On Honesty

Yesterday my aunt resolved a problem she had at work and sent me the software package she ordered for me.

The package was delivered to her office on the day she was working from home. The next day the mail personnel said her coworker who was working from home signed for her package and it was with her.

Last Monday her coworker told her she didn't sign for my aunt's package. The mail personnel said she did and he had left it on the floor of her room. My aunt guessed that it had been misdelivered.

Yesterday, she went to their order fulfillment officer and asked for a replacement product. She was able to get one and shipped it to me overnight.

My problem with this scenario was the lack of honesty from the mail personnel. His story changed from one day to the next. He didn't own up to his mistake. He could have admitted he got confused and delivered it elsewhere. And whoever received that package should have brought it to the proper person or department who handles misdelivered packages. It clearly wasn't for them, they could easily have looked up my aunt's extension and asked.

Honesty is a great trait. What do you do when no one is looking?

For A Cause

Have you ever been roped into fundraising? My husband's church group just enlisted him to participate in one such activity and we have been throwing out some pretty new ideas to raise funds.

Taking advantage of the upcoming holiday season, we have offered his friends catered food in exchange for full page ads on the activity's souvenir program. We have stirred a lot of interest since my husband is known to be a great cook in his church organization.

Another resource would be pressure washing houses to raise funds. I did get him a pressure washer for father's day and it seemed to work well in car washes - another fundraising activity we do. I think it is time to use it to pressure wash an actual house, especially after the fires homes in Southern California need a good clean. We have yet to give out flyers for his church.

And I ordered a sample photo calendar with pictures from all the church organization's events for this year. Hopefully I will get that by tomorrow, if I can get 50 orders, we will be able to raise a decent amount from that as well.

Do you have easy fundraising ideas? Suggestions are always welcome.

Wakes and Tiaras

My husband and I went to our friend's wake last Friday. It was different from the Filipino-style wakes I've been to in the past where there are pews in the viewing room. There was a small sofa where my friend's mother sat to receive condolences and a few chairs pulled back to the walls at each side of the room where a variety of older people sit facing the aisle that the visitors walk to pay their respects.

My friend lay in a coffin at the front of the room, looking like she's sleeping through the gaiety of friends and family meeting and catching up all around her. My husband and I arranged flowers before going and by the time we had gotten there, there were no more people from the Cathedral.

It was literally a pass by viewing where you paid your respects and left. But that wasn't the only thing different. Several of those who came wore tiaras on their heads. They wore all black with silver tiaras on their heads and sometimes silver pins on their dresses.

My husband says they probably belonged to a sorority of sorts, he said he remembered hearing about it in Louisiana. My friend's friends seemed very different from her. They seemed vivacious like they were from New Orleans and they were used to partying. I never thought she was from New Orleans, she was too polished to me.

My friend was always reserved, elegant as though she was born to nobility. She was always very distinguished and proper. But she did have a sense of humor as well.

It was a surprising peek at her life outside of work, so different from what I had thought. Yet it made her more endearing to me. I will always be grateful to have known her...

It's A Girl!

The day started out a bit sad for me because tonight is George's wake. She is beloved by all of the church staff and is sorely missed. This afternoon when I heard my boss say she was going up to HR to get movie tickets, I thought it just wouldn't be the same getting movie tickets from another person...

But this morning, from out of the blue, my friend Ninna IMs me. My highschool roommate of 4 years just had her first baby, a baby girl named Alejandra Mireya. I felt so happy for my roomie that my mood changed for the most part of the day. Welcome to the world, Alejandra Mireya! May you bring joy to your parents every day of your life and may you be the kind of person that touches other peoples lives and makes them a little better by knowing you. You have a head start, your mom is that type of person! Congratulations, Anna & Hans!

Generations on Giving

We were talking about this current generation's decreased propensity in giving to churches - unlike the older currently retiring or dying out generation that was more generous in tithing.

When I think about the Legacy Wall in my husband's church organization where each brick corresponds to $3000 in donation coming from very young people, I'm not sure it is the generation that's the problem. Maybe it is a lack of emphasis on the use of the funds - it's not being used for the pastor's luxury car, it's to make the TV show available around the world so more people can experience the positive messages of christianity! Maybe we are not showing them what our mission is as clearly as we should.

