This photo appears on the front page of today's Philippine Daily Inquirer, a daily in my country, the Philippines. Thousands of my fellow Filipinos are now displaced in Zamboanga City, south of the Philippines, because of more than a week-long fighting between government soldiers and extremists, who have taken hostages. I really hope and pray that this senseless fighting will end soon because of the many lives lost and thousands of people evacuated from their city dwellings and now cramped in various evacuation centers.
Photo caption: A woman and her two children wait for food to arrive at Joaquin F.
Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex, where thousands of people have taken
shelter from fighting between government forces and Moro rebels in
Zamboanga City. Photo by EDWIN BACASMAS, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
Okay, I've seen this one thrice too many on Facebook. People writing "von voyage" to, well, wish their friends a happy trip. The intention is appreciated BUT, as far as I know and as verified by Google (including dictionary dotcom), it should be "bon voyage" not "von voyage."
But because Facebook (and other social media websites) seem to thrive on making trends out of the usual and ordinary, I just don't know if using "von voyage" is just one of those trends that people trying to be "cute" (heheh) are using nowadays.
Anyway, I'm sticking to using "bon voyage" (in and out of the Internet) because I'm already cute (heheh).
Yup, that's me crying, ahhh, singing...trying to sing!!! King and Queen of Hearts (by David Pomeranz), the fave song of a friend of mine who celebrated her birthday just this May. Video was for her, although I don't know if she was able to open it at all! But she did hear the audio, which I think made her a little happy, anyway. Heheh.
Yesterday
morning, hurrying to get a ride to a meeting, I came across a little
girl about to enter our village gate. She was clad in dirty t-shirt and
shorts, and was barefoot. I am one who can never accept that a child
should be in such condition. I stopped her and asked why she had no
slippers, as if i didn't know why. She told me she was eight and didn't go
to school. Knowing that we kept some small slippers at home for such
kids, I told her to go to our house, a few blocks away, to look for
my mom or my brother who can give her a pair. I scribbled on a piece of paper
our home address and a note to my brother about the slippers. I asked the little girl if she could read or remember the number i wrote. She said yes. But she didn't go to our home, I learned later.
For how long still should children be poor in clothes, food, shelter, and education? For
how long still should children--and their present and future--be victims of poverty? I hope not for long.
Rustan's Superstore Cubao (Quezon City, PH) was the in-store way back
when, with its huge supermarket, modern interiors, stylish stores,
accessible location, and everything else. With the various developments
(read: new buildings) ongoing now at the
Araneta Center, Rustan's big white structure is a mere fraction of its
old self, and its imposing signage has been long gone. Rustan's building
has been halved as a start to putting up another of the condos in the
area. Short video shows the space (behind the trees) once occupied by
Rustan's other half of its building. The remaining half still standing
will probably be gone soon, too, as soon as the banks and other small
establishments now on site are transferred. I'll miss Rustan's. The same
way I'm missing Fiesta Carnival and COD with its animated Christmas
display (not the same even if it's in Greenhills now) :) Just have to
look back to the memories :)
These two mother cats (gray and triple color)
gave birth at almost the same time. They've been transferring each
other's kittens here and there (as in mixing up their kittens). I guess
to settle the matter and after getting tired of all that transferring,
they finally decided to share a nursery area (a.k.a. our home's
doorway), so their combined kittens now have bottomless milk and comfy body beds :)
