DISCRIMINATION ON DIVORCE or SEPARATED WOMEN

Why do women file a divorce, get annulled, or separated from their husbands? Well there are different kinds of grounds. Though it may be true that some, found to be at fault in the separation, it may also be true that many women are victims of maltreatment, unfaithfulness, and denial of their rights, just to name a few.

Yet after a legal separation, either divorce or annulment, discrimination is the cancerous attack for us women! Many people see us like individuals not worthy to love, to be loved, to get married again, to build our own family. Especially if we have children and they live with us, seem to be a big issue. But why?!

Everyone is entitled to be happy, to stand after a fall. Yet how can we achieve this when people discriminates us, and denies us the right to stand, to be proud, and live a normal life that every woman deserves?

Will it be a clear vision that after a woman trusts a man, get married, share all that she have, yet failed and get separated, do not have the chance to live a life with joy with a man she could spend with, her old age? What a pitiful scenario for all of us women who can't tell if we may have a successful marriage or not! That after a failure, it will be like a Scarlet Letter worn on every woman's neck being discriminated and mocked by everyone and be treated like someone who got AIDS and already incurable!

What a lousy belief! What a cruel society! What a judgmental people who maltreats every woman like me! God bless all of you who look down on us!

i took a little trip to my home town
i only stopped just to look around
and as i walked along the worn out street
my heart beat into a hasty retreat

retreat into the past under a star apple tree
remembering my high school sweetheart with mirth and glee
how we picked wild flowers and chased butterflies
and made promises that would never die

now my sweetheart is nowhere to be found
like a soft drifting snow that banished without sound
alas! my foot steps brought me to where she lies
where lonely birds of prey dances and flies

with a grieving heart i uttered a mournful cry
dear Lord, tell my sweetheart...
she was loved with that love that never, never dies.

(written by Mr. Melvin Paniza)
thanks for sharing it to me Tang :)

FRUIT OF LOVE

Why would a woman choose to get wed to a man? Some of you may say, "I need a man beside me for comfort, for security, for love." Yet many of us would say, "I wish to share a life with someone who will cherish and love me forever until we both shall live, with offsprings to love and rear as FRUIT OF OUR LOVE and of God's wonderful blessings."

This article is overdue to be written and be posted in this blog, but however busy I may be, may this be my way to congratulate the couple; Mr. & Mrs. Wojciech Grubba, for their first baby, and big thanks for sharing with us their Fruit of Love; Baby Mark, my godson in Warsaw.

Baby Mark, may our loving Father bless you with good health, may you grow up a God-fearing, loving son to your parents, kind-hearted, and a man with wisdom to be God's shepherd in your time.

Hope to see you all very soon!

Belly Dance

In the Arabic language, belly dance is known as raqs sharqi, literally means "oriental dance" or sometimes raqs baladi, which literally means "national" or "folk" dance.

Raqs Sharqi is a form of a dance with the more theatrical version & the one most popular in America today. Raqs Baladi is a form of a social dance performed for fun & celebration, usually during festivities.

Three (3) years ago, I got fascinated on belly dancing and even bought a copy of these Filipino women in showbiz who are teaching the basic steps in belly dancing. Watching them dance, it's really exciting to learn coz' it's so sexy, entertaining, and very healthy.

Thinking on how to make myself healthy... I thought of working out in the gym, playing hoola hoop, and even dancing. With a very busy schedule at work, sitting on my swivel chair and working in front of the computer almost the whole day, I really believe that I should find time to exercise.

So now, I'm back in BELLY DANCING :)

In belly dancing, both mental & physical benefits. Dancing provides a good cardio-vascular workout and helps increase both flexibility and strength. It focuses on the torso or "core muscles" and builds leg strength. Learning the isolation, contraction, I could feel my body moves, and parts of my body feels like being isolated from other parts. This dance also focuses on the pelvic and hips area which reminds me of my posture all the time, coz' in performing the dance emphasizing the pelvic and the hips, I need to stand smart and move gracefully.