Last night a lot of TV stations and companies have set up donation centers for the victims of the Southern California Wildfires. They are organizing ways for people to give - and as I have noticed before with Katrina and other natural disasters - the current generation have been more than generous. Filling the donation centers with in-kind donations, raising enough money to make a difference in the victims' welfare. Whether all the money gets to the victims is another matter entirely.

Let us remember also that it is in Generation X and Y that the concept of vacationing to volunteer to help out became popular. I think these generations want to be more involved in helping rather than just writing out a check. Their type of giving might have changed, but their generosity can not be questioned.

Touched By The Fire

Although I lived in the Philippines for 27 years before I came to California, a country known to be in the Pacific Ring of Fire, I have never heard of a firestorm until the breakout of these Southern California fires. The Santiago Canyon Fire is just 10 minutes away from us.

The air is heavy with heat - almost like in a desert setting. Smoke fills the air so that you can hardly breathe, almost like you are drowning in polluted air. Even the color of the sun is different a red orange that you would see only in pictures of desert landscapes.

It feels ominous as the mountains are almost invisible due to the smoke. The particles from the fire along with the Santa Ana winds mimicking a sandstorm.

I had a dream of being in a room burning down all around me, but of course in that dream I was insulated from actually feeling the fire. I remember watching the fire consume my room, unable to move or cry out for help, but then the fire stopped. It stopped right in the middle of the room where my altar was. The statue of the child Jesus with his arms open wide seemed to have extinguished the fire instantly and I was safe.

I have never really tried to find out what that dream meant. To me it was a promise of salvation through my faith. So I pray for those who have died because of the fire. I pray for those who have lost their homes. I pray for the brave men and women doing everything they can to stop the fire, to save human lives and livelihood. May their lives be restored and rebuilt better and stronger than before the fire. Amen.

Farewell, George Ester Napper

I got an email at work today, the Human Resources Department had just learned that George Ester Napper had passed away yesterday - October 21, 2007.

When I first joined the Crystal Cathedral, George's office was right outside ours. I passed her everyday to get to my office. She was always early, she always had a smile ready and she'd always ask how you are. It was her sincerity that drew me, she really cared about how you are, how you were feeling, and what was going on in your life. I enjoyed her thoughtfulness and motherly advice. She really helped me adjust to working here in the US and working for a nonprofit.

I was truly sad when we moved offices and Human Resources was tucked away on the fourth floor.

I made it a point to walk with her when I see her heading my way. She always had short bits of great wisdom to give away. She reminded me a bit of my grandma, she was a very strong woman yet very gentle at the same time.

When her husband died, I saw how sad she was - even if she always had a smile ready for everyone. Through her pain she still managed to make other people's lives a bit better. The last time we talked, she said she was going on a trip to Europe - something she and her husband planned before he died - and I told her that I had always wanted to see Europe. She said go now, don't wait until you get old, go while you can still enjoy it! I told her I plan to go soon...

Farewell, George Ester Napper... I pray that you find peace and happiness with our Lord. Thank you for touching my life in such a positive way. You will truly be missed!

I Want This - Post #1

I'm starting an I Want This post series. This series will contain something I really want to buy at a certain point in time, but am not likely going to buy.

Things I really don't need, but I think is really cool like this Harry Potter hard cover box set. I love sets, I like things to match at home. And I love children's books. I've wanted to buy books for my future kids since I was in high school! And I want to get this boxed set for my future kids to stir the creative juices in their minds - maybe one of them will even grow up to be a writer - who writes bestselling books that will make him/her rich. Hey, just a thought...

Ecofriendly Sites

I was reading my daily dose of what's new in technology today from Webware, which has really become one of my all-time favorite reads, when I came across this featured website Green Deals Daily. It lists deals on green products like organic food, apparel, hybrid cars, etc. I have heard a lot of people say that green products are more expensive than normal ones and this site aims to help us find affordable solutions to our climate change problem.

