Friday, November 29, 2013

What's In Store for the Philippines After Yolly

Looking back to my November posts, they're all about super typhoon Yolanda.  Oh, Yolly, why had you left so much infliction to mankind?! That is a very big question to all of us until now that already three weeks had passed.  But do you ever know that this widespread devastation comes with a great purpose?  Now let me share to you this short vid telling us that God had given us warning before He allowed such natural calamity to happen in our country.

                       

It is so frightening, right?  I know you have goosebumps in there!  Some of you may believe and some of you may not believe this.  But the bottom line is, God is calling us to turn back to Him again!  As what was written in the book of Hosea chapter two,
1 "Say of your brothers, 'My people,' and of your sisters, 'My loved one.'

2 "Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. 3Otherwise I will strip her naked and make her as bare as on the day she was born; I will make her like a desert, turn her into a parched land, and slay her with thirst. 4 I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery. 5 Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.' 6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. 7 She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband as at first,for then I was better off than now.' 8 She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold-- which they used for Baal.9 "Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness. 10 So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands. 11 I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days--all her appointed feasts. 12 I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. 13 I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot," declares the LORD. 14 "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. 15 There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. 16 "In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master. ' 17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. 19 I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. 20 I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. 21 "In that day I will respond," declares the LORD-- "I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; 22 and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. 23 I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people, ' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.' "

the "she" or "her" that is referred to in the above chapter of Hosea is Israel.  To refresh you with some history, Israel was the chosen nation to be God's people.  But do you ever know that that doesn't literally mean that only Israel will be saved?  Now take the "she" or "her" as our country, the Philippines and read the above Bible chapter again.  Can you have any inkling of what I'm trying to convey here? 

First and foremost, God is angry to our country!  Why?  It's because, we had turned away from Him.  We had became adulterous in the sense that we had loved other things aside from Him.  And these other things are in the form of our jobs, our businesses, and our studies that take up much of our time.  These other things are in the form of our love for money, love for fame, and love for power that make us forget to have a heart.  These other things are the very precise things that are keeping us away from God! 

And the reason why God permitted the earthquakes and the storm to happen in our country?  That is to serve as a wake up call to us!  God is a jealous god.  He doesn't want a competitor.  He doesn't want a counterpart.  What He wants is the wholeness of our hearts, minds, and entire being.  He doesn't want us to be adulterous so He stripped us away with all that we have - our material belongings, our earthly pleasure, and unfortunately our loved ones.  Our country had indeed experienced God's wrath for us to be left empty-handed.  For with this, God can make His way to us. 

Now be surprised with this!  God has a magnificent plan for our country!  He allowed such trials to take place because He wants us to rise up as one people.  He wants us to turn back to Him and make Him our beloved.  Him and only Him.  Nothing more, nothing less.  He wants us to seek Him and give our lives to Him.  In this regard, we can be His people.  We can find favor in His eyes.  We can be His beloved!

Now for the third time, read the Bible passage again and take the "she" or "her" as you.  Truly in our lives, we tend to be very busy about the world and forget that there is that Divine Creator who is the greatest above all other things.  I am not saying that we should be a priest, a nun, a minister, or a pastor here.  All I'm trying to say is, let us be reminded of what God wants us to be.  God only wants us to turn back to Him.  If one by one we will do this, then God will surely heal our land.  Do you ever wonder what the symbolism of the geographical structure of the Philippines is?  Look closely.


Luzon is the head, Visayas is the body, and Mindanao are the feet.  Now take a look at Palawan.  It is a weapon.  Meaning, the Philippines is a warrior!  A great warrior of God!  If we turn back to Him, the Philippines will rise up into a mighty army of God!  If we turn back to Him, we can be His people again!  But this cannot be an "if" only because this can definitely happen!  As it is written, we had already been betrothed to be God's bride!  In Jesus name!  Amen!
   
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Sunday, November 24, 2013

From Mindanao with Love

After a week of our #TabangGikanSaMindanao campaign, the Formula for Help had finally sailed to Northern Cebu last Sunday, November 17!  This is again, for the goal of coming to an aid to super typhoon Yolanda survivors.  For a week, #TGSM had raised a total of 673 packs of the Formula for Help for Visayas!  


