I’m shaking my head as I wonder where the time went in 2009 and how the landmark decade of the 21st century has flown by. I have asked myself before whether I would be aware if time was somehow passing quicker. I guess it’s all about one’s perception in terms of the way that time is measured, experienced and rationalized. Is this perception affected by a busy schedule, by having a job or a routine that is benchmarked by deadlines?

If your one of those highly organized people who plan their activities in advance, do you find that time passes really slowly leading up to an occasion and then goes by super fast throughout the course of the event itself? And by the time it ends, the feeling of anticipation is crushed by the disappointment that it’s all over.

Luckily, I never suffer from that because I’m Mr. Spontaneous, generally disorganized and without the ability or the foresight to plan anything.

So with a new year upon us, it’s time to take stock I guess. What did I learn about myself and the world in 2009? As far as looking inwards goes, I once again count myself very lucky in life. With the religious belief and faith in God, I always try to be true and honest to myself and those around me, and when the opportunity presents itself, I extend a helping hand to others.

It has been a year to reflect on relationships with my family and the role that plays within that structure. It’s been four years now since I’ve been here in Dubai and because of that I have been a little remote over the years which has only increased my emotional distance from my loved ones. This year I will do everything to deal with that issue and be more active in interacting with them.

There also has been an instance in 2009 when an emotional change has come about. Rachelle came into my life  and from then on everything became a bit more happier and satisfying, making my outlook into the new year less than bleak and more hopeful and clearer, having a sense of direction.

More generally, I remember 2009 as being the year of, among other things, the global financial crisis. I think this has affected the whole world in general, making life harder to live by. I have been witness to many friends and colleagues losing their jobs almost everyday. I just thank God i was not one of them, instead He has blessed me with a new one. Also, in hindsight, I wish I have bought some shares in companies that manufacture those little bottles of hand sanitizer (due to widespread swine flu) and  in Michael Jackson’s publishing company (when the King of Pop’s death spurred the flood of written material about his life and achievements). because sales in those areas skyrocketed!

In closing, I just hope the new year brings new hope and beginnings! May God bless us all!

In his acceptance speech, Efren said:

Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry. Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.

So to each and every person inside in this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers… you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.

Here are the others included in the 2009 Top Ten CNN Heroes:

• Brad Blauser
  Brad Blauser is providing hope and mobility to disabled children and their families in Iraq. Since 2005, his Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program has distributed nearly 650 free pediatric wheelchairs to children in need.
• Roy Foster
  Army veteran Roy Foster started Stand Down House to help veterans struggling with addiction and homelessness in Florida. Since 2000, his program has provided life-changing services to nearly 900 veterans.
• Doc Hendley
  Bartender Doc Hendley is providing clean water to communities worldwide. Through creative fundraising, his nonprofit Wine to Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries.
• Andrea Ivory
  Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is bringing early detection to the doorsteps of uninsured women. With mobile mammography vans, her group has provided more than 500 free screenings in Miami, Florida.
• Betty Makoni
  Zimbabwe native Betty Makoni founded the Girl Child Network to provide a haven for young victims of sexual abuse. The organization has rescued more than 35,000 girls since 2001.
• Jorge Munoz
  School bus driver Jorge Munoz is helping hungry New Yorkers make it through tough times. Since 2004, he has handed out more than 70,000 meals from his mobile soup kitchen in Queens — for free.
• Budi Soehardi
  Budi Soehardi founded a children’s home in one of the poorest areas of Indonesia. Today, Roslin Orphanage in West Timor provides food, shelter and education to more than 45 children.
• Derrick Tabb
  Derrick Tabb started The Roots of Music to give young people an alternative to New Orleans’ streets. His music education program provides free tutoring, instruments and music instruction to more than 100 students.
• Jordan Thomas
  Jordan Thomas, 20, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.

Mabuhay ka, Efren! Because of your selfless deeds, there’s again a reason for us to become truly proud to be a Filipino!

Sad as it maybe, I have to leave to pursue my career with another company. This decision was not easy for me to make and it took a lot of consideration. But I believe this decision is in my best interests and is essential towards fulfilling my career goals. I would like to thank my superiors for all the support and encouragement, these have been a major factor why I have been successful in the responsibilities given me.

