Diwatang Byaning

Aside from some disappointments during my Pinas trip, there were happy moments too! (Paunawa lang po: Di po ako tatakbong Prisidinti sa 2010 elections for baranGHEY chairman noh! At lalong hindi ako PedoPILYA hehehe.) Thanks to Pusa author of I Heart Manila for accompanying me last June 7 during my half-day Manila City tour ang huling El Bimbo! [Pictures of Manila and my Pinas trip will be posted in WalkWithYoung.Com in a later time, jetlaggers pa po ang lola.]

While I was in Pinas, very observant po kasi ang lola nyo di nyo na itatanong hehehe. I noticed that most of the people there are happy and contended in what they have, in comparison with people here in the States… *Trulili, Eklavu at Ecklabert!*

Iba ang happyness sa Pinas comparaed dito sa Jameirika!
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Popularity: 12% [?]

I prefer receiving hand written letters sent in the “mail” through the post office than an email. I love to read and reread letters until my hearts content.

There’s something special about getting a letter from in the mail!, For me as the recieving end - (the other persons) taking the time to handwrite it, finding that special paper, that envelope and yeah taking the time to go to the post office and mail it. [haba ng buhok ko nyan sa ilong!]

Remember the good ol’ days where almost all of us waits for the mailman [wag nang mag deny!] as he hands out the mail? (do remember how excited are you??? nakikita mo pa lang papalapit si mamang kartero naglalaway ka na!) to read what’s the latest chismacks from your friends living abroad? (bwahaha.. the word abroad omg!) or maybe expecting some news from your childhood sweetheart who at that time joined the navy? [uyyyy, that’s is so 80’s!]

Sad to say, but I guess it’s almost obsolete now… (tell me when was the last time, you have received a letter in the mail?) Uh-huh!!! 1980 something-something? Hahahaha…

It saddens me REALLY…

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Popularity: 28% [?]

Before I used to eat out (Dinner) at least once every weekend at some not so fancy restaurant around my area - just a treat for myself, kind of like that. But with the high prices of food these days I could not afford to do that anymore. I’d rather cook for myself than to eat out (Tutal, mas masarap naman ang luto ko no! HAHAHA, wala pang vetsin!) Food prices have gone up and I say it’s crazy, they just keep climbing up (The prices of course!)
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Popularity: 11% [?]

I guess I won’t be spending the rest of my summer in some Mediterranean island. For I will be spending the rest of summer commuting back and fort to the Midwest. (Tama na ang pasosyal, baka ma-chorva ka ni Chikatime!)… Sayang, di ako mamapunta sa F1 grand prix sa Monaco and kiss asses with the Grimaldi’s sa June. (Tsk, feeling well traveled talaga… KM!)

I remember, when I first got here in the east coast about a decade ago… *Mandolin playing on the background* I only have a pair of shoes, which one of them has a hole in the middle and I only have around $40-60 but not more than $70 on my pocket which I have to live on until I can support myself with some decent odd job… I have to walk to school 10 miles everyday feeling hungry and live with hole on my shoe… (O kwentong barbero na iyan!) I was on my own. I have struggled big time! Butp t’was okay, I have learned though… (Kaya nga talagang ang bigas, asukal ko at skyflakes eh nakaimbak sa ilalim ng kama ko. Mahirap na at baka maging tag-gutom ulit tayo.) Ngayon medyo okay naman na ako, I have survived that poverty sa pagtitiis at pagiipon. (Sobrang paghihigpit ng sinturon at pagtitis sa maikling kumot mula kay VJ Bombay.) Don’t be so excited! Isa pa din akong hamak na hampas lupa though yon na nga lang ngayon hindi na $60 ang nasa bulsa ko kung $65 ang aking baong cash papuntang Illinois. I am richer now, by $5 more dolluhs o diba?
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Popularity: 7% [?]

What is going on with all these rice shortages? Let alone the Philippines! Do you know that rice shortages have led many riots in Haiti, Senegal and Pakistan?