I think we should support sites like these that aim to inform people about how to help our environment. I was all for the Live Earth projects, had fun checking my carbon footprint - which was very good - but aside from having it as my screensaver I have done very little to help the environment.

I bought my mom a desk lamp that uses energy-saving light bulbs last night. She has broken two since she moved June of last year - both of them were halogen bulb ones. They said that switching to these light bulbs saves 75% of the energy you would use for standard light bulbs. Topbulb.com says, "If every household in the U.S. replaced one standard light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road." One million cars, all we have to do is replace one standard light bulb with a compact flourescent one. Do your part!

A lot of people don't know this and I think blogs who educate people about such energy-saving information need to be applauded. Blogs like TreeHugger and IdealBite are worthwhile reads to help us stop global warming.

"We are all responsible for climate change and we all must be part of the solution." - Carbonfund.org


Need help with your carbon footprint? Carbonfund.org is another helpful site that makes it simple for anyone, or any organization, to reduce and offset their carbon emissions. It teaches readers to save energy and offset the carbon emissions they cannot do without.

These are just a few of the tools available to us right now. I'm sure there are more out there that aims to help our environment. Give them kudos and show your support! Remember it's a team effort to save the world. Do your part!

Looking Professional From Day One

My husband was studying this marketing kit for an upcoming concert produced by one of his friends. The flyer included a hodgepodge of the artists' photos and the production companies' logos. I am not a fan of the collage style when it comes to posters or flyers. Somehow it seems rather unprofessional and that's just me - imagine what your prospective sponsors will think.

As a startup company, there are some cost-cutting techniques we need to apply to compete with the "big boys", but skimping on your marketing kit is not one of them.

There are a lot of tools out there that makes professional-looking flyers, brochures, etc. I have always used Microsoft Office to make quotations, receipts, and other official documents. I thought the old templates were great, but you should see the new ones available online - they're such an improvement from the old ones they look as though you had them custom-printed for your business.

I've used both Microsoft Publisher 2007 and Photoshop to design marketing materials. I'm not a graphic artist, but I've seen corporate marketing materials and I have a general idea of what they should look like. Simple lines, but eye-catching and original. Stick with the vital information and leave out the storytelling. I've been surprised by how many big companies have called me back after receiving corporate quality marketing materials.

Running a home-business doesn't necessarily mean it's ok to present clients with documents that look home-made. I believe in power-dressing in more ways than one. These documents give your client a sneak peek into the quality of your service. If you can't present decent documents, what kind of service will you render? Don't waste your talent by giving your prospective clients a reason to doubt the standards you adhere to - look professional from day one. If you are not a do-it-yourselfer, have someone make the documents for you. It's definitely worth the effort!

High Tech Volunteering

Volunteering in church has gotten more high tech than most of us realize. I just finished doing the layout of our church group's newsletter.

I volunteered for the job because I remembered enjoying myself during my marketing days doing such layouts. I used Adobe Pagemaker back then, I loved how easily I could produce marketing materials in it.

Sadly, Pagemaker is now obsolete and I never really got to know InDesign. So when I took on the task, I decided to reacquaint myself with Microsoft Publisher.

I was able to buy the 2007 version that looks so different from the old editions. It was daunting at first, but eventually I figured out what to do. It's a visual tool so I played with it - I'm not a big fan of reading manuals or documentation. When I got the hang of it, I actually enjoyed laying out our newsletter! I think it's my creative side struggling to come out.

So look for it in your inbox or on Saturday's big event, the first issue is headed your way! Do you remember the days of cutting and pasting articles into a newspaper size cartolina for laying out the schoolpaper? We've definitely come along way...

Feedburner: Two Thumbs Up!

Bloggers, do you allow your users to subscribe to email alerts from your Blog? Last Saturday I finally found the time to check out Feedburner, which I have seen used in a lot of my friends' blogs and now I know why. It was very easy to figure out and install in my blogger account.

