25 Days Before Christmas

And it is so soon.

I love Christmas, it's a season for gift-giving and for peace. The kids love this season because they get what they ask Santa, the thing is, they have to be really nice and behaving really well before they get what they ask for.

Just last week, we decided to put up our Christmas decor, the house is not that really decorated, because we don't have a big house, the house is only capable of sheltering our family of four, but nonetheless, we had to have the decors because we want the kids to feel the Christmas spirit.

Now, it's really fast approaching, and I have yet to:

* shop for gifts for the kids and inaanaks
* shop for things we want to prepare for the Christmas eve
* save up for things I want to have before the close of the year
* list down the things I would really want to achieve (lots, to learn to drive for one)
* list down the things I want the family to enjoy ofr the following year

We don't have that much money now, as we have to save up and pay debts in order for us to enjoy a debt-free life. I so envy Rico, because finally, they are already debt-free, but one thing is for sure, we're doing the same thing, tightening belts in order to enjoy a headache-free life.

We're looking forward for Christmas, and even if it means less of the material things, Christmas actually means togetherness!

Together, that means me and hubby and the kids. As far as togetherness is concerned, we have traveled to Iloilo, Boracay, and Cebu. And these are just the best places we have traveled together as a family. I say these are the best for us not only because we must promote the country's tourism, we must also be visitors of our own country in order to taste the Philippine heavens.

But yes, we also have our own wish places to travel...

3. Bohol, because the kids want to experience the Chocolate Hills
2. Coron, Palawan because I have long wanted to visit this place, and I want it sooner than now...
1. Hongkong, because I am drooling over Kumareng Grace's travels back and forth to HK.

Head on over to KG's blog, and you'll be surprised of the lovely giveaway she has!

I Mourn for Maguindanao

Worst Day of journalist killings in Mindanao
Maguindanao Massacre death toll rises
Death in Maguindanao

And that scary, inhumane thing happened on a November week, just when we were celebrating Mindanao Week of Peace...

I couldn't think of any better word to describe the heartless massacre that Maguindanao has experienced yesterday than this: INHUMANE.

in·hu·mane [ìn hyoo máyn]
adjective

not compassionate: lacking compassion and causing excessive suffering.

Inhumane may be an understatement, it's barbaric even, but for now, i'd stick to it.

For those who took time to pass by and read this blog, please give me a minute of your time to just close your eyes and offer a prayer for Mindanao. Daghang Salamat.

“Think Mindanao,

Feel Mindanao,
Bring Peace to Mindanao”

Fighting Migraine

I have migraine, and I just have to share this few knowledge with you I have learned from my readings.

A migraine headache is a throbbing or pulsating headache that is often one sided (unilateral) and associated with nausea; vomiting; sensitivity to light, sound, and smells; sleep disruption; and depression. Attacks are often recurrent and tend to become less severe as the migraine sufferer ages.

Some women experience migraine headaches just prior to or during menstruation. These headaches, which are called menstrual migraines, may be related to hormonal changes and often do not occur or lessen during pregnancy. Other women develop migraines for the first time during pregnancy or after menopause.

Types of Migraine

Migraine with aura is characterized by a neurological phenomenon (aura) that is experienced 10 to 30 minutes before the headache. Most auras are visual and are described as bright shimmering lights around objects or at the edges of the field of vision (called scintillating scotomas) or zigzag lines, castles (teichopsia), wavy images, or hallucinations. Others experience temporary vision loss. Nonvisual auras include motor weakness, speech or language abnormalities, dizziness, vertigo, and tingling or numbness (parasthesia) of the face, tongue, or extremities.

Migraine without aura is the most prevalent type and may occur on one or both sides (bilateral) of the head. Tiredness or mood changes may be experienced the day before the headache. Nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light (photophobia) often accompany migraine without aura.

