Nothing New

I remember the time my neighbor introduces her children to her friends. 

"Ito si Susan ... maganda siya di ba? At si Natalie ... maganda rin." 

Pagdating kay Maricel ... mabilis ang kambiyo ... biglang liko.  "At ito naman si Maricel ... mabait yan!" 

Psalm 23

 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Pageant Result: Mr. Fitness Supermodel 2023

The winners of Mr. Fitness Supermodel 2023 from left to right: Yi Fang Gao - Canada - Fourth Runner Up, Harshit Arora - India - First Runner Up, Hansel Tran - USA - Mr. Fitness Supermodel 2023- Winner, Kevin Mruskovic - Slovakia - Second Runner Up, and Michael Angel Toledo - Philippines- Third Runner Up.  The pageant was held in Sea Links City in Vietnam last May 20, 2023.

Sino na magko-control sa DZMM Teleradyo?

Direchahan Na

Earning honestly means earning money in an honorable and legitimate way, typically through one's hard work.

There is such a thing as the dignity of labor ... a philosophical holding that all types of jobs are respected equally ... no occupation is considered superior or inferior ... and no people should be discriminated against as successful or non-successful ... or lowly or highly regarded ... on the basis of the color of his skin or its texture.

I have been working in America in the confines of air-conditioned operating rooms (away from the blistering UV effects of the sun) and when I go home for vacation in the Philippines, I spent hours of sun exposure ... giving me the chocolate sun-kissed color.  

Some friends call me crazy for doing that reciting to me some litany of memes and one of those is "nasa carpet ka na ... gusto mo pang bumalik sa banig ..." But I ignored them.

Believe me ... I really appreciate our farmers, construction workers, and all works requiring a lot of sun exposure.  Some people call their jobs dirty, lowly, and menial. But haven't we paused for a while and asked ourselves, who is going to give us rice or vegetable or sugar for our coffee if all of us are doctors, nurses, lawyers, or office workers?

Makati and Taguig will not look that dreamy without construction workers, carpenters, and masonry brick workers.  Who is going to keep our street clean without MMDA street sweepers? And traffic will jam EDSA without traffic enforcers around.

Indeed their jobs require them to brush with filth and squalor ... and their work is regarded as low-grade, blue-collared, and servile. But one thing is sure ... though their work is hard they are very proud to say they earned their hard-earned money thru the honest route ... compared to politicians and drug lords who looked too noble and crisp in their barong ... but people talk behind their back ... the ways and means they earned their money to feed their children ... and clothe them with nothing but the best.

A Sorry State

When the TV Patrol showed us the image of Roxas Boulevard overrun with waste ... the morning after every storm, and the inner bowel of the West Philippines Sea regurgitating its toxic industrial debris to the surface ... our natural reaction is a jaw-dropping shock that makes one numb or stupefied.

It showed us a city in decay and the environmental pollutants saying HELLO while we take our breakfast ... it mirrors how public services occupy the lowest on the ladder of the city's priorities.

The idea of a dirty city is everyone's business ... and if sidewalk cleaning is an indicator of good governance then the powers that be at  Manila City Hall should be embarrassed as the city always pales in comparison... vis a vis other Philippine cities. 

After super typhoon Mawar or Betty ... expect the same synopsis and storyline ... when Manila Bay's insides will puke and barf the same nauseating and unsightly trash and rubbish this side of Roxas Boulevard.

Direchahan Na

I agree! Huwag matigas ang ulo! At huwag kang mukhang pera.  Peace of mind muna ... before anything else ... not even the call money will be enough reason and justification ... for the truckload of grief ... when you can't resist the lure of easy money.