To give or not to give?

My family had our Sunday routine of going to church and spend the day for God. Unlike the previous Sundays where we used to go to the basilica, we went to another church. Unlike the basilica, the church was not that full packed. And so the mass went on. Before the last prayer, some announcements were made including the need for a second collection for a certain improvement of the church. My wife was hesitant because she rather give donation if the intention was for charity. She had this conclusion because before we went inside the church, she saw many beggars and street children.

After the mass, again, we had our little debate. Should we or should we not give?

Her argument was, the church, government and people should give more to those unfortunate and not spend almost all on infrastructures.

Mine was, I think the government, church and people do their best already, its just that some "unfortunates" chose to be "unfortunate".

Im very hesitant to give to mendicants because of a bad experience. I gave a beggar my last coin coz its all i have in my pocket. Maybe she was not satisfied of the amount, she threw the coin in my face. It was whole-heartedly given eventhough the amount was not that big so I was very upset. From that day on, I decided to never give to mendicants instead, only to charity institutions. I also learned that some unfortunates who were relocated and given shelter and basic needs went out of the shelters to return back to the streets and went back to begging.

What seems to be the problem? Well, I think its just a matter of choice. We chose to work hard and earn, and they chose to sleep in the streets and beg. In the end, stopping mendicancy is a very long process. It does not only involve knowing the source of the problem and the solution, it also needs understanding of what comes in between the "SOURCE" and "SOLUTION".

Vague? Im talking of the inbetween letters.. UR and U. What you are is your choice.

World's oldest joke traced back to 1900 BC

The world's oldest recorded joke has been traced back to 1900 BC and suggests that toilet humor was as popular with the ancients as it is today.

It is a saying of the Sumerians, who lived in what is now southern Iraq and goes: "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap."

It heads the world's oldest top 10 joke list published by the University of Wolverhampton on Thursday.
A 1600 BC gag about a pharaoh, said to be King Snofru, comes second -- "How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish."

The oldest British joke dates back to the 10th Century and reveals the bawdy face of the Anglo-Saxons -- "What hangs at a man's thigh and wants to poke the hole that it's often poked before? Answer: A key."

"Jokes have varied over the years, with some taking the question and answer format while others are witty proverbs or riddles," said the report's writer Dr Paul McDonald, senior lecturer at the university.

"What they all share however, is a willingness to deal with taboos and a degree of rebellion. Modern puns, Essex girl jokes and toilet humor can all be traced back to the very earliest jokes identified in this research."

The study was commissioned by television channel Dave. The top 10 oldest jokes can be viewed at www.dave-tv.co.uk.

Bittersweet memories

These days, I just had some sleepless nights. Some "malayo ang tingin" moments and what-ifs these days. Not because I'm into some high school type love affair or what, I'm just being hounded by what some call "bittersweet memories". Memories that made you happy in the past but unfortunately, are the same memories that make you very sad or lonely if remembered today. It's quite ironic that in the past, when these memories were the present, you cherish every moment of it. But today, you do all your best not to remember a bit of it coz it will not only waste so much tearjerky moments but also its useless (or useful..saves me from heart attack!).
To sum it up, we needed these memories anyway, it make our lives..bitter and sweet!

Right or Wrong?

I just had a small debate with a "friend" about how do we know what is right or wrong. He told me that as long as we don't break the law, then it's right. Well thats ok, but then I asked, how do we know that the law we are to obey are righteous in the first place when laws are created by men himself? And men, in the first place again, are like me, confused of how to identify whats right or wrong in the first place again (and again). Confusing? Well yes..and so ironically, that is why we have laws..to erase the existence of..confusion. I think.
(Actually, after our debate, we got more confused.)

Sugar-free

I just had a drink of this famous softdrink brand which boast of being a sugar-free soda and ahhh! And then a minute later I received an SMS from my sister warning me not to drink the "I just bottomed-up soda coz it contains a sort of cancer-causing chemical".
Was I scared? Not at all...why? Well, I think everything now that we eat, smell, touch, hear or what contains cancer-causing chemicals or whatever.. as what the chain SMS or spam emails told us so far. I was amazed reading these emails and SMS that I suddenly felt that the only THING that doesn't contain cancer-causing substance is...NOTHING!
One thing is for sure though, we are all gonna perish, but how and when is never for sure.

7 Wonders of the World

1. Free air to breathe.
2. Free water to drink.
3. Free sunlight so that we don't dwell in darkness.
4. Free Earth to live, take care and appreciate.
5. Free happiness, just look for it.
6. Free religion.
7. Freedom to love and be loved (it depends if you're still free or etc..., hehehe)

My 1st year with Sir Wilson Ng

Yes, it is my 1st year anniversary working with Ng Khai/Esprint and Sir Wilson. In this generation of workers - or atleast for my batch - it is often hard to stay on a company for a long time. There is always the reason of "greener pasture". For me alone, this is my 3rd company in 6 years. Well, the reason was not always the "greener pasture". Sometimes, it is the "better pasture". Right now, honestly speaking, i love my job. True, there are ups and downs. But for me, of the 3 pastures I've been into, this is the better one.

I really appreciated my boss because unlike everyone else of his status, he shares his wisdom. He is more of a teacher to me than a boss. And for me, a teacher can always be a boss also, but it's not always that a boss can be a teacher at the same time. And the 1 year of stay for me is a year full of learning.

To make the long story short, the end of a 1st is always a beginning for the 2nd, hehehe...

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary

And so it was already a year after I got "tied-up", hehehe. Well, almost everybody asked the same question - how will we celebrate it. Honestly, I don't know. My wife has a work that day so there's not much time to plan things out. So I did the simpliest thing of all. I brought our son with me to her office and we both waited for his mom to have a break then we ate together as one family.

It was simple, but we all feel great.

Pit Senor!

As the headline says, no rain could ever stop Sinulog! An overwhelming estimate of 1 million or more devotees attended the procession last saturday (Jan. 19) even under the rain. And that includes us. It was a bit scary though but in the end, it only proves 1 thing - faith can only be called faith if you practice it only with faith. I was teary-eyed during the mass, I could only imagine the power that made all these people gather together and pray as one. As the priest has said during the homily, it's all about love and nothing else. Well, I agree.

Happy New Year!

2007 was indeed a year of events for me. I got married, had a son, new job and new boss, and many other happenings. It was a joyful year as well as a year of sacrifices. A year of adjustments and a year of understanding. To sum it up, it was a colorful and eventful year.

What I learned from the past year? Millions! To say it in words might be a year-long of talking, but anyway, it can be described in these quotes:

"Love is not blind, it can see, but it doesn't mind." (please no comments, hehehe)
"What really matter is what a man can and cannot do." (quote from bizdrivenlife and jack sparrow)
"Decide right and right now!"
"Life is like the earth, it's a circle (or round)."