It's 34 days before Christmas!

In the Philippines, Christmas is the most celebrated event of the year.

And, since I'm living in a Christian country, the Philippines, one of the values that was instilled in our minds was to give importance to family. After all, the family is the one you go back to when everyone turn their backs on you.

So, no matter what the distance is, no matter what the hurdles you had and had not conquered, it doesn't give anyone an excuse to say no to family reunion celebrations during the Christmas season.

To everyone in the world, here are the station IDs of the local TV networks in the Philippines:

And since I can't find the newest Christmas Station ID of TV5, I had put their old one instead.

So, Merry 34 days before Christmas!

Bangon Pilipinas

I'm such a balat sibuyas. I get sentimental when I see pictures of the typhoon Haiyan's destruction.

I had been one of those people who cannot stop criticizing the government but amidst my personal sentiments, I still believe that they can do better if they give focus and heart to the issues at hand.

Maybe, the Filipinos are still inexperienced in handling the after effects of a very strong typhoon. Yet, I believe that we get to learn valuable lessons after this, after everyone has recovered.

As the saying goes, "There's always a rainbow after every rain."

So, let me leave you with this revived song that is very applicable to the current situation we're facing now. Let's do our share. Let's help.

Babangon tayo Pilipinas. :)

Come out, come out wherever you are....

Yes, tomorrow marks the 7th day after the strongest typhoon, which was named as Haiyan internationally and Yolanda locally, hit a portion of Visayas.

Social media networks can't get enough criticisms against the government. And yes, I'm one of those people who had been criticizing a lot basing on the response that the government gives to ease the situation in Visayas.

I can't say that we don't lack equipments because we do. We don't have enough high-tech facility that can make the government's job easier.

We don't have enough funds to, at least, give enough food for all the victims from the typhoon.

But the lack of attention on this situation is really unacceptable.

If you're wondering why I can't stop from posting my complaints against the government, then allow me to tell it to you.

• Master plan, rescue missions, reinforcements were late. I don't know why they could put these on hold when these should always be the first step in alleviating the grief of the victims. It's not as if typhoons cannot be predicted. When a typhoon shows up on the weather system, rest assured that the weather people know its estimated time of landfall, the intensity of the rain and wind, also the "possible" after effects of such typhoons. Hence, master plans should be prepared ahead of time from the hourly weather images they see. From the master plan, they can already prepare "possible" rescue missions and reinforcements in clearing the road, collecting bodies and giving out food. It's such a disappointment to see that the first people to arrive on ground zero were the aids provided by international governments. We're supposed to be the first people to respond to the situation. And, since the LGUs aren't available because they themselves are victims, the national government should respond immediately. The question is, where's the national government?

• No supplies until after a few days. It's understandable that roads have to be cleared. What I couldn't understand is why they didn't use the government choppers to drop off goods in different areas even in just a small proportion? 

• Lack of body bags for the casualties. I couldn't blame the people for being so angry about how the government on how they handled this situation. After every calamity, it's expected that the number of casualties will rise. Majority of the Filipino people expected a swift response in clearing all the bodies, identifying them and initiate a mass grave for the burial. It's just so sad that there wasn't even a plan on this. Mass burial was unsuccessful at the first attempt. Government representatives are telling everyone that they don't have enough body bags. Are they just going to stop there and keep on making excuses? I hope they remember that the bodies are decaying already. In my knowledge, formalins will be deemed as useless in preserving the bodies because the water in the body will just eject the chemical. Expect a lot of bacterias in that area because of decomposition of not only bodies but also garbages as well. 

• No alternative evacuation sites. Yes, that's the saddest part. Victims are left sleeping on the streets, at the airports and even beside dead relatives. Tents can be very good alternatives if only they're ready to dispose them to the affected families right then and there. But, according to the interviews, these tents are still not made. Tsk tsk tsk.

I wonder how much the victims will have to sacrifice after the typhoon, after losing their friends and family.

I remembered reading an FB post about an open letter from one of the victims who was pleading for the presence of the President on this situation. Pleading for the President to be at ground zero.

Natural disasters cannot be controlled. These are nature's way of telling people that we contributed to its wrath.

Nobody's blaming anyone for these disasters. But, the presence of the government, they need it the most.

I hope that the people elected would, at least somehow, show that they sympathize with the victims instead of just answering questions, assuring them that they are doing their best, counting death tolls, making statements of donations, etc.

At this time of crisis, even if we're not victims, we feel the need of a reassurance from the government officials, especially the President, by being there at ground zero and showing that they give a damn.

Haiyan na naman sila!

It's really disappointing!

Palpak na nga sa announcements at hindi naibigay ng tama ang inpormasyong "storm surge", hindi pa nagpapakita sa panahong kelangan sila ng mga biktima sa trahedya.

