with his loud voice replied that the fare already increases, haven’t you knew it? Then the lady who gave their fare answered that they didn’t know since they were not used on going to Minglanilla. Then the driver added, “It is now Php 7.50, and others are Php 8.00 already”. In his tone of voice, he sounds like “it should be Php16.00 since others collected Php 8.00”. I thought it was just in my own conclusion, but when my boy friend paid for a Php 20.00 peso bill. The driver changed us Php 4.00. Look! How good in Math! Php 7.50 + Php 7.50 = Php 15.00 but he get Php 16.00? I want to complain but my boy friend stop me. If I was just alone that time, I already teach the driver ADDITION.

Every time I ride in a jeepney or multicab and I don’t have coins, I expect drivers to get Php 8.00. But this morning as I am on my way to work, I appreciate the driver for he has a reserved 0.50 ₵ in front of him. He changed passengers what is right and enough.

My point is every one of us is working hard to earn. With those passengers who can’t sit properly due to crowd and full but still chose to have a ride so they won’t get late. Yet drivers started their corruption not watching how he treated his passengers. They can’t even ask if they were fine in their statue position, that even getting for a pocket hard to do due to crowd. They are so eager to do rally and strike whenever their cry was not heard but if they got what they want, they became like the crocodiles.

-April 2, 2011