Anyways, I was watching TV, in the Philippines, fast-food chains were urged to cut rice portions to counter a surge in prices. I hope the Philippine government is doing something about issues like this… Maybe the next project is - Plant a kamote in your backyard? (ha ha ha…) Still in the Philippines, local bakers’ groups have charged higher prices for bread and stuff like that…, and even noodles, citing the surge in world flour price. (How about people living less than $1.00 a day?) Still in the Philippines pa din, hindi ako alam kung matutuwa ako o hindi, oo may “access cards” na ang ibang Pilipinong mamamayan para makabili ng kanilang NFA rice, pero-pero tila penepeke daw ito? Pati ba naman ito pinepeke na din? PASOK

- Mike Enriquez ano pong masasabi nyo rine?

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Popularity: 15% [?]

I had grilled doggies and steamed corn for lunch. Mais na lang kinakain ko sa mahal ba naman ng bigas ngayon juice ko day! Tapos nanakawin pa ang access card mo oo yong access card na ginagamit namin para makabili ng NFA rice.

And for dinner I had corned beef, two eggs and rice - of course everything is kosher!

Wala akong second serving dito. Kung ano lang nakikita nyo yan lang ang nilalafang ko. Hindi naman ako kagaya ni Demi panay ang bulos ika nga nya. O Demi ikaw pagkaingat-ingatan mo ang access card mo ha, baka manaka - balita ko nga pati ang access card pinipirata na din? Is that true?
No steaks for me for the meantime, for I am really tight on my budget (Rachel Ray istatue?) I have to live on my means diba? Wala munang luho-luho ngayon, keilangan kong magtipd as in. For I am quitting my job next month shempre keilangan may konting ipon alam nyo yon? Ayaw kong sumugod sa giyera ng walang bala ang aking bazooka.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean’s Bahia de Banderas. It is rapidly becoming the next “can’t miss” destination for college spring breakers. This up and coming destination in the heart of the Mexican Riviera offers everything you need for the perfect spring break experience. At night, Puerto Vallarta offers a thriving club scene or more traditional bars. During the day, work on your tan under the Pacific sun, take a fishing excursion, ride jet skis in the Bahia, or simply get your night started early at the bars! Be part of one of the first groups to experience Puerto Vallarta, a destination with popularity and mystique that are exponentially increasing!

But wait… There is another side of Puerto Vallarta.

In 2000, an Alaskan Airlines flight from Puerto Vallarta to Seattle, Washington went down off the coast of California with no survivors. On board was a missionary couple from Seattle, Joe and Linda Knight. They had been helping Perdon y Amistad and the children living in the dump in Puerto Vallarta. They had recently installed a shower in the middle of the dump for the use of the children…

Before Linda’s death, she had raised hundreds of dollars and had put up a shower. She envisioned a community center. Linda told everyone who would listen about the children living in filth on the mountain of trash that overlooks Puerto Vallarta that what those really needed more than anything was clean water to drink and to wash away the diseases and infections that haunt the dump.

Progress has been made, but there are still hundreds of children in need of food and health care.

You can sponsor a child at $25 each month and that will provide him or her with food, education, and medical attention.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Have you tried eating dust or mud? Well, I myself have tried eating dust whenever I have nothing to munch, and besides it’s not that fattening at all. As all of would know, I have weight issues/problems, that even I eat nothing it is not that obvious that I didn’t. I still have the tendency to gain weight.

I remember, when I was a little girl… From a far-far-far away remote area…

We are so poor that we don’t have anything to eat, there are times that we would eat once a day and we call it al-tang-hap (almusal, tanghalian at hapunan - breakfast, lunch and dinner in one). Even I eat once a day I still tend to gain weight… So, what I do at times is, I pray hard that I catch Malaria, Dysentery and or Typhoid it’s easier that way to lose weight isn’t?

There are times that we would have little and my Mother would ask me to go to the market and get some meat. All my money could afford is chicken feet, I have to add more money to be able to afford chicken head and to be able to do that I have to sell my finger (the pinkie).

To be continued…

Popularity: 3% [?]