I am not very fond of e-mail alerts because they are often cluttered with ads and other promotions I do not particularly enjoy seeing in my inbox. I like the clean look and feel this email has, it doesn't even look like an email alert - it's almost like a personalized e-mail from a friend. It feels very professional as well, especially the simple footer links that explain that "You are subscribed to email updates from OC Pinay", "To stop receiving emails you may unsubscribe now" and "If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to OC Pinay, c/o Feedburner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610."

And to promote themselves, a simple "Email Delivery powered by Feedburner" was used in the footer very subtly. Now that's service!

To anyone who needs an email subscription service for their blog, I will definitely recommend feedburner. Two thumbs up from me!

Living Behind The Lens

I love pictures, I would save my whole life in pictures if I could. But then I'd have to be looking at life behind a lens - and I don't think that's much fun at all.

If I had the skill and the talent, I would build a studio for babies and pregnant moms-to-be. I think babies are the most beautiful creatures on earth and happy moms-to-be come in at a close second.

I love taking pictures of children playing or birthday parties - but it would be much better if they posed for the camera in cute outfits - think Anne Geddes! Halloween is coming, moms are busy searching for the perfect costumes for their little ones. They will be so adorable!

Then, in my free time, I can travel and take pictures for travel magazines. I don't think I'd have the courage to take pictures of wild animals - but I think I can handle landscape photos. I think I'd enjoy that and my pictures won't look too bad, especially with creative Photoshop techniques. I saw that really good book about Landscape Photography at Barnes and Noble today, but I already had my maximum allotment of two books to buy before I saw it so I had to put it back on the shelf.

By the way, my photographer friend has a lot of good things to say about Adobe Lightroom - he said it made his workflow much easier. I read up on this software, it makes non-destructive edits of your photos. Plus you can repeat your edits on a group of pictures, say five of them are too dark you only have to edit once and it applies to all 5. It seems like a real timesaver. Good job, Adobe!

The fun part about photography is the fact that my husband enjoys taking pictures too - so when I don't feel like taking pictures, my husband does it for me. Now isn't that sweet? We're able to capture more memories because we share the hobby.

It Rains in California

It's raining. I was watching the TV show Private Practice tonight and Dr. Addison Montgomery woke up several times to the rain. Contrary to her dreams of a year-long summer, it does rain in Los Angeles.

As I was watching the show, entertained by the three lead women's dysfunctional relationships, I got to thinking of what it was like when I was single - when all my friends were single and we went out into the world looking for magic.

How surprised we were when we found out that it will not be handed to you on a silver platter - that we would have to meet quite a few Mr. Wrongs and Mr. Right Now before meeting The One. Well maybe not for everybody, but that was certainly what my life had been like.

We spent so much energy trying to second-guess the person we were interested in - did they like us? How do we know? What are the signs? We had so much anxiety over persons who probably weren't even thinking about us at all.

Such were the worries of the young and the single... Do I miss those days?

Sometimes I do, when I try to write I do. It's just that when you're consistently happy, you get lulled into thinking that there are no big conflicts out there - that it will always be sunny for you. It's not always sunny, it rains in Orange County. But the rain is good, we need the rainy days - we need it to feel alive.

We need the rain to spice up our life with a little variation. It cleans the air and gives the ground that distinct shower-fresh scent. I welcome the rain now - even though I am partial to the sun - I welcome the rainy days because it stirs echoes of the writer I used to be. It brings depth to this constantly happy person that I've become... Or maybe, it's just 2 AM and I can't sleep - and it's raining outside mmmm... The warm covers sure feels wonderful tonight...

Resurrecting Brownstone Architecture

With all the new construction homes available now with the Traditional, Spanish and Craftsman style variations, I think I am falling in love with the new Brownstone Architecture that a few companies have been introducing.

The picture on the left was taken from the Built Environment Blog
it's a picture of Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. I remember that the house on Sesame Street had the same basic look, I think that show was supposed to be based somewhere in this neighborhood.

It's not really a new style, but developers in California are putting a new spin on it. The first building type home I fell for was the Santiago Street Lofts in Santa Ana. It's on a commercial/residential zone, the first floor of the structure may be used as a home office. The only problem with these lofts are their location, they are built too close to the train tracks (an upscale version of Home Along Da Riles?).

