Sunday learnings

A bit delayed because last Sunday was a hectic day for my family (lunch with Neal's side in Power Plant, a birthday party in the afternoon and then dinner with my parents and brother) and all I wanted to do when I got home was crash in bed and sleep!

I went to CCF with Neal last Sunday for the 10am service. Before anyone asks...I am still very much Catholic. I have nothing personal against Christians (heck, Neal is one --- hello???) but I am still at a point where I am neither here nor there. So going back, I went with Neal again after a long time and oddly enough found myself scribbling on my memo jotter in the middle of elder, Peter Tanchi's talk.

CHARACTER is what God thinks about you
REPUTATION is what others say about you
Character is what you will do when no one else will find out

I've been Catholic since birth. Went to all girls' Catholic schools from grade school through college. But not once have I sat down in church and listened like I did last Sunday. I've never even taken down notes! So what was last Sunday all about? I'm still trying to figure that one out, without saying a word to Neal, of course. I don't want to get him too excited over nothing.

But the kids are growing up and I want them to have solid spiritual lives. Nothing fanatic or overrated, just enough to keep them grounded and spiritually-healthy. And right now I can't say I'm the perfect example to them.

Where I go from here is the million-dollar question. No rush. We'll see what happens.

Christmas is in the air!

It just dawned on me. Every year I vow to go Christmas shopping early but it's never happened. I always managed to use work as an excuse. What's my excuse this year??? I've been out of work for close to 2 yrs now and I still find myself cramming and shopping at the very last minute --- yes, until the afternoon of Dec 24th hahaha. So I've come to a conclusion, I really am not that OC about holiday shopping. I'm OC about other things but not this. I'm online everyday so I could very well start buying my gifts as early as August if I want to. I know it sounds crazy, what with the terrible traffic jams, the long queues at the cashier, the jampacked parking spaces (I don't have a driver). I know a lot of people who would move heaven and earth to avoid having to deal with these holiday hassles but it seems I never learn my lesson.

This year is no exception. I haven't bought a single gift or placed an order for anything. My Christmas list is already updated, but the column that says "bought and wrapped" is totally blank. And it's already November next week! I have a list of things I want to get for people but it's all just on paper right now. Does that count? Hehehe...

I'm so sure Divisoria is overflowing with crazy holiday shoppers now but what the heck, that's usually my first stop for bulk gifts, not to mention my year-round supply of gift wrappers and ribbons, which I always buy a the end of each year. I'll have to start dropping hints with Neal to come and drive for me when I go. Then again, there's always the Greenhills tiangge which is a stone's throw away from the house. But nothing compares to Divisoria prices, of course!

Oh well...maybe I'll start moving my b*tt soon. Maybe. =p

Glorietta 2 incident : an accident?

I believe it's confirmed. It was on the news earlier tonight and I just got a call from DF, who still gets his regular fill of news from former staff in the broadcasting industry. The Glorietta 2 incident was not a bombing. It was no terrorist attack. Even representatives from the FBI who are here to help have said that after thorough inspection of the area, they didn't find any bomb residue.

The real cause of the accident is still unconfirmed though. I just know that it had something to do with the mall's sewerage system. Experts believe this is where the REAL problem came from. As to how or why, there is no official statement just yet.

I'm not quite sure how to react to this. On the one hand, I'm thankful that it isn't terrorist-related. However, how can something as basic as a sewerage system cause so much damage??? I'm really curious about the final results of the investigation. The people of Ayala Land have a lot of explaining to do, I wouldn't want to be in their position at the moment.

It's a girl thing

DH: New shoes again? (in fairness...not sounding p*ssed naman)

Me: Yup, aren't they nice???

DH: Yeah...

Me: Yeah what? Yeah they're nice or yeah yeah whatever?

DH: They're nice. Just that...how do you intend to wear all of your shoes?
Do you even know how many pairs you have?

Me: No, I don't know how many I have and it's not important for me to know hehe. How do I intend to wear them? I'll wear them whenever I want to --- this pair today, another one tomorrow. It's as simple as that, Hon.

DH: Tsk tsk tsk...I can never understand a woman's need for many many pairs of shoes.

Me: Believe me, sometimes I don't either. But it's just there...the want to buy a new one, even if you know there are those sitting in your cabinet that you haven't even touched.

