Civil Marriage Not Legally Binding

Who in their right mind would ever tell that "civil marriage" is not legally binding? No one except the person I personally know!

What if it's the other way around--if you were in my shoes, would it make any difference--would it change your understanding of "civil marriage," still remain one big question mark, huh?

So clearly, the end justify the means--all your efforts to attain your ultimate goal was not wasted. You really don't mind how you achieved it, whether it be contrary to the moral or divine law; and with that, your "wickedness" had reached its height!

Be cognizant of its reward and punishment: the merely moral who await their reward; the wicked who await their final punishment--I hope and pray that it's about to occur--that it's just within your reach.

"Always let your conscience be your guide." -The Blue Fairy

What is a FATHER?

If you were asked to describe your father, maybe you have lots of good things to say; but for my part, I guess I should just hold my tongue for I know nothing about my father except his name :'(

Speaking for myself, a Father is not worth mentioning for I had never experienced to have one and clueless on how was it to have a father; though in my childhood days, I wished to have both parents around.

All my life, I have had this thought that if my Father was responsible enough, I believed life for us would be much easier particularly to my mother who was left alone to shoulder all the responsibilities--the obligations supposed to be shared by the two parents.

And back in my younger days, I envied daughters with good loving fathers: fathers who provides, fathers who protects, fathers who only wants the best life possible for his children. This is the kind of FATHER I wish I had been given; nevertheless, I hold no grudge against my biological father as I had never felt that he existed at all.

So, I take my hat off and give a bow to all the fathers in the world who are doing a great job at being a father.

My Grandnephews

Time flies so fast! It seems like it was just yesterday when they were pre-schoolers; today, they’re both degree holders and already entirely two different individuals. They each have their own personality, interests and pleasurable pastimes; aside from that, they have their own circle of friends to hangout with.

As they begin to develop a sense of being independent, some things change, others remain the same. We do have bonding moments although not as often as compared to old times--when they had been very dependent on me. And so far, we didn't forget to celebrate each one’s birthday, Valentine's Day and such other occasions all together.

I have lots of wondrous happy memories with these two boys--now, grown-up men, notably when they were still kids. In fact, if it weren't for them, I would probably had not recovered so soon from a heartbreaking separation with the man whom I thought would be my partner for life. From there on, I have completely devoted myself to look after them; and later, in absence of their parents I act as their guardian.

I’ve considered them as my own flesh and blood; they have been so well-taken care of, well-loved and well-guided. On top of that, I have given them everything I had selflessly and I never turned my back on them, not even in those times when we had serious problems with money--all the more reason I have to stay. And I promised to myself that no matter what happens I will always be on their side as long as they need me.

I'm truly thankful to the Lord, despite our ups and downs have stayed together and managed to surpass all tribulations and obstacles that come our way. They were completely aware of what we’d been through before they reached this point of their lives. And it had been a no joke situation--I couldn't imagine myself going through the same thing all over again.

I know that sooner or later, they would lead their own separate lives; all I ever wished for them were to have a brighter future and be somebody--be the best in their chosen field. Good luck to the both of you! You both are my pride and joy; I am so proud of all your achievements!

April 10, 1958--A RED-LETTER DAY

April 10, 1958...this is the day the LORD brought me safely out from my mother's womb. I was born at home somewhere in Pasay, assisted by a low-cost Hilot--a traditional birth attendant, due to economic reason. My mother named me after Ms. Elvira Manahan, the late socialite anchor and famous TV talk show host of "Two for the Road" in the 60's and 80's.

I'm the youngest of four children and was raised in a single parent home--had been trapped in such situation, I can say that it was never easy; and even my mother who is now with the Lord would agree with me that it really was a hard life for all of us, not to mention with a limited way of earning money.

But since we were raised to tough it out, I should say that getting through every hardships and trials that life offers us is something to keep us going and maintain a positive attitude in life--I considered it a great life challenge. At 17, I had my first job and my quest for a better life has begun.

Although, my mother had failed to give us a comfortable life nor had given us complete education from elementary to college due to limited funds; still, we salute her for she had tried her very best to be a mother and a father to us all at the same time. We also admired her for the values she had instilled in our heart and mind that have made us better persons--God fearing persons; those values will remain with us all our life and passed down from generation to generation.

"Tatang"

On behalf of Gian, thank you very much for making the last four years of our life a more fruitful years. You really made a difference ... you had made a great positive effect on our lives and really helped us. There are no words that can possibly explain how I feel right after Gian broke the news and I even wonder, what would our life be ... now that you're gone! You have officially said "goodbye" and this will put us in a difficult situation; but eventually, we will get over this crisis and will take off again. As they say, life is a series of "hellos and goodbyes" which means, nothing is permanent in this world ... that's the reality of life and we have no choice but to learn to live with it!

I know everything will be okay in the end, we just hold on to God for guidance and have faith that God has always something better in store for us. And surely, one day our lucky break will come down over again ... “Prayers go up and blessings come down” Yiddish Proverb quotes


1 Samuel 17:12-54

Any time God requires us to face trials and tribulations, He always provides the courage to meet the demand. David was a man of great courage—not merely human courage, but courage rooted in the sovereignty of God.

Football Game

The night of July 28, 2011, we were in Rizal Memorial Stadium to witness the Azkals vs. Kuwait 2nd leg match; so sad that azkals didn't make it, and they lost their chance to qualify to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Since I'm not a sports minded person and not even interested in watching any kind of sports games ever in my life--watching a football game is a whole new experience for me.