Santiago Street Lofts

Another development I noticed is the City Place, which is located beside my favorite Barnes and Noble store. It provides retail spaces in the first floor with 2-car garages, then living spaces in the upper two floors. I love the thought of going downstairs and there's your office! Of course it's not a family home type of dwelling, but while we don't have kids I'd love to live in a loft like this.

The City Place Lofts

Temptations: Just Say No

Temptation comes in many forms when you are happily married.

Yesterday I set out to buy a hawaiian dress for a casual gathering we will be attending in this motiff. I went to our local Hilo Hattie store and was definitely not tempted to wear the long mumus that mostly older ladies wore. I grabbed a few short and sleeveless dresses, even one I knew I was never going to buy because it was one of those string halters that ended in a revealing x on your back.

I found a dress I positively loved, it was dark green (I couldn't find a picture of it, but the cut is similar to the one in the picture) with a not-so-busy small floral prints. I usually get an XL nowadays, but I couldn't find any and tried on the large, it fit perfectly - except for the fact that I felt it was too short.

My legs are one of my best assets and the dress actually complimented the shape of my legs. I had a hard time deciding if I will get it or the longer but less appealing print dress. I was going to get the shorter one when upon stepping out of the fitting room, I saw the exact dress in XL. I rushed back and it was quite a bit longer. I got the larger size even if it wasn't quite as sexy as the other, I felt that it was more appropriate for a married woman.

Do you sometimes feel that way when you're buying clothes? I do want to look attractive for my husband, but there is looking attractive and looking too available. I think I now understand why my mother stopped wearing really shorts shorts - saying it didn't suit her anymore. I know it wasn't because her legs had a problem, my mom has great legs, it's the appropriateness of wearing the short shorts that didn't suit her as a married woman. You go, mom!

My Dad and Fatherhood 2.0

I read this article in Time Magazine entitled Fatherhood 2.0 the other day. It discussed the question, "Does being more of a father make you less of a man?" to a group of dads who have elected to stay at home with their kids. In the article Michael Kimmel, author of Manhood in America, cited that men today are more involved with raising their kids than any other time in history.

My dad is a very involved father. When I was very young my pediatrician said I had weak lungs so everyday before work my dad would drive me and my mom to the beach to take in some fresh air. He would take us to and from school, take us to the playground and babysit us while my mom cooked or shopped for groceries.

I think my sisters and us grew very close to him, we would always ask his advise and talk to him about the things that are going on in our lives. My dad is a great listener and is the smartest person I know.

What I love about him is how he seemed to wonder at our skills, talents, everyday habits. Often when I stayed in my room to read, he would come by just to check on me, sometimes he would stay and talk to me for a little while - sometimes he'd just watch me work or study. He loved and longed to spend time with us - and that was what made me the envy of all my peers then. A lot of the girls I grew up with envied the fact that my dad was there for me all the time.

I guess in that sense my dad was ahead of his time. Is he less of a man than he would've been if he wasn't so involved with parenting? I don't think so. I think it makes him a better man for being a great father.

I know my husband wants to be that kind of dad to our future kids. I pray that he is able to be, I hope he is able to experience all the wonderful memories my dad has of us growing up. My husband has a gentle, generous and nurturing heart - just like my dad - I hope he has a chance to nurture his own daughter as well.

Watching TV Online

My boss had told me about full episodes of TV shows being offered online when we studied the different types of video players online. Enjoying my shows just fine on my wide screen, I never thought to try watching TV shows on my computer - until Saturday night when my husband decided he wanted to watch that HGTV show for the nth time.

Of course, the first show that came to my mind was the pilot episode of Numb3rs, which I missed to accompany my husband so that he wouldn't be driving alone in the early morning hours for his vigil. I tried watching it on my video editing PC, but as soon as the 30-second ad finished the screen went black and nothing happened. I, of course, jumped to the illogical conclusion that I needed to update a software on my PC. I tried playing the video several times, but was unsuccessful.

I switched to my laptop and the same thing happened. Then I decided to play episode 2, that episode played instantly. The pilot video clip was corrupted! Why didn't I think of that to begin with?