Isn't it great to experience how God works?  For #TGSM is not an organization nor a political pursuit but it is a collaborative effort of the young professionals in Misamis Occidental!  We are all volunteers who are acting upon a call to help.  Now here are some photos of our packing and loading at Suico's residence for the first wave of TGSM's distribution of relief goods:

Packing with the Cool Mom of Suico brothers
Packing with the Corbos, Ma'am Sherile, and Seance 
Filipino Bayanihan Spirit
Strategic Planning for the First Wave of Distribution
#TGSM Team Leader
The Best Volunteer - My Papa
So last Monday, November 18, #TabangGikanSaMindanao had reached Medellin, Northern Cebu.  These were what the team had spotted when they arrived - the tragic aftermath of typhoon Yolanda:   
Photos by Rio de Barras @tazdb143 via Instagram
Then the team #TGSM distributed the Formula for Help.  We hope (as everybody does) that through this, the Yolanda survivors can feel that everybody cares for them.  In this time, there ain't no Luzon, Visayas, nor Mindanao for we are one Philippines!  We are one country in trial and altogether, we will be one country to rise up!
Photos by Rio de Barras @tazdb143 via Instagram
And to all of you who had made this movement possible, thank you once again!  Thank you so much to everybody who had supported, donated and volunteered!  Thank you so much for sending your love to Visayas and that love had finally reached them through the first wave of #TGSM's relief operation.  Thank you to all of us! :)
Kudos to Team #TGSM!
LIKE #TabangGikanSaMindanao on Facebook for more photos!

 #TabangGikanSaMindanao is on its way to its second wave of relief operation for there are still people who made pahabol of their help.  Additionally, a concert for a cause is cookin' up so stay tuned in 100.7 Cool Radio for more info.  
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Saturday, November 16, 2013

One Country, One Nation, One Hope! Bangon Pilipinas!

It has been a week since super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the Philippines.  But for Visayas, it has been a very long and tough week.  Yolanda left a massive devastation not just to the islands but also to the lives of our countrymen.

As what my friend, Christ posted

"...it pains, breaks, and shatters my heart into pieces hearing the news and watching images of Yolanda's aftermath...It's such a heart-gripping and soul-devastating experience to know that while we are sitting in our soft couches and enjoying world's luxuries, our fellow citizens in the other part of the country are starving to death or eitherway doing all the negative means of survival....",
@ceebrensan via Instagram
typhoon Yolanda was no doubt, the most devastating catastrophic event that ever happened to our country this year.  It is so heartbreaking to see the news on TV each night, showing us the grave situation our fellow Filipinos are in right now.

Just like what my braveheart, Alfonso Tomas Araullo posted

"Karen Macamay cradles her 2-year old baby and shelters him from the rain at the Tacloban airport.  Many in this typhoon ravaged city are trying to flee to Manila or Cebu to live with relatives.  Karen knows her aunt is in Quezon City, but does not know where she lives.",

@atomaraullo via Instagram
typhoon Yolanda was indeed, the most cruel natural phenomenon that ever destructed Filipino lives this year.  Thousands of lives were lost and there are still thousands who were left homeless and starving.  They've got no place to go and are really confused on what to do.

However, there is still that spirit of bayanihan amongst the Filipino people.  Everybody took part and are still taking part in contributing whatever they can to at least ease the pain that the typhoon victims are going through right now.  May he be a great business magnate like Lucio Tan who can feed thousands of people or a simple sikad driver like the manong who dropped-in a kilo of rice to the store.  Even a little child who frequents my store also asked me how she could help.  This is just a proof that during this trying time, ALL Filipinos from all over the world are doing their best in sending their love to Visayas.

Just as what TV personality, Bianca Gonzales posted

"Please feel free to do this too in your relief operations.  A little encouragement goes a LONG way.",

@iamsuperbianca via Instagram reposted by @missizacalzado and re-reposted by Dr. Jun Anteola
typhoon Yolanda victims do not only need food, shelter, and clothing for they also need the bread of life.  This personal touch will surely encourage our kababayans to still hope for a sunny day.  That there is still a silver lining!  That there is still a big God who allows this thing to happen for a reason.  Maybe by now we can't understand and tend to question Him.  But someday, God will surely reveal His will to us for His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  What we can do now is to continually pray for Visayas.