Abdominal migraine is most common in children with a family history of migraine. Symptoms include abdominal pain without a gastrointestinal cause (may last up to 72 hours), nausea, vomiting, and flushing or paleness (pallor). Children who have abdominal migraine often develop typical migraine as they age.
Basilar artery migraine involves a disturbance of the basilar artery in the brainstem. Symptoms include severe headache, vertigo, double vision, slurred speech, and poor muscle coordination. This type occurs primarily in young people.

Carotidynia, also called lower-half headache or facial migraine, produces deep, dull, aching, and sometimes piercing pain in the jaw or neck. There is usually tenderness and swelling over the carotid artery in the neck. Episodes can occur several times weekly and last a few minutes to hours. This type occurs more commonly in older people. Doppler ultrasound studies of the carotid arteries are normal.

Headache-free migraine is characterized by the presence of aura without headache. This occurs in patients with a history of migraine with aura.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine begins with a headache felt in the eye and is accompanied by vomiting. As the headache progresses, the eyelid droops (ptosis) and nerves responsible for eye movement become paralyzed. Ptosis may persist for days or weeks.

Status migraine is a rare type involving intense pain that usually lasts longer than 72 hours. The patient may require hospitalization.

Incidence and Prevalence

Migraines afflict about 30 million people in the United States. They may occur at any age, but usually begin between the ages of 10 and 40 and diminish after age 50. Some people experience several migraines a month, while others have only a few migraines throughout their lifetime. Approximately 75% of migraine sufferers are women.

Migraine prevention - General lifestyle

This is the one nobody really wants to hear. We would all love to get rid of migraine without making other changes to our daily lives. Still, this is one of the most powerful migraine preventatives that there is, and so we can't ignore it. What would this include? Probably a lot of the things your Mom told you about...

* Getting proper exercise.
* Eating a well balanced, low fat diet, low in processed foods and high on whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
* Good posture, and avoiding a lot of repetitive motion or standing/sitting for long periods of time.
* Avoiding some of those habits you're always warned about, like smoking (a big problem with migraineurs) and too much alcohol (which can be a migraine trigger).

More here...

Tagaytay, one of the few heavens...

We started preparing at 7am, and we were on our way there by 10am. 2 hours of traffic and black smoke from the coastal to Dasmariñas. We arrived at past 12, just about ready for lunch. We traversed hell to get through heaven...

But this I'll say, one of the reasons I would love to go back to Luzon, aside from seeing friends and the luxury of travel...

the cold breeze kissing your nose

the wonderful smell of the few pines you pass through

the gentle air that blows your way
while seeing lovely lush green scenery

the beauty of nature, a reminder of God's love...

and the hope that someday,
this beauty remains for the generations to come.

Ahhhh, Tagaytay, I miss you.
I will come back, soon.

One More Time: Rizal Park, Manila

Jose Rizal's death was martyred here, the Declaration of the Philippine Independence from American rule was witnessed here, different rallies and movements were placed here.

A lot of historical events happened in this place, and the only thing the elementary books say is that, this place is where Jose Rizal was shot to death, that made him a hero.

When I was in Luzon, I did not want to go back to my hometown without checking this place out. It has been ages since I and my family visited this place, and proceeds to Manila Zoo. After a long while, I went back and was amazed at what changes there has been. So clean, so nice, surely a grandeur the Philippines takes pride in having, and the tourists savoring.

Visitors, tourists, men after men came and went, and had their photos taken. A memento to bring to their roots, to brag about, I have been to Rizal Park, Philippines!

There's nothing more I can tell you, but you have to check this place out. And if you're a Filipino, place your palm on your heart, close your eyes and think about what our ancestors did to save the Philippines.


Jose Rizal may not be my favorite hero, but I don't argue that he is one mind behind the freedom of the Filipinos against the Spanish conquistadores. And that influenced much to the freedom we are having now.