DH: Let me challenge you...

Me: Oh no...you sound scary!

DH: I'm not gonna ask you to throw them away. But choose maybe 4 pairs and use them interchangingly. Just those 4! Can you live with that?

Me: wriggling in my seat and searching for an answer

DH: You look like you're about to faint hahaha!

Me: What's in it for me?

DH: What???

Me: If I take on your challenge, what's in it for me??? If I'm able to successfully use just 4 pairs out of everything I have for the next weeks or so, what's my prize?

DH: slowly showing that "I should've kept my mouth shut" look on his face

Me: A new pair maybe??? Okay --- call!

HAHAHAHAHA!
Moral of the story : never ever try to understand a woman's quirks, especially when it comes to pretty things. You never will!!!

Product recall : Pei Pa Koa Candy

Oh no! I can't believe they found formalin in these! I munch on them everytime I feel a sore throat or cough coming on. I like them better than Strepsils (which, in my opinion, do not work as well). I'm really sad that I have to stop buying them from my suking Chinese drugstore =(

I wonder if the syrup is still okay...my medicine cabinet is never without it.

All time favorite : GAP

I'm an avid bargain hunter so it would only be natural that one of my most favorite stores would be THE GAP (and Old Navy, too). I've never missed checking out their stores whenever we're on vacation in the US. I'm glad that there's now online shopping so we can buy even if we can't physically be in the store. Sidenote: I heard that the Rustan's people are planning to bring in these brands but I doubt if the prices will be as friendly.

Just couldn't resist these...they're super comfy, I feel like I'm wearing slippers =) I could kiss the person who invented ballet flats!

Leather fitted ballet flats from THE GAP
(in black patent and distressed gold)
Love 'em!!!

Food Review : Taste Asia @ SM Hypermart, Pasig

We've eaten here a few times after doing the groceries but tonight was the first time we tried the Chinese Station in the food court. My DF just LOVES Chinese food to death and he came up with this bright idea because we found ourselves stuck in the area due to the sudden downpour and didn't know where else to grab Chinese food.

He bought fresh seafood and had them cooked to his liking (the shrimp came straight from an aquarium). I just loved everything we had! Turns out the cook is Chinese --- no wonder!

These shrimps were so fat and juicy!


Super healthy and piping hot Clam Soup


Really fresh Broccoli with lots of garlic


An all-time favorite - Sweet and Sour Pork


Steamed Fish with Tausi


The Sunday food court crowd

If you're ever in the area, you should really try SM Hypermart's food court because it's unlike the ones other malls have. There's also a Savory Chicken restaurant on the main floor, which wasn't there the last time. I would've wanted to eat there but there was a long wait for a table. The place was jampacked even as we were about to leave at around 9pm!

On a lighter note

Okay, after that close call in Glorietta I just had to do something to unfrazzle my nerves (yeah yeah, flimsy excuse!). Those of you who know me well shouldn't wonder what I got for myself to help me achieve my objective hehehe

What's in the bag?

Tadaaaaaaa! The perfect yellow sandals! And ON SALE, too! Ako pa!

Okay, okay...I promise after this I'll really buy work shoes na (I hope)

Extremely blessed

I didn't even want to go out today (ask Anna and Pao). My fever's gone but my cold is still bugging me, so I just really wanted to be a lazy bum at home. But I had an important meeting and was going to pick up Anissa from school at 5pm after her dance auditions.

So I got off my *ss around noon and was out of the house by 10 minutes to 1pm. My meeting was at 2pm so I decided I had time to run one errand and I wanted to do that at a bank along Shaw Blvd. But after spending a good 10-15 minutes in front of the Toyota Shaw showroom, it was detour time. Mission Impossible due to the usual Friday traffic, so I headed straight to Makati. I remembered that there's a Banco de Oro branch in SM so I thought to myself --- perfect! I'll park my car in Glorietta 4, walk to the bank then walk through Glorietta to get to my 2pm meeting in 6750. I had my route all mapped out in my head : from BDO, I would make a quick, quick pass at GoldCrest, then go to Topshop and Mango to see what's new, and finally exit Glorietta from Tower Records.

