On Super Mario

How my grandson considered car crashes and other forms of violence as online amusement is a mystery to me. As far as I knew, he never strayed from the Nickelodeon and Disney websites.

I finally introduced him to Super Mario, THE game of the 80's. Nothing is more heroic than trying to save the Princess:)

Gabriel was hooked! What with all the levels and the world needing to be saved, it was perfect...until he had to go Trick or Treating. He wanted to go as Mario amidst the ghouls, zombies and witches. As the quintessential doting grandmother, I did my best to give in. Here's Super Mario/Gab!

PS: Do you see Silly Dog? He's never far from his master. It would have been too nerve-wracking to dress him as Luigi.

On Antulang

Tara had a birthday last weekend but she didn't plan on celebrating. It just so happened that Nicole wanted to be here during sem break and Arthur came all the way from Bacolod to surprise her. My Mom was also here for a few days before leaving for Manila again. It made for one big "party" wherever we were. After inquiring at their Dumaguete office, we decided to go to Antulang. The rates for locals are very reasonable. Rooms start at PhP1,080.-

I knew it would be a long-ish drive to Siaton and that Antulang was up in the mountains. What I didn't count on was that the last 10 or so kilometers would be on mostly unpaved roads taking up the longest, back-breaking 45 minutes of my life! I missed my 4WD back in Manila with its mag wheels and plush seating. All the concentrating made me hungry even if I had breakfast just an hour before AND I seriously needed a nicotine fix.

It was heaven to finally reach our destination! The "kids" jumped right into vast expanse of water. The infinity pool overlooked the ocean. Apo Island was visible at a distance. And the best part was the swimming! It made sense that the pool was filled with sea water.

Lunch was a pleasant surprise. I don't know why I expected bad food (tsk! tsk!), but when I took my first bite of lunch, I knew the rest of our stay would be enjoyable. We had dinner there and breakfast the following day, and the food was consistently good though simple. Prices would be considered steep compared to Dumaguete prices, but they're pretty reasonable when you consider that they have large servings.

We snuck in a birthday cake we bought the day before. I even got candles. But there were a FEW things we didn't consider. It was a sansrival cake that needed refrigeration. We hoped it survived the drive. Plus, Nicole had a serious peanut allergy and Arthur was allergic to cashew! The meringue wafers were already soggy but the butter frosting held it together. But everybody got to sing for the birthday girl. All things in perspective!

There was a mini-zoo and a well-maintained playground. Antulang seemed like it was located at the edge of a precipice, cliffs were below when you looked over the rails. Horseback riding, cruises and snorkeling were available. Too bad we didn't even have time to explore. The overnight stay was too short but we all had to get back to the city.

Before we left, though, we just had to see a pool villa. It's the primary picture shown on their web page and brochure. It was what Antulang was famous for, at least for local honeymooners. Priced at PhP12,500.-, it was securely enclosed and had its own view, pool and jacuzzi. All I can say is that it's worth the hype!

Although I can't say that we'd be going back again there soon, it's nice to know that our options are open. Nicole posted more pictures in her Multiply site. Click here to view. Visit the Antulang home page here for more information.

On the 21st of October

And thou shalt in thy daughter see,

This picture, once, resembled thee.



~Ambrose Philips

On Why I Am Thankful

In light of the tragedy at the Ayala Center yesterday, I wanted to reconsider today's post. It was an email I posted at the ThankYou.ph website but thought it would be inappropriate. Upon careful consideration, I decided to continue. There is no less reason for us to be thankful today. We need to be so now, more than ever.

I AM THANKFUL



For the WIFE

who says it's hotdogs tonight,

because she is home with me,

and not out with someone else.



For the HUSBAND

who is on the sofa

being a couch potato,

because he is home with me

and not out at the bars.



For the TEENAGER

who is complaining about doing dishes

because it means she is at home,

not on the streets.



For the TAXES I PAY

because it means

I am employed.



For the MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY

because it means

I have been surrounded by friends.



For the CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG

because it means

I have enough to eat.



For MY SHADOW that watches me work

because it means

I am out in the sunshine.



For A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,

WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,

AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING

because it means

I have a home.



For all the COMPLAINING

I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT

because it means

we have freedom of speech.



For the PARKING SPOT I FIND

AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT

because it means

I am capable of walking

and have been blessed with transportation.



For my HUGE HEATING BILL

because it means

I am warm.



For the LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH

WHO SINGS OFF KEY

because it means

I can hear.



For the PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING

because it means

I have clothes to wear.



For WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES

AT THE END OF THE DAY

because it means

I have been capable of working hard.



For the ALARM THAT GOES OFF

IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS

because it means

I AM ALIVE.



And finally, for TOO MUCH E-MAIL

because it means

I have friends who are thinking of me.



- email from Zoyx

On Gratitude

Blogger's Note. I was deciding on what to blog on today. The choices were: (1) Philippines First Annual Thank You Day or (2) International Poverty Eradication Day. Why did I even have to think, it was so obvious!? Another cup of coffee please...

There's a whole chapter dedicated to gratitude in The Science of Getting Rich. It happens to be the longest one. The Secret acknowledges that "...the power of gratitude stands above everything else. If you only do one thing (italics mine) with the knowledge of the Secret, use gratitude until it becomes your way of life.

Yesterday's Philippine Star ran promotional material on the Philippines' first annual "Thank You" day. Among others, it cites the medical benefits of gratitude. According to the article:

Gratitude can be beneficial to your health. According to published research findings by Dr. Robert Emmons (University of California in Davis) and Dr. Michael McCullough (University of Miami), gratitude is a virtue conducive to good health, w3ell-being, happiness, and psychological stability.

