Lovin’ Life and Life is Livin’

1.  Some of the guests didn’t bring a gift, but brought extra-uninvited kids.
2. When the cake says Happy Birthday Totoy instead of the child’s real name.
3. The party is at Chuck E. Cheese but they brought their own food and cake.
4. It’s a child’s party but there are more grown-ups than children.
5. It’s Totoy’s 1st Birthday and the party food is pansit, lumpia,puto, and 10 cases of beer.
6. For entertainment, instead of playing pin the tail on the donkey, there is usually a televised baseball, football game, or a live fight.
7. They don’t sing Happy Birthday; instead everyone is playing mahjong.
8. The party was over at 5:00, it’s 10:00 and the party is just starting.
9. You find out from Tito Boy that Uncle Nonong is taking viagra.
10. The host calls someone who’s on their way and tells them to stop and get some ice.
11. The guests start arriving and the hostess disappears to get ready.
12. You hear someone go up to the birthday child and say “Totoy, ang laki mo! I’m going to have to get you something next week when I get paid.”
13. The party is Saturday, and you get a call from the hostess Friday night saying, I’m giving Totoy a birthday party tomorrow at 3:00.
14. Some guests bring gifts that are still in the store bag unwrapped.
15. There always seems to be more family than friends at the party.
16. You have the party over at your brothers because he just bought a new house and he has a pool.
17. The cake didn’t come from the store; it came from the mother of the comadre of your friend’s sister who makes really good cakes.
18. You are told you have to save your plate and fork you ate your food with, so you can eat your cake.
19. Someone calls and says they can’t make it, but asks that you save them some cake.
20. Guests are wrapping up cake to take to Tatay, Chading, Girlie, Tita, and Neneng.
21. The party music is coming from a small boom box.
22. The birthday child is dressed from head to toe in Tommy/Polo.
23. It’s Totoy’s party but since his cousin Jinky is there and her birthday is in a few days, it becomes Totoy’s and Jinky’s Party.

An Army lieutenant colonel was among 26 persons — 23 civilians and three soldiers — killed in fighting triggered by attacks by fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Lanao del Norte province on Monday, officials said.

Two other soldiers were wounded.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said some 7,000 individuals in the province were displaced and are now in various evacuation centers.

Lieutenant Colonel Angel Benitez was shot in the head when his convoy was ambushed by MILF fighters in front of an elementary school in Kolambugan town at 5:45 a.m., said Lieutenant Colonel Agane Adriatico, spokesman of the 1st Infantry Division.

He is the highest-ranked Army official to die in combat with Moro rebels in recent years, said Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr.

“We grieve the loss of a very good officer. I know him personally. He is very competent. Nakakapanghinayang [It is a pity] for somebody to die at such an early age,” Army chief Lieutenant General Victor Ibrado said in a phone interview.

Ibrado said there have been no reported skirmishes since the rebels pulled out of Kolambugan town at around noon Monday.

“We can’t say that [the fighting] is over. Our troops are there, ready to secure the towns, and the coastal areas. We have instructions to pursue them,” he said.

The civilian casualties, mostly in Kolambugan town, were shot by the rebels as they retreated, said Brigadier General Hilario Atendido, chief of the counterterrorism unit Task Force Tabak operating in Central Mindanao.

“They [MILF] were using them [civilians] as human shields. They killed them on their way out. The description was they were killed like chickens. That’s the report from the civilians,” Atendido said in a phone interview.

The rebels suffered an undetermined number of casualties, he said.

The MILF has since retreated.

Earlier, Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, PNP spokesman, said 21 people — 11 of them unidentified civilians, seven of them farmers, two more civilians identified as Ricardo Gil and Ricky Salidad, the rest either soldiers or government militiamen — had been killed in MILF raids in Lanao del Norte and in Saranggani province.

The Moro rebels, under the leadership of Commanders Bravo and Pangalian of the 102nd and 103rd brigade commands respectively, staged ambuscades in several towns in the two provinces, a week after the military flushed out their comrades under the command of Umbra Kato in North Cotabato province.

The MILF attacked five towns in Lanao del Norte province before dawn Monday, and occupied one of the five, Kolambugan.

“As early as 1 a.m. today [Monday], Maasim, Saranggani was attacked by armed elements of MILF followed by ambuscades in Lanao Norte municipalities,” Bartolome said in a press conference at Camp Crame national police headquarters.

The attacks prompted the military to launch offensives to drive back the rebels.

The rebels also killed two bus passengers and Police Officer 1 Dexter Salvacion.

In Kolambugan, the rebels burned a police patrol car and attacked the municipal police station and other government offices there, but were later flushed out during military operations, prompting the rebels to take 25 civilians and use them as human shields.

But Bartolome said that as of posting time, only 10 MILF hostages remained.

“The PNP [and] Armed Forces are doing our best to secure other areas in Lanao as well as other provinces affected by these movements by MILF personnel,” he said.

He said the Moro rebels left Kolambugan about noon, taking with them male hostages.

The rebels released their women and children hostages as they left, said Atendido.

“They left the area, that is the report from our ground troops,” Atendido said in a phone interview.

Asked what prompted the pullout, Atendido said: “They can’t stay there too long. They also felt the pressure from the military.”

Asked if all towns that were attacked by the MILF have been cleared, Atendido said: “As of now wala na [As of now, there’s no more].”

“But clearing operations are still ongoing in Kolambugan because we have received reports that some rebels have disguised themselves as civilians,” he said.

Earlier in the day, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the leadership has ordered its men to pull out from areas that they have occupied in Lanao del Norte, as the military launched offensives against the Muslim rebels, a spokesman for the MILF said.

“The MILF leadership ordered them to pullout, get out of the area,” MILF civil military affairs chief Eid Kabalu said in a phone interview Monday.

“We did not sanction this,” Kabalu said, referring to what he described as an “occupation” of Kolambugan and Kauswagan towns.

The military said the rebels attacked Kolambugan, Kauswagan, Maigo, Linamon, and portions of Iligan City.

Data from the PNP National Operations Center showed some 400 families evacuated to the Kauswagan Central Elementary School; around 1,300 individuals at the Iligan City National High School; at least 1,350 persons at Iligan City Central school; 750 persons in Buroo High School; another 700 people at Fuentes Gym, and 587 at Tunod Central Elementary School, Director Leopoldo Bataoil, PNP director for police community relations, said.

Bataoil said they are coordinating with local governments on caring for the evacuees.

Bartolome said all regional police offices and the Special Action Force in Mindanao will remain on full alert until the situation in the Lanao provinces has stabilized.

The PNP will also asses whether they need upgrade the alert status in other parts of the country.

Kabalu said the attack on the Lanao towns showed the rebels’ frustration over the pace of the peace negotiations.

Please read until the end.

This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!):

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.
The last class I had to take was Sociology.
The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.
Her last project of the term was called “Smile.”
The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald’s one crisp March morning.
It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.
We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.

I did not move an inch… an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.
As I turned around I smelled a horrible “dirty body” smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.
As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was “smiling”.
His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance.
He said, “Good day” as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.

The second man fumbled with his hands as he s tood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.
I held my tears as I stood there with them.
The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.
He said, “Coffee is all Miss” because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).
Then I really felt it – the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.
That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.
I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.
I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand.
He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.”
I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, “I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.”

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, “That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.”
We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.
We are not church goers, but we are believers.
That day showed me the pure Light of God’s sweet love.
I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.
I turned in “my project” and the instructor read it.
Then she looked up at me and said, “Can I share this?”
I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.
She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.

In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.
I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS – NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

An Angel wrote:
Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

To handle yourself, use your head.

To handle others, use your heart.

God Gives every bird it’s food, but He does not throw it into its nest.

Keep this going.

Bystander,according to dictionary.com , is a person who watches but does not take part ; a nonpartipant spectator. In tagalog we may call it “tambay” and we associate it with being jobless. An onlooker who only perceives but does not act.

In the Philippines, out of million Filipinos, I guess we have half or more whom we consider as “tambay”. For so many reasons that I no longer would want to elaborate. Are we going to point our fingers on this to the government? well could be, but not totally though. Talking about governmental issues is the most tiring , nonsense thing in the world for me. They simply suck! Anyway, I only mean that we don’t put all the blame to the government the stern poverty that we’re facing because only us can change the course of our fate. The government will just be onlookers…a by chance spectators of what we can do for them than what they can do for us.

Looking at the Philippine setting today, I wish to mourn for all Filipinos who belong to the poverty line…I am infact not an exception to that! If even employed ones would fall in line under the scorching heat of the sun only to avail the lowest variety of rice– NFA, how much more are the thousands of us who belong to being jobless and earns very little to sustain our daily and very basic needs! We produce many graduates each year and yet I guess only 15% get to be employed. The rest remains “tambay” still waiting for their own pot of gold.

If this crisis on the oil and rice hike will not be resolved. I can no longer imagine what will become of the Filipino people a year or more from now. Happy person baya ko oi, pero sa ako nakita sa ako palibot, magguol naman pud ta maghunahuna oi!

don’t miss the poem at the end….

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
there will always be sunshine,
after the rain ….
Perhaps you may stumble,
perhaps even fall,
But God’s always ready,
To answer your call …
He knows every heartache,
sees every tear,
A word from His lips,
can calm every fear …
Your sorrows may linger,
throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish,
in dawn’s early light …
The Savior is waiting,
somewhere above,
To give you His grace,
and send you His love…
Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
“God always sends rainbows ….
after the rain … ”

Stop waiting…..

Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die…

There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don’t need money. Love like you’ve never been hurt, and, Dance like no one’s watching.

Don’t be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

The commotions that could be heard from our neighborhood has already gotten me used to hearing, if not a heated argument bet. a husband and a wife, a woman bluntly reprimanding her young housemaid on what to do.

On one lazy afternoon, I found out from mother that the housemaid has been fired. I hate to eavesdrop a conversation esp. when it won’t do me good at all. However, I couldn’t help but listen to the reason why this housemaid got fired. She threw a leftover dried fish( the head part; sa bisaya pa- “ulo sa bulad”). Well as I overheard the conversation, my mother said that the woman(who fired her housemaid) came from an impoverished family back in the province when she was still younger and unmarried. There, she experienced exactly what life was in the midst of just having dried fish set on their table.

For some of us who might have lived in convenience, where food is served if not lavishly then just enough to satiate our appetite, surely we won’t ever give importance to a leftover dried fish, considering its head part, one would probably laugh at the idea. And that the reason for firing the housemaid was only small matter. Perhaps, we’ll find the woman being so antagonistic in a way. Hence, coming from different status in life, I realize that there is actually a very big difference from the level of importance we set for one thing than the level of importance others set for some thing, regardless. In other words, what’s so little for me may not be exactly as little to others. Status quo in life do matter with the way we see things as small or big.

In my heart I empathize with the housemaid. Yet, setting importance for little things that may be big things for other, I tried still to understand the woman’s sentiment..though her manner is such a cacophony to me, bluntly ranting her housemaid for the houseworks missed.

Sigh!If only that leftover dried fish weren’t thrown.

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a
smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose.  I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

“I always dreamed of having a college educ! ation and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.

I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m! so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this
whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven
years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.   At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.   We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Pass this message to 7 people except you and me. You will receive a miracle tomorrow (if you don’t think so…look out your window when you wake in the morning and think about it)

If you choose not, then you refuse to bless someone else.

“Good friends are like stars………You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.”