When I got to the Makati CBD, I noticed nothing unusual at all. That is, until I reached the Ayala Center area at the corner of Rustan's. There were THREE uniformed men manning that one intersection. That, to me, was highly unusual. But I still didn't think anything of it. I was right in front of the Glorietta 4 driveway, ready to take the leftmost lane to get into the basement parking area when my cellphone rang. It was Neal who was trying hard to feign calmness, but sounded like he was ready to faint nonetheless...

Where are you right now?

I'm in front of the G4 driveway, why?

There's been an explosion inside the mall so you have to get out of there. Tell your ka-meeting you're not staying in that area and she should meet you somewhere else. Get out ha, NOW NA!

After that, 3 other phonecalls came...my Dad, my Mom and then my brother. All of them freaked out after being told I had just been in the area and was about to go inside when I got Neal's call. At this point, I didn't really know what had actually happened. Not even when I saw the ambulances, news crews, patrol cars coming into the Ayala Center using the wrong lane. Duh...maybe I was just distracted and thinking of what was going to happen to my meeting. Anyway, I ended up in Power Plant (hahaha tigas ng ulo!) for that all important discussion.

On my way to pick up Anissa, I again got stuck in traffic in the Pioneer area and decided to entertain myself by tuning in to DZMM for the latest on the Glorietta incident. It was then that I realized just how lucky I was. It was a total blur at first. I heard the reporter but couldn't quite process what he was saying...4 dead (at the time), 30 plus injured and counting, Makati Med ER overflowing with bodies, some girl recounting her experience and how she got out of the mall, C4 bomb, Glorietta's roof caved in, nearby establishments outside of Glorietta also suffered damages. WHAAAAATTTTT??? It was that bad??? My knees suddenly felt like jello and I couldn't help but think --- what if I had not gotten stuck along Shaw Blvd? What if I went straight to Glorietta? I left my house before 1pm and I don't live too far away from Makati. I definitely would have been INSIDE the mall before 1:30pm. Oh my gaaaasssshhhh!!!

I feel so bad for all the victims of this tragedy. Who would think that a leisurely afternoon in a popular shopping mall could turn out this way? I'm definitely including them and their families in my evening prayers.

I AM TRULY BLESSED...God is good all the time.

Disturbing!

I got this SMS from a friend today:

If you're driving after dark on Fri and Sat nights and you see an oncoming car w/ no headlights on, DON'T FLASH YOUR LIGHTS @ THEM. This is a Blood's gang initiation. The new gang member drives along w/o headlights or high beams and the 1st car to flash headlights @ him becomes his TARGET. He's required to chase and spot that car then shoot and kill everyone in the vehicle to complete his initiation. This warning is frm POLICE stations nationwide. Pls forward to friends and family.

Very disturbing...since I drive alone at night sometimes and the first thing I do when I see an oncoming vehicle without headlights is to flash mine to warn the other driver of my presence. I would assume this is what every other driver does as well??? I hope this is just one of those SMS messages that don't mean anything but just in case...it's best to be forewarned.

What is the world coming to?

I didn't know this was possible

Giving birth to two babies, just minutes apart? If they were twins this would be nothing extraordinary. But they're NOT twins. Mind boggling hehehe

When doctors had to perform an emergency caesarean delivery on their mother Amelia Spence, Ame was born at 29 weeks and Lia at 32.

Miss Spence, 29, said: "It is hard to get our heads around the fact that I was pregnant with two babies at the same time and they aren't twins.

"When I explain it to people they get very confused."

Even more amazingly, Miss Spence became pregnant twice in three weeks while she was taking the contraceptive pill.

She said: "For that to happen twice in three weeks is just unbelievable."

Doctors have explained that hers is a rare case of superfetation, where the body carries on releasing more eggs for fertilisation after a pregnancy has already occurred.

Miss Spence, who lives in Glasgow with partner George Herrity, 33, a tyre fitter, and her two other children, Jordan, nine, and eight-yearold Declan, got the bombshell news when she went for her 12-week scan at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Read more HERE

Knocked out

I haven't felt this bad in a long time. I felt the onset of a cold as early as the start of the week and I immediately doubled my usual Vitamin C daily intake. I honestly thought I was safe when mid-week kicked in and I was feeling much, much better. Heck, I even had a job interview last Thursday and aced it (happy, happy!). But I began to feel bad again come Friday morning so I made sure I got some rest because we all had to be in Anissa's school early the next day for this year's Family Day celebration. I really wasn't looking forward to going anymore because I knew that the heat would only help aggravate my condition. But I've never missed going and I didn't want to break my little girl's heart. So it was off to St. Paul at 7:30 am and we stayed 'til about lunchtime, yes, in all of that heat! But I still thought I felt alright when we got home. Sunday was spent with the rest of my family, as usual and this time I knew it was really, really coming. So I asked Neal to please please call up the masahistas and make them come so that I can atleast get a decent night's sleep, which I did last night.

