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Fire and Home Security

I was saddened by the news of a co-worker whose house got reduced to rubble due to fire just the other day. They barely saved their things. Now they are to start from scratch, no resources whatsoever. What’s worse is that her husband is unemployed. Our boss was kind enough to give them some money so they could buy food. I can only hope and pray that they recover from this tragedy soon.

Fire is really destructive. Over the years, it has claimed millions’ worth of properties and tens of thousands of lives. Here in Manila, fire normally happens during summer. It’s the reason why March is observed as fire prevention month here. However, despite the precautionary measures being taken, fire incidents occur all throughout the year due to either accident or plain negligence. What’s worse is that during the onset of a fire here, bad things continue to happen such as lack of water supply and even theft. I wonder if this happens in developed countries, too. As far as I know, houses in the USA and Europe have home automation system that do not only detect illegal activities but also the presence of smoke that could lead to fire thru smoke detector and regular video footage inside the home. Does that mean their homes are safer than ours? No doubt about that.

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No Beach Escapades for Me This Summer…

…or so I think. Why? Because it’s been a few weeks since summer arrived but I have yet to see the beach. No, not even a shadow of it. Our plan to go on an out-of-town trip for the Holy Week fizzled out due to conflict of interests. With only a month and a few days before summer ends, I don’t think I can still plan another summer getaway. So yeah, I think I am bound to not see the 3S (sand, sun and sea). I guess I’d just have to make do with the nearest resort. Or go out more often than normal wearing my summer clothes and shades. Currently, I enjoy wearing one of the two old pairs of Ray Bans I own. It’s just the basic one but I find it very useful in protecting my eyes from the sun. Plus, it looks good on me in photos.

Despite the lack of beach trips, I am blessed to be given the opportunities to attend several fun blogger events. My last was this food tasting at the Flying Pig in Eastwood. I always have a great time talking with fellow bloggers while learning and enjoying new things. Oh well, I better stop complaining now. I’m still lucky, after all, having these things to keep me busy. And happy, too.

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Wednesday Night at Eastwood, Libis

Eastwood, a posh hang-out place in Libis, Quezon City, is far from my place. To give you an idea on how far it is from where I live, the normal taxi fare goes at around P150 one way. That’s the reason why whenever I get the chance to go there, I jump at the opportunity. Last night, I was lucky to have been invited by a blogger friend to try the offerings of the Flying Pig, one of the hip restaurants under the Red Crab chain. They serve mostly pork dishes and I was glad I went because I had a great time feasting on savory pork dishes that were far from ordinary.

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Eastwood is a lovely place that looks very upscale to me. Each time I go there, I wander around like a kid. I like that the main mall, Eastwood Mall, is surrounded by nice-looking establishments (bars, cafes, restaurants, gadget shops, boutiques, etc.) as well as high-rise condominiums and office buildings. There’s also a big fountain in front of the mall that’s good for picture taking. I love that my photos taken there appear as if I was in a foreign country. I also noticed that it seems independent from the rest of Quezon City (slums, bad traffic and all). People who frequent the place will certainly understand what I mean by that.

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What to Expect from an Ob-Gyne Check Up

I have a love-hate relationship with doctors. While I can’t stand spending time with them for long for fear that they would tell me shocking things about my health, I acknowledge the fact that they more often than not, the health updates I get from them give me peace of mind. I am seeing my ob-gyne tomorrow for my annual check-up. I still remember the first time I went to her, I was very afraid she’ll tell me something dreadful that would scare the hell out of me. Fortunately, nothing like that happened. I learned my reproductive system is okay.

If this is your first time to have a check up with an ob-gyne, I suggest you take it easy and remain calm as possible. Most, if not all, of them, don’t bite. Haha. Based on my experience, she’d ask you first to communicate your reproductive health concerns (irregular menstruation, low progesterone symptoms, possibility of infection, etc.) with her. She’d answer each of them based on her knowledge as doctor. Then she’ll ask you questions regarding your menstrual period, sexual activity and the likes. Next would be the physical exam. She’d discuss its results with you and ask if you have more questions. After all this, getting a pap smear test is optional but is highly recommended. Here in Manila, the price of a pap smear test can go anywhere from P700 to P1,000.

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On Switching Jobs

I can count on my two hands the number of times my brother has wanted to switch jobs. He’s a graduate of B.S. Industrial Education Major in Computer Education from TUP in 2009. He’s first job was in government and then he transferred to a school after he’s contract had ended in the former. Prior to the two, he went on a training as management trainee for a popular fast food. Fast forward to today, he wants to be a teacher and lucky him, he’s going to be a teacher soon because he has passed his interview and demo recently.

Switching jobs has somehow been a trend in my brother’s young career. I can’t blame him. He wants to get better compensation all the time. Isn’t that what most, if not all people, are trying to get as well? With the scarcity of jobs in Manila, young graduates like my brother are trying to make the best of their youth by taking advantage of good opportunities coming their way. I guess even if it involves teaching jobs, tech jobs or nursing jobs, they will see to it that they get the best.

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The Spiritual Eyes

Last Sunday during the morning mass in our subdivision, the lay minister who gave the sermon talked about giving and vigilance. He started by saying that we actually have two pairs of eyes. The first pair is our physical eyes; the second our spiritual eyes. (I’m sure you know the difference between the two pairs.) He expounded on how we, as human beings, choose to be blind spiritually. We only see ourselves and our needs. Oftentimes, we choose to not see the needs of the less-fortunate. We also choose to ignore the wrongdoings that surround us. We choose to protect only ourselves and because of this selfishness, many are suffering. To everything that he said, I can’t agree more.

God does not want our spiritual eyes to be blind; he wants us to help and reach out to those in need. And it doesn’t have to be just our excesses that we should share with the needy, but also those that are supposed to be for our personal consumption, for our own need. That’s where the essence of giving lies. And that’s the kind of giving and reaching out that only matters to the one above.

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