I want to learn more of the dance, but I just don't have much time and so I'm contented with browsing the net and executing it through the dances I watch from youtube :) Pretty cool, it's amazing coz' I am too interested with it and I'm loving it ;)

To name a few of the steps, these are:

1. The HEAD SLIDES - it is when you isolate your head when gently contract the muscles on the nape and slides ear towards the elbow (arms over the head, hands cross over the other & pressed)

2. The SHOULDER SHIMMY MOVES - twisting rib cage forward alternately when arms are on the basic position

3. The SHOULDER ACCENTS - bringing shoulder sharply forward alternately when arms are in basic position

4. The SNAKE ARMS - it is when we roll back our shoulders alternately and do the snake move in rolling the shoulder back, move elbow on side, stretch the hand on side, position in a form of wiping the wall, and fingers down

5. The CHEST CIRCLES - it is moving the chest forward, to the right, contract on back, move to the left, and back to position, doing this in a circular movement

6. The UNDULATIONS - facing the left side, step left foot forward, contract to front, then stretch your body up with right toe pointed on right side, right heel step flat back on the ground, contract back bending the knees, and back to position

7. The REVERSE FIGURE EIGHT MOVES - feet slightly apart, arms in basic position, move right hips on the back, then move to side, forward, and center, do the same on your left, gently forming an 8 shape

8. The MAYA or INFINITY MOVES - arms in basic position, step right hips out, then up, contract the muscle to bring it in, then drop. do the same on your left

9. The HIP LIFTS - stand on one leg, the other pointed forward, frame hip on one hand while the other is over the head. lift the hips, and back to position doing it alternately

10. The HIP DROPS - stand on one leg, the other pointed forward, frame hip on one hand while the other is over the head. lift the hip contracting up, and drop the hip. doing this alternately with a variation...

Never start dancing without your arms and legs warm up, and exercising the abovementioned moves or steps.

TRIVIA: Do you know that SHAKIRA was a Colombian belly dancer before she made it to her singing carreer? Well it's very obvious with her "HIPS DON'T LIE" MTV ;)

BUWAN NG WIKA

(August as Month of Philippines' National Language)

MANUEL LUIS QUEZON y MOLINA, born on August 19, 1878 in Baler, Aurora, Philippines, was the FIRST Filipino President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines under US occupation rule in the early period of the 20th century. He left to Filipinos a very famous quotation saying, "I prefer a country run like hell by Filipinos to country run like heaven by Americans, because however bad a Filipino government might be, we can always change it". President Manuel L. Quezon is known as the "Father of the National Language", who united Filipinos in using Tagalog as their common dialect and Philippines' National Language.

Pres. Manuel L. Quezon

August each year, every school in the Philippines is celebrating "Buwan ng Wika". In Montessori School, they showcased different Filipino costumes from its 3 main islands; Luzon, Visayas, & Mindanao.



Kobe is wearing a Filipino men's Barong Tagalog while Jobenne is wearing Luzon's Baro't Saya (tarik) popularized by late-President Marcos' First Lady Imelda Marcos. Proud moms Ms. Khei & Ms. Nhey are all-out support for this competition.

Everyone was happy when Jobenne was awarded 3rd Runner-up amongst 12 candidates who represented their own respective classes.

Jobenne is considered "born winner"

Mabuhay ang bawat Pilipino na ipinagmamalaki ang kanyang Wika!

Joyce Bea

7th Birthday Party

August 23, 2008

Garden Dine Restaurant

Balibago, Angeles City, PHILIPPINES

Filipinos are very known as people who loves merry-making, & with their hospitality who are very accommodating to their guests. For moms, it is always an exciting part to prepare a feast for their daughters' 1st, 3rd, 7th, 13th, & 18th birthday. Very significant for kids to celebrate how they passed their infancy, childhood, teen-age lives, and in facing their early adulthood. Not mentioning how is the preparation for wedding... well, not all women receives this blessing for matrimony.

Almost 3 months preparation, it was truly stressful and exhausting. From booking the venue, choosing the dishes to serve for the guests, contracting a photographer/videographer, the perfect designer/maker/couturier for the gowns, choreographer for the dance numbers, down to the cake design & its maker, give-aways, slide presentation, flower arranger, to the smallest things of the invitation, give-away photos, guests' sign boards, and the tarpaulin.

My Princess Joyce Bea turned 7 on August 27, 2008 but I have prepared a birthday party for her on August 23, 2008 as this date falls on a Saturday, which also marked the date of my pretty young lady's (Jobenne) 11th birthday.

A big thanks to my cousin; Elle, who had Bea's pictorial for her give-away photos, guests' sign boards, invitations, & tarpaulin, she designed them too. She was also the very artistic designer behind the special gowns which Bea wore that evening. Designs which then were made by Tita Rachel; also Bea's Cotillion dance choreographer & her make-up artist for that special night.

