cashing in on someone else's poverty

I’ve been reading a bit of news from manila lately about a poor 6 year old boy who was asked to dance a sexually provocative dance on national tv while the host, the boy’s relative(s), and the audience watched on with glee. I will not post the video here, nor will I mention the name of the show—if you’re reading this, you’ve probably seen it and read a lot about it already—it breaks my heart that the kid had to subject himself to ridicule and humiliation to make a few bucks. I detest the host for his arrogance and his disrespect of EVERYONE he worked with – staff and audience included.

It makes me sad that there are people out there who are cashing in on poverty in the guise of ‘helping the poor’. If they are really out there to help the poor, people do not need to make a fool of themselves in front of millions of people just to get help. If the network or the show is on a mission to help, their stage is really not the platform to do it and they SHOULD NOT be making money out of the people’s plight. It defeats the purpose. Lalo lang nagmumukhang kaawa-awa ang mga tao.  yes, they'll get some money, but it's like selling a piece of their dignity and self-respect. 

It’s not enough to talk just talk about things like this and do nothing. If we don’t come up with solutions, we contribute to the problem. So what am I going to do about it? I came up with an idea shortly after we saw the bbc program ‘toughest place to be a bus driver’, the place being again, unfortunately, manila- that each time we throw a party at home for birthdays and other gatherings, in lieu of gifts to the celebrant, I will have a ‘tip jar’ on the kitchen island. Our guests are free to put money in the jar (if they don’t then paul and I will strongly encourage them to make a small donation) and whatever amount we collect will be given to a deserving family in the Philippines via our parent church’s outreach to the poor. It’s a small gesture, but at least, no one has to make a fool of themselves on tv to receive some help to tide them over.


I mention this to encourage each one of you to do your part to help someone in need out there. Hindi nyo naman susustentuhan ang mga taong ito, but we can all make a small difference in someone’s life.

i want...

Tory Burch Sally Wedge

pero expensive. 

 mapapalo ako ng sugar daddy pag binili ko.  

haaay!!!!  why do you have to be so cute?!?!?!?!?

ko olina

i couldn't get hawaii off my mind these last couple of days...maybe because it was the 'cheaper' alternative to visiting relatives in italy.  now i have to call my aunt and tell her we are postponing our visit for yet another year.  siguro dapat sila nalang magpunta dito.  =D


anyway, so i asked paul if hawaii was ok...so as soon as he said yes, i was on the computer planning another getaway...the criteria for my search:

• beach access - i don't want a hotel that's a block from the beach, i want to be right at the beach
• kiddie pool - when traveling with a 4 year old, it's wise to look for a place with a good kiddie pool.  it doesn't have to be fancy with all the slides, i'm just looking for a good size pool with no more than 2 feet of water.  
• kitchen - going on a vacation can be expensive and i want to save a little bit of $$ by finding a place with a kitchen so we can cook a few meals and not have to eat out every single time
• reasonably priced - we were lucky to land a very, very, very good rate during our trip to maui last year.  the same trip this year at the same resort cost 3x more than what we paid for so i have to find another good deal this time

after looking at vacation packages from many different websites and not being satisfied with their prices (all of them cost $1,200/person for 5 nights) i was starting to feel a little discouraged.  parang can't afford yata mag hawaii ngayon.  waaaaah!!!


so i went to look at just hotels and  think i found THE perfect place in oahu for me and the family!

Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club

i found prices that were a little more than what i would pay for a stay at the marriott but the kitchen makes up for that.  we can cook our breakfast in the kitchen and there are bbq pits around the resort. it had everything i wanted plus we can snorkel at the hotel's lagoon!  wowoweee!!! even without paul seeing this yet, i went ahead and made reservations.  yipee!!!


my parents are coming too (most likely) so double yipee!  someone can watch michelle while paul and i enjoy some time at the pool with our mai tais!


i'm booking our air tickets tomorrow or the day after.  woot woot!!!

29 is the magic number

towards the end of february, i told myself, 'if i don't lose at least a few lbs this month, i'm joining weight watchers.'


and guess what happened????


WALANG NA-BAWAS SA AKING TIMBANG.


so on march 2nd, i decided that if jennifer hudson can do it, i can do it too! 

hahaha!  so i signed up for weight watchers online, entered my information and they calculated that i can consume 29 points a day to lose weight.  those points translate to a mysterious number of calories per day.  today is my 3rd day on the program.


so far so good.  i have not lost weight (3 days palang e) but i have been really watching what i ate, trying to stay within the 29 points i should consume.  i pick healthier food choices and i think before i eat. i've been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables (which have zero points so i can eat a lot of it).  hopefully, in 3 months, i could lose 20% of my weight and move closer to my ideal size.  


i was tempted to take diet pills and take the 'easy' route to losing weight.  i've tried this in the past and while some do work, i end up gaining it all back after i stop taking the pills... it does not really change my eating habits and that is what needs to change.  i really want to stick to this weight watchers thing (for as long as i can afford it) and hopefully i stay long enough to change the way i eat.  


i miss wearing my pre-motherhood jeans that i can't find the courage to donate to the salvation army because i am still hopeful that someday i will fit back into them.  maybe weight watchers will help me get there.  i'm feeling really optimistic.  

cioppino night

busog!!!!  chel was praying in the car on our way home, 'Lord, forgive us for our gluttony!!!  forgive us!!!!"


we look forward to this event every year.  pang apat na taon na namin pag punta dito.  always fun and the food never disappoints!  

skiing - take 2

dahil ang yabang ko noong una akong nag skiing lessons, hindi ako bumagsak, and remained upright the whole time...my second ski class was a lesson on humility.

ako lang ang natumba sa pito na nasa class na yun.  in my defense, i am also the most inexperienced having only been on skis for a second time.  many of the folks in my class are regular skiers.  i was also the only person who's never been on the lift - which, for a person who does not like heights, is another triumph!  dami kong palusot!

i had fun though.  the snow was perfect!  the sierra nevada mountains received about 55 inches of snow in the few days before our trip so powdery pa talaga yung snow when we went.  it was the perfect snow for falling on your behind! walang pictures kasi ski to the max lang talaga ang ginawa namin.  wala akong panahon mag take ng pics.

i told paul that next time, hindi na muna namin isasama si bulinggit...kasi once her class is over, over na rin ang maliligayang skiing at snowboarding namin.  baby sitting duty na kami.  so next time, magpapractice lang ako ng magpapractice hanggang sa sumakit ang mga binti ko.

turtle plus na ang skill level ni michelle when it comes to skiing.  konti pa, daig na ako nito. hehehe

---------------

tonight is cioppino night.  first time ni paul to attend.  we'll have lots of pictures tonight!

february na!

I think I would consider the highlight of this first 6 weeks of 2011 is that I learned how to ski. Yes,with confidence, I can say that I learned to ski after just 1 class! Woot woot! I’m not athletic (even though I was a varsity volleyball player in elementary and high school - that was ages ago!), I’m not adventurous. I can rollerblade and skate a little bit but I’m always afraid of falling on my behind. In the snow, it’s perfectly understandable to do exactly that. And I am so glad I didn’t pick the snow board!!!!  I am thrilled though. I never thought that I, a self-confessed lampa, will actually learn and enjoy this!  Michelle took lessons too and she is of course fairing much better than I am. We are going back to Tahoe for the President’s day weekend to have some more skiing/snowboarding fun.

Michelle is really into American Idol lately. She loves watching people sing and she is thrilled when she hears the judges say, ‘You’re going to Hollywood!’. Sya din daw kakanta sa American idol and will go to Hollywood. Sige anak, dream big, you can even dream bigger!