Like what fashion blogger, Laureen Uy posted

''Some people are being criticized for posting photos on Instagram not related to Yolanda while others are being criticized for sharing what they're giving/donating.  Deep in our hearts, we all care - almost everyone's helping in little ways that they can.  Just a reminder, We Are One.  Stop the negativity and let's just all love each other and help out.",

@laureenmuy via Instagram
let us be one country, one nation, one hope!  Because we're ALL in this TOGETHER!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Ozamisnons who had dropped-in their donations to Fascino this week!  All donations will go straight to Tacloban through #TabangGikanSaMindanao.  Thank you also to all volunteers who had allotted their time and service in hauling and repacking!  God will surely repay the goodness of your hearts! :)

Opening Fascino for Yolanda Donations
Campaigning for the Formula for Help: 1 kg rice + 2 canned goods + 3 packs biscuits + 1 bottled water
Donations Day 1
Donations Day 2
Donations Day 3
Packing with Tata
Packing with My Pretty Mamutosay, Marvel
Beating the Deadline for Tomorrow's Delivery
Once again, thank you so much fellow Ozamisnons for sharing your love to Visayas! Again, we are one country, one nation, one hope!  Continue praying for the Philippines! :)

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

#TabangGikanSaMindanao

Dear Friends,

As what we had did last 2011 for Bagyong Sendong Relief Operation, let us again move hand in hand in sending our love to our countrymen. In this matter, I am once again appealing to you to extend your help for the typhoon Yolanda victims. With this, Fascino's door is again open for your in-kind donations starting today! You may drop-in the formula for help: 1+2+3+1 patterned from UP Cebu.That's 1 kilo of rice, 2 canned goods, 3 packs of biscuits, & 1 liter of drinking water to Fascino (beside Mom's Sweet Delight, across Kinny's Bakeshop) Gomez St., Ozamis City. Let us still be reminded that prayers can move mountains and it is much better to move forward through actions. For actions speak louder than words. :)



Other drop-off centers are:

Chowking Ozamiz, Greenwich Ozamiz, Bethany Gardens, Purple Yam, Happy Trip Travels & Tours and Oh My! Siomai during store hours.
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Monday, November 11, 2013

Monday Matters: Oplan Damayan Yolanda

Monday Matters is dedicated to all things that matter.

November 8, 2013 - Philippines was hit by the super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), one of the strongest typhoons in history that ever made landfall on planet earth!  Heavily devastated areas were the islands of Visayas namely Samar, Leyte, Northern Cebu, Iloilo, and Capiz.  

If we're going to look back, a war erupted in Zamboanga, Mindanao last September of this year.  A month later, a destructive earthquake hit Visayas particularly Bohol and Cebu.  Then this month, the super typhoon Yolanda.  As a destitute country, do we deserve to experience such calamities?   Can we still survive this testing of time?  But I do believe that everything happens for a reason.  I do believe that God has a purpose for all of these plagues happening to us nowadays.     

As an individual, what can we do in order for us to help?  Of course, we can pray!  That will be our direct answer!  We can pray for all the victims of these war, earthquake, and typhoon.  We can ask God for Him to provide food, clothing, and shelter to those who were afflicted.  But as what I had said in my Oplan Kaagapay (Bagyong Sendong Relief Operation) post, "Prayers can move mountains and it is much better to push forward through actions.  For actions speak louder than words!", I am again appealing to you, my dear blog readers to extend your help for the typhoon Yolanda victims.

In partnership with JCI Manila, we are now accepting donations from local donors.  For cash donations, you may deposit any amount to the following bank details:

Banco de Oro (BDO) U.N. Avenue Branch
Account #:  000560289081
Account Name:  Junior Chamber International of Manila, Inc.

Kindly message JCI Manila Oplan Damayan Facebook fan page here a copy of the deposit slip, with your name indicated on it if you wish to be acknowledged.  

For those who want to donate in kind within Metro Manila area, you may drop-in canned goods, instant noodles, rice, bottled water, blankets, toiletries, medicines, mosquito nets, and outdoor tents to:

JCI Manila Clubhouse
Arquiza cor. Grey Streets, Ermita
Metro Manila
Telephone #: (02) 525-6792
Look for:  Ms. Lisa 


And for those who are within Ozamis City and wish to donate in kind, you may drop-in your donations at 

Fascino (across Kinny's Bakeshop, beside Mom's Sweet Delight)
Gomez St., Ozamis City
Look for:  Ms. Mae (yours truly)

However, donations from Ozamis donors won't be cared of through JCI but through La Salle University instead.   In anyhow, the carrier doesn't matter as long as your donations are in good hands and would surely reach those who are affected by the storm.

