Home Away from Home...

dealing with life's problems...

2009-11-10T12:39:00.000+01:00

Just about a month ago, my dad suffered from a mild stroke and was broguht to the hospital, the day the Ondoy typhoon came, he was about to check out so they got stranded on the road for about 6 hours going home from the hospital.The typhoon came and their house was underwater until now but it doesn't matter, he is still alive and that what matters most.

Two weeks ago, my brother who is a Diabetic was rushed to the hospital and later got diagnosed with a Stage IV Lung Cancer. It was a shock for me and my family. Lung cancer at the age of 35? Is this really happening? I couldn't believe that my family will be strucked with such a tragedy. After two weeks in the hospital with a bill of 204,000.00 my brother is recuperating at home and my parents are trying to keep him alive with medications and herbal treatments.

Another member of the family died recently and it happened just a week ago. This time it was my Uncle whom my mom was taking care of eversince my grandmother died. May He rest in peace.

That's not all, we still have another problem that is actual but can't solve it until getting the results later.

What else is about to come? Another sickness, death? Problems are every where and strucks anyone. How do you deal with them?

I do feel however, that my family will go through with it. I feel positive that my brother will live longer than what the doctor said that he has just 40% chance to live. I do feel that he will recover from his sickness.

Dealing with life's problems...How???

workin'...workin´....

2009-11-08T22:15:00.001+01:00

I feel better now after my two days of suffering from the side effects of the vaccination. I still have colds but besides that, I feel ok, in fact, 'I've been workin' the whole weekend.

It's Father's Day today here in Sweden, so to all the Fathers in the world, including my dad, Happy Father's Day!

vaccination's side effect

2009-11-04T09:13:00.001+01:00

I had my vaccination yesterday that supposed to protect me from having the swine flu but the side effects are not that good.. My colds developed yesterday afternoon, I am freezing all the time...I feel tired and have body aches, I did have a slight fever yesterday night. I feel like I have a normal flu. In short, I am feeling really sick right now.

Thank you all!

2009-11-01T22:00:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I posted something but I am back. I got busy with a fund raising project that me and my friends Mishel and Vangie organized. And I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported this event. My deepest thanks foremost to the beautiful, good hearted, and humble artist Miss Kitchie Nadal and her manager, Miss Roca Cruz who is, likewise, humble and friendly, for offering their service free of charge. To the Kober Bersyon Band (James, Amy, Boy, Joseph) who initiated the idea of of doing this, to all the local artists who performed, namely, Joveth Jorquia, Chris Justice, Angelica Catchcart, Edvin Winberg, Raymond Rojo, Jimbo, Ped, to the staff, Caroline Fredriksson (emcee), Linda Cadorniga (tickets), Mang Rene (transportation), Kenneth (slide show), André (Couples for Christ) for providing us the projector and to ALL OF YOU (public) who contributed to make this event a success. Thank you all so much! Check out some pics here!

KITCHIE NADAL LIVE IN STOCKHOLM!

2009-10-25T01:03:00.004+02:00

For tickets: Call me: 073 248 0144

www.rocknrescue.webs.com

Greetings!

2009-10-18T23:38:00.002+02:00

My two younger brothers who are both living in the Philippines celebrated their birthdays yesterday and today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Engel and Erwin

French Boy's Choir

2009-10-18T11:18:00.005+02:00

I first saw this video at Linda's FB and I was amazed. Now I want to share this with you. This is a French Boy's Choir singing the Tagalog Folk Song called "Bahay Kubo" (Nipa Hut). Some words weren't pronounced perfect because of the French dicition but boy, they really did a good job !!! Thumbs up!!!

Bahay Kubo

Bahay Kubo Kahit Munti

Ang halaman doon ay sari-sari

singakamas at talong, sigarilyas at mane,

Sitaw, Bataw, Patane

Kundol, patola, upo't kalabasa
At saka mayro'n pang labanos, mustasa
Sibuyas, kamatis, bawang at luya
Sa paligid ligid ay puno ng linga!

This folksong or a kid's rhyme is about a nipa hut and the names of the vegetables at the backyard. Nice!!!

Autumn in Sweden!

2009-10-17T07:29:00.014+02:00

weekend comin'

2009-10-16T08:27:00.003+02:00

I've been busy at work these last few days and also with some other things, but the weekend is coming and I'll be off work for three days. Nice!

Nothing much to say, nothing much to share, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Pasig City

2009-10-12T22:03:00.002+02:00

Pasig City is my hometown in the Philippines and this is what it looks like after the typhoon "Ondoy" (Ketsana).

go Jönköping go!

2009-10-12T07:49:00.002+02:00

Swedish TV Channel 4's Körslaget (Battle of the Choir) is very interesting to watch because a choir in Jönköping where we lived before is one of the participants. Their choir leader is this young Swedish music artist Amy Diamond.
I liked their latest performance where they sang Alexander Rybak's Fairy Tale. Thumbs up!!!

Fund drives for the typhoon victims

2009-10-08T08:28:00.004+02:00

My family in the Philippines was affected by the typhoon. My parent's house in Pasig is still under water and they still use boats as a means of transportation. They don't have electric power until now and no signals for cellphones. My parent's were'nt home during the typhoon because they were at the hospital due to my dad's attack of a mild stroke. I thank God because, though their houses are under water, they are still alive.

I don't know how to explain what the situation is right now but I found this video that explains how the situation was during the typhoon.

I know that right now there are many fund raisings going on to help the victims of this super typhoon. And if you want to help and don't know how, you can visit the official website of the Philippine National Red Cross for ways on how to donate.

Here in Sweden, the artist and songwriter, Kitchie Nadal is having a charity concert for the benefit of the flood victims in Manila.

Kitchie Nadal
Live in Helsingborg
October 17, 2009
Saturday

Pleaase come!

Hilarious

2009-10-07T07:27:00.003+02:00

The Germans making fun of the Swedes in this banned Ikea TV Commercial.

This is how Swedes are during the Midsummer Celebration...well, sort of!

do you have

2009-10-05T20:57:00.003+02:00

SPOTIFY???

Spotify is a new way to enjoy music. Simply download and install and before you know it you'll be singing along to the genre, artist or song of your choice. Try it!

Hard facts

Founded: 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon
Location: Based in Europe with parent company in Luