Life, Day by Day

It's been more than 2 weeks since Michael Jackson's sudden death on June 25, 2009 and since then there has been relentless media coverage in the US that has not waned to this day. I am not a Jackson 5 fan nor am I a big MJ fan. But his death has made me realize how unfair the world was to Michael Jackson. Michael from the time he learned how to talk was conditioned to become an entertainer. This was a boy who grew up without a normal childhood. He was surrounded by people who over-protected him and limited his human interaction to his family, his record producers and people who all had a bested interest in him one way or the other. It is no wonder that Michael Jackson went into adulthood in a suspended state of childhood. His emotional maturity was probably near the bottom of the chart. Like a child who has not much experience in dealing with adults, he was full of trust and wonder. And because this is the big bad world...Michael was exposed to the wolves in people's clo...

I know I have been neglecting my blogs since the tail-end of April and there's no valid excuse, really...just poor time management and plain laziness. There are so many things happening all at the same time that somehow "inspiration" and "motivation" get lost or buried among all the other daily issues and concerns that come my way. And what are these issues and concerns? Well, some are indeed urgent and important, a few can be life changing, others I would consider abuse of authority but most were just petty. The most important one for me...the CON-ASS. Now, I am not a radical person and basically, I have a rather high tolerance for politicians but this...this takes the cake for the most " walang-hiya " house resolution ever cooked up by this congress. The motivation here obviously is to get into the good graces of GMA and probably get that much coveted funding for the 2010 election...plus of course, let us not forget the pork barrel. This particul...

What is it about summer that brings about a certain restlessness in me. I used to think summer mattered only for those who are still in school and looking forward to vacation, but so many years have passed since my schooldays and still when summer arrives, I always get that feeling of anticipation...that sense of holiday that only summer could bring...everytime. Is it because there are still school-age kids in the house? Or maybe because it is too near Christmas break that somehow I haven't shed off the holiday mood. But summer started late this year since it continued to rain till mid-March. In fact, it was only in April that the rains stopped...and not entirely because till now, there's minimal to moderate rainfall at least once a week during late afternoons to evenings making nights cooler. In a way, it's nice because the humidity is high during the day, but on the other hand, a rainy summer is a sure sign of climate change. So maybe...in reality...it's not about su...

February 2009 started out not differently from January or so I thought. The first week, my son Ramie's cellphone was lost...misplaced...fell...whatever. But, if you saw his phone, you'd have said good riddance. It was functional but looked...well, battered. Since his last phone was a camera phone which he also lost, he chose a cheaper one as replacement and it has been put to good use(abuse)for the last 2.5 years. So losing this phone didn't hurt as much. One week and one day later, on Friday the 13th, it was my turn to lose something. This time, it hurt! We planned to attend a fund-raising for a young man stricken with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia but at the last minute, it was only Ramie and I who decided to go. I brought my 3 month old digital camera "just in case" there was a photo opportunity. Well, when we got there, it hasn't started yet and so we decided to drive around. When we came back, I decided to leave the camera in the car and forgot about i...

Who is Preemie Girl? Last year, in mid-July, a woman was brought DOA to the emergency room of the provincial hospital. Her severely premature baby miraculously survived but was brought to the hospital 6 or 7 hours after birth. Her mother was previously admitted to the hospital's ICU due to hypertension and was closely monitored for several weeks.  She was relatively in a stable condition and the doctors were waiting for the baby to become more viable before doing a caesarian section, but the family decided to go home.  She eventually delivered at home and died due to severe postpartum bleeding.  The baby developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and was not expected to make it.  Because this was a public hospital with limited resources, she was not getting the kind of care severely premature babies like her should have. Some mothers nursing their own premature babies would give her their milk and help take care of her. Initially I really did not take much...

My two grandmothers were as different from each other as oil and water.  Lola Rizing@age 40 My paternal grandmother Rizalina Javelona Lopez , died at age 91...a pretty long life. We had our share of long conversations which consisted mostly of her memories and how she would have lived her life if she had the chance to do it all over again. She told me stories no one in the family knew. I am very privileged to share a few of her secrets. Her husband and eventually her children too, looked upon her as a very dependent person, and thus treated her like a child. But the Lola Rizing I knew was someone who was not an intellectual or highly educated, but was very insightful and extremely wise in her old age...someone who outwardly manifested a soft character but inside was a strong, self-sacrificing woman who would do anything for the children and grandchildren she loved. Her opinions did not matter much to her husband so she learned to keep it to herself, deferring to him at a...

It's a brand new year and almost everyone I know is thinking about what is in store for them and for the world in 2009. But, I don't look that far ahead...I think that planning and then failing is too depressing...so, although I do follow a schedule, flexible at that...I always think and plan my life in terms of days...or if needed, 2-3 months max. I don't dwell on what if's or what could be...but that does not mean that I am not introspective or that I am impulsive...it just means that I don't worry about it. The fact is I am a cautious and deliberate person...I don't do things without thinking of consequences...and because I am like this, I believe that nothing happens by chance. So my wish for 2009 is that it will be a year of happy consequences for me, my loved ones, my work and the people I work with. Happy New Year!!!