With some, I have shared a unique friendship which I hope will continue  in the years to come even though I’m no longer with Gulf News. I will truly miss you all! Thank you for all the memories…

The Pinoy Expats Auto Club in Emirates (PEACE) and Filipino Offroad Auto Club (FORAC) are offering free transport service this Friday, August 28, to their compatriots who want to register as overseas absentee voters (OAV) at the Philippine Consulate General in Al Ghusais, Dubai.

Both clubs will dispatch their members to pick up future voters from 9 to 10 am at the following areas: Al Attar Shopping Mall in Karama; Lal’s Supermarket in Satwa; Philippine Supermarket in Murraqabat; Ibn Battuta (fastfood parking area) in Jebel Ali; Mega Mall (facing main road) in Sharjah; and Atlas Mall (back entrance area) in Rolla, Sharjah.

According to the Philippine Consulate General, Filipinos are advised to bring photocopies of their passports. Those who have casted their votes in the 2007 mid-term senatorial elections still need to register. The registration period will be up to August 31 only, from 9 am to 3 pm.

The OAV’s will be able to choose their country’s next president, vice-president, 12 senators and party-list representative in May 2010.

“This will be one of the rare opportunities for us who are based overseas to have a direct participation in our country’s political process. Everyone should exercise their right of suffrage and elect the right leaders who can really steer the Philippines into becoming a politically mature and economically progressive nation,” explains Art Los Banos, a Dubai-based PR consultant who has a Political Science degree.

Historically, individual votes are crucial to the 12^th and 13^th placer in the senatorial elections. The 12^th senator is usually proclaimed eventual winner several weeks after the elections.

Los Banos, who has participated as an OAV during the May 2004 and May 2007 elections, added: “You will feel guilty if your own province mate lost by a few votes because you failed to register and vote.”

The PEACE and FORAC hotlines are 050-3516729 and 050-7456452. Both auto clubs have been initiating other civic activities in the UAE such as fund-raising efforts for poor families needing decent homes in the Philippines through the Gawad Kalinga community development program.

For more information:

050-3516729                           050-9031204

Lou Natanawan                      Liza Conception

PEACE                                   FO

Well, here it goes! I just nominated my blog to The Philippine Blog Awards 2009, and I’m very nervous. This is the first time I’m doing this, and looking at the blogs that won last year’s awards, I still don’t think my blog has what it takes to even be nominated (getting cold feet here…). Due to the work I have, my schedule doesn’t allow me to always update my blog. Most of the time, I tend to back date some blog posts because the things I am posting should have been posted last week or even last month! I am sure I am going to learn a lot from this experience, there are a lot of things I still don’t know about blogging that I want to learn through the blogging community and I hope this awards will pave the way for that.

I nominated my blog in the “Personal” category and in the special award category “Filipino Abroad” (since I work here in Dubai). I don’t know if it is possible to nominate one blog in two categories, I used two email addresses to do so (you can only use one email address per nomination, if I did it wrong I hope someone can enlighten me about this). So guys, wish me luck!

For those out there who has a blog and wants to join or if you want to recommend someone else’s blog, fill up the Nomination Form.

But yes, Facebook has some good traits. I particularly love its minimalistic design which doesn’t allow you to change your profile’s or pages’ design and its ability to tag photos. The thing is you just lack privacy. I hate it when everybody can comment on your photos just because they can and there’s no way to control it!

Friendster, on the otherhand, can boast of its testimonials functionality. In the good old days of Friendster, you would find heartwarming and touching testimonials. Although good testimonials are hard to find nowadays, having them is still better than those wall posts I’ll ever receive in Facebook.

The heartwarming and touching testimonials from your close friends or kind words of appreciation from new friends you invited or from people whom I rarely (if ever since I’m abroad) get to see again. I would never have gotten in touch with them if not for Friendster and its “jolog-ness”.

I just miss the good old days of Friendster. It’s just no good now because almost everyone I now has already migrated to Facebook (and is now busy harvesting the crops they have planted in Farmville), but whatever everybody say, Friendster would always have a special place in my heart (ang jologs…).