True enough, I woke up this morning with a temperature and a head that felt as light as a feather. I couldn't even get up to pee --- had to sit up, wait a few seconds then got up after that but very slowly walked to my bathroom. I was out for the most part of the day, waking up only when I had to eat or take my meds. Who was I kidding? The girls were sick one after another about less than a month ago. Just last week it was Neal who had it. So I had to know it was just a matter of time before it got me, right?!

Ugghhh...I just hate being sick. I hate being immobile but in this case I really had no choice because my entire body just felt so tired and heavy. My poor Sabine didn't even get to see me during the day because I stayed locked up in my room, fearing that these deadly germs might find their way into the rest of the house.

Where's my Airborne when I need it??? I recently ran out and my latest order is just on its way here. But I'm glad there's that old reliable Pei Pa Koa to take care of this nasty cough. I swear my medicine cabinet is never without it. Oh well...if there's any consolation, I've been well taken cared of. DH has been on his toes since last night. I'm still feeling a little woozy but I just had to sit in front of my pc and write a few thoughts down lest I get bed sores from lying down the whole day.

CONGRATULATIONS De La Salle Green Archers!!!

After a year's suspension due to player ineligibility the
DE LA SALLE GREEN ARCHERS are so back and have shown
that they STILL have what it takes to bring the crown home to Taft!

I've lost count of the number of championship games I've watched but the one today will certainly be the most unforgettable of them all. Heart-stopping all the way...it was written in the stars! This crown truly belongs to the GREEN ARCHERS!!! We're proud of you guys!!!

JVee --- you are still number one for me!
Rico --- great job, see you next year!
To TY AND CHOLO --- you'll surely be missed...what a fantastic way to end your UAAP experience! This may have been your last game in the UAAP but you'll always be remembered! This championship belongs to the both of you

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT GREAT SEASON!!!

DERECHO, LA SALLE!!!

Game 2 tomorrow!

I'm nervous beyond words...I watched the first game which DH recorded and it's obvious to me that the DLSU Green Archers will have to work doubly hard tomorrow. I'm worried because they're tired. I'm even more worried because the UE Red Warriors are dying to get even for sure.

I'm praying for a win tomorrow. Losing will mean giving the other team a huge advantage.

KEEP THE FAITH!
ANIMO LA SALLE!

Pain Pain Go Away!

I've had a friggin' tooth ache since yesterday. Nothing major, but bad enough to dampen my mood. I have a bad feeling it's a wisdom tooth...behind my upper left molar. DAMMIT! The last time I had a wisdom tooth extracted, I was so freaking angry at the dentist that I vowed never to see a dental clinic for the rest of my life. This didn't happen though because I still had to have my choppers cleaned every now and then. That was fine with me, although it felt like a huge responsibility to get it done everytime. I literally had to drag myself to the dentist and it usually took weeks for me to muster enough courage to set an appointment. It was okay as long as it didn't go beyond getting a Profilaxys.

I know, I know I'm a big baby! How can a 38 yr old mother be so terrified of going to the dentist?! I'm definitely not a good example to my girls hahaha! But who can blame me? The first time I had a wisdom tooth extraction, I was on the chair for FOUR WHOLE HOURS! I had wounds on the sides of my mouth from it being open for so long. I was traumatized, to say the least.

Now it feels like I'm back in that same old scenario and I can't help but be just a little bit nervous about the prospect of having my tooth pulled out again. I was told that a wisdom tooth shouldn't be touched unless it's painful. Waaaaaaahhhhhh! Please please please wake me up from this bad dream =(

Private Practice gave me the *sniffles*

I watched the first two episodes of Private Practice today and I love the show! I'm not sure if my post-partum thing is on an extended stay because I cried buckets while watching the pilot episode hehehe Addison Montgomery (played by pretty pretty Kate Walsh) shows her fun(ny) side in this Grey's Anatomy spin-off. I really really like her.

