Friendship: Do you put a label to it?

Just yesterday, a friend of mine asked me if I put a category to people whom I met which somehow got me to thinking.

Here's what I think, not all friends can become best friends. Even if you put the label as "best friend", you'll never know if the other person felt that way towards you.

There are people who you think are confidants and you consider them as friends. However, when you start to share things that you consider top secret, they shut you off immediately. Others, on the other hand, couldn't stop themselves from squealing.

There are people who you think are your friends but in reality, they're just there for the beer drinking sessions, parties and for freebies.

There are friends who you think are brothers or sisters from another mother. Only you will find out one day that they stabbed you at the back.

Extremely close friends are rare, in my opinion. Even if you think someone is your close friend, but then, actions can make them become acquaintances in the future.

Don't think I don't have best friends and close friends. In fact, I have a lot of them.

I remembered making a status post in my Facebook account a few days ago and it went like this:

"In life, you will meet different kinds of people. Some you may like, some you may not like and some you may loathe. The important thing is you need to know how to dance with the music and avoid people you need to avoid. Remember that in a hectare of agricultural land, not all you till will come out as good crops."

So, yeah, I do give labels although I try my best to be nice. But, not in all situations though.

How about you? Do you categorize your friends?

This year.....

This year, I will remind myself over and over again that I cannot please everybody. That no matter what I do, nothing can satisfy each and everyone. And, even if I try the hardest, I end up breaking hearts.

This year, I will remind myself that through every disappointment, I will learn things and lessons that will be valuable to me. That amidst all the bad lucks that will come my way, there's no other way to go but up.

This year, I will remind myself to be kinder to others. That even if I am not perfect, I am trying my best to be a better human being.

This year, I will remind myself to take it slow. Not to rush and compete with the flow of life, to just enjoy every second of it and go to bed smiling and laughing over everything.

This year, I will remind myself of the things that really matter the most: my family. That everything I do, I do it because of them. That even if work is important, spending time with them is more important.

This year, I will remind myself to let God be the captain of my ship. After all, He's the reason why I exist.

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!

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.

Sa Tuwing Ako'y Nasa Loob Ng Dyip

Inaamin kong ako ay isang mareklamong tao. Sa tuwing sasakay ako ng dyip, andami kong kwentong baon sa pagbaba ko. Marami akong naoobserbahan at sangkatutak naman ang aking komento pagdating nito.

Kaya kayong mga pasahero, kung hindi niyo namamalayan kung ano ito at manhid kayo na para bang mantikang nilagay sa pridyider, aba e, oras na para bumangon ka sa iyong kahibangan. Huwag kaligtaang mag-isip kung tama ba o hindi ang iyong mga ginagawa sa tuwing nasa loob kayo ng pampublikong sasakyan.

Sa tingin ko naman, pagkakataon ko ng magparamdam sa mga taong walang pakiramdam. Tabi tabi po at baka kung saan kayo tamaan, bumagsak at lumagapak kayo sa kung saan. tsk tsk

Di ko na pipigilin pa, eto na ang aking obserbasyon, opinyon at "wild reaction" kung sa Ingles pa.

• Ika nga ni Pnoy sa halos lahat ng kanyang talumpati na hindi niya kinakalimutang ibanggit ang tungkol sa "daang matuwid". Nalilito ka kung ano ang koneksyon nito sa pagsakay ng dyip? Simple lang, ikaw ay nasa daan kaya umupo ka ng matuwid. Naiintindihan ko naman kung ang suot mo ay maikli gaya ng pekpek shorts o mini skirts. Pero kung naka pantalon ka naman, di naman siguro kelangan tumagilid. Mas lalong di ko mapapalagpas kung sumandal ka pa sa katabi mo. Ginawa mo pang suporta sa likod gaya ng silya at kung makasandal ka e relaks na relaks pa na para bang nasa spa ka lang.