By the way, if you have read this far, penge naman ng testi!

On March 24, 2008, the Aquino family announced that the former President had been diagnosed with colon cancer. While she had initially been informed by her doctors that she had only three months to live, Cory pursued chemotherapy. The treatment caused both heavy hair loss, loss of appetite and immunological problems. In public remarks made on May 13, 2008, she announced that blood tests indicated that she was responding positively to the medical treatment.

By July 2009, Cory was reported to be in a very serious condition and confined to Makati Medical Center due to loss of appetite and chronic baldness. It was announced that Cory and her family had decided to cease chemotherapy and other medical interventions.

Cory died of cardiorespiratory arrest after complications of colon cancer at the age of 76 on August 1, 2009, 3:18 a.m., at the Makati Medical Center.

Source: Wikipedia

I will never see the 15th day of March as ordinarily as before. Today marks the beginning of my new life with my girlfriend (and future wife!) Rachelle. Finally, after a month of courting her, she decided to give me her sweeetest “YES” that made us officially “together”. But it’s not as usual as it sounds, she didn’t give me her answer the traditional way (as in I asked her and she said “Yes”).

When I visited her at her place earlier, she had me listen to a song on her phone, telling me that she heard a song and wants to share it with me. She also said that surely I will like it. As it turned out, the song was “Feels Like Home” sang by Chantal Kreviazuk. True to her word, I did like the song, with its soft melody plus the enchanting voice of Chantal made the song very appealing to my ears.  As I listened to the song, I was surprised to find that I can relate to its lyrics. It just purely conveys my feelings for Rachelle: how I feel when I’m with her, how my heart beats when I see her again, how lonely my life was before I met her and how it became happy again when she came. As I was in reverie over the song, I suddenly realized that it was her that wanted me to hear the song, not the other way around. So I quickly gave her a quizzical look! And I found her staring back at me with anticipation. Not hearing the song, she asked me what part of the song was already playing. Before I could utter an answer, the last part of the second stanza was already playing with these lyrics:

If you knew how much this moment means to me, and how long I’ve waited for your touch. If you knew how happy you are making me, I never thought that I’D LOVE ANYONE SO MUCH…

Honestly, I was caught off handed. She must have seen my reaction over the song that I saw her smiling back at me when I looked at her again after the song. I asked her if that was the answer I was waiting for and she nodded…

At that exact moment I was engulfed by unexplained bliss that I just hugged her instinctively. Oblivious to the rest of the world, I took her hand and gave it a light kiss. I thanked her for trusting and believing me and for loving me back. Today instantly became one of the happiest days of my life!

I have to give it to her, she has style. I never would have suspected that she’d do it like this. And I am very thankful it happened this way, for if not, it would not have been this special…

With Rachelle in my life, I truly feels like home…

Feels Like Home- Chantal Kreviazuk

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Suffering from leukemia since last year, Francis M. (as he was popularly known) succumbed to multiple organ failure “secondary to severe sepsis and secondary to pneumonia.” according to his doctors at The Medical City hospital. It was first announced publicly in Eat Bulaga by Vic Sotto minutes after his passing away.

Francis kept the public up-to-date about his condition through his blog “A Free Mind” in Multiply.com where he posted pictures and entries about himself while undergoing treatment.

The Master Rapper is survived by his wife Pia Maria Arroyo-Magalona and his eight children, including celebrity Maxine Magalona.

Finally, some good news…

Just this afternoon, my boss visited me in my cubicle and handed me an envelope. I became very nervous… For a week now rumors has been spreading that the company would be reducing its workforce due to the current global financial crisis. But when I looked at my boss, she was smiling at me. Curiously, I took the envelope and opened it.

To my surprise, the letter turned out to be a promotion letter! I was reassigned to our company’s new website project and was appointed as a team leader. I was very happy.

I’m glad that despite of the crisis, our company still recognizes the efforts of its employees and does not stop to think of ways to inspire and motivate us.

Wish me all the luck in my new position, guys! Hope I can live up to my superiors’ and our company’s expectations.