KONY 2012: Make Kony Famous

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Make Joseph Kony famous. 

This is the new call to action by the non-profit organization Invisible Children whose mission is to educate people about the ongoing war in Central Uganda, who wants to make the world's worst living criminal famous so that people will know and care enough to bombard policymakers in doing something to stop Kony and his army.

Over the past 26 years, Kony has abducted more than 30,000 children. He and his army rapes the girls and turns them into sex slaves. He arms the little boys with guns and forces them to become foot soldiers and do horrible things including killing their own parents. They mutilate people's face by cutting off their nose, ears and lips.

As a mother I can only imagine the horror their parents are experiencing. 

So I am making a stand and I am counting on you to help me. Let us all work towards a better tomorrow for our children. By showing the world who Joseph Kony is and what diabolic and perverse atrocities he has been doing. By reminding our policymakers, our government that even if our country is not threatened by Kony himself, still we need to act and stop something that we utterly know is wrong. By participating in our Make Kony Famous campaign.

To know more, you can go to the following sites:

The Invisible Children Story

Invisible Children Blog 

KONY 2012

LRA Crisis Tracker

IC's Letter to President Obama

Join IC  on Facebook

Follow IC on Twitter

Watch, share, and sign-up. Volunteer, donate,and get the KONY 2012 Action Kit which you can use on April 20, 2012 when people from all walks of life in different cities of the world cover the night with posters and stickers of Joseph Kony to Make KONY Famous.

Incandescent Enchantments Ongoing Giveaway

One of the blogs I follow has an ongoing giveaway and am so excited about my choice which is The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale although I am also interested in 3 other books, one of which is Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough. For those interested to get any of the following:

1. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
2. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter 
3. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver
4. The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
5. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
6. Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
7. The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones
8. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (The Books of Bayern #1)
9. Matched by Ally Condie
10. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale (The Books of Bayern #2)

Please just go to this link below and join, instructions are available for you.
http://incandescentenchantments.blogspot.com/2012/01/100-follower-giveaway-international.html

Are You Ready For The El Clasico? My late post...

I think that all Madridistas are thirsty for a win over Barcelona and tomorrow...

That was supposed to be my intro for my blog update last Friday in time for the El Clasico the next day but then I wasn't able to finish it...had to write my articles first as well as the reports before I could give a take on one of the most exciting matches of all time. 

Friends, and blog readers, know that I have always been a Madridista...long before Azkals came and even when Manchester United was on everybody favorite football team. While I am still a Madridista, I have opened my heart and my loyalty to 2 other teams: the Philippine Azkals because I am a Filipino and I am proud that we now have a National Team, and FC Schalke 04 because Raul my ultimate football fave is now with Schalke. I felt bad when he left and felt let down by what I felt was set down by my own team to one of their legends but still I held on. Real Madrid hasn't been winning much the past years so much so that the younger generation knows more about FC Barcelona and Messi...but like I have always said...I am a Madridista for life. And it lives on as my son is now a Madridista too.

As you all know Barcelona won 3-1 and as much as I hate it, there are other games/matches in the league and there's the Copa...in triumph, in defeat, Hala Madrid!

Spain Wins Davis Cup for the Fifth Time

After a long drought for Rafael Nadal, it was quite nice to see him help the Spanish Armada - together with Feliciano Lopez, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Marcel Granollers, and team coach Albert Costa - win the Davis Cup for Spain against Argentina.

Below is the video of him against one of his bffs Pico Monaco on the first day of Davis Cup, which of course he won. It was great to see him play so passionately again...the past matches have been plagued with illness and the likes and I am always gutted to see him so sad. He has admitted though that the next year will be better for him....which the fans are all waiting for.

On the very last match of the very last pro tennis event on the calendar he played against Argentina's del Potro. He was in a position to clinch the win for Spain and he came through. The game was not all win for him as he played at the first game of the match without a win in the service game. It was only when he was down 6-1, 2-0 when he roared back to even the match and then whent down again until he won the fourth-set tiebreaker.

What I noticed again is how gracious Rafa is in defeat as well as in triumph. This is one attitude that I have observed over and over again which I have tried to impart to my son. As his teammates celebrate his win, and therfore the win of Spain, he went to console del Potro and the Aregentina team, even kissing Pico on his cheek. Such a sweet gesture for one of the best tennis players in the world. Wish he could teach that to Nole. 

An hour after the victory of Spain, their fifth world team crown, Rafael Nadal announced that he will not be playing in 2012 since it is an Olympic year.  He said: 

'Next year I will not play. Next year is a very complex year. It's an Olympic year.

'I have been, for many years, one of the players that plays the highest number of games in a year, and I don't want to over play.

'So next year, since it's an Olympic year, my participation in the Davis Cup is impossible.

'Thank God Spain has a good level of players, and there are many good players that will replace us that play really high-level tennis.'

Then we will just see you at the Australian Open next year and hope you get that No 1 slot from Nole again.

Happy Birthday JSM!

On the first day of December, fourteen years ago, I got an early Christmas gift. Up until now, and most likely until the end of time, it remains to be the best gift I ever got. Can literally say he was a big, bouncing baby boy but boy was he also expensive. He is what my beloved ob-gyne calls my miracle baby since a year before that I had a miscarriage and an operation to remove my left ovary was done. Only a small portion of my right ovary was free from ovarian cyst but my doc painstakingly removed the worse off it which took her almost four hours to do. As of my last check up before I reported back to my office back in 1997 I wasn’t fertile enough to get pregnant. But the good Lord had other plans for me and gave me this blessing.

The past 14 years is something I cherish, it wasn't always smooth sailing and there are some things I regret but the one thing that I can say I don’t regret 100% is having my son. So anything related to that fact may be a little painful but if it hadn’t happened then I wouldn’t have my son. Not bitter, just saying….

Poems have been a way for me to show you how much you mean to me, I remember I sent you a Valentine's card when you were younger and I asked your teacher to give it to you. Gone are those days...I don't think you would appreciate it if I do that today. But if there is one thing I really am grateful is the fact that you have remained 

Last year I shared with you My Wish by Rascall Flatts, today I give you a lovely poem by Susan Polis Schutz:

MY SON I HOPE THAT ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE AND I LOVE YOU

My Son, Live Life to the Fullest

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Dreams can come true if you take the time to

think about what you want in life ....

Get to know yourself.

Find out who you are.

Choose your goals carefully.

Be honest with yourself.

But don't think about yourself so much

that you analyze every word and action.

Find many interests and pursue them.

Find out what you are good at,

and don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Work hard to achieve success.

When things are not going right

don't give up -- just try harder.

Find courage inside of you to remain strong

Give yourself freedom to try out new things

Don't be so set in your ways that you can't grow

Always act in an ethical way

Laugh and have a good time

Form relationships with people you respect

Treat others as you want them to treat you

Be honest with people

Accept the truth

Speak the truth

Open yourself to love

Don't be afraid to love

Remain close to your family

Take part in the beauty of nature

Be appreciative of all that you have

Help those less fortunate than you

Try to make others lives happy

Work towards peace in the world

Live life to the fullest

My son dreams can come true

and I hope that all your dreams become a reality

I love you.

Reminders For My Teenage Son

The other day I had a discussion with my 13 year old son about his blatant disregard for my instructions and the PDRRMC Advisory 2: 

“Even in the absence of signals from Pagasa and in view of emerging consensus that the rains are likely further accelerate, for the safety and health of our community, we hereby order the EARLY DISMISSAL OF CLASSES in Kinder, Elementary and Highschool, private and public, in the entire province of Albay. School administrators and teachers should advise their students to no longer report in the afternoon. Parents are advised to fetch their children from school. This is an early dismissal, not a suspension, thus classes automatically resume tomorrow without need for lifting.

I came home from the office earlier than he did and so I talked to him. He was silent and at first I thought he understood why I was very mad about it. But then when he replied to me with three suggestions including transferring him to the school in our town so he would not be able to hang out with friends in Legazpi, that’s when I knew he wasn’t getting my point. And I was relentless in my desire that he understand it was not because he hang out with friends in Metro Gaisano but rather that he did despite my instructions and the advisory. There is a big difference. Any other day would have been ok but doing so despite the advisory from the governor meant that he (and the other studes) did not understand the ramifications of what they just did.

Let me remind you:

The PDRRMC Advisory 2 of early dismissal was not so you could go out with friends. They were sent out as soon as needed to ensure that you (students) would be safe at home in case anything bad or untoward happened due to the bad weather. Honestly as soon as I texted you to go home, and trusting you that you would follow, was one worry off for me. I was assured that if in anything bad happened all I had to do was take care of myself because you were home with Pappu and everyone else in the family. (Yeah right…and I also had to ask him how I would be able to trust him to do the right thing and follow clear instructions the next time?) I had to ask you several times, what if Padang happened all over again. Or worse, what if something like 9/11 happened in the Philippines? There was a reason and a basis for that weather advisory which you guys should have pondered on. 

My colleagues told me that there were so many students hanging out at the mall that afternoon and well that still didn’t make it right. They could not have understood why there was such an advisory and how their parents might have worried had they known their kids were at the mall and not at home. Yes, I should have checked but then I trusted you and you have never disobeyed me like that. My son, you are basically obedient but then I also understand that you are a teenager and I know this is the time when you will be trying out your wings. I don’t want to brag but so far nothing major, major has disrupted our lives (well other than your father not being there) and we have little skirmishes but not outright disobedience.

Time and time I have told you: The only thing that I ask of you is for you to follow my instructions and not to ever lie. And to remember that it should never be wants over needs. Something like "Expect me to get mad if you did something wrong but lying about it so I don't get mad would get you more in hot water than you already are, because somehow I will learn about it..(mother's have eyes and ears in places you wont expect) and knowing that you kept something from me or worse lied about it is a worse offense."

Thank God you understood me, realized that I wasn't just being a Hitler on you and that my love for you is the reason why I got mad. This is certainly what I hope for us in the future:

Children do know that we love them but when we reprimand you, you think we just got angry for the sake of being angry...or just being Asian Parents (check out this word at UrbanDictionary) and that's not positive for you kids these days.

Communication between parents and their children is very important. And since you turned 13, I no longer read messages from your phone but every now and then I check your online accounts not to snoop but more for security, I hate it when you add people you really don't know and see things you shouldn't. Not a prude but you are still a minor. Trust is what I always remind you of, to lose my trust by your blatant disregard for my instructions, advises and the law, would be tantamount to a jail or martial law...so its better that we have a good relationship based on trust. Unconditional love does not entail me closing my eyes and ears just so we don't quarrel. I rather we argue loud and clear than leave you undisciplined, unruly and possibly a menace to yourself. 

25 Manners You Should Teach Your Kids

While reading some parenting articles, I read this one article about manners that I knew I had to blog about it. Kids are easy enough to teach manners, it's actually following it up that sucks. Because when they see somebody else doing something really gross but funny they tend to do the same thing...that is when it's crucial to say it is wrong. If they get away with it even just once then they will do it again.

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Parents tend to let them get away with it, especially when they do it in public and some people find it hilarious. Make no mistake about it, there are people who find it really funny when a kid burps so loud, well, this still falls under manners right?

Seriously though, at my age, I still tell my dad where am going and how late I will be home and I expect my son to do the same thing...for me that is simple courtesy. And up until now, I remind my son to say thank you (he does say thank you normally but sometimes when busy he seems to forget). Not reminding him to say tabi (please) or salamat (thank you) is like making him feel that it's normal for people to do it for him when what I want him to learn is that when people do things they go out of their way to do it and deserve to be thank for that, no matter who they are, no matter the age. 


You just don't say 'please', 'thank you', 'excuse me' to your parents or the elderly but to everybody, even those younger than you. And when I say everybody it means everybody, no matter what the station is life is....respect does not mean only for the rich and the executives. Even those in cheap work clothes like the jeepney drivers, Metro Aides, your household help and everybody you meet. 

It's why I always say thank you when paying my fare and one thing I have been wanting to see in other people. I mean it is not my obligation to get your fare and pass it towards the driver so at least I deserve a thank you.. don't you think? And even the driver in cheap work clothes deserves a thank you. 

Manner #1

When asking for something, say "Please."

Manner #2

When receiving something, say "Thank you."

Manner #3

Do not interrupt grown-ups who are speaking with each other unless there is an emergency. They will notice you and respond when they are finished talking.

Manner #4

If you do need to get somebody's attention right away, the phrase "excuse me" is the most polite way for you to enter the conversation.

Manner #5

When you have any doubt about doing something, ask permission first. It can save you from many hours of grief later.

Manner #6

The world is not interested in what you dislike. Keep negative opinions to yourself, or between you and your friends, and out of earshot of adults.

Manner #7

Do not comment on other people's physical characteristics unless, of course, it's to compliment them, which is always welcome.

Manner #8

When people ask you how you are, tell them and then ask them how they are.

Manner #9

When you have spent time at your friend's house, remember to thank his or her parents for having you over and for the good time you had.

Manner #10

Knock on closed doors -- and wait to see if there's a response -- before entering.

Manner #11

When you make a phone call, introduce yourself first and then ask if you can speak with the person you are calling.

Manner #12

Be appreciative and say "thank you" for any gift you receive. In the age of e-mail, a handwritten thank-you note can have a powerful effect.

Manner #13

Never use foul language in front of adults. Grown-ups already know all those words, and they find them boring and unpleasant.

Manner #14

Don't call people mean names.

Manner #15

Do not make fun of anyone for any reason. Teasing shows others you are weak, and ganging up on someone else is cruel.

Manner #16

Even if a play or an assembly is boring, sit through it quietly and pretend that you are interested. The performers and presenters are doing their best.

Manner #17

If you bump into somebody, immediately say "Excuse me."

Manner #18

Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and don't pick your nose in public.

Manner #19

As you walk through a door, look to see if you can hold it open for someone else.

Manner #20

If you come across a parent, a teacher, or a neighbor working on something, ask if you can help. If they say "yes," do so -- you may learn something new.

Manner #21

When an adult asks you for a favor, do it without grumbling and with a smile.

Manner #22

When someone helps you, say "thank you." That person will likely want to help you again. This is especially true with teachers!

Manner #23

Use eating utensils properly. If you are unsure how to do so, ask your parents to teach you or watch what adults do.

Manner #24

Keep a napkin on your lap; use it to wipe your mouth when necessary.

Manner #25

Don't reach for things at the table; ask to have them passed.

“Children are natural mimics who act like their parents 

despite every effort to teach them good manners.”

 (Author Unknown)