The Day that has been Etched on my Mind

i never have thought that this will happen to me.

i just thought that September 26 will be a regular rainy day but it has brought floods that had swept towns. the biggest destruction of nature i have seen in my life.

rain hasn't stopped or lessened since friday. after seeing a movie, i had a hard time going home. but it didn't cross my mind or got scared of the effects on the next day. i got up around noon and was so surprised that the waters have already entered inside our house. a little bit lazy though to move around, the people at home were already putting up the things higher as the brown water rises. until it came to a point that we stand on our beds but the water still goes higher.

we couldn't do anything more when the water went waste-deep inside the house. we really have to get out of the house as we see some of our things, even heavy ones, float on water right in front of us. we have taken safety precautions as everybody switched off their fuse boxes to halt all electrical connections and keep everyone safe. mama almost didn't want to go and keep a look on all the things. finally we convinced her to start packing up and we transferred to a neighbor who has a second floor.

we bagged clothes for three days. of course, we see to it that we have our phones safe for communication is essential. we are constantly in contact with my sister who lives in upper cainta. thankfully, everyone is welcome inside their house seeing to it that everyone will be safe. sadly, we left our dog at home and i feel very sorry for it. i know that he can swim but he has been loyal to us eversince. we managed to put him at our nipa hut but still the worries for a life, even for a dog, is still disturbing my mind.

when we got into the neighbor's house, i immediately washed myself and took a bath to prevent getting diseases from the flood.

we tried to keep alert overnight checking on the height of the water for the rain hasn't stopped until before midnight. i had the biggest scare i ever had in my life. i prayed 3 rounds of the rosary and keeping the faith that that situation won't last long.

by 10AM next day, we are already came home. our house was a big mess. mud and a huge pile of garbage was all around. texted my boss that i cannot go to work for a week because of the big damage and a lot of cleaning and repairing to do. thankfully they allowed me. sister and brother-in-law went with food and other important things to keep ourselves warm on the next nights.

here's what we did when the flood subsided:

1. first we managed to clean even one bathroom and bedroom. it's hard to sleep at night if you cannot stretch your body to sleep.
2. we're also thankful that our appliances still work after 3 days of washing it with water and air-drying it. too bad manuals were also soaked up in dirt.
3. all clothings were put out and began washing them non-stop. for the first days, we handwashed them and scrubbed the mud off. 2 to 3 times we soaked them in water with detergent.
4. we're so tired of eating canned goods for that week, but what can we do? still thanks to the food that came. amen! better have anything than nothing.

with all the losses after Ondoy (Ketsana), here's what I've realized:

1. better to know that everyone you know is safe in times like this.
2. always keep communication lines open.
3. Tide is better than any detergent. (I hope TIDE will pay me for this. LOL), match it with Downy Antibac so that there will be no mosquitoes.
4. experiment cooking with your resources.
5. save your photos.

there are lots of stories after the storm and sometimes you might also believe myths:
week before Ondoy, there is an old woman who came door-to-door with people at the Provident Village in Marikina, which was greatly damaged by Ondoy, she asked for drinking water and no one offer her anything. after that, she calmly said, don't worry, i'll give you lots and lots of water. Ondoy tragedy happened.

Want to get more updates? Sign in your email address and click the button below:

Read More

THIS IS IT tickets now ON SALE!

day by day i am counting down the days to Christmas and the showing of Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT concert documentary. this will only be shown for 2 weeks starting Oct 28 2009. with so little time that this will be on theaters, i have checked the cinemas how much the tickets cost. at SM Marikina, this only costs Php 140 per head. for a very special screening, this don't cost much.

THIS IS IT is a documentary of Michael Jackson's final series of concerts before he died on July 25 2009.