Since I had already seen this episode of Numb3rs, I decided to find a show that seemed interesting to me - that my husband would probably not want to watch. I watched this new series called Big Shots about a group of successful CEO's trying to cope with their various relationships with women (wives, daughters, mistresses, coworkers). To me, it seemed like a male version of Desperate Housewives, but it made me laugh a couple of times at the concept - enough times to wonder if a woman had written the pilot.

The experience was not bad at all. I think it would however depend on your hardware, do you have a good graphics card, sound card and a fast internet connection. I didn't mind the smaller screen, I have great LCD monitors. I enjoyed having only 30-second commercial breaks and only about 3 or 4 of them per episode. Having my favorite shows available online, will it affect Tivo and DVR markets? Will it affect how many people watch TV?

I think having my TV shows online does not limit me to a schedule, much like Tivo enables us to watch shows at our own convenient time. If I miss shows, it will still be available online next week so I can keep myself updated. I can pause the show when someone visits unannounced or if I need to do chores in the middle of it.

I give this service an A+ all the way! Thank you network television for acknowledging that online media can make your audience's lives easier.

A Filipino Taro Dessert

Taro [tahr-oh, tair-oh, tar-oh]

1.	a stemless plant, Colocasia esculenta, of the arum family, cultivated in tropical regions, in the Pacific islands and elsewhere, for the edible tuber.

2.	the tuber itself.

taro. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved October 08, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/taro

My husband bought a 343 gram bag of mashed taro from the asian store last week saying maybe we can make ube halaya. Ube halaya is a Filipino dessert commonly served on special occasions like fiestas and birthday parties. Ever since I could remember, my mom always bought it already cooked. I remember my mom trying to cook ube halaya once and putting too much butter in it, but I don't remember how she actually prepared the dessert.

So I went to my ever-trusty recipe resource, the internet and googled the dish. I came up with several recipes which all contained mashed or powdered ube, condensed or evaporated milk, coconut milk and sugar - and butter only to grease the mold you are using.

So there I was, Saturday afternoon with a craving for something sweet. I looked through my cupboards and found all the ingredients I needed. I cooked the taro in coconut milk and condensed milk, tasted the mixture and found it too bland so I added a generous amount of sugar. At first I thought it wasn't going to get cooked, but after a while of manual stirring it began to thicken.

My ingenious husband brought out his hand mixer and used it on the heated mixture. Lo and behold - it thickened almost immediately to peanut butter consistency! We poured it into a 9" round baking pan and let it cool. It hardened like jell-o, it was so easy to make. After refrigeration, it became the ube halaya I knew back in the Philippines. Wow!

This has great possibilities - think inexpensive home-made Christmas gifts!

Maturing Professionally

We watched the Pacquiao vs. Barrera fight with friends last weekend. Pacquiao had knocked out the baby face assassin several years ago, I had wondered what the point was of fighting him again. The sports commentator had remarked on several occasions how Barrera's goal seemed to be putting the audience to sleep instead of Manny.

The older fighter was on survival mode all throughout the fight. He rarely attacked, rarely being rounds 5 and 6, if I remember correctly. The two-round slugfest just proved to Barrera that he could not fight the same style as Pacquiao.

Pacquiao's fighting style had markedly improved. He knew how to dance away from his opponent's punches and caught Barrera several times with his new fighting techniques. He had obviously become a thinking fighter, maturing in his chosen profession. Pacquiao's development was the only interesting about the game to me. It is always wonderful to watch a person growing to become a better version of himself - and in this fight Pacquiao truly was a better fighter. Kudos to you, Manny!

Because You're You

My friend, Rhona, posted Maya Angelou's poem entitled, Phenomenal Woman, on her blog and it inspired me so much. Coming from a vigil adoration with a lot of phenomenal women, my sisters in Christ, I thought this would be a fitting tribute.

Because You're You
by Liza Cordero

There's no need to hide in the shadows,
You do not need to be a super model,
You do not need to be a beauty queen,
Your beauty knows no boundaries.