He was a hero, yes, and Jose Rizal still is, please don't forget to tell your kids that story. Let us preserve the littlest things we have left of our ancestral heroes. Lapu-lapu, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, Diego Silang, Gregorio del Pilar. They are heroic stories that shaped the Philippines, and may forever be kept in books, until such time you let your kids know the value of what they did, share to them the story.

Because I am absolutely sure, your kids know Superman and Batman better than they have heard of our Pinoy REAL heroes.

Oh My Gulay!

I have heard news about the prices of vegetables in Luzon. When I was there, I wasn't able to visit markets because i was too preoccupied with meeting writers which was actually the reason for my trip. When I got home after one meeting, I was surprised that Medy (an officemate assigned in MM Branch) was done with her shopping. I really wanted to go with her so I could at least explore Luzon markets. But they were already opening grocery bags and I joined in the hullabaloo. On the table was laid veggies that I could not contain my surprise at the prices of the veggies.

cabbage head: P37.9

2 carrots: P29.8

2 pieces sayote: P32.6

I was shocked. Yes, correct term to use because I was actually more shocked than I was surprised at what I saw. Question: Why was I shocked? Answer: Because, ladies and gentlemen, these prices are double, even triple the prices of these veggies in General Santos! For real! In the malls, you can buy the best cabbage heads for P10-P20 each, depending on the size too. But for the pic above, GSC price: P12.00. This can even be bought at a much cheaper price when in the public market, P8-10.

Luzon carrots are pricey, bah! When you can buy it in Gensan for only P20 per kilo, yes, per kilo. P25-40 in the malls, and how many carrots would that be compared to the carrots above? 5-8 carrots, depending on size.

And last but not the least, sayote. P32.60 is a headache for me if I buy that from there, because, believe it or not, sayote is just P4.50 here in the malls' wet markets. While you can grab them from the public market at P3 each or even 3 pieces for P5.00. True, I am not kidding you. These are the prices of veggies in Gensan, super cheap.

So when you're in Manila, and you have extra place for a garden, busy yourself with planting veggies, it will be a big savings to you and your pocket. Tara na, mamalengke na sa Gensan! May tuna pa!

The Hundred Islands in Pangasinan

The schedule for the meeting with writers in Pangasinan was on a Sunday, and it shoved me good that at 6am, we were on the road to reach Pangasinan by 11am. The SCTEX was lonely, only a few cars were on the road and I was able to have a good view of the highway that made me feel like I was in another country, so clean, so smooth, with such breathtaking views.

We reached Tarlac at 7:30, imagine the fast ride I was enjoying, had breakfast at Chowking Tacrlac, and I was awed at the scenery I saw while traversing Hacienda Luisita. I remembered Ninoy and Cory while we passed the Ninoy Aquino Museum in Tarlac.


What I just don't like is going through palay being dried along the roadside! Yes, it occupies half of the two-lanes road we were coursing through.

We arrived at Pangasinan by 11, just in time for the meeting, I wasn't able to take pictures while there since I was too preoccupied with the meet-up with writers I have only been communicating through my cellphone and through the email. But after the good lunch, one school principal was kind enough to tour us around Binmaley, pointed to us the Lingayen Gulf where McArthur was said to have first landed with his troops.

The creamy colored government buildings were signature colors to welcome the residents of their services. Ilokano, while I cannot really understand the dialect, I have learned to love since I was able to understand and interpret a few of the conversation we had.

The boss treated me to a fine trip to Alaminos, Pangasinan - home of the Hundred Islands. It was awesome, perfect for a lazy day outside the metro where you could soak up and feel the cool breeze of the ocean.

And for sure, it wouldn't be so cool a trip to the hundred islands without the boating experience to be near the protruding islets.

The boat ride was about an hour and we only took the tour without dropping on the islands because we should head back to Manila after that.



The hundred islands, 250 kilometers away from Manila, covers a land area of 1,884 hectares with 123 islands with only 3 developed islands namely the Governor Island, the Children's Island, and Quezon Island.