Since these pictures were from our digicam brought by our super Tita Rachel coz' our photographer/videographer haven't released any picture yet, some selected pictures are hereto attached for public viewing:

It is my pride to introduce my beloved princess to our 188 guests, our darling princess, JOYCE BEA...

With that lovely smile as she walked on isle...

wearing her princess gown which floats the beauty she possess.

A group picture with her Cotillion de Honor & friends...

Our pretty celebrant with her escort; Christian





Alethea Erin; Bea's flower girl & balloon bearer that night.

Blooper: She doesn't want to hold the candles & distribute them to the candle sponsors because she was afraid that those candles will be burnt on her hands... oh! sorry little darling if we scared you...






Among Bea's 7 Roses sponsors, Tito Ding gracefully danced our celebrant as they both smiled to the audience.

After the 7 Roses, comes the 7 Balloons Wishers where Kuya Renzo; Bea's 3rd cousin wished her good health.

Joyce Bea's Birthday Party Part 2

One of the Candle Sponsors is Bea's only sibling; Ate Jobenne who wished her HAPPINESS all through her life, and to share joy to everyone as her name JOYCE BEA signifies someone who shares joy and happiness.

After all 7 candle sponsors shared their wishes for Bea, Mommy Nhey lit all 7 candles on Bea's birthday cake, everyone sang a birthday song, and Bea uttered her wish and blew her birthday candles.

Bea's back-up dancers were her cousins, friends, with Ate Jobenne as their choreographer inspired by Marian Rivera's dance craze: Chichiquita & "So Sexy"

For the 2nd part of the Program, Bea wore her Princess gown; again designed by no other than her Aunt Elle & made by her Tita Rachel. 7 fairies were called to share their gifts and wishes for the lovely Princess Joyce Bea, where her best fairy Mommy Nhey tried to hold her tears as she wishes LOVE for her little darling, reminding her to remain a cuddly, and a loving person.

It was a very tiring party, yet the tres mujeres kept a pretty smile on them.

A very successful party deserves a big SMILE from the people behind its success. Tita Zay (upper right) designed Bea's lovely slide birthday presentation played on Windows Media Player with the use of a projector while everyone is waiting for the 2nd part of the program, she stood as P.A. to Mommy Nhey as the Events organizer & stage director. Tita Ems with boyfriend Tito Angel as perfect couple stood as the Program Hosts. Dalikhel Jade; Tita/Ninang Dolly's youngest daughter also joined the fun :)

To everyone who joined us that night, you made the event a memorable one for our little darling Bea. Our thanks is not enough to express our gratitude and so we ask the good Lord to bless each and everyone of you.

Joyce Bea, we wish you good health, wisdom, happiness, and all the success which life may offer you as you grow up a God-fearing person. We love you baby!

STALKER? OBSESSED? POSSESSIVE...

Got any?

When do we say that you've got a stalker?

When someone is prowling or sneaking on you with unlawful intentions, whoaaaa! Beware! You've got a STALKER!

I'm not a beauty titlist,

not even an International artist.

I'm not a politician,

nor a pretty queen of England!

But hallelujah! I've got a STaLKer!

A stalker has one main purpose: someone who wishes CONTROL... He could be a stranger, but he could also be someone whom you know and is doing things against your will.

The following are some of the characteristics of a stalker:

1. Jealous

Oh! We don't have any intimacy...

2. Narcissistic

But what have I done? Why be conceited?

3. OBSESSIVE and compulsive

It's about the past, the root cause of it all why there's discomfort, but is it my fault?

4. Falls "instantly" in love

Oh! guard your heart!

5. Manipulative

Only one special person can manipulate me, no one else (raised eyebrows)

6. Unable to take "no" for an answer

Then let me answer, "never"

7. Deceptive

Very true! Such a good actor!

8. Unable to cope with rejection

Everyone gets rejected, not only you, not only men to their girlfriends, all of us gets rejected sometimes.

9. Difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality

Stop fantasizing!

10. MAYBE above average intelligence

(wow! but my stalker is not that intelligent!)

I maybe rude! But some of you out there knows how it feels being deprived of your own privacy, of your freedom, and a peaceful environment. They say that most stalkers have above average intelligence... then do act as one!

If you, reading this, is also a stalker to someone, wake up! There are people out there who could love you back, who could show you the importance you long have wanted, who could treat you nicely and love you in reality. Don't waste your time and your precious love for someone who doesn't even know that you exist, and never even treat you like someone very dear to them.

It's a whole, big, wide world after all...