• Hindi ikaw ang tinutukoy ni Mariah Carey na butterfly sa kanyang awit na noong panahon ay hit na hit. Hindi ka rin agila na kung lumipad e matulin at lalong lalo ng hindi pakpak ang mga legs mo para ibukaka ng higit pa sa 90 degrees. Pwede bang isara niyo naman ng konti ang mga legs niyo. Hindi naman siguro nakakabawas yan sa pagkalalake ano?

• Sige na nga, maganda na ang gamit mong shampoo, maitim, mahaba at hindi kulot ang buhok mo. Di mo na kelangang ipagyabang sa paglulugay nito habang nasa dyip ka. Pwede naman sigurong ligpitin at ayusin at di natatamaan ang katabi mo, di ba? Kasi, kung nagkataong ako ang nakaupo sa iyong tabi at di ako makapagpigil, baka, iipitin ko ng pasimple yan. Naman!

• Si mamang drayber ay tao din at hindi aso na susutsutin upang ang atensyon nito ay mapunta sa'yo. Paalala lang po, tayo po ay mga tao at biniyayaan ng Diyos ng iba't ibang parte ng katawan. Isa na dito ang bibig kaya gamitin natin ng maayos ang biyayang ito. Para naman ke hirap sabihin ang "para po", "sa tabi lang po" o "bababa po ako".

• Hindi magnet ang ating mga pwet. Nakakainis talaga kapag punong puno na ang dyip at mahirap maglakad papuntang dulo at hindi man lang umuusog ang mga taong nasa bandang huli. Mas nakakainis kung ang dyip na ito ay maliit gaya na lang ng multicab na usong uso dito sa Davao. Mas lalong nakakainis kapag ang mga taong ayaw umusog e maraming dala na nakakadistorbo sa gitna ng daan gaya na lang ng mga palanggana, karton karton ng groceries o di kaya'y mga pinamalengke nila. Kaya pasensya na, kung naapakan (ng sadya) ko ang mga paa niyo ha? tsk tsk

O siya siya, ako ay hihinto na at baka di ay aatakihin ng highblood nito.

Pero bago ko tatapusin to, sana man lang po ay maging sensitibo naman tayo sa ating mga katabi. Hindi lahat ng tao ay nakakaintindi sa bawat galaw mo. E kung di niyo naman kayang maging sensitibo aba, mag ipon ipon na kayo ng pambili niyong sasakyan. Sa ganoong paraan, hindi kayo nakakadistorbo kahit nakahilata kayo. Di ba?

Vacation Destinations: D' Leonor Inland Resort

Last January 28, we had the chance of enjoying an overnight stay at D' Leonor Inland Resort which is located at Communal, Buhangin, Davao City.

It was an abrupt decision and we had to gate crash my sister-in-law's neighbor's birthday party. Luckily, my generous sister-in-law was sport enough to reserve and pay for our room to which we enjoyed totally.

Anyway, without further ado, here are a few photos that I am super willing to share to give you an idea of how much beauty the 29 hectare resort is and how much relaxation it can give you.

The entrance to the pool. The front desk is located here also. Inquiries to room rates, reservations, function hall packages and others are available at the front desk.

This is another entrance to the wave pool but apparently, it was not available for our use.

This is the entire pool that will greet you when you enter the wave pool area.
Swimming fees are Php 150.00 for kids and Php 250.00 for adults.

Surrounding the pool area is a foot dip. Slippers are not allowed at the pool area.

This is a closer look of the slide. The slide area is especially made for the kids.
The mechanical waves does not reach the kiddie pool area and is perfectly safe for the children.

These are the cottages that are located before the main pool area.
Day rent would cost Php 500.00 for single and Php 800.00 for the double.

Swimmers can make use of these when swimming.
Salbabida or the rubber tube is at Php 75.00 while the paddle boat is at Php 150.00.
Life vests are free for everyone to use and comes in different sizes.
Plus, 'D Leonor makes sure that they have a lifeguard on duty during swimming time.