Shell Island

The islands were really nice, I was fascinated with the lush green,
the rockscapes were awesome. I loved every bit of the tour.

Pinoy Big Brother House, on Governor's island

Quezon Island

The Hundred Islands, believed to be 2 million years old were also told to be stones Akong threw into the sea...

Anita and Akong

One of the legends told by old folks who live in the area and passed on to generations of storytelling, is the story of a couple named Akong and Anita. There used to be only one island in the place where the Hundred Islands can be found today. Akong is a fisherman and his wife Anita sells the fish he catches everyday. But discontentment soon crept in Akong’s heart and thought of ways to earn money in an easier and faster way. While he went out to sea one night, Anita had a dream about an old man who visited their hut and told them that if they work hard, they will eventually get rich after three years. She shared this with her husband when he returned but he dismissed her impatiently.

One night, he set out to sea again; his first throw of the net didn’t yield any fish but the second one caught black stones the size of a man’s fist. In disgust, he threw them back to the sea, accompanied by complaints. Just then, he heard a rumbling sound and saw the waves becoming bigger, making him paddle faster towards the shore. Unbeknownst to him, the black stones he threw to the sea became islands. He died that night in his sleep. And once more, the old man appeared in Anita’s dream, telling her about the islands and the fate her husband brought upon himself. Anita just cried as she looked at her dead husband. Read here for another legend of how the islands came to be.

Before, I hear of the hundred islands in legends, and I only saw them in the books I read way back in elementary, The Hundred Islands is more than what the books say to me now.

If I am given a chance to explore it further, way longer than my whirlwind trip to this place, I'd be so glad to bring my children too, as this island is one that will make them proud they are Filipinos.

A Visit to the Big City (Part 1)

We arrived in the big city at 9am, the boss is already waiting for the vehicle that will pick us up from the airport, and my eyes were scanning the big city life, buildings there and everywhere, the racing vehicles and the ever annoying traffic.

It's been a long while that I have not visited Luzon. I spent two years of my life in Pasay while I was 5-6 years old, all the rest of my days were spent in Antique, and when I was in Grade 6, transferred to Koronadal City, in college till now, here in General Santos City.

You see, it has been a long while that I have not seen the progress that's happened in Manila, and I was amazed at the skyscrapers that surrounded me, I felt so small in a world so tall.


Manila, a place many people have longed to visit, longed to live in, and longed to conquer. But when I was there, I was jittery to be back in my comfort zone, Gensan.

True, Manila is a big city, a land of many opportunities for whatever things you'd lay your hands on, but this is not the life for me. I am from the province, and life in the province is different, way way different from the land of tall buildings and heavy traffics and people with different and pretty Smocked Dresses.

I admit, I was culture-shocked. It didn't come as if I never expected what I saw, because it's been in the news, it's just that I never expected it to be that way. The traffic seemed forever and I see people everywhere. I imagined pink, and some places were really pink. Thanks to MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando.


I am just glad that there's one friend who was able to tour me around the city. I saw the situation after the storm, and some rivers stink still because of the flood. Manila, they keep coming back to Manila because of the opportunities, and thank God some dwell for their purpose was achieved, but for me, whose life has been forever in the province, I'd stay where I belong.

I have not conquered Manila really well since my purpose is only to meet writers in Pangasinan and in UP Diliman, I was able to visit Luneta, breathe the air in Tagaytay, passed along Binondo, met with friends in MOA, wanted to ride the caleza, hurdled the siksikan LRT and MRT, walked the kilometers long Tutuban Town Centre, and did some sight-seeing while on the way to Caloocan.

Manila can already be compared to the booming big cities, the like of HongKong and Singapore, but life for me would still be where my heart belongs, General Santos. It's always been my comfort zone, not to mention the fact that in the days I was in Manila, i left my loved ones in Gensan.


Who knows, I might be back soon, hopefully with the hubby and kids, but one thing's for sure, I will keep coming back to where HOME is for me.