MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

After having tried several times to take a photo of our Christmas tree a part of our Christmas tree, this was the best that came out.

My digicam's weakness is poor lighting, and however I adjust the functions, it still didn't cooperate.

So, since Cityville gave my city some snow just in time for Christmas day, I thought this would do.

Then, I wanted to have an archive of the gospel for today, so here it is:

Saint John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world., and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.

He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by man's decision but of God.

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only son, full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'The on who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'"

From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God. The only son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him.

Have you thought about this?

I saw this notice at the emergency room of the hospital.  I was waiting for our turn to be attended to and I don't know why it caught my attention.  I know that I belong to the group that looks around and see things, but this was at the most inconspicuous place; on the side of the water dispenser, and you could barely notice it.  Ironic because this should be placed on the most conspicuous place for us to notice.

My apologies for the blurred image.  The place was not brightly-lit and it was at the corner, not enough light for a good image.  But anyhow, light or no light, corner or no corner, I just want to share the message, which I think is very important for us to know, just in case you still haven't thought about it.

Eight days to go

and it's Christmas.

I heard that that Santa sitting down is somewhere around Php 40,000.00.

What's Up This Week?

~ I don't know if we can still watch the movie, "My Amnesia Girl." It's going to be on its third week here in our town's cinema and we have been putting it off since.  The thing is, my first ever free ticket from the cinema was in between the pages of my 'Miami Ink' notebook which I lost two weeks ago.  I settled to the conclusion that I lost it inside the jeepney.  I am sooooo pissed off with anesthesia.

~ I was walking along one of the streets less traveled here in our town when I came across with one of my 'dating suki sa video shop.'  I nodded and smiled.  He smiled back and when we were just passing by each other, he said, "11-27."  So, I asked, "what are those numbers?"  Then, he replied, "STL."  Oh.  Small Town Lottery.  So, is it the reason why we're having a hard time with coins these days?

~ Ok, I admit.  I'm still playing Bejewelled Blitz, and my highest score so far, which I made some time last week was about 421,000.  Which, I think I would be right to say now that it would be hard for me to beat that.  I'll try to look and sound busy with "CityVille" instead.

~ In the news some time last week, a homeless woman gives birth on street in QC.  I just want to ask, if she gave birth on the streets, where exactly did she make it?  Is it right to say that it is also on the streets?

~ Does entrecard really makes a difference?  What it does to me is take much of my time blog-hopping instead of writing.  Too much of my time actually.  Yes, it does makes a difference on the traffic numbers, but I'm not really sure if they are really my target readers.

~ Pepe is wearing a razor back.  Well, it's been a little cold lately.

~ This new facebook font is really small that sometimes I have to read something twice to make sure I got it right.

~ Do you actually believe those people in the hospital where Jewel is will not open spill the beans?  I started following the teleserye sometime two weeks ago, but I stopped when it seemed that Lance is succeeding in hiding Jewel in the hospital.  Come to think of it, the rumor between JLC and Shaina at St. Luke's went viral even without confirmation, how much more with the case of Jewel?  Stop pulling our legs, please.  And people, don't let your legs get pulled by these shows.

~ I have been going out a lot lately.  Aside from the project, there is something else and I am intending to go full blast at the beginning of next year.  Well, this meant that I am off the tv most of the time and not pissing myself off with the OMG capsule.  Oh, they probably read my last entry that's why the show was shortened so that the rocking chair people won't have the chance to doze off before the show ends.  Don't you think it's pretty clever?

~ It's okay if you want to laugh, but the I just finished with the audio book, "The Secret Garden" which I started months ago.  Had I known that it started to get exciting on the chapter after I left off, I wouldn't have stopped.  Anyway, right now, I started with "The Man Who Was Thursday:  A Nightmare."  The reader is a little fast for me and I don't think I can keep up.  So, just before I started with this post, I added "Pilgrim's Progress" just in case I decided to stop.  And just in case you're looking for classical audio books, I get mine on this website.

I would if I could but I didn't. All because of the lame excuse.

I wrote this post because of this:  House to probe mandatory OFW insurance.

Flashback.  c.a. December 2007.

I got a job and was to start on Christmas day.  I went home to the villa where I was staying and shared the joy with my room mates.  Over dinner, I tried to convince them that we should all get the OWWA card.  The funny thing about this is, I was the newbie and all six of them have been OFWs for more than a year and none of them had the OWWA card.  All because they had no time.  So, I convinced them that we should all go to the Philippine Consulate and get them on a certain day.  We agreed we would... but on which day?

Since I left our country and started to find work there, one of the persistent thoughts in my mind was:  how my body would be repatriated back home if I end up dead outside the country?  Excuse me if you find this morbid, but I just find this a crucial part of my existence as an OFW.  I have been bothered by those news about Filipinos ending up dead somewhere out there and their bodies couldn't be brought back home because either they were tourists, undocumented, didn't have insurance or repatriation, or non-members of the OWWA.

After my sponsorship visa, residence visa, and labor card came out, I was officially an OFW.  And as I spent each day of this life of mine as an OFW, I have always thought of getting this card.  But I never had the chance.

I never had the time.

That's why I am for the implementation of mandatory insurance for OFWs.  I don't mind how much it costs really.  This might look like a big cut from whatever part of my salary, but I really wouldn't mind.  No, no, no. My take is that I believe that medical insurance is something that I always wanted to have but DO NOT want to use.

This happens, and this happens a lot.  Most of the people I met in Dubai did not have insurance, not even an OWWA card.  And if you ask them why, they will tell you what I myself will tell you:  I didn't have the time to get it.  We couldn't take a leave from work to get the card.  Because taking a leave from work will mean that it will take more than a day to process the card. And, your employer is most likely not to allow you to get that leave.

If the OWWA card and the medical insurance have been mandatory during my time, I wouldn't have to worry about the coverage.

All I had during my time as an OFW was the Workmen's Compensation.  It covers repatriation expenses of my body, and just in case I ran out of work and had to go back to my home country.  But honestly, I didn't even find out how much was the cover.  I knew it was for AED 7,500.00 but I don't know if it would be enough to cover the whole expenses of bringing my body back home.

Walter talked about the Prius at 2:15

And in the news at the Inquirer last November 30,2010, Toyota to 'voluntarily' fix 650,000 Prius models globally