I am fervently praying that the Filipino bayanihan spirit lives on.  Let us continue to be one, one country, one people, one for Visayas!  Help Oplan Damayan Yolanda now!
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Friday, November 08, 2013

Typhoon 101

Today, super typhoon Yolanda hits the Philippines!  As a tropical country, we experience being hit by a very strong catastrophic typhoon every year.  As I can recall, 1995 Rosing, 2009 Ondoy, 2011 Sendong, and 2012 Pablo are among the most devastating tropical cyclones  ever, that left a mark in my memory.  Fortunately for us Ozamisnons, we are being protected by Mt. Malindang.  And if you are not that skeptic, you may also believe that the Birhen of Cotta is protecting us.  But for me, I thank God for our strategic location in the map that we are always being spared from these disastrous typhoons!

Though Ozamis is not a typhoon zone, we also have to prepare for we never know what might happen.  It is better to be ready than feel sorry for later, right?  So here are some typhoon tips that may come in handy to you and your whole family:
Photo from Web

Store enough food and drinking water.

As always, these are the basic commodities of man.  We cannot go out during heavy rains and strong winds and groceries and markets might be closed during the typhoon.  So we have to store food and drinking water that would last for at least three days.

Make sure your home is sturdy enough.

Lay out a very strong foundation for your homes to endure gusty winds and flash floods.  If you think your home is not that solid, evacuate to the nearest designated safe evacuation center in your locality.  

Put off electric currents.

Usually, the local electric company cut offs power supply during typhoons.  But if they haven't yet, just put off the power supply within your house by yourself to prevent electrical accidents.

Pack jackets, umbrellas, medicines, flash lights, and valuable things in a knapsack.

Always be ready of these things for we might have the need to flee.  Do not bring in a lot!  Just take note of the very important ones so your load will just be light.

Always monitor news updates.

Stay tuned in local networks so you will be updated of the storm's whereabouts.  Social networking like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is also a big and faster help in spreading updates.  But if the power supply has been cut off, secure a battery-operated transistor radio so you won't be having news blackout.

For people of Ozamis, LIKE Ozamis City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office on Facebook for you to be updated on typhoon news.  Not only typhoons, the agency also conducts disaster awareness seminars and training, fire and earthquake drills, and such.  As a friendly reminder, we ourselves are the ones responsible for our own safety.  So keep safe, Ozamis! :)

   
  
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Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Bye for Now But, "In a While, Crocodile!" ;>

People come, people go.....
Second sem won't be the same without you....
But I have to look forward to welcome a fresh new start.....
With or without you, life goes on though we're apart.....
So I just have to smile....
I know I'm still gonna see you in a while.....
Though I'm missing you today.....
Life still has to be gay!


hashtag "letting go"?
hashtag "closing doors"?
but if he texts, still reply agad2x!  toinkz!?


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Friday, November 01, 2013

Feature Friday: Ozam Halo-Halo Atbp

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

Halo-halo is an all-time Pinoy fave dessert which in English means "mix".  In chemistry, it is the most appropriate concrete example for heterogeneous mixture.  But for me, it is a heavenly food invention composed of yummy goodies which is swak na swak to everyone's palate!  Adult and kids alike love this dessert for it is a concoction of sweet beans, sweet fruits, shaved ice, evaporated milk, and ice cream.  So I was beyond glad to have found the most affordable halo-halo in town which is being served at Ozam Halo-Halo Atbp!


Ozam Halo-Halo Atbp opened last April 28, 2013 at the second floor of Ozamis City Public Mall.  It is managed by Ms. Cheryll V. Galang who aims to provide a place where one must go if in need of sugar fix.  Aside from that, Ozam Halo-Halo Atbp is also an avenue where great food, people, and lively conversation mix.  So it is a good hang-out especially if you and your gang is in a shoestring budget!

Aside from halo-halo, Ozam Halo-Halo Atbp also serves pancakes, siopao, hamburger, and another Ozamis delicacy which is the puto maya (rice cake) with partner sikwate (hot chocolate).  Check out their list of very affordable combo snacks here or better visit them now!

For Ozam Halo-Halo Atbp, I give them two thumbs-up for a delightful halo-halo and a very friendly customer service!  I LIKE Ozam Halo-Halo Atbp and LIKE them on Facebook too!  Just click here for their fanpage.

So for any season of the year, do not count the calories but indulge yourself.  Tag your friends along for an afternoon delight of halo-halo to brighten up your day! :)
    
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