I'm feeling bored and tired the way I live my life--my everyday life; and to end this, I need to step out of my comfort zone once in a while and explore the outside world and try to experience new things to spice up my boring and tiring life. And joining my grandnephews and nephew to the football game was my first move to have a change from my usual boring routine. I even went out of my way to buy raincoats for us just for that game; since it was raining and umbrella is strictly prohibited inside the stadium.

Here is a brief summary of my first football game experience: After passing the heavy traffic along the way to Harrison where the stadium is, we still arrived just in time for the game. I was a bit frustrated seeing a long queue of football goers; that we've had to fall in a really long line just to get inside the stadium. Of course, all it takes is patience; and fortunately, it didn't take us so long to finally got inside. The whole stadium was jam-packed that night and more people outside still trying their luck to get a ticket for themselves. I wonder what makes a football game so interesting to watch!

At first, I was just observing why people so crazy with football. And little by little, as the game progressed and with all the cheering words from the fans--I also found the game so exciting to watch. And to my surprise, I found myself so involved in the game that I even screamed to the highest level whenever the Azkals hit or miss the goal. The only sad part was Azkals lost the game--to think that it was my very first football game--still a good game, though.

After the match, the Azkals players marched around the whole stadium to greet their supporters/fans and they were giving away t-shirts at the same time; out of luck, we grabbed not even a single one--boo hoo!!! And the most unforgettable thing was, when Phil Younghusband got his shoes off and gave it away; the other pair-of-shoe was grabbed by one of his fans in the upper white bleacher--just a few steps away from us--sayang talaga, may remembrance sana kami mismo kay Phil ng gabi na iyon!!!

Overall, it was still an awesome experience for me despite of all the unluckiness I felt. And I'm looking forward to seeing Azkals' next game. Go Azkals go...no matter what...win or loose we will support you all the way.

The absurdity of life

The Climb... a song about inner strenght, courage, faith and hope! We usually wish all the best in life but if it were not meant to be ours; no matter how hard we try, it will never be ours. And that is the reality of life... that is how absurd life is at times!

In any case, life must go on and don't let failure put us down. More so, it must not stop us to dream farther... let's keep reaching for the stars and pretty soon we'll get what we deserve. Always remember that if we lose the best, there's always more fish in the sea. Let's not lose hope for in every failure there is a way to success. Surrender to a better life... one thing I learned today!

“It is never easy to keep reaching for dreams. Strength and courage can sometimes be lonely friends. But those who do reach the stars, walk in stardust.”(excerpt)

It's my 52nd year on earth!

It's my 52nd birthday today and I had a great day with my family consisting of my sister, nephew and nieces together with their children, plus my two grandnephews--Gian and Brian. We celebrated my birthday at Shakey's - SM North. When we had finished our food, we then headed to Trinoma to shop around. We visited Landmark and other fashion boutiques in the area; after walking around the mall for hours, we feel like eating halo-halo so we end up at "Sandosenang Halo". Then, we went home and that was it. It was a very tiring day yet so good! Here are some of our pictures...


















This was my birthday cake with one lit candle on it. Traditionally, the number of candles signifying the age of the celebrant; for a change, I used only one candle which means that I'm one year older today. Actually, I just don't want to reveal my true age... joke! Look, if I put 52 lit candles on top of my cake... it might set off the smoke detector inside the mall and it's so embarrassing - hehehe. Just joking, I know that numeric candle is now available.

My Yesterday, My Today and My Tomorrow

My Yesterday...



I was full of life, full of dreams, full of hopes and aspirations; in other words, I was at the peak of my happiness where life seems so nice and easy!


My Today...



Full of life? I just live from day to day;

Full of dreams? I get tired of dreaming for fate has been very unkind to me--yes, I'm tired of waiting. Maybe it really isn't meant for me...maybe it's just an illusion that dreams do come true; and in the real world, my dreams will remain just a dream till I draw my last breath;

Full of hopes and aspirations? At my age of 52, having nearly zero quick assets and zero fulfillment in my career and in my marriage and to include my deteriorating health--with all these contributing factors to feel disappointed or less hopeful... how do you expect me to respond to this? T o think that it's just the way it is, that it's just a trial and will be over soon enough, that it's a process we must all go through! Then, what's next in line? To find out what life has to offer me now, and to keep on believing that there's always sunshine after the rain. Hoping I could hang in there for a while longer!!! Just like this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt... "When you get to the end of your rope - tie a knot and hang on." I wish it was that easy.



My Tomorrow...



I know not what awaits me, but one thing for sure; at my appointed time, I will leave this world...this crazy world and thus my quest ends!!!

My New Year's Plan

I consider this year a good year to start a new business venture and I'm looking forward to be given the chance to hit it big in the market. I'm putting up my own online business, so I asked my two sisters to make samples of crocheted wearables and their pieces of work came out great which pushed me more to give it a try. To start off the business, I chose to put online some crocheted wearables for kids which are so timely summery get-ups. Here are some of our samples modelled by our three loveable angels--my grand-nieces and probably soon we would come up with a wide array of much more modern and stylish crocheted wearables that will be available not only for kids and young ones but for adults as well.





































Vests with and without sleeves really look fab with any summer outfits. It's fashionable and perfectly made for an up-to-the-minute look; just wear it over tees and tank tops, even dresses and ready to go for any casual walk outdoors. Plus we have here the super comfy summer shorts with matching hanging blouse best fit for active young children. They all come in different sizes and colors.

























For price inquiries you can email me at santoselv@yahoo.com