The right portion of the front desk is designed with jars. I was too shy to take a picture of the front desk as the attendants were too busy talking to their clients. 

Also at the front desk for the guests to utilize while waiting for their room keys, gate passes and other stuff to be attended. My kids most likely enjoyed them while we paid for the wave pool fee.

Another set for guests to enjoy at the waiting area.

This is the room of the cottage that we stayed in. Overnight stay is at Php 2,400  a night.

The living room of our cottage. 

The little kitchen just beside the sofa. When we arrived, everything was prepared already on the table.

A microwave oven and small refrigerator is provided to their guests.

This is located at the back of our cottage.

Just near our cottage is a chapel. I'm not too sure if there's a priest who officiates Sunday masses though.

House rules.

Of course, hotel freebies are included!

Morning view across the cottage.

This duplex styled cottages cost Php 2,400.00 a night.

'D Leonor is constructing more houses for their guests.

We stayed in one of the duplex styled cottage. 

The restaurant area where we enjoyed breakfast for 2 pax. 

This is the hanging bridge and it's located just right in front of the wave pool.

The wall climb, also across the wave pool. I'm not sure if they charge any for their guests.

If you want to try out the zip line, they also have a booth right across the wave pool. It will cost Php 250.00 per pax for 2 rides.

Cottages that costs Php 5,000.00 a night. Inside are 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

Open cottages at the wave pool area.

These are some of the cottages that will cost the guests Php 5,000.00 a night.

Too bad I wasn't able to take a few photos of the zoo, the mechanical surfing area and the entrance. If you opt to go for day tour, they will charge you an entrance fee. Overnight stays need not pay their entrance fee anymore.

The children had so much fun when we went there. Well, if you wish to relax, this might just be the place for you. 

Social Media: You Amaze Me

Majority of the people existing in this generation rely too much on social media networks. I, for one, have a few accounts on the internet that would link and update me of long lost friends and relatives. In one way or the other, social media network has become a tool in building bridges even with distance.

It never ceases to amaze me what social media network can do for all of us. With the modern technology, traditional diaries which were kept in a safe place for privacy is exchanged with online blogs where people from all walks of life will be able to read it. Aside from blogs, social media networks has given the people of today a techie way of releasing emotions, be it extreme joy, obtrusive opinions or just plain boredom.

Quite frankly, status posts from friends never fail to put a smile on my face and somehow make me feel updated. Thank God as social media network has its own advantages too.

A few days back, someone from Twitter posted a photo of an old lady, Lola Aurelia, poster photos of her missing husband. If you happen to be updated, which I know most of you are, the photo that was shared on Twitter and Facebook helped Lola Aurelia find her husband.

Facebook photo posted by Reddie JS

After the photo was posted on Facebook, it was eventually shared by millions of Filipinos on Twitter which even became a trending topic. A few days after, Lolo Luis was found.

Twitter photo posted by Julius Babao

Social media network, you definitely amaze me.

Delayed Opinion: Pacquiao vs Marquez

I'm sure majority of the people all over the world were glued to their TV set, be it pay per view or the regular telecast loaded with a hundred advertisement. We were one of the lucky few since we were able to watch pay per view for free, thanks to my sister in law!

Honestly, I'm not too much of a boxing fan but as I was watching the entire 12 rounds without a blink, I certainly felt that Pacquiao never did gave Marquez a solid punch. Okay, well, let's just say, I was multi-tasking between watching Pacquiao and Marquez exchange jabs and tweeting / facebook-ing when I noticed Pacquiao's performance. *grins*

Anyway, at the end of round 10, I had already concluded that Pacquiao stood no chance in defeating Marquez and that he had finally lost his touch. I hate to say this but his performance deteriorated big time. While the boxing analysts thought him to be having too much priorities (boxer, tv host and congressman) and unfocused, his coaches blamed it to over training.