You are my hero,
There is nothing you can't do
You know how to reach your dreams
I believe in you!



You are my haven,
In my darkest hours,
You are there to comfort me,
In your fragile arms I am safe.

You are my inspiration,
Your grace and generosity has made me a better person
Your selflessness and sacrifices know no limits
Your life is my teacher.

You stood beside your man,
You gave your children your all,
You took the time to help your friends,
Through it all, you were always there.

Daughter, sister, wife,
Mother and friend,
Through your many roles, you brought us faith,
You are my light.

Woman, hold your head up high,
There is no creature more awesome in this earth,
God made you perfect -
Just because you're YOU!

Philippine Education: A Tainted Reputation

I have been very blessed to have attended a few of the best schools in the Philippines. I spent my primary years in De La Salle Zobel, to which I owe my skills on presentations, language, art and the sciences.

It was one of my teachers in DLSZ who introduced me to Philippine Science High School, which takes the cream of the crop of each batch of student applicants and gives them a highly specialized curriculum through their secondary years. We were exposed to accelerated maths and sciences - our language arts teachers honed our critical thinking skills while our creative arts teachers showed us how to complement our science skills with resourcefulness and creative thinking.

And then there was the University of the Philippines, having spent time in both the Diliman and Los Banos campus, I had learned to be independent, they taught us to study concepts on our own - teaching us to improve ourselves as best as we could. Diliman's curriculum being more manufacturing-based while Los Banos is more research-based.

Going full circle, I took my MS IT courses in De La Salle University, which I enjoyed and am finding very useful in my work today.

If I only had this vantage point of the Philippine educational system, I would be extremely offended with Teri Hatcher's dialogue that suggested that our educational system was not up to par with other nations. Especially since I had classmates during my tertiary and master's courses that flew to the Philippines because of its high standard of education.

But I did work with an international recruitment agency, developing an application, and learned that there are some colleges that are blacklisted as pay-for-good-grades or pay-for-diploma types. Also with news exposes about fake diplomas sold in Recto, maybe the Desperate Housewives writer got the wrong impression about our educational system.

If we want to show the world that we have a good educational system, we should run after these people who are tainting its good name. We need to close the schools that do not produce quality graduates because their standards do not meet those of the Philippine educational system. We need to imprison these people who sell fake diplomas, and keep them from giving other countries the impression that our diplomas do not mean as much as another country's.

There are a lot of people who have sacrificed a lot to give us quality education. Our parents have saved and paid good money for it. Our schools have perfected their curriculums so we can have the best education possible. And, of course, we have studied and put all our energies into getting our degrees. It is not right that a group of people looking for profit will take what those degrees mean away from us!

Signs of Affection

Have you ever noticed how as a new couple, people tend to be a little sweeter than when they've been together a long time? When my husband and I got married, I told him that I wished we will stay as sweet as we are until we are old and grey.

I must say there were days when that was so hard to do, especially when we had our disagreements. But my husband is a naturally affectionate person and there are days when I feel that he keeps the romance part of our relationship going more than I do.

He likes hugging and cuddling when we spend time together. I love that about him. He likes sharing stories and talking about problems. I am very lucky to have him in my life and I cherish these everyday signs of affection we share. I think it keeps our relationship strong and steady during the tough times and even through the good times.

Pinoy Basketball

Although football season is in full swing and a lot of pinoys participate in football picks and other games involving the sport, there is no denying that a Filipino's first love is still basketball. In our church, we have this annual basketball league, in which my husband used to play in - now he's just the unofficial team manager.

Our team made it to the championship, against the unbeaten San Gabriel Valley. Our players had a bad start, ending the first half with a score of 2 while the other team had 27 points under their belt.

The second half was much better, they came to a close three point deficit and had two chances to take the win, but unfortunately they did not convert. The whole team felt bad, but I think they gave us a good game, there is always next year.

It was wonderful to see most of the Los Angeles Chapter there to support the team. We cheered our hearts out and rallied the players to an almost-championship. I think it says a lot about the family that is the LA Chapter, we come together in good times and bad - and that in my opinion, makes us all winners.