Living in the City

I see Christmas as a season for love, peace and harmony. Also to me, it symbolizes hope. So on this happy ocassion, allow me to greet all my blogging friends, blogroll buddies, ec fellow advertisers/droppers, blog catalog friends, my fellow blogloggers, technorati, digg, wayne, xing, and stumbler acquaintances and the rest of the blogging world a Merry Christmas! Maligayang Pasko! and more Sretan Bozic Sung Tan Chuk Ha Selamat Hari Natal Buone Feste Natalizie Joyeux Noel Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan Feliz Navidad Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun Gesëende Kersfees Een Plesierige Kerfees Froehliche Weihnachten Rehus-Beal-Ledeats Kala Christouyenna! Shub Naya Baras Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto Sawadee Pee Mai Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Nadolig Llawen

I am glad that out of three adult male children only one actively drinks alcohol. The other two do not even drink nor smoke. But this guy, he does them all: drink, smoke, online games and way before, girls :-) Obviously, alcohol is not exactly a drink I like for any of my loved ones. I have seen alcohol and its awful effects. I have seen it ruin a cousin, turning to be a bummer, instead of harnessing his potential. He used alcohol to indulge his personal problems. Eventually, alcohol led him to taste a "prison break". (if only very briefly) because we knew "very important" people. So where is this all going? I saw Tanduay's ad on TV. I was dismayed that they were using a car racing scenario to promote a particular alcoholic beverage. I don't see any sense at all. What are the ad makers thinking? This is a very dangerous thing? It is like saying drinking is fun, is glamorous, provides an environment of competition, regardless, if you are racing a car. Whoa!

Fear can immobilize. When it strikes, it can render us motionless. It can even keep one's brain from thinking rational. Wikipedia says, fear "is an emotional response to threats and danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of pain". Psychologists have indicated that "fear is one of a small set of basic or innate emotions. This set also includes such emotions as joy, sadness, and anger". But what if the fear is a result of something which has no factual basis, as in imaginary situation? " Fear should be distinguished from the related emotional state of anxiety, which typically occurs without any external threat, specific to behaviors of escape and avoidance. " Anxiety is the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable". Anxiety symptoms include heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach aches, or headaches. How often a

The American idol finalist is in town. Yah! I just saw her on TV saying Regine Velasquez is her idol and she might just have a chance to have a duet with Ogie Alcasid. The part I liked best about her appearance on QTV News tonight was the fact that she was trying to speak in Tagalog. Mind you, she sounded so good. Also, that she'd be here for 3 months and open to making herself available even beyond if there are projects for her. I think she'd look good with Ogie :-) Pano na si Regine? he! he! Joke lang!

I could never stop saying I not only like, but love Marikina. It is the city where I live. Our family have been residents for more than 6 years. Me and my partner decided, this is where we are going to be until everyone of all our children marry and have their own respective wives and children. Having said that, I can foresee thaaaattt, that may take a while :-) And because it's love for the place that inspires us to stay on, I always welcome the unending mood of festivities the local government tries to offer its citizens, year in and year out. Take for example, the City's Christmas holiday program this year. The holiday flyers call it specifically as ' Marikina Christmas Festival 2008 '. Not very imaginative but heck, reading the program gave me a warm feeling. Can I help it if I am a fan of MCF and BF? Make no mistake, I do not know them personally, but there's this kinship that's difficult to explain. The actual program starts on October 30. Those

When my doctor validated my ailment 5 years ago, nothing seemed important. It was like all the world turned gray. It didn't help that she gave me a book about the purpose of life and stated that only God's will shall prevail. Every day I cried. But my doc was right, prayer will help pull us through. Also, if my ailment retrogressed, I would not want to burden my family unnecessarily. Today, I am not sure if I am better, but thank God I am still alive. Also, as of this day, my partner knows what to do in case I die ahead of him. Morbid? Not really, just being practical. And joining this dNeero conversation made me understand a little more about serious illness, end of life care and death.