Although, Filipinos weren't disappointed, at all, when he retained his title as the featherweight champion, I still think that Marquez deserved that game. No, I'm no hater of Pacquiao even with the constant news headlines of his allegedly womanizing abilities.

With the different reactions that are being publicized to different newspapers, blogs and tv interviews, a video of an apparent "coincidental (?)" foot stop was being circulated to prove Pacquiao's winning (aside from the annoying statistics that was displayed all over facebook and twitter for a thousand times).

Anyway, here's a video of the said "foot stop" where a lot of my friends shared it to prove that Pacquiao was the rightful winner of that match.

So what do you think? Did Pacquiao really won or did he sack the victory because of this?

Gmail's new look

Have you checked your Gmail account lately? Well, if you did, I'm sure you had found the pop up message at the lower portion of your gmail account.

Did you went for the "new Gmail look"?

I certainly love how kind to the eyes the new look is. I ♥ Google. :)

On Steve Jobs

This photo is grabbed from @JimParedes' yfrog account.

If you're in any social media marketing site like Twitter and Facebook, I'm sure your timeline is bombarded with Steve Jobs, his passing away, how he has made an impact to the world with his technology and how he left everyone brokenhearted and sad.


Indeed, Steve Jobs has been an inspiration to everyone, even to those who hasn't followed his career. Whether you know him personally or you're one of those people who are in awe (like me) because of the constant technology evolution from Apple, you will never cease to feel the sadness and aver that the world has lost another great man who has contributed so much to the fast modernization of technology.


Let me just leave a few Steve Jobs quotes, in remembrance and honor of a great man, that literally made sense to me and perhaps to everyone else.

• "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life... Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."
• "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."
• "We don't get a chance to do many things, and everyone should be really excellent. Because this is our life."
• "Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected."
• "You left your mark on our desks, on our ears, and in our hands." (from a twitter post)
• "3 apples changed the world: Adam and Eve's forbidden apple, Newton's apple and finally, Steve Jobs' Apple." (from a twitter post)
• "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve." (Apple Statement)

Let the great man continuously be an inspiration to everyone for "Steve Jobs was born out of wedlock, put up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college, then changed the world". Indeed we have no excuse to complain and blame the misery to what happened in the past.

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. The world will surely miss you. #iSad

(updated) Google Search Site

I love how google constantly changes the pictures on their search page. Don't you?

Google never fails to bring out the child in everyone, especially me.

Oh, I just found out that you can actually make the cartoon characters move and open their mouth. You just need to click the colored circles located below each one of them. That actually spelled F-U-N!

What's In?

What's In? Facebook, then came Twitter. Now, it's Google+.

Here's a video for those of you who are in google+ and would want to access it through your mobile phones.

And, unlike other social networks, Google+ features the Hangout. For those of you who don't know, Hangout is a live video conference with a group of people. This would really come in handy for people who are based abroad and wouldn't be able to attend special occasions when there's one.

So, I had joined Google+ for a week now, I find the look simple and understandable. Uploading of photos is faster than Facebook. Viewing of photos, on the other hand, is easy and fast as well.

For those of you who had joined, do you think this is the facebook killer?

For those of you who are curious but couldn't join, I can give out invites if you want one. 

Porsche

PNoy was on top of the headlines when he bought a 2nd hand Porsche at Php 4.5M sometime 1st quarter of this year. His rating went down after the headline came out.

Juana Change, Mae Paner in real life, on the other hand, made a video out of the news and stressing it on the video of her disagreement of PNoy's purchase.

Now that PNoy sold his Porsche at the same price he bought, Juana Change is all praises.

Honestly, as far as my opinion is concerned, he has the right to buy stuff that he wants from his own pocket. Buying them out of people's money is a different thing. Although, I would still agree that political figures should and always be humble and live simply, we still don't have any hold or whatsoever of their personal life.