Read More

A World of Possibilities for a special child

the world will be opened to every special child as Etera Events holds Special Education EXPO 2009 on December 1 2009 at Glorietta Activity Center. a day filled of activities for parents, special education schools, therapy centers, toy manufacturers, suppliers of special tools and equipment, specialized food sellers, book publishers, and other SPED industry practitioners like teachers, doctors, therapists, etc which hones every special child to see their brighter future.

this event enables everyone involved to know the rights of the special child, create awareness of their needs, and protect them as we give them options to live a normal and happy life.

also by attending this event, you are helping quite a number of abused and maltreated deaf children thru Support and Empower Abused Deaf Children, a non-profit organization.

there will also be celebrity guests provided by World Vision.

Read More

The Echo movie review

just watched The Echo at SM Megamall Cinema 4 (thanks Az for the invite). even saw Sharon Cuneta, the Gutierrezes (the parents and Ruffa and Richard), Iza Calzado, Aljur Abrenica and Kris Bernal.

Bobby (Jesse Bradford) was tormented by sounds of domestic violence in an apartment where his mom used to stay when she was alive. he stayed there after he claims his parole.

at first he thought that it was all his imagination but a series of events made him think of actions of getting this problem solved. no one believed him at first until he discovers everything by himself. everyone knew about the crime that happened at the apartment but no one seemed to take action on it. his girlfriend almost died too.

the craft of Yam Laranas was really seen in this movie. you can distinguish it on how each scene is done. though the scare scenes may be predictable, The Echo is successful to give me goosebumps and hide myself from the nearing gore. Jesse Bradford really played well as Bobby and Iza Calzado matched his artistry.

maybe i have to watch Sigaw to compare it from this one.

Read More

Bioethics Gallery launched in Philippine Science Centrum

Bioethics -- is the study of the ethical issues and decision making associated with the use of living organisms.

a new gallery in the Philippine Science Centrum has been unveiled to share extended knowledge on the procedures of cloning, DNA alterations, nanobiotechnology, etc. the exhibit aims to teach us about the benefits of these different artificial procedures as well how these procedures can be accepted by the society and continue its use.

since i have already entered the Philippine Science Centrum, i never hesitated to try all the other exhibits. like going back into my childhood giving in to my curiosity. little minds will enjoy all the fun stuff here and learn about the world.

you can view all my other curious plays in this album.

if you want to know more about science and Bioethics in particular, you can visit the exhibit at the Philippine Science Centrum, E-Com Bldg., Riverbanks Center , Barangka, Marikina City.

website: www.science-centrum.ph
email: pfst@science-centrum.ph
tel. nos.: 942-5136
cel no.: 09156059031
telefax: 942-5091

Read More

The Echo hits theaters on Sept 30

Sigaw as it was originally known, Yam Laranas remakes it with a little of Hollywood touch as producer Roy Lee wanted him to do. then The Echo was born. Roy Lee was the person behind the other Asian horror remakes which include The Ring I, II & III (Ringu, 1998, Japan), The Grudge I, II & II (Ju-on, 2000, Japan), The Departed (Mou gaan dou [Infernal Affairs], 2002, Hong Kong), The Lake House (Siworae, 2002, Korea ) and Dark Water (Honogurai mizu no soko kara, 2002, Japan)

in this remake, Iza Calzado plays the victim who haunts Bobby, played by Jesse Bradford, who was staying in the apartment. other modifications in the film were the setting which was done in Manhattan and the reason of why Bobby stays in that apartment. in Sigaw, Bobby has just moved in and so hearing these sounds but never hesitated to leave because of pride. but in The Echo, Bobby is forced to stay because of his criminal record.

Yam Laranas has made this a lot better for all of us to see. The Echo will be showing in cinemas starting September 30.

Read More

Eat Bulaga Classrooms

education is very vital to every child and in fact, it's a major right. so in celebration of Tatlong Dekads ng Dabarkads (30 years of friendship) of Eat Bulaga, instead of making a big production with entertainment variety, the longest running variety show has extended its hands to those who need.

this program is called:

you can select a school that deserves this program and i hope you can also donate to start building a school facility.

just write the following information:
- name
- address
- contact number
- name and address of the school you selected
- state what the school needs
- photos of the school

and send it to:
79 Xavierville Avenue, Xavierville Subdivision, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

or email it to: info@eatbulaga.tv

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More