The Reason for the Season

 It's Christmas already? The last post I did was in reference to the victims of super typhoon Yolanda. And now look, tomorrow is Christmas and I have not written anything in between my last post and this post.

I think it's just right  for me to say that I (and the rest of the family) went through some trying patches in our life in the past 5-6 months. It's an understatement to say that the trials were minimal. On the contrary. It was predicament after predicament and sometimes, situations overlap each other.

There is a reason for each trial that one goes through.  I know that these trials are not from God for "God is good" all the time. It's just that sometimes, God allows us to experience trials to "test" our faith on Him. People fail us. Money fails us. But God never fails. Jesus never fails. Prayers never fail.

This is one Christmas that I did not go gaga shopping for gifts to give. I think I have become stingy in a sense since,  really, making a living is hard. Of course I have gifts for my kids and grandkids but that's where I draw the line. I have become  a proponent of a non-commercial Christmas celebration.

What is Christmas? For Christians all over the world, it is the appointed day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. True, Jesus Christ was born sometime in April or May  but in this instance, is the date really that important?

Merry Christmas to all of you. Remember that:

Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan): A Wave of Censure

It has been day 10 since the tragic event brought about by the most forceful typhoon ever to make landfall this year in the Philippines (and the world for that matter), and still the Philippine government's rescue, recovery and relief operations in the affected areas in the Visayas are still in their infancy. If not for foreign aid and the private sector, the Yolanda victims would be akin to zombies now.

photo courtesy of www.china.org.cn

There are those who are offended by the seemingly endless gripes and negativity of netizens regarding the government’s response to “Yolanda”. I get the point. It’s not nice to “bash” even your worst enemy. However, when we are talking about the safety, relief and eventual rehabilitation of disrupted lives, I think I’ll take on Peque Gallaga’s side this time. Of course I stand united with the Filipino people regarding “Yolanda”.  I and the rest of my family are doing what we can to aid the victims of Yolanda, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll just close my eyes on the incompetence and inefficiency of the leaders of the community. My gripe is not (primarily) on the seemingly snail-pace deployment of relief but more on the apparently non-existent contingency plan of the government in dealing with the aftermath of a disastrous event.

What have these cabinet members been doing? Probably grand-staging behind their desks on a daily basis. Feeling important attending meetings and other behind-the-desk activities. Busy with their calculators in estimating their mid-year and year-end bonuses. Siphoning off money from the Filipino people to support their (and their family’s and cohort’s) grand lifestyle. Formulating the chain of commands in the event of an emergency situation but forgetting to create a plausible and practical system to deal with the problem. It’s like telling your child to cook a meal but failing to give him the proper training and instruction on cooking that meal.

The Filipinos have short-term memory. Look! Impeached  Ex-President Erap is mayor of Manila! The wife, son and daughter of Pres. Marcos are elected officials!

Filipinos are highly sentimental. Look! BS Aquino is president, thanks to his famous parents! Bong Revilla (and his wife, son, brother and sister), Tito Sotto are public officials just because they are famous actors.

We have spoiled our elected officials by us Filipinos rallying to compensate for their shortcomings. It has always been like that. We have been patient and tolerant of our elected officials for the longest time that we have helped mold them into what they are today - corrupt, incompetent, inefficient, indolent, dishonest and arrogant.

Does a “united” nation in times of plenty and distress equate to a nation where inapt public officials get away with almost everything? Just because you chose to elect an ineffectual fool (better yet, fools as the distinction is not exclusive to one person), you expect the rest of the Filipinos to just bear and grin, then compensate for the lack? Do we say thank you Korina for your donation of blue and yellow slippers with your name stamped on it?  Thank you Jejomar Binay for your packs of goodies with your face and name stamped on each bag.

I personally see no harm with the wave of criticism hitting the government. I think these clamors are like fuses propelling the government’s snail-paced operations into speed.  Hopefully, the din of criticism will also push the government into action in formulating an effective rescue, relief and rehabilitation system for our country.

What? We are just a poor country and have no means for such?  President BS Aquino’s PDAF alone is in the trillions! I don’t even know how many zeros there are in a trillion.

When the DILG top honcho announce to the world (via television) that it is not the Philippine government’s top priority to look for possible survivors of “Yolanda”… what do we do?

 Say “aaaahhh… okaaaayy... yordamhan!”

Puh-leeze....

Anlene Total and Osteoporosis

I must exercise! It has been a year since I “ran” and at my age, I should be exercising not for “aesthetics” but more for health reasons. Back in the days, I used to hit the gym and run 5 days a week, and play tennis and hit the ballroom floor twice a week! Yup! I was so agile, buff and quite strong. Things change and in the course of 11 years, I now find myself exercise-less! 

When one hits the half-century mark, one feels the little aches and stiffness associated with aging. I know that I am way fitter than some of my contemporaries but I feel (and know) that I should really be doing some cardio activities to keep myself fit. Though I do try to eat “healthy” I know that I should be more conscious of what I eat and drink.  I am keen on clean living to avoid age-related ailments such as hypertension, high cholesterol and osteoporosis.

I was surprised to learn that one out of three Filipino women (1:5 in Filipino men) is likely to suffer from osteoporosis. A few years ago, my female friend slipped in her bathroom floor and fractured her hip. I took her to the ER and I was shocked when I saw her X-ray. Her bones were so porous that there was hardly any white component in the X-ray! Now she takes those expensive medicines to make her bones denser.

I am a fresh milk drinker but I found out that even if I down a litter of fresh milk daily, I still won’t be getting the right amount of calcium to strengthen my bones. So, I switched to ANLENE, which provides twice the amount of calcium than regular milk. ANLENE is the number one bone health milk brand in the Philippines and according to a 2009 study, it can decrease bone breakdown within four weeks. Yup! A glass or two of ANLENE a day keeps osteoporosis away!

Many Filipinos do not take the necessary steps to counter osteoporosis. Though this ailment is asymptomatic, the danger lies in osteoporosis-related fractures such as in the hips, spine and wrists. The NNHeS (National Nutrition and Health Survey, indicated that the incidence fracture on 50 years and above females is more than 11% and almost 9% in men. Our joints provide lubrication for two moving bones. When the joint cartilage wears out, then the risk of damaging the joints is higher. This predicament could very well hinder physical activities. A new product from the Fonterra is ANLENE Total. This high calcium formula contains Glucosamine which helps protects the joints

Anlene and Anlene Total are products of Fonterra. Since 2007, the company has been working with the International Osteoporosis Foundation to increase bone health education and awareness. One cannot deny the role of calcium in preventing the onset of osteoporosis. I used to take calcium tablets then either take vitamin D (or expose any part of my body to the sun) to “activate” the calcium. No more calcium tablet for me. I prefer to drink ice-cold Anlene!

A delicious way to take Anlene is to pour some on a bowl of corn, oatmeal with sliver of almond cereal. Delicious! 

Twitter: @AnleneTotalPH

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/AnlenePhilippines

Where is Janet Lim Napoles?

An arrest warrant has been issued for Janet Lim Napoles. The arrest has nothing (yet) to do with her alleged role in the 10 billion pork barrel scam. The arrest warrant is about the illegal detention of Benhur Luy, the whistleblower of the pork barrel scam. Ms. Napoles expressed in an interview that Luy's "detention" (from December 19, 2012 to March 2013) was a personal choice of Luy - a sort of a 3-month long retreat (reflection?) (exile?)  to "find" himself. 

I'm a person who occasionally attend retreats but these retreats are led by qualified persons and usually last a week, at the most. If I were to believe Ms Napoles, Benhur Luy's 3-month long disappearance was his choice so he could reflect on his life. Yes, that's probable but how come Luy didnt' advice his family? 

Oh haha. 

So, where is Janet Lim Napoles now?

MMDA's Bus Segregation: Please Do Not Litter

Commuters from Cavite are experiencing difficulty upon the implementation of provincial bus ban. No provincial buses are allowed to traverse the roads of Metro Manila except those that have terminals in Manila. This scheme was implemented to decongest the streets of Manila to prevent traffic and its related pollution. So, commuters coming from Cavite (and part of Batangas) are to get off at the newly constructed bus depot at Coastal Mall, which is located at the corner of Coastal Road and Airport Road. The thing is, the scheme was not well-thought off. Chaos ensued on the first week of implementation as commuters and even bus drivers have no idea where to go. There were a few MMDA people giving out print flyers and everyone scrambled to get a copy in the hopes of reading instructions and information on the new bus scheme/segregation.  Here's what's written on the piece of flyer: Please do not litter.