Sa lakas ba namang 250 kph na hangin na nakita na ng pag-asa, pati impormasyong delikado na ang epekto ng "storm surge", hindi pa naibigay ng maayos.

Ngayong tapos na ang bagyo, tapos na ang trahedya, madami ng bangkay sa daan, wala pa ring ginagawa ang mga taong nasa posisyon.

Tumulong na nga't lahat ang iba't ibang bansa, ni anino ng mga opisyal na nagpapa interbyu sa radyo at telebisyon, e wala! NAMAN!

Ke daling lumabas sa telebisyon at mag apela ng tulong, pero ni simpatiya lang sa mga biktima, wala. Ngayon na kelangan nila kayo, lugmok, umiiyak, pinanghihinaan ng loob, walang makain, kayo naman ay parang sabon na kung buhusan, nawawala.

Magsikilos naman kayo at hindi lang pasasa ng pasasa sa pag eenjoy sa mga buwis na pinagnanakawan pa. Hindi lang sa pag aanunsyo na mag rerelease kayo ng 13th month ng maaga.

Punyeta naman! Nakakahiya kayo! Kapwa Pilipino, hindi pa matulungan. Inuuna niyo pa si Napoles sa usapan e wala naman kayong maipipiga diyan kundi "I invoke my right" at "hindi ko alam".

Sana lang sa katagang "Babangon ang Pilipinas" e talagang may ginagawa kayo at hindi lang pabandying bandying sa palasyo, naninigarilyo, nagpapa picture at nagpapa interview lang.

Nakaka HB! Hay naku! Kelan pa kayo titino!

Naway maging aral to sa lahat ng tao. Bumoto naman kayo ng mga taong sa tingin niyo ay karapatdapat ilagay sa pweste at hindi kung sino ang nanay at tatay o kamag-anak.

Matamaan na kung matamaan!

Proposal

If you can relate to the local showbiz couple, Zoren and Carmina's wedding, then you certainly agree that all women, at one point in their lives, wished of having a dreamy wedding. A wedding that even if it's not so extravagant and expensive, it would be special, sweet and with a lot of heart.

But just before a wedding happens, there's the "proposal". Just like weddings, we, women, also want to receive the best proposal a man could give.

So, without further ado, watch this video:

 

The birth of typhoons

For those of you who still don't know, typhoons are born in the Philippines.

Have you ever wondered where typhoons come from? Take a look at the diagram below:

So here's a simple explanation:

Our science teacher had taught us that hot air rises when cold air comes. And, the ocean, being hot as it is, contributes heat by transferring it to the air. When heat is transferred to cold air, then it would literally mean that there will be a lot of hot air that will go up when cold air comes. Now, if cold air comes rapidly, it will push the hot air up in the same manner also. If this cycle repeats, wind will be created. Now, imagine if this cycle will be repeated infinitely, thus, we will have typhoon.

Now, natural disasters can't be controlled. All the government could do is monitor and give announcements, then, as human beings, we should respond appropriately to every warning.

To make this blog entry short, here are a few tips that had been repeatedly given that I wanted to give out again.

• Prepare clean drinking water.
• Prepare easy to open food and food that requires no cooking.
• If you still have an old radio that could function with dry cell batteries, then, make sure you prepare them as well so that you will be updated of the weather forecast even during power failure.
• Charge your mobile phones and if you have extra batteries, make sure that they're fully charged also. You will never know when you will need them to contact government agencies or people that can help you.
• If there are warnings for an immediate evacuation, do not hesitate. Leave your things behind. Don't compromise your safety.
• If water rises quickly, look for a higher ground that's stable. Second floor or roof tops are usually the easiest to access.
• Look for floating devices that you can use. You can always be creative and make a raft out of empty mineral waters.
• If you're stubborn and you insist in staying at your home, make sure your children (if you have any), are already brought to a safe area.

Superheroes don't exist in real life. And, usually, people who pretend that they're heroes are the ones who are facing a higher risk.

Remember, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Oh, and don't forget to pray.

Oh life!

Wouldn't it be nice if there's just this one day that you would be able to disappear from all your problems?

To be honest, if only someone could beam me up to another country or even just to some place where I don't know anyone, I would gladly take the opportunity. 

It's really hard to be fair in all situation. I can do only so much.

Take this instance when you did a lot of things in the past that's still not heartily accepted by people close to you and now you're trying to patch things up. Yet along the way, there's this crossroad and you're trying to do the best you could to decide which road to take. And no matter which road you choose, one is bound to be deserted.

That's how I feel. That's how I had felt for a couple of years now.

Right now, I really think that the win-win situation is just a piece of crap.

If only Papa God could whisper to me on how to do things correctly, on what I could do to make things easier for everyone, I will right then and there do whatever I could to make things right.

But that's just life. It's not always a bed of roses. It's just, yeah, complicated.