No undoing Ondoy

The last couple of days, I've been thinking of things that we could've done differently, things if undone would made things better. Bringing the car to higher ground instead of leaving it in the driveway... moving our ground floor things to the 2nd floor instead of merely raising it 4 feet off the ground.... making a force field that would block the water's aggressive foray into our home. I know that last one sounds ridiculous, but having prophetic visions that would allow me to forsee a catastrophe of this magnitude borders on the ridiculous too. And if by some odd twist of fate I'm granted the chance to walk back to Friday night, I'm not sure I'd want to relive it all again. Make no mistake, I will if I can. I'll try to warn as many people could be managed. I'm just not sure if there's anything I can really do to change the bottomline.

Flood inside our house.... but at least we were safe and warm.

So no, I don't believe we can undo Ondoy. What we can do though is to draw strength from this. The next few nights might be hard. A good many of us would have to start from scratch. Many are still grieving the lost of family and friends. Yet the finest steel is forged through the fiercest furnace and the best diamonds are churned by seemingly insurmountable pressure.

Our door as a depth reference.

We who lived through this have the obligation to move forward and draw strenght from this ordeal. Whether it were nerve wracking moments waiting for word that your family is safe, or traversing highways that suddenly became powerful rivers; whether your house got carried off, or just the feeling of security that should go with having a roof over your head; whether you lost everything or just your piece of mind; we need to stand up and be strong. We need to take control of this situation and be the better for it.

Still, were much better off inside than outside.

There's still a hundred of things that needs doing. There are still thousands of people that needs helping. No, there's no undoing Ondoy, but we can still overcome Ondoy. We have to.

Thank you

...to family, who though they second-guess me sometimes, still stand by my decisions; and who though I disappoint them quite often, still support and love me. I definitely could never have gone on without you.

...to friends, who though I've been a jerk to them before, still remain my friends; and who though I've given wrong directions more times than I could count, still comes to me asking for them. Life certainly couldn't have been any fun without you guys.

...to people who believed in me, doubted me, trusted me, maligned me, supported me, manipulated me, and just touched me one way or the other. What else can I say? This life surely wouldn't be the adventure that is without any of you.

To my family, friends, officemates, classmates, passing acquaintances, my dear readers, and to you... yes you...

Because I don't say it often enough...

Do you say it often enough? Would like an excuse to? Then sign the petition to make October 20...

Don't wait for October 20 though, thank them now!

Be part of a grateful nation. Join the rest of the country as it honors the one person whom a grateful nation will say a resounding thank you to. Visit http://www.thankyoudayphilippines.com/

7-Eleven's Big Bite Challenge Final Match

Yes it's on! There's been some changes, the finals got moved from last month to next Saturday, 25 finalist instead of just 8 (because they're really really good--scared me off in fact), MOA instead of Trinoma, but it's definitely on! Check out the details below.

So who wins the P500,000? Who'll take home the ultimate hotdog eater crown? And even more important, how many hotdogs will the ultimate champion end up eating? Find out for yourselves because you're all invited to watch! I for one won't want to miss this event. See ya next week!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!

I realize my title's a bit strange seeing as Christmas is month's away. However if you've ever tried visiting the Philippines this time of the year, you'd see that we start celebrating Christmas as early as September. And since we're within the 100 days to Christmas countdown, and I can feel the cool breeze coming in, I feel that we're well within the Christmas season.

I imagine the people at Red Ribbon are looking forward to a white Christmas themsevles because they just recently launched their newest creation...

The White Forest!


A perfect combination of white chiffon, white chocolate shavings and red maraschino cherries!

Ok, I admit, the name isn't exactly creative, but it's really quite good! I don't really like cakes in general, but I liked this one. It's beauty I suppose is in it's simplicity. A simple combination of feel good food, white chocolates, chiffon and cherries--nothing overpowering, nothing too overwhelming. Definitely a refreshing change from Black Forest. And I actually never realized that cherries actually went well with white chocolate, but it does. The only downside here is that it's not yet available in all branches. However, if you want to try it (or maybe send me one for Christmas), you may have it delivered by calling 87777.

Of course, visiting them won't hurt either, if not for the White Forest, you might consider trying some of their newer offerings. I for one enjoyed their new Spaghetti with Meatballs and Chicken with Garlic and Mushroom Roll. Definitely must tries!

99 Days to go 'til Christmas!

Happy National Physical Therapy Day!

Go give your favorite Physical Therapist a gift or something! (Hint: I'm a Physical Therapist)

Ok, so I realize that not many people are familiar with what Physical Therapy is exactly or that it actually takes 5 years of tertiary education. (Yes, I did not just fail a year.) In light of this special occasion, I thought it might be interesting to see what people actually thought about PT's. Let me know what you know or at least what you think. Please post your thoughts and maybe questions about Physical Therapy here, and I'll do my best to clarify them. Hopefully, this will be educational not just for me but also for you.

Happy PT Day!

If you want to know more about the local scene or simply interested in joining the upcoming national convention, please visit PPTA's new website.

JIV Manila Presents: The Venusian Principle

Last night, I attended the launching of JIV Manila's The Venusian Principle, it's an art exhibit. Now I'm not exactly an artist or even an art critic so I can't say I really know art. I just attended to check out some of Lizz's work (and because I'm a good friend like that) and I was afraid I'd drown myself trying to understand the "art world". I was pleasantly surprised that it was not a snotty affair at all! It was light and relaxed. The art works were fun yet evocative. It wasn't what I expected at all! Oh there were artist-speak of course, paintings I couldn't begin to comprehend, and wine.

My Little Art Place... quite cozy and relaxing right?


Rather provocative pieces don't you think?


This one's rather cool... chalk sculpture!


And we have here JC and Lizz, the artist, standing besides my favorite painting of the night...
"All that glitters"

Unfortunately, my camera really can't do these artworks justice. You just have to go and check them out for yourself. You have a month minus a day left. Here are the details:

My Little Art Place is really quite easy to find. If you're coming from Ortigas Avenue, it's on the left about 20 meters after Kink Cakes. If you're coming from P. Guevarra St., it's on the right, about 30 meters after Gold's Gym. If you see either landmarks, just park your car and walk, it's really much easier to spot it that way.

Going gaga over the baby

Can't be helped! I'm sure we'd be just as crazy about him even if he didn't looked so cute. And regarding my question yesterday whether he looks like me, I'm still not sure, I'm bad with faces. 2 people did mention that he looks like me though, my gramps and one who's a complete stranger. I suppose it's possible since his dad is my brother, but I still don't see it. It's probably just the cheeks.

Anyhow, here are a few more photos of him.

Looks peaceful huh? At least now I know where the expression "sleep like a baby" came from.

UPDATE (9/4): They named him Ethan Gabriel. Well, he does look angelic hehe

Say Uncle!

Remember this? Well here he is!

Yep! I'm an uncle! Ain't he beautiful? He sure is healthy, came out weighing 3.5kg! That's more than I weighed when I was born. He was born around 5:30 this afternoon. I think they're calling him Ethan, they still can't decide what 2nd name to give, feel free to give your suggestion before they write out the birth certificate. Me? I really couldn't care less what they call him, I'm just hoping I could make an attempt carrying him soon hehe... Hmm, I wonder if he looks a bit like me... wouldn't he wish? :p