Yaya Juvy

Have a wonderful, fabulous, fantastic, terrific, joyous, great, super, excellent, day! Happy 23rd Birthday, Juvy!

Paulo Matteus Bautista Vejerano

A new life has sailed into the world.

Roger just sent me a text message shouting the arrival of their pride and joy, Paulo Matteus Bautista Vejerano.


Born today by Caesarian Section at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Born: May 21, 2007
Time: 7:20 am
Length 50 cm. long
Weight: 6.11 pounds

For Jannice and Roger... may your new baby boy fill your hearts with wonder and your lives with the deepest joy!


For Paulo... hugs to you, little boy!

‘Idol’ Face-off

Who should win American Idol 6 - Jordin Sparks or Blake Lewis?

Who will be crowned the new American Idol?

Hey You!

Hey you, don’t you give up
It’s not so bad
There’s still the chance for us
Hey you, just be yourself
Don’t be so shy
There’s reasons why it’s hard

[Chorus 1]
Keep it together, we’ll* make it alright
Our celebration is going on tonight
Poets and prophets would** envy what we do
This could be good, hey you
(*The first time it’s sung, it’s “you’ll”)
(** The third time it’s sung, it’s “will”)

Hey you, open your heart
It’s not so strange
You’ve got to change this time
Hey you, remember this
None of it’s real including the way you feel

[Chorus 1]

Save your soul, little sister
Save your soul, little brother
Hey you, save yourself
Don’t rely on anyone else

[Chorus 2]
First love yourself
Then you can love someone else
If you can change someone else
Then you have saved someone else
But you must first love yourself
Then you can love someone else
If you can change someone else
Then you have saved someone else
But you must first

Hey you, there on the fence
You’ve got a choice
One day, it will make sense
Hey you, first love yourself
Or if you can’t
Try to love someone else
[Chorus 1, Chorus 2]

Madonna’s new song titled “Hey You,” which was written by her Madgesty and produced by Pharrell Williams, is now available exclusively on MSN.

You can download the mp3 here via MSN.

MSN will be donating 25 cents for each of the first 1 million downloads to the Alliance for Climate Protection, in support of Live Earth.

Julianne De Jesus Cruz

I'm very thrilled when I received a message all the way from Macau informing me that my dearest friend, Vangie, gave birth to a bouncing baby girl.


Julianne De Jesus Cruz was born on May 8, 2007.


For Vangie and Jayson... my congratulations for the first born!


For Julianne... Ninang Ralline is very excited to meet you!

Gie, I'll see you soon.

Official OotP International Trailer

The international trailer includes scenes from Fred and George's flight from Hogwarts, Umbridge and Filch's attempts to keep order, and Fudge and Dumbledore clashing at the Ministry of Magic. We also see glimpses of centaurs, thestrals, Snape, the Order, the DA, Azkaban, Bellatrix, Sirius and the Dark Lord himself.

It’s fantastic, can’t wait for this one.

Ilabas na ang Lechon!

I am not so sure if anybody can remember that particular Globe commercial wherein a very eager CPA board passer was calling his Dad using his mobile phone in front of the board passers’ lists while on the other end, the Dad was busy cleaning his car and then the son shouted, “Ilabas na ang Lechon”!

For my family, that left a big mark. Yes, we are Globe Handyphone subscribers but the said commercial stuck as glue especially to my dearest brother, Reyboy.

As early as 12:30am last April 17, while watching on TV the breaking news about the Virginia Tech shooting, there was a more important news for my family. It was the ECE Licensure Examination results. Dad’s currently in Taipei and Mom’s in our Paranaque residence, so what the hell, tawag and text galore! Even at 12 AM… who cares!

Kuya Dong was luckily in Cebu last Monday and Mom requested him to buy a Lechon for Reyboy. When Mom got confirmation that he’ll be going home Thursday afternoon, we planned a surprise dinner for Reyboy and we invited his fellow board passers. It was a short notice affair and only for the new ECEngineers and I had to sneak out just to text all of his friends.

Good news since almost everybody confirmed so my Mom started to prepare several dishes for the feast. We got excited since at 6pm, Reyboy was still clueless why all of a sudden we are going home to Paranaque. One surprise was seeing Chloe in Makati all the way from Batangas.

The big surprise ended when he saw Josh’s car in the driveway. We completely forgot to tell him not to park near the house but still he didn’t expect to see his friends.

Jabb, Monchie, Ira, Lee, Reyboy, Josh and Peter

Seven classmates, six of them passed the board with my brother, while Lee is still completing his courses. One classmate that didn’t make it to the party was his 4th thesismate, Herbert. He’s currently undergoing a rigid training in Cavite. We surely did miss his presence.

Though the dinner was an on-the-spot prep for Mom, all of them enjoyed the night and had fun.

Hmm… suddenly, I’m hungry! Off to the kitchen!

Engr. Reyboy in the House!

Out of the 2,534 examinees, only 889 passed the April 2007 Electronics and Communications Engineer Licensure Examination given by the Board of Electronics and Communications Engineering.

One of the successful examinees is my dearest brother, J. Reynaldo M. Mojica III.

Along with Reyboy are the Macho Men namely, Jaime Brillante II, Herbert Hernandez, Maynard Joseph Lavalle, Peter Ryan Ocampo and Stephen Joshua Zarraga will also be present for the oath taking ceremony on Monday, May 7, 1:30 p.m., at the Fiesta Pavilion of the historic landmark Manila Hotel.

Congratulations on your excellent performance! A toast to all of you and a round of applause. Now, it is time to celebrate and be merry!

Sabi nga sa Globe TV Advertisement: Dad, ilabas ang Lechon!

Pinoy... Pinoy Ako!

I got this from Ate Sheilah and it is a good read.

******

I have read this column on the Philippine Daily Inquirer the other day, 08 April 2007, and it is really an enjoyable article...

Enjoy, Be Pinoy; Bahala Na Si Batman
By Gilda Cordero-Fernando
Inquirer
Posted date: April 08, 2007

Manila, Philippines -- Pinoy is what Filipinos call each other, a term of endearment. You’re Pinoy from Pilipino just like you’re tisoy from mestizo or chinoy from chino.
It’s a nickname just as Minoy is from Maximo, Ninoy from Benigno, Tinay from Florentina and Kikay from Francisca. But now they’re Maxi and Ben and Tintin and Cheska.

You’ve been called indio, goo-goo, Negro, flip, noypits. Or Filipino, a biscuit that is brown outside and white inside, or a word stricken from the dictionary which means domestic. Ay, lintik!

You’re Juan de la Cruz or Mang Pandoy. You’re common tao, masa, urban poor but also Cecile Licad and Don Jaime, Jose Rizal and Tony Meloto, Shawie and Pacquiao and Nick Joaquin, galing galing.

Born June 12, 1896, the Republic of the RP is a Gemini, good at connecting, good at loving-loving, good at texting and interpersonal skills.

Filipinos like to yakap, akbay, hawak, kalong, kalabit. We sleep side by side, siping-siping, we go out kabit kabit.

There’s lots of us to go around. Someone always to listen to a sob story, even in a jeepney, to share-a-load or to share a TV.

Everyone’s tito, tita

Who has a hipag, a bayaw, a bilas, a balae, a kinakapatid? Who has an ate, dete, diche, kuya, diko? The maids call her ate, the driver calls him kuya and everybody is tito or tita.

Who has a Lola Baby, a Tito Totoy, a bosing called Sir Peewee, his wife Ma’am Lovely and their kids Cla Cla and Cring Cring?

The Pinoy lives in a condo, a mansion, an apartment, a bahay na bato, ilalim ng tulay, Luneta, Forbes Park, and Paris too!

He’s a citizen of the world, he’s in all the villages and capitals, colonizing the West, bringing his guitar and his bagoong, his walis na tingting, his tabo, his lolo and lola.

Where there’s a beat, there’s a Pinoy. You’ll find her singing in a nightclub in Tokyo, a musical in London, the Opera House in Sydney. Sure, they’ve got the infrastructure, the theaters and architecture. Who but Pinoys direct their plays, or trains their company managers, and imports our teachers, by the way?

Viagra to Victoria’s Secret

Look at that baggage—all pasalubong, none for herself. From bedsheet to hair color, Toblerone to carpet, Viagra to paella pan, Victoria’s Secret to microwave.

Hey, Joe, don’t envy me ’cause I’m brown, you’ll get ultra violet from that sun and turn red not brown.

Just lucky, I guess. God put us all in the oven, but some were uncooked and some were burned, but me, I came out golden brown!

Hey, Kristoff! Hey David and Ann! Your Pinoy yaya makes your kids gentler, more obedient, she teaches them how to pray. Hey Big Brother! Hey Grandma Moses! Who but Pinoy nurses make your sick days easier all the way?

We made the jeepney, the karaoke, the fluorescent bulb, the moon buggy. We invented People Power and crispy pata; popularized virgin coconut oil, scaled the Everest and made it with Cebu furniture abroad among the best. Ever trying for the Guinness World Record—with the longest swim of a child, the longest kiss, the longest longanisa…

Linguist

The Pinoy is a linguist. As in. As if. For a while. Open the light. Close the light. Paki ganyan naman ang kuwan sa ano. Tuck in. Tuck out. Don’t be high blood. If you’re ready na, I’ll pass for you.

Hayop; Hanep! Bongga ka ’day, feel na feel kita, kilig to the bones ako. Don’t make wala, don’t make tampo. Taralets na, babes, let’s go, nababato na ang syota mo.

I’m inviting you to my party, please RSVP. Oo means “yes” or “maybe,” or “yes if you insist,” or “maybe if it doesn’t rain.”

“Yes” is also a nice way of saying “no.” Yes, hindi kita sisiputin. “No,” eto na ako at ang barkada ko. Please don’t ask a Pinoy a question like that!

Just flows

She’s not so exact, not so chop-chop, she just flows and flows. Filipino time? Naku, huli din naman ang Kano!

The Pinoy finds time to be nice, to be kind, to apologize, to be there when you’re depressed, to help you with your utang and your wedding dress.

The Filipino is a giver, never mind what it does to his liver, never mind what it takes. Hardships of the Third World don’t dry up his blood, they just make him more compassionate, more feeling, of the other guy’s lot.

Note that the maid sends all her wages home to ailing daddy. She is the OCW whose labor of loneliness created the original katas ng Saudi.

‘Bahala na’

The Filipino is fearless, bahala na si Batman, which actually means Bathala na or “leave all to God.” Okay lang if I die by bitay, okay lang if I live, okay lang if I survive by the skin of my teeth.

Saway ni Inay: Di ka naman Bill Gates, di ka naman French, mahirap nang magbuhat ng sarili mong bench.

Be Pinoy! Enjoy!

Iba talaga ang Pinoy!

Why Aren't You Married Yet?

Aside from me, two members of the Sistahud are in their early 30’s and still single. We have great jobs; we travel and have money to spare for our everyday knick-knacks. Is their anything wrong with being single at your early 30’s?

Do we need to be concerned?

No, I don’t think so! As long as we are happy and comfortable with our lives then we should have no worries. I still have many friends who are not married yet and they are in their mid-thirties.

What else? Being single at this age, we are plagued with the age-old question “why aren’t you married yet?

Some have a hard time answering this question but I bumped into these snappy comebacks and had a good laugh.

• You haven't asked yet.
• I was hoping to do something meaningful with my life.
• Because I just love hearing this question.
• Just lucky, I guess.
• It gives my mother something to live for.
• My fiancee is awaiting his parole.
• I'm still hoping for a shot at a beauty pageant.
• I'm waiting until I get to be your age.
• It didn't seem worth a blood test.
• I already have enough laundry to do, thank you. Because I think it would take all the spontaneity out of dating.
• I wouldn't want my parents to drop dead from sheer happiness.
• What? And lose all the money I've invested in running personal ads?
• I don't want to have to support another person on my paycheck.
• Why aren't you thin?
• I'm married to my career, although recently we have been considering a trial separation.

Given all this, whenever somebody asks me, "So, why aren't you married?" I pause; I smile, look at them in the eye, and then I quietly reply, “The reason I'm not married is because I’m still enjoying my single life.”

It is quite the answer, for now. It would not be a snappy one, but it is the truth.

Bumps and Bellies

Talk about baby boom for 2007!

A number of my friends are all having babies and I had to attend a baby shower this past weekend. While sitting at the table, one of the women asked me when was it going to be my turn to have a baby shower. I wanted to reach across and strangle her, but I know it's not her fault - she doesn't know that I am not pregnant, I’m just fat!

A few weeks back BFFL Ruth, shared to me the wonderful news that she is almost eight weeks pregnant with their second baby.

We, of course, including dearest husband Teddy, are all wishing for a baby girl so that Elian will be the big brother. I cannot wait for the new baby and definitely, the baby will be politically inclined.

Another girlfriend that is pregnant and just waiting for the big day is my high school twin, Vangie.


She is currently in the last days of pregnancy and anxiously waiting for Julianne’s arrival. Since this would be her first born, I cannot wait to hop to Macau and see them soon.

Rhea Rowena on the other hand is still very beautiful even if she is pregnant and on her 37th week of pregnancy.

The proud parents, Rhea and Nap are ready for the arrival of Andrea Isabelle. Such a beautiful name and definitely will be as beautiful as her mom.

Jannice will have her turn this May since she is also on her last month of pregnancy. However, I have not heard anything from her for a few months now; she’s very much occupied with her work and a few problems.


I do not have any news even from husband, Roger; maybe he’s also busy with work. I just wish to see her with the baby bump before I see the baby itself. I do not even know if her baby is a girl or a boy. I wish her and the baby well!

As I was channel surfing while reading mails, I received another call from a former officemate and guess what; she’s sharing again her great news…. “Rae, I’m pregnant!

And it does not stop there... an actress from a fave show of mine, Sarah Wayne Callies is also expecting.

Ok, I wonder when will I get a call from MA and EE?

Easter Wishes

Wishing everybody an Easter filled with joy and a year that is bright with blessings.

I hope Easter makes our hearts bloom with happiness!

Anyway

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

In life, you will often be given the opportunity to do right or wrong. The wrong may be easier, more (superficially) satisfying, more profitable, or appear to put you in a better light. Do the right thing anyway.

Atty. Bactad and Atty. Logronio

Hats off to Atty. Joseph "Jojo" Jonathan A. Bactad...

and to Atty. Victoria "Vicky" V. Logronio...

A round of applause for your outstanding achievement!

EconBlock 3-A Rules!!!

Four Wives Club

In ancient times, there was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most, adorned her with rich robes, and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the third wife very much. He is very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his second wife. She was a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times. Now, the merchant's first wife was a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the fourth wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the fourth wife and she walked away without another word. Similar responses came from the third and second wife.

Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"

Actually, we each have four wives in our lives;

4. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

3. Our 3rd wife represents our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

2. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

1. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure; but in truth our real self.

The true inner you, which never disappears is your "soul".

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Trailer

Thanks to Jared!

Looks really good!

My Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

What do you think?

St. Patrick's Day

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind always be at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
- An Irish Blessing

Cheers!

Today

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry. Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone!!

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise, whether in splendor or behind a mask of clouds. But it will rise. Until it does we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day: today.

Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is when you and I add the burdens of two awful eternities - yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down.

It is not necessarily the experience of today that disturbs one's peace of mind. It is often time the bitterness for something, which happened yesterday, and the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore live one day at a time.

We should remember the past, plan, and anticipate the future, it is critical that either do not paralyze us. By focusing on making the best of the present, we can actually make the past a sweeter learning experience, and make tomorrow's hopes and dreams closer to reality.

The Eighteen Rules for Life

I got this from Dibbs and just thought I would share it with you.

1. Pursue Achievable Goals
2. Keep a Genuine Smile
3. Share with Others
4. Help Thy Neighbors
5. Maintain a Youthful Spirit
6. Get along with the Rich, the Poor, the Beautiful and the Ugly
7. Keep Cool under Pressure
8. Lighten the Atmosphere with Humor
9. Forgive the Annoyance of Others
10. Have New Pals
11. Cooperate and Reap Greater Rewards
12. Treasure Every Moment with Your Loved Ones
13. Have High Confidence in Yourself
14. Respect the Disadvantaged
15. Indulge Yourself Occasionally
16. Give Thanks to the Almighty
17. Take Calculated Risks
18. Understand “Money Isn’t Everything…”

Bless us all with a great, meaningful and relaxing weekend.