Anything & Everything

My son is already a healthy and handsome 15 year old and in his senior year in high school. Looking at him, you would not think that I had any problem giving birth to him. Or what I had experienced before I had him. So, when I received an email from Mom Bloggers for Social Good and invited to share my birth story with Save the Children , as they present the 14th annual State of the World's Mothers Report , just in time for Mother's Day, I knew I just had to tell my own birth story.  My son was actually my second pregnancy. The year before I got pregnant with him, I suffered a miscarriage at the first trimester. It was painful and a little discouraging, especially when it was discovered that I had an ovarian cyst, which might have also triggered my miscarriage. They said my left ovary was going to be removed and I was prepared for that...I knew I could still get pregnant with just one ovary. During the operation, my OB-Gyne discovered that the right ovary also had ovar...

It has been 15 years since I gave birth to my baby boy - Jean-Sijent. Friends and readers know how often I talk about him on and about the advises (aka warnings) I love to discuss here.  Everything happens for a reason they say but back in 1996 when I had a miscarriage with my first baby, I did not believe that at first. It was only after my doctor discovered an ovarian cyst and realized I needed a surgery did I believe. After less than a year, I got pregnant again despite the fact that my ob-gynecologist said I was not that fertile enough. Because of my situation, I was really very careful and I was taken care of really well by Dr. Anne Goingo. I was lucky that she gave me all the time and attention because there were complications on my part. And most importantly, my son was born healthy and without complications. Not all newborns are fortunate to be born that way. Unfortunately for my brother, he and my sister-in-law had some problems with their 2nd baby. On the 3rd ...

I did not have the time to watch the news this morning as I was running late...but then I heard the words: explosion, Boston Marathon, injured, dead...the numbers were not very clear. As soon as I got into my PC, I checked twitter...where I knew I could easily get the updates. Reading about the explosion was bad enough, but it was more when you get to hear more about those that were personally affected, like the girl who is said to have been killed while running for her cause or the guy who was planning to propose to her girl after her run...he was waiting for her at the finish line. I really feel for this guy, don't ever take for granted anything you have cause nothing last forever #prayforboston twitter.com/Nhannon1104/st… — Nick Hannon (@Nhannon1104) April 15, 2013 It gutted me to read about these things...but still it makes you feel good at the reaction of the people...how they stood strong and helped in the only way they could. Sometimes the news is so devastating t...

What If Here I stand alone With this weight upon my heart And it will not go away In my head I keep on looking back Right back to the start Wondering what it was that made you change Well I tried But I had to draw the line And still this question keeps on spinning in my mind What if I had never let you go Would you be the man I used to know If I'd stayed If you'd tried If we could only turn back time But I guess we'll never know Many roads to take Some to joy Some to heart-ache Anyone can lose their way And if I said that we could turn it back Right back to the start Would you take the chance and make the change Do you think how it would have been sometimes Do you pray that I'd never left your side What if I had never let you go Would you be the man I used to know If I'd stayed If you'd tried If we could only turn back time But I guess we'll never know If only we could turn the ...

This video caught my eye on tumblr recently. My fellow Madridistas are young and I often see what's important to them. It's nice that I get to see that men are not all a@$%holes....gotta show this to my son although, I can proudly say that I know he is one teen who treats women with respect, like he does me and all his aunts and my colleagues.

Last Friday I read  the news about the young woman who committed suicide because she was being asked to pay off her loan and she couldn't take it anymore. As one of the those students who experienced the first time the UP system used the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program  or STFAP, as it is more popularly known, I was also one of the first of thousands of students who opposed it. Supposedly, the STFAP calculates school fees based on students' family income, in a bid to minimize state support for those capable of paying full tuition and divert funds to the financially needy. It is supposed to adjust the tuition fee's based on the capacity of the student to pay. Unfortunately, getting the correct bracket is a long, complicated and tedious process, with so many supporting documents required. And sometimes it can happen that you are put in the wrong bracket.  It makes you ask, as I used to ask, why should I be the one to worry about these things wh...

Family and friends know how much I love making lists. From list of things to do to list of things to live by and lists of what to buy today or in the near future. I write articles with all kinds of lists that have included the list of the most beautiful liberal art colleges to smart and beautiful politicians and even the most worthy WAGS. So when I read an article with a list of what one mom believed she must give/teach her son, I loved it. Though I do not remember if it was a blog post or an article but it certainly stayed in my mind and I vowed that one day I would make one for my son. As my son grows older there is a certain satisfaction in me because we have come this far but there is also a degree of fear that my kind of rearing may have done a damage or two. Looking at my son and how he interacts with society, I think I can give myself a pat because he turned out right. Still, I can’t help but worry that in the future he might make a mistake. Am not saying he is not entit...

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 dia...

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: The Lying Game by Sara Shepard The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter  The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (The Books of Bayern #1) Matched by Ally Condie 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

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 s...

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 eve...

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 truly don’t regret 100% is having my son. So anything related to that fact may be a little painful but ...

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 ...

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. Pin It 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 ...

Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Things We Can Do In Support  via HubPages As October is just around the corner, my FB inbox is getting filled up again with messages from women friends asking me to update my status which of course keeps a lot of men friends guessing what’s with the intriguing status. Who wouldn’t be with such a status as this?

A list of funny things that Moms say! Pin It A little birdy told me Always wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident Am I talking to a brick wall? You’re the eldest, you should know better! Just wait until your father gets home. You will always be my little baby. Are you trying to poke your eye out with that stick? You’d forget your head if it wasn't stuck on your shoulders. You had best take that look off your face before I take it off for you. You could grow potatoes in those ears. Just who do you think you are talking to? When you have kids of your own, you’ll understand Do you think money grows on trees? Were you born in a stable? Close that door. Some day you will thank me for this. I've had it up to here with you. I’m going to give you to the count of 3. I don’t care who started it – you are going to STOP it! I can’t believe you did that! Don’t put that in your mouth, you don’t know where its been. Did you flush? Not under my roof you ...