The research revealed that practicing gratitude, whether verbally or through action, resulted in heightened liveliness, optimism and enthusiasm. Furthermore, the research subjects were far less prone to depression and tension.

...An immune system supported by a sunny disposition is one more resistant to diseases and disorders that plague the body and the spirit.

Our Awesome Planet, a blog whose feed I subscribe to, made its own awesome contribution:

In Celebration of the first ever National Thank You in the Philippines on Oct. 20, I'm launching an art project campaign on saying the most creative "Thank You." I'm launching ThankYou.PH to say creative thanks to all the people that influenced and help me in my blog. This will be an ongoing campaign that would last forever (naks :)

ThankYou.PH is an ongoing community art project where people send their Thank You to show a simple appreciation to friends, family and love ones in a creative way. This was inspired by the National Thank You Day. Just email your creative Thank You to thankyouday.post@blogger.com.

It's all good!

Finally, I'd like to show you something I got in my inbox at pinoyexchange.com. Participate in any way you can. Encourage others to do the same. And don't forget to say thank you:)

Thank you!

On The Science of Getting Rich

My friend Anna downloaded a copy of The Science of Getting Rich (SOGR) for me a few summers ago. Before I could print a copy, the PC crashed. The two incidents were not related:)

I didn't know what I was missing, so it didn't matter. Then in November 2005, I saw the SOGR e-book for sale at eBay Philippines for PhP0.01, that's US$0.0002266! I hit the "Buy Now!" button. Of course the seller didn't want the centavo. He just wanted to give copies away, but you can't do that on eBay. (Did I just rhyme!?)

What's the hype surrounding SOGR? The writer of The Secret, Rhonda Byrne has acknowledged this particular book as the one that started her on her path. Read the details here.

Wallace D. Wattles, SOGR author states:

This book is pragmatical, not philosophical--a practical manual, not a treatise upon histories. It is intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money, who which to get rich first, and philosophize afterward. It is for those who want results and who are willing to take the conclusions of science as a basis for action, without going into all the processes by which those conclusions were reached.

A few months ago, I saw the book at one of the better bookstores. Much to my mortification, it was a Filipino who published it, passed it off as their work and SOLD it! It's FREE dammit and contrary to every law of SOGR plus a few more.

I obviously didn't need it. I was thinking of getting a copy just to check the contents and photograph it as evidence. But I didn't want the "sham publisher" to get any royalty from me. When I checked for the book again, this time armed with a camera, they couldn't find one but said the price was marked down. Well whatever the amount, it was still too much!

I've always been proud to be Filipino as you can see by my nick, but this incident thoroughly embarrassed me. Anna and I checked our mail and realized that we weren't getting our subscriptions anymore. Were all Filipinos banned from the SOGR Network? I gathered my courage, emailed the administrator of the site and asked. They replied that they didn't know about it. In a way, I still feel right about informing them. A few days later, my inbox started receiving email again.

I hope to make up for that horrific transgression by my fellow Filipino. Starting today, you may download your FREE copy at this site. I will not discuss the book here, but you may go to the Science of Getting Rich Network where there are downloads, forums and ezine subscriptions available.

To Ms. Rebecca Fine, thank you!

Blogger's Note: I wrote this piece September 22 and then saved it as a Draft. I was hoping to put in a picture of the "Book" but I was never able to get one. I will publish this anyway and will add the picture as soon as I get it. As Mr. Wattles says, "Act now. There is never any time but now, and there never will be any time but now."

On Being A Farmer

I always wanted to be a farmer. I thought it would be cool to have "Farmer" as occupation in my passport.

My grandfather was a "gentleman" farmer. With his Spanish mestizo looks, he looked dashing and in command. And the mangoes! There were baskets and baskets under the dining room table and every available surface. We had mangoes before, during and after each meal and never tire of it. During avocado season, we'd just go outside and get breakfast from the fruit that fell overnight. In between, we had guava and cashew we picked ourselves. Being a farmer to me meant having lots of good stuff!

Then the awful lahar came and everything turned gray, literally. My Lolo was gone by then but I remember thinking how difficult it would have been for him. It was about a decade later that the mangoes started to come again, though not as much as before. Thankfully, we still have a couple of baskets each during harvest. I silently thank Lolo for his foresight.

I got my own farm in an unbelievable manner. It deserves a separate post. Last summer, I planted 23 seedlings. They say that each full-grown mango tree yields enough fruit worth PhP50,000.00 per harvest. If my math is right, that's just 20 trees to get a million annually! And to think that some farmers get their trees to bear fruit twice a year.

I would have added about 30 more seedlings this year but there was a severe drought followed by floods. Another story. You'd need just 10 square meters per tree. The area of an Olympic-size swimming pool is 1,250 sqm. Now, YOU do the math! And that's just mangoes. Bamboo grows much faster and is in constant demand. Mahogany is worth its weight in gold (well, almost!) and very low maintenance. That's not even the "cash" crops, like calamansi and black pepper. Within a short period, these give you income continuously. Who doesn't need these few hundred pesos every few days?

We all have a piece of idle land somewhere. It can be in your back yard or a spot at the ancestral home. It may be a hectare in a fifth-class municipality, like mine. Just take the initiative and do a little research. Use some of your Christmas bonus/cash gifts and get a seedling for a mere 100 a pop. In many parts of the country, you can find someone to look after your trees for an equitable split of the profit. And this is AFTER the first harvest, which may take years. Not only do you have a life, you add to someone else.' It can't get any better than that.

Now if every ten year old boy or girl planted a few trees, they would have enough money after college for graduate school or a comfortable nest egg. So, who wants to be a millionaire?