So last night was the first time me and my room mate had a bonding. Well were 2 busy individuals no… Even if were in the house we don’t see each other often - hindi naman mansyon ang bahay namin… Busy lang kami… Sa pag-blo-blog parehas lol. So kagabi he invited me to smoke up in the 3rd floor… Aba nakalimutan kong may 3rd floor pala kami… Ang sarap diba? Yosi-yosi habang nood ng t.v?

We were watching Emergency. It is kind of depressing to see other Filipino’s living that way… (Nangangalkal sa basura may mapangkain lang. Nanghuhuli ng hito ang mga batang 7 and even 5 years old maisalba lang ang gutom kahit pa magkasugat-sugat ng katawan nila.) Personally I don’t like to see something like this… Sabi nga ng ka room mate ko masyadong depressing. Totoo! I feel guilty! Para bang ayaw ko na lang din kumain at damayan na lang sila

…There’s this family who is living in Tondo, the family is composed of 7 people including the mom and dad, the father works as a scavenger, he would go to this mountain full of trash to look for old nails - pako hindi kuko! and scrap woods and sold it to a local junk shop - PHP15.00 ang kinita nya maghapon? Paano nya masusuportahan ang mag-anak nya sa ganitong kita? It was past 4 PM when they had their lunch. On the interview the dad said sometimes they even eat salt with rice. Kahit asin lang masarap na.

And on dinner time they had a can of Ligo Sardines paghahati-hatian nilang mag-anak yon. Naalala ko tuloy ng huli kaming nakakain ng sardinas, noong isang linggo! Apat na sardinas ang kinain namin, apat kaming kumain. Isipin nyo yon, yong kinain namin 4 na sardinas ilang pamilya ang pwede pa lang mabusog at mabigyan ng sustansya doon? Samantalang kami 4, 4 lang kaming lumapang nun. Hindi ba nakaka konsensya yon?

Chuva: Bakit kung sino pa ang mahirap, sila pa yong madaming magka-anak?

Me: Palibhasa kasi wala silang t.v sa bahay, kaya ayon dyug na lang ng dyug pag walang magawa, para lang may magawa. Nakakita ka na ba ng pamilya na nagmamay ari ng telebisyon set at sampu-sampu ang anak? Diba wala! Kasi may pinagkakalibangan sila!

After watching this family composed of 7 people having a feast with a can of Ligo, depression naman ang sumunod na topic. Mayroon umakyat ng billboard at tangkang pakamay dahilan sa wala daw syang tarbahu at tila nangungulila sya sa kanyang mag-ina. Meron namang isang lalaki na na feature din sa sobrang kalungkutan eh, pinagtatataga nya ang sarili nya sa kamat at braso - eh kung gusto rin lang pala nyang mamatay eh bakit hindi leeg nya ang tagain nya *Kamot-kamot ulo* at kung paminsan naman eh nakain sya ng kuryente - ganun na lang ba talaga kahirap sa Pinas? Ultimo kuryente nilalapang? Eh baka naman mas mura pa ang pagkain kesa sa kuryente?

Ayon sa aking re-search ito pala ang sintomas ng dipresyon… Depressed mood,*Malamang diba? Kaya ng tinawag na deprresion diba?*, Loss of interest or pleasure, Sleep changes, Psychomotor agitation or retardation, Fatigue or loss of energy, Self-loathing, Concentration problems, Irritability, Aches and pains and Appetite or weight changes *Chuva, girl hindi tayo depress malayo tayo sa depression!*

Popularity: 4% [?]

It’s really painful to see one’s life has to live like this. I am wise to know that poverty really exist.

This is Barry I met and talk to him last March during my photo trek in Center City. He is a very interesting person. I get to know him a little bit, he’s a Vietnam Veteran been living on the mean streets of Center City for like 5 years.

He lost his legs from the mean war…

His only son had disowned him. I hope I get to see him again and get to know him more.

This is just one of the photos I took last Mar. 2007 at Logan Square. Barry is just one of my subjects that time.

Popularity: 3% [?]