You guys should watch it, too! Love love love the characters!

Ready for battle

It's exam week next week for Anissa. She had her non-academic exams yesterday and today. Starting Monday we go big time (Hekasi and Math in one day --- saklolo!). I'm not looking forward at all to next week because she and I always end up arguing about studying. I always find myself lacking in patience when we discuss schoolwork. She, on the other hand, constantly tests me to see how far I can hold back before I explode. Talk about dealing with a pre-teen!

She's only 11 but extremely opinionated, stubborn and headstrong. I can foresee lots of tough times ahead. Meantime, I'm prepared for the more immediate "battle" --- 2nd quarter exams argh!

Help me!!!!

Once a mother, always a mother

I'm 38 yrs old and a mother of 2 but I can't believe my own Mom just gave me an earful this morning. It felt like being in college again...her on the one end of the line rattling off about her "complaints" and me on the other end biting my tongue. Actually, I was able to mouth a few words in defense but to no avail. You just can't win where mothers are concerned. And no matter how old we are, to our mothers, we'll always be their children and never know more than they do.  

*Sigh*...I should stop ranting...I know one day I'll be just like her =)

14-0 ENDS NOW

I take it back. I didn't think I would be as excited about the DLSU Green Archers going up against the UE Red Warriors today, after that win over Ateneo last Sunday. WELL, I WAS SO WRONG. I was okay in the first 2 quarters, cheered with all my heart as always, but I still didn't care much about who would win. In the 3rd quarter, I began to feel a bit of excitement because by then, everyone could tell that our boys were not going to let this game go to UE. The final quarter was even worse for my heart hahaha! In the final seconds, I had to hide behind DH, too scared to see if UE would make that basket that would give them the win.

A lot of people thought it was impossible to achieve. Beating the Red Warriors seemed more like a wish than an objective. After we eliminated Ateneo last Sunday, nothing else seemed to matter. But seeing how the boys played today made me change my mind altogether. I admit that winning over Ateneo was TOTAL BLISS. However, I was so impressed with the boys today (except for a few errors here and there) that I can't bear to continue not to care about who gets to bring the championship trophy home.

A couple of hopefuls

A sea of green


Our boys!


I could stare at this photo all night =)


In a state of shock


Hail to De La Salle!


14-0 ENDS NOW!


Going home happy

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DE LA SALLE GREEN ARCHERS!!!

LET'S TAKE IT ALL THE WAY ON SUNDAY!!!

ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

Product review : Bath and Body Desserts

I recently discovered Bath and Body Desserts, thanks to the many happy reviews that were written about it in Multiply. I was never the type to spend more than 20 minutes in the bathroom so I still don't know what convinced me to try their products. But I'm so glad that I did!

To complete the "experience" (heehee!), I ordered four different products in the same scent: Body Syrup (aka body wash), Body Scrub, After Shower/Massage Oil and Eau de Cologne. I chose the Vanilla scent because this was supposed to be their best-seller. I really made the right choice because it doesn't have the usual strong Vanilla scent and won't make you smell like a candle =p

All 4 cost me no more than P700 so that's not bad at all, eh? I love using all of them but I'm going to run out of the Bath Syrup very, very soon. I'm definitely going to get more. =)

To order from Bath and Body Desserts, visit their site and ask for Cathy. She's so easy to deal with.

Another dengue fatality

I was watching the news over dinner as usual and one of the features tonight was about a 7-year old child who died of Dengue. According to the story, the child had fever for a few days and was rushed to the hospital by her family. There, she was subjected to the usual CBC and her parents were told that the results were negative for Dengue. So they took her back home. Her fever persisted, however, so they took her to the same hospital where they were told that she had Dengue Stage 4. I'm not sure how long they waited before she was brought to the hospital a second time but the child's mother was very distraught and confused when interviewed by reporters.

Who wouldn't be??? One minute you're told your daughter doesn't have it...the next minute she's fighting for her life! The feature mentioned that the Dengue strain is different now. It's more dangerous and more intense. So what would you have done if you were the child's mother or father? Should she have been admitted the first time the doctors checked on her? As a mother, I know that because of the Dengue scare I shouldn't take it for granted when my kids have a fever. Both my girls got sick recently and I had both of them tested on the 2nd day of their fever. What did this girl's parents do wrong? Or was it the hospital who made a wrong diagnosis?

Whatever the real story is, it's so unfortunate that the child is now gone and the rest of us can only hope that we don't experience the same kind of heartache.

Remember...the Aedes Aegypti attacks in the daytime so it's best for children to stay indoors to avoid getting bitten. As for our kids who go to school, I guess the most we can do is to protect them by making them put on insect repellant before leaving the house. And in the event that they do catch the disease, it's important that parents are vigilant about the symptoms and never be complacent.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Game 1 tomorrow!

The DLSU Green Archers are going up agains the UE Warriors in Game 1 of the finals. I can't believe it's the finals na. I always feel a bit sad everytime the season's about to end because that would mean waiting another 9 months for the next one to commence.

DH and I are all set to watch tomorrow's game. I'm looking forward to having lunch in the Araneta area again hahaha! We don't normally go to this area so we try, as much as we can, to explore all the good dining places while we have the chance. The last 2 DLSU games, we ate in this Italian place called VOLARE. It's highly-recommended! Sorry, I don't have pics to share because I never bring my camera to the games, lest it be confiscated at the gate. And I don't really like taking food shots with my cellphone cam because the quality isn't the same.

Anyhoo...it's Game 1 tomorrow!!! Can the Archers beat the Warriors? Can we break their 14-game winning streak??? Honestly? I don't have an answer. It's not because I don't have enough faith in the boys. I guess it's more because I'm just going with the flow. I don't really care that much anymore.

Last Sunday's win is still fresh in my mind and I'm still too happy to
dwell on how the succeeding games might turn out.

A N I M O L A S A L L E ! ! !

For a limited time only

They're here!!! The limited edition Havaianas Metallic Logos are in town! I actually got a text message from a fellow-Havaianas addict yesterday about the release of these babies and our group was actually offered first pick! But alas...my car was coded yesterday and I wasn't feeling very well so I had to forego and wait for my good friend, Pia to post photos in her blog.

I stole these from Pia's site

Havaianas Metallic Logo colors

More Metallic Logo colors! It's so hard to choose!


They also released this : with crystals


In white too!

Thanks to my friends and co-addicts, I will soon be the proud owner of the forest green and yellow Metallic Logos. I tried so hard not to give in to the temptation because I'm really not prepared to spend on anything at the moment. But there's just too much love going around in this group...not to mention lots of teasing on the side so OKAY FINE, GET ME THOSE TWO PAIRS AND I'LL FIND A WAY TO PAY YOU WHENEVER BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Available colors for the Metallic Logo are : Rose Blush, orange, yellow, fuschia, aqua, navy, royal blue, dark (forest) green, lime green, lavender, tomato (red), brown and black. Priced at P1,095 a pair.

The Swarovski Crystal Top comes in white, silver and brown and costs P1,295 each.

They're all available in MOANA, on the ground floor of Power Plant Mall (near BPI and Banco de Oro).

Speaking of DH

I'm referring not to Dear Husband but Desperate Housewives. I was stunned while watching the season premiere last night and had to rewind a bit to make sure I heard Teri Hatcher right. And I did! She mentioned the Philippines in one of her scenes but the dialogue made me cringe --- Okay before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? 'Cause I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines. In that particular scene, she was talking to her doctor. I was so sure people would raise hell about it and I was right.

Dear Kababayan and Allies:

I heard through the grapevine about a remark made on an episode of "Desperate Housewives" last night. The scene entailed Teri Hatcher's character (Susan) at a hospital, being told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause. Susan replied, "Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines." If you go to abc.com, you watch the full episode and witness the scene at about 18:50 minutes into the episode.

This type of derogatory remark is not only unnecessary and hurtful, but is also unfounded, considering the presence of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the health care industry. Filipinos are the second largest immigrant population in the United States, with many entering the U.S. and passing their U.S. licensing boards as doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. In fact, the Philippines produces more U.S. nurses than any other country in the world. So, to belittle the education, experience, or value of Filipino Americans in health care is disrespectful and plain and simply ignorant.

As Filipino Americans, we need to band together to ensure that this type of hateful message is not allowed to continue on our television and radio airwaves. Given the recent amounts of media attention that has been given to Michael Richards (against African Americans), Isaiah Washington (against gays), and Rosie O'Donnell (against Asian/ Chinese Americans), it is ridiculous that this type of hateful speech made it through various screenwriters, the show's producers, the show's actors, and ABC itself. Yet, this isn't the first time that negative remarks have been made about the Philippines or Filipinos in the past. In recent years, we've heard one too many "dogeater" comments by "comedian" Joan Rivers on the red carpet or in her standup act, and I believe that it is about time that we stand up for ourselves, so that this type of hateful speech never happens again.

Please join me in expressing your concern, disappointment, and/or disgust to the producers of ABC.com. You can sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/ or you can reach them directly at abc7@abc.com.

And please feel free to forward this widely to other Filipinos/Filipino Americans/ Asian Americans/ and other allies.

Sincerely,

Kevin Nadal,
Filipino Performance Artist/ Activist
knadal@gmail.com

And why not? This was a direct attack! I feel sorry for Teri Hatcher because she's on the receiving end of all of this but it's the writers of this show who are to blame for being so insensitive. I think we Filipinos deserve an apology for this really!

Rain rain don't go away!

I looooooove this weather we're having right now!

I'm okay with it as long it doesn't rain any harder. I love it that I can stay in the room, windows and door closed and still feel the need to be under the covers. I used to love the summer months but thanks to global warming, the last few summers turned out to be more hellish than enjoyable for me.

I have a hot cup of brewed coffee and a Krispy Kreme donut by my bedside, plus several CSI Miami episodes in my DVD player and my 2 girls sleeping soundly on my bed.

Aaaaahhhhh...shallow moments are sometimes the best, I swear =)

They're back!

I just watched the season premiere episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. I can't believe I waited this long to see these shows again!

I don't want to spoil anything for other GA and DH fans who haven't seen them yet but I just have to say these:

• I used to hate Izzie Stevens. Now I hate her VERY VERY much!
• I used to love Georgie but now I'm not too sure I even like him.
• McDreamy is as dreamy as ever --- love the new cut =)
• My interest in Mer seems to have diminished even more --- go go Lexie! =)
• I hope Carlos and Gabbie get back together.
• Hooray to Lynette for being brave enough to admit!
• I just loooooooove the "new neighbor" twist! It just gives DH the kind of juicy angle it needs =)

Can't wait for next week!!!

Off to the finals! ANIMO LA SALLE!

My throat was sore and I felt exhausted from all the jumping and screaming, but it was all worth it because my beloved DLSU GREEN ARCHERS brought the house down last Sunday with a 5 point win against biggest archrival
Ateneo de Manila University.

This was the final score

A do or die game is always exciting! But it's also nerve-wracking when longtime "enemies" come face to face the way these two schools did last weekend. Let me just say that I don't remember the last time I saw Araneta Coliseum that packed. Since the season started, this was the first time I failed to feel any air-conditioning at all. According to reliable sources, there were 23,000 people in the venue, more than the crowd drawn by Thrilla in Manila, the Ali-Frazier boxing match in 1975. I can believe that! I didn't even get to use the restroom because the lines were ridiculously long!

Both teams were hungry to win, for the chance to go up against UE in the finals. I don't know how my friends on the other side of the fence feel but I think the La Sallites wanted this win just a little bit more than they did. After a whole year of absence from the entire UAAP league, the Green Archers along with the entire La Sallian community are out to prove something, most especially to those Ateneans who very kindly reminded us again about last year's suspension. The suspension is a thing of the past, something the entire community is not proud of and would like to forget. All we want is to move forward and prove ourselves worthy again!

Fortunately for us loyal La Salle fans, the boys really outdid themselves! Awesome defenses, amazing plays!!! Sure there were errors and misses here and there but they were forgivable. I have to admit, I've been slightly disappointed with their performance lately. I've been wanting to see the likes of Ren Ren Ritualo, Mac Mac Cardona, Mike Cortez and Joseph Yeo and the recent games have only made me miss these guys on the court even more. But I'm still recovering from the high of last Sunday's win. The boys played with so much heart and that's the kind of thing I've been waiting for!

TY, Jvee, Cholo, Rico, PJ, Bader, Simon and the rest of the gang...thank you for making us proud!!! If we beat UE and become this season's champions, that will be just the icing on my cake.

NOTHING COULD BE SWEETER THAN BEATING ATENEO