competition

FUN RUNs has been an “IN” thing lately. It has for me. It is actually a good activity not just for pro runners but also for businessmen , clubs and organizations, fund-raisers, charity for a cause , local government and big companies promoting products. Aside for health and getting fit reasons, Runs and Races can be of multiple purpose. For pro runners, it could be a training, a passion,  or an assessment to beat their own pace , or beat a competition. For “fun runners” (which i belong) can just be a simple thing to unwind, to release stress , an activity to get pictures (to post on Facebook ha! ha!) or simply a way to get fit( seriously?…okay.. considered.!).

Whatever the reason to run every runner has , the results are always for the good. When we say run to race, it means competition. Not just for the runners as to who gets to the finish line first but the also for the “thing” that takes the runner to bring home the gold.- – - Yepper! it’s the RUNNING SHOES.

Now  here is the thing, How can running shoes take the runner to the finish line when science and research has shown and are promoting  barefoot running simply for medical and health reasons? We all want to get fit right?

As I get hooked up  with running on “fun runs” , it also got me interested with running. I started reading articles and blogs about it. I look for tips on how to take care of muscle pain and sore feet after runs. I read tips on how to train and prepare for an upcoming long distance run and of course it also got me interested the “fashion” with running. For me , it is more motivating than beating my current pace to advance my level. Fashion with running involves running pants, the proper runner’s bra to use, the new release trainer’s shirt , pedometers , gadgets , and of course SHOES.

I have been using Vibram Five Fingers for a couple of months now. For somebody that is not really an athlete nor a runner,  VFFs are expensive! I almost would have fever chills after the realization of the purchase has  sink  in but then as I started to put it on, I also start loving it. I walk all the time , and I love walking. I have been continuously using my VFF Treksports  for the first  2 weeks straight after its purchase. The very first time I switched back to my regular flats anf flip flops, I got blisters on my sole and the tips of my toes. Well , I guess I’m really loving it. I am planning to get my second pair anytime soon and I am checking the internet for any possible VFF model that I would get. As I was surfing  and browsing  I found this:

( from http://www.gizmodo.com)

Not looking at the photo’s caption, I am asking myself, “Are those from Vibram Five Fingers too?”, checking further I learned that it is not Vibram Five Fingers. It is actually………. Yepper! ADIDAS ADIPURE  Trainers Barefoot minimalist shoes!

If there is really a  demand to create a barefoot minimalist shoes , do they have to create it with TOES? Reading most of the articles, I somehow understand why Five Fingers got their product name , it is because their shoes have this FIVE toes  making it a barefoot shoe having Vibram as the sole.

Well I guess this is what we called COMPETITION… and it makes this world go round!

Dengue Fever

Year 2008 , exactly around this month of the year , I was home for my first annual vacation . Around this month of the year three years ago, Wine was a victim of Dengue Hemorrhagic  Fever. Two weeks and a couple of days in the hospital. Honestly , I don’t want to recall the scene of those two weeks. For ordinary individuals, hospitals are dreadful places, where anyone should be avoiding. For me, and for my colleagues , Hospitals are our comfort zones. Maybe because , it is where we work, and it is where we are needed. It is where we made a living. As familiar as I am being in a hospital , it will always be different when the reason to be in the hospital is to get help and to be cured. It will be more different  if the one who needs to be confined is your son or daughter and for this reason, mother as I am, the hospital can never be comfortable.

For weeks now, or even months already , nation’s prime time news like TV Patrol of ABS-CBN and 24-ORAS of GMA  has been broadcasting the continuous increasing number of Dengue Cases specially in Metro Manila and NCR. Most of the victims are children and teens aging from 15 and below. The news kept showing public hospital situations  of Dengue patients. Hospital Admitting sections can never refuse to accept patients who are willing to seek treatment. Parents of sick children will gamble to be admitted even if they have to share beds with other patients as long as they are in the vicinity of the hospital where they know that the status of their sick kid or kids will be monitored the proper way. For these patients , the  inconvenient situation to be confined in a crowded , facility deficient , hot and noisy charity wards or even alleys and lobbies of these public hospitals is comfortable enough knowing that experts will help them get well.

The question: Are this patients, parents that are full of hope really getting enough treatment? Are these hospitals have enough supplies to use and medicines to prescribe? Do we have enough manpower and staffing to cater the flooding of  Dengue patients now and then? Are we as citizens, well-informed enough to protect ourselves and family?

Here are some links that would help us learn facts about Dengue Fever

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/dengue/en/

http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section10/Section332/Section1631.htm

remittance

6PM. I am cooking for dinner when I heard the landline telephone rang. Wine picked it up… talked to the caller for a little while and yelled calling me. “Ma, Daddy on the phone”. I set the pot holder that is hanging from my hand on the kitchen table and took the receiver that Wine was handing out for me. I was silently hoping it’s not an emergency or something. Woody is calling overseas, what could go wrong?, Is he alright?. Calmly , I answered. “yeah?……”.

The call only took less than a minute. It’s not an emergency, Thanks God! He is fine …glad to know. He just called to ask for my approval not to send some bucks via Telemoney today. Huh?…He usually don’t call just to tell me that, well, maybe because we are  talking more about budget lately due to our future plans plus he will be home in 3 days. Right! that’s it!  Woody said , he just escape from work to send what we need to our PI account before the Telemoney will close for the holidays. Saudi Arabia and the whole of Islam will be celebrating Eid-Ul-Fitr starting this coming Thursday and would last the whole week that follows. Since its going to be holiday and 9 days off from work was given to the contractors, my dear hubby will be home. He told me as quick as he can, because he is driving while talking on the phone (duh! he know’s it’s a violation to have a phone call while driving!) that it’s impossible to get into the long lines of people in Telemoney. The entire hospital population of employees must have been down there to do the same purpose that he has. REMMITANCE.

I recall my Saudi days working as an OFW. Every end of the month during payday all of the employees have to check their schedules for any available time or day offs from duty to be able to know when to go to the bank to send money to our families waiting back home. If we’re on night duties , we have to sacrifice sleep specially if the need to do money transfer is very urgent (which actually is urgent all the time). We would squeezed and bump our way to get in the bus that would take us to the souq (arabic word for market). We would hold on to our abayas( black robe that Saudi women wore) and tarhas(veil) so the wind will not blow it away. We have to be on the bus that the hospital has provided for our transportation. It is prohibited for women to be walking on the streets on their own in Saudi Arabia. That is just one of the thousands that women are not allowed to do in Saudi. Before we shop for our food and other necessities needed , aside from getting in line at the the ATM for those who havent taken their salary yet, the first stop of the trip would always be the remittance centers. May it be Al-rahji, Western Union or the one I am using… the TELEMONEY. Going in the establishment we would always give a nod , or say hello to the only Filipino working there. “Kabayan!”, that’s what we call fellow Filipinos overseas.  We would be very lucky if we got there early and there won’t be long lines yet. Even if there is a line as long as it’s the men who are on the line, us women are still lucky for we always get to be entertained first. In Saudi Arabia, Women should never be where men are, or women should be covered so as no other men can see them other than their husbands. So in cases of long lines at the establishments , women have their lines on their own, or they have their own entrances and exits in just almost everywhere, even in their own homes. We get to the counter , handed our money to the teller and off our month’s pay went. For most of us, the monthly salary can’t even stay 24 hours in our possession. Signing the remittance receipt would tell you that transaction is done and most OFW’s next move is to get their cellphones dial the number home or send a text to inform the families that allowance is on the way. Walking out of the remittance centers , we would carefully calculate whats left with our pay for the entire month’s personal allowance. Food, cellphone load and call credits, due payments, commissary payment so we can still have some grocery-to-list and-pay-later  in case we got short with the budget which is always every month. Once the pay is wired we feel good that in just few minutes our families’ needs back home will be taken cared of.

Just like all the months of the year… it will start with the first day, and just like all OFWs we would also start working the first schedule of the current month to be able to do the same thing we always do at the end of the month,  and to be at the same bus ride , at the same destination , to greet the same “kabayan” at the  same remittance center every payday with the same amount of pay.

LONG LIVE! to my fellow OFWs.

Would I be mad?

Wine. My first-born. My one and only son. He is active and sensitive. Stubborn and short-tempered. He loves watching movies that he can actually sit on and have 2-3 films continuously. He is demanding but thoughtful. He hates being picked on and gets teased while he bullies and teased her sister Water every single minute they are beside each other.

He hates to be told what he needs to do.  As early as being in Grade 2 ,he dared to escape his class behind the teacher’s back while she is writing on the board and went to the library (the petite ,young teacher so told me). The teacher then asked the class on his whereabouts upon finding out he is missing and was suggested to look for him in the library. The teacher narrated to me that she asked Wine why he left class and she got the answer of  “ayoko po mag sulat, kasi masakit sa kamay”(i don’t want to write, it’s hurting my hands), the teacher asked another question “ayaw mo ba makinig sa lecture? (don’t you want to listen to the lecture?), he was quiet for a while according to her and quietly said ” pwede humanon sa nako ni akoang gibasa teacher? Diri lang bitaw ko sa library.” (can I finish what I am reading now teacher?  I’ll just stay here in the library). The teacher looked at the book he was reading and he was already halfway on one of the hardbound children’s story book. Realizing she had other 30 some pupils left at the classroom she started to leave telling him “Okay, tawagin kita pag tapos na kami“(okay,I will call you when we’re done).  Hearing this from the teacher, I actually don’t know what to say.

Periodical Exams will be the day after next. This morning , he was sitting at the foot of the bed watching me preparing their school uniforms while he is waiting for his turn at the bathroom ( because  Water is actually procrastinating while on shower). I tried to pop out some questions that I know would come up based on the pointers given by my friend Julie who is also the mother of Margaux(Wine’s classmate/bff/#1enemy, hihihi!). I told him “Life cycle of the butterfly!” and I got a fast reply “Ah sayon! egg-larva-pupa-adult!” . I look at him at my best to have an emotionless expression but I am actually surprise that he did know the cycle of the butterfly. He stared back  at me searching for an approval of his answer with the you-don’t-believe-me-Ma-look on his face. “itlog-caterpillar- ummmmm-pupa-butterfly! di ko kabalo Bisaya sa pupa, sagdi nalang gud!” he said with emphasis to support his answer. I smiled and said “Yehey correct!”  and I saw his expression change to a look with pride knowing that I was happy with his answer. Glancing at the time , I yelled for Water to hurry up so Wine can have his shower. I continue preparing their stuff and  I reminded him that exams is getting close and he is still not studying. I also told him that if he will not do any good at it he will eventually fail. We heard Water yelled “humana ko, ikaw na Kuya Wine”(I’m done, your turn Kuya Wine). He stood up quick grab his towel and as he was about to leave the room he looked back at me and asked “masuko ka?….kung mabagsak ko Ma?“(will you get mad if I fail Ma?). He was standing by the door waiting for my answer just as Water appeared , tricky question and I don’t have time to think of a good answer so I just smiled and rushed him to shower.

Would I be mad?… of course I will be! If he fail it means he didn’t learn anything in school. If he fail,  it would mean I am not doing a good job taking care of them. If he fail, it means I failed too…. and I don’t have any reason to do so… I am a stay-at-home mom, that aside from being the officer in charge of the house,my job is to make sure the kids are okay in every single aspect. My job is to follow-up their studies and see to it they will learn what they need to learn . I always check their bags every night, read their notebooks except that Wine doesn’t like to write at all. I can actually go and ask the teacher about stuff but I don’t want to. We send our kids to school for them to learn, not only the academic subjects but the values as well. To be in school and to be by themselves will let them practice what is being taught at home. If he fail , would it mean that somewhere along the road I’m driving I made a mistake making a turn? or did I forget to turn when I suppose to? Am I over speeding  or too slow? Am I looking ahead too much without glancing that I miss something? If he fail, would it mean I am not doing my very best?

Would I be mad?…. I completely do not know……

I will just pray and believe in him . I am not expecting grades with flying colors. It would be much easier to answer the question if he pass.

But,

Would I be mad?…………… Seriously?

For You I will

Monday. I went to see my  pakners in Davao City. We all have been so busy lately making it impossible to squeeze in our meetings and mini-get together sessions from our hectic schedules. Tar is tumbling upside down on this whirlwind duty of hers. Elmoh is getting stressed more of  feeling unfairness treatment at his workplace. Imbong is rushing and trying to make business opening to make it to his planned time. I am currently on a 24/7 stay-at-home-mom job , bored to death waiting updates on future plans not to count the hour and a half bus ride to the City to meet them.

I did my errands and transactions as soon as I got there,cellphones ringing and beeping from text messages and calls. We agreed to meet at Imbong’s establishment beforehand at exactly 4pm.

I will be meeting Tar at SM(it’s where she works). I was waiting for her get some essentials at the grocery and  off we went. Rushing with our Hellos and how have you beens while walking our way out to where her car is parked and we were able to update our selves with whats happening to us lately. I guess that’s the blessing of having real friends. You might not be able to talk to each other every single day but as soon as you’ve got the chance seems like you just hang up on a phone call chat with them at the very second.  As we were about to go out on the exit door , she saw the shopping carts blocking the way and got the guard’s attention to have someone take it to where it is supposed to be. “Yes mam! ipadaplin na mam, mubalik man to si kuan…..”  the guard quickly answered her, acknowledging her order. Slim as she is always, to me she looks slimmer. I glanced back at this huge grocery she’s managing and in my mind I said, ” SM seems to be an effective slimming program for my friend”. While driving, Tar told me she will be leaving for Cagayan de Oro the next day. She is worried and hesitant to leave because  Luis(her cute 4-year-old son) is not feeling well, then she told me she was affected and feeling guilty reading the quote from Polish Proverb “You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once”  referring to my previous blog “CHOICE”. To see her expression gets me to thinking…I was exactly like her 4 years ago. I hate the idea to leave and work overseas when Wine is an energetic 2-year-old and Water just had months after turning 1. She can’t even talk and can barely walk straight yet when I left.

Three long years. What did I miss? Let’s see…. I missed Water’s second birthday, and her 3rd and her 4th. I never had Christmas and New Year with them because I am always on duty during the Holidays. I have to.. I get paid double on Holidays and i am a struggling single mother trying to make ends meet. I missed her first words, I never saw her when she walks straight for the first time. I never saw her dance her little legs up like the cute toddlers you see on baby diaper commercials. I was never here when her teeth were popping out from her gums. I missed Wine’s 3rd birthday, his 4th and 5th. I missed his first day at school. It was not me who ask him “what did you do at school today?” . It was not me who meet him as he run out of the classroom when the first day of class is over. It was not me who dressed him his first school uniform. It was not me who help him with his first homework. I missed field trips and excursions. I missed to see him dance at school programs. It was not me who put on the medal for being the class’ 3rd honor  after the school year. I was not there on his kindergarten graduation. I am not in the birthday photos. I didn’t witness when they blew the candle on their birthday cakes. I missed their expressions when they hunt for Easter Eggs with their cousins. I wasn’t there when they had their first Halloween. I was not around when they got sick. I was not there when the nurses inserted needles for IV when they got admitted at the hospital. I didn’t know what kind of cookies they like or whether who eat veggies and who does not….. and what else?….a lot that I can’t remember because of simply being not there. I just didn’t get to see it all…… It was not me who Water calls Mama for the first time.

I salute mothers who are away from their children working to be able to provide. I feel how they fight homesickness at nights. I feel how it hurts to see children crying when you are leaving. I feel the pain and helplessness when you know your child needs you the most and you can’t do something about it because you are away and you have to work. It wouldn’t make a woman less of a mother being away when the purpose it provide, because somebody has to. Nobody will ever dream of a good future for a child than his mother( owhkaay and fathers too .. for some) , Nobody else will ever sacrifice first times and birthdays and graduations that a mother. For all the impossible in this world… its only a mother who will be willing to do all.

So to all the working mommies out there, specially to close friends of mine overseas , Ahmegah koh Jenny Samen, Ate Gean Dizon and to all I wasn’t able to mention.  It will never make us less of a POWER MOM when we have to pack our bags and leave when we need to work. Our kids will understand. We may miss a thing or two…or a lot , but we will always be mothers.

To my children WINE and WATER, …. for anything and everything…. for you . I will.

To Tar,  you’re doing just great. CDO is just few hours away, before you know it, you’re driving home from work just like any ordinary day. I was really glad to spend even a little time with you guys today. As you have said while we were walking back to Chowking, “O di ba teh??.. progressive atong lakaw karon! Right!… who would have thought that our little business would give us “that” (the thing in the little brown envelope). Cheer up Day!… this is all part of being a power mom!((hugs)).

choice

Sunday. That’s the day today. I woke up an hour and a half later than usual. Wine is already on the table eating breakfast while my Mama is watching Sunday Mass on TV. I tossed and turn for a while and cuddling Water who is still fighting over the thought of waking up. I really don’t feel well at all . I have my monthly visitor  (glad it came early,in prep for a short and sudden travel plan next week). So , breakfast, showers and off to church. Getting back , I tried to make my kids study, exams are pretty close , like in 4 days! A lot of drama to consider when it comes to study but well…. I guess I will just hope Wine’s stored knowledge would be enough to make him get through. With a lot of screaming and yelling to make him answer the worksheets  I patiently made on his tutor notebook but still he stubbornly refuses to study. Come On! “Bahala ka diha , napungot nako sa imoha”( It’s up to you, You’re pissing me off)” the words that my mind keeps screaming at him. So,couple of hours past , I did chores and stuff. I finally found time to sort out the garbage that wasn’t segregated , that the disposal truck refuses to collect with the help of my Uncle Dodong. After cleaning up, I felt good to finally did away with the junk that is starting to file up.I am constantly telling them from time to time to answer the worksheets with no avail at all. All they want to do is PLAY!… so let it be Play all day!

I ended up picking the book CHICKEN SOUP for the SOULS- POWER MOM which I  bought at National Bookstore in Abreeza Mall Davao last Wednesday. I had read a couple of stories  and I feel like reading some more today.

As I flipped pages to pages , I am finding my self in the shoes of the writers of the stories, essays and articles I am reading. They are indeed the mothers like me. Who at some point in their lives has left their kids for welfare purposes, has made a decision of putting their children first in exchange of their own freedom. Has  been struggling to multi-task to raise their families. Moms who at some point, like me, has been visited with boredom and has been missing the stuff they usually do best or some mothers who give up high-performance and demanding career in exchange for PTA meetings or school bus duties.Mothers who meet other stay-at-home moms while waiting for their little ones at school and eventually became friends and share the same dilemma everyday . Mothers who are trying to set aside  the thrill of getting their own paycheck in exchange of receiving from husbands the family allowance to be carefully budgeted. Mothers who traded business phone calls to baby’s screams. Medical professional mothers all over the world who close their eyes while taking off their white uniforms, scrubs and lab coats and neatly folding them to keep and putting on aprons instead.

I am a medical technologist. For the past 11 years of my career, I seldom got myself a vacation. I work more than 8 hours everyday to include endorsements while shifting, or sometimes more hours that you got lost counting. I love my career. I put passion every time I work. It makes me happy and fulfilled and satisfied. I have been thru hell on my first marriage and my career has been my steadfast , stronghold supporter. The laboratory has been my comfort zone. Performing lots of laboratory assays has been my ways to unwind. The “stat” were always been a pat on my back to let me  know that despite the marriage falling apart , with two kids to support, that I am alright. I am a professional, and I can get off thru this little corset that I am wearing  that is crushing me to bits. To be able to survive my fight in one piece and in good shape made me more than proud and more fulfilled.

I remarry . I signed my end-of contract from an overseas career. I declined a freakin’awesome job offer in UAE a year ago. I remember being depressed for 2 days after I hit the send button on my reply email telling the agent I am retracting my application. Up to this date, I am still declining offers…. 18 agencies and maybe counting.  I have been “off duty” for some time now , 16 months to be exact and counting. I miss the laboratory rush so bad its a killer. But, decisions are decisions, and priorities are priorities. I may be taking another path now and as I assessed myself, I realize that I am happy. I can’t find a tinge of regret for the decisions I make. I am with my kids each and every day. I am making up for the lost three years of being a mother when I was working overseas. To quote from a Polish Proverb “You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once” .

I am a professional. I am a Medical Technologist. I am knowledgeable in my chosen career and no one can stop me from learning. I might not be doing what I am supposed to be doing now but I can come back to it if I want to. The degree I earned over the years is in my head, in my heart and in my hands to perform my skills. It doesn’t have an expiration , It just needs polishing in time. but today, I am a mother, not just a woman, not just a lady but a mother. I am among the POWER MOMs all over the world and I guess I can revise the tittle i have at the end of my name. RMT not just stands for Registered Medical Technologist  , instead  its Registered Mama Too , for now! Kuddos to all Power moms out there!

I am a proud Med Tech

An unknown profession to some, a not so IMPORTANT to many.
Its because we just remain quiet and unseen, but we see things beyond the capacity of the naked eye, and we know the condition of patients without even seeing them. We may not take care of patients but we care about knowing whats wrong with them. We may not charm doctors. But they freakin rely on us,
we form an essential part of backbone of the diagnostic team.
We are “MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS”….
PROUD MT…

100 Days to Heaven

Among the favorites are ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy that is now on a season break and I can’t wait for its 8th season première soon. As of now , I am following ABS-CBN’s 100 Days to Heaven

ABS-CBN's 100 Days to Heaven Cast

http://www.abs-cbn.com/Weekdays/article/9566/100days/100-Days-To-Heaven.aspx 

Synopsis
100 Days to Heaven tells a story of Anna, a strict boss of The Toy Company (portrayed by Coney Reyes). Due to her bad past, she became a cold and unkind person. Employees of the company are afraid of her because of her strict and bossy attitude towards them and others. One evening, she was killed in a car accident and her soul went into a place in which there was nothing but white mist (it is unknown if she was in Heaven). She only heard the voice of God and the truth that she was dead. There, God gave her a chance to live her life again in 100 days in a form of a child (portrayed by Xyriel Manabat), found by Sophia, a policewoman (portrayed by Jodi Sta. Maria) and she later befriends Kevin (Louise Abuel). Her mission is to find the people that she had hurt and correct her wrong doings.

The mother in me just makes me burst into tears whenever intense episodes are on which is mostly like almost every night. The episode with Cherry Pie Picache  was one of the totally heartbreaking scenes. Portrayal of roles are perfect. Delivery of characters are so authentic and effective. I highly admire child star Xyriel Manabat as the young Ana Manalastas. The little girl has superb talents in acting. the way she delivers adult character is amazing . Truly a born actress. I appreciate the rest of the cast as well, everybody just seems to be the perfect artist for the role. Ms. Coney Reyes is known to be one of the best actresses in Philippine Showbizness making the series double perfect. The story is so inspiring  , so emotional , and is full of moral lessons not just for the kids but for the adults in general. It promotes good values. It is a work of art.

http://tfcnow.abs-cbn.com/shows.aspx?showid=1024

http://kapamilyalogy.blogspot.com/search/label/100%20Days%20to%20Heaven

Swifted

I got the idea to write this post when I saw a very dear friend of mine has added “SWIFT” to her name and coming up with a username TROLLY SWIFT.. ..cooool!  Sounds like d’ TAYLOR SWIFT . The one and only, 21-year old , Pennsylvania born, Nashville grown , country music , song writer, composer, music director, producer , multi-awarded artist, TAYLOR SWIFT. Well, I love Taylor Swift and Water adores her. So let’s get a bit SWIFTED.

I am inserting links of some of Taylor Swift’s performance videos  from Numba1Gama’s YouTube channel. To Numba1Gama, I sent you a PM on you YouTube channel asking your permission to pretty please allow me to  insert and share the links of your uploaded videos. Aside from The Official Taylor Swift 13 YouTube Channel , Numba1Gama’s videos are among the once I keep coming back on YouTube to watch and listen to. So, here it is…

http://youtu.be/1eXIHRYMJs0

http://youtu.be/BPnuQlIhrsw

http://youtu.be/vXDdZ4-gsH4

http://youtu.be/OOmGGjXSbcg

Ohkay, As much as I wanted to share and insert links of Taylor’s live performance videos but , I don’t want to be blocked (ugh!) again from my blog site because believe me, I may not be as techy and as informative as other bloggers are but this matters to me.

Don’t we just love Taylor Swift?!.. Hell Yeah! Are we not SWIFTED yet? Well, I am! FYI , the word SWIFTED is something I come up (probably others did too) that for me means you are amazingly wrapped up on Taylor Swift’s wholeness of being an artist. No matter what the mood her songs are , it is always represented with strong color, vibrant colors. The glitters and sparkles on her accessories, her BOOTS ,(yeah!?..wink))  her cute and striking guitars, her dresses and outfits of all sorts , could be long or short, modern or classical , daringly reserved or conservatively sexy will always emphasize the intensity of the feelings and thoughts of her songs. I do acknowledge  the critics comments about how sometimes she sounded bad and awful when she performs but can you see the UNLIKE button?.. neither do I!  For me among all other uber-talented individuals , hers is exceptional. The energy she executes in each performance is contagious.Her gorgeous blond curls and every hair-whipping-head-banging-rockin’ -booty-shakin’-dance-steps just makes you see the surprise element in her performances. Her signature hand-arms-raised-heart-formed-fingers , the guitar-throwing , and.. hey!, how about those rain shower effects on stage? Are you not SWIFTED yet??? ((sigh!))

What I would be looking forward to?…Is to be able to see her on a concert ,rocking the stage someday. What would I get to work on?.. Is to get a copy of all her albums, not just for my self but definitely for my daughter Water who is so Taylor Swift fanatic (look who’s talking).

This artist has become an idol and model to most of the young girls in this generation. Her songs are on each of this girls playlists (and secretly some of the men population too) and is listened  from their iPods and music players, requested on radio stations, ranks top on hit list worldwide. She has become an inspiration to some of those whose hearts  believe in love. The songs she wrote from her diary has brought smiles on lips of ordinary girls who in one way or another was able to relate to her emotions. Her concerts were watched by many coming from all walks of life, regardless of  status, age, race, may be a hot football player who is constantly described as the redneck heartbreak  who’s really bad in lying(from the lyrics of Picture to Burn)  in some of her songs or the cheer captain who wears hi-heels. May she continue to look up to bigger dreams of hers and always look before she fall(from the lyrics of Fifteen). More power to you Taylor !

Water, the drama queen

Water , that’s my daughter , 6-year-old typical school girl bratette ( Woody’s term for her being the QueenBee in the family). She is tall for her age , and they say she is a mini me.. only she is fairly maputi (light-skinned)  compared to my dark skin. Through out the years, I embraced and accepted that i have dark skin compared to most of the pinays, I am confident about it or so i thought until I gave birth to Water six years ago. It was her who made me realize that deep inside I am actually wishing I was lighter. She might look like me but she has the complexion from the genes of her biological father. Anyway…… today was’nt another exception of her drama bonanza!

Mama (my mom) was dressed to go out already when I got up this morning. She said she will be off to school( mama is a secondary school teacher) today to do some grades recording and stuff.  I came up with an idea right away that maybe , I can make Mama to take Wine( my son ) with her . I ask her also to take the review questions I prepared for him and make him answer those. Exam days is coming pretty close and Wine is stubbornly as always when i ask him to review. So off they went.

Water realizes that it’s gonna be me and her today at the house and that makes her feel good. The kids have this attitude to feel great when they can have me to themselves without the other sibling. So she start of wit.. ” Can i use the internet today Ma?”.. I looked at her in the eye and said ” No” and before she can ask me why.. ” because I will be using the laptop”. .. And just as i expected , a pair of sharp eyes are on me in a split of a second . It’s her “look” when she is not liking what has been told  and is about to get what she want.

eye to eye with her cousin Peanut

 

With the exact kind of look I got today, I bargained..  “I will be using it to search some printable worksheets for you!”.. She smiled and said.. “Okay , but you have to make me some questionnaires too”… In fairness, she loves to study. I guess I will be fine for today except that as soon as I printed some worksheets for her and she finished answering it all , I got evicted and using  this netbook writing this post. All I can hear from the other laptop is the mouse clicking and Taylor Swift songs on the background while she is playing this fave online game of hers about dressing Taylor Swift . My Drama Queen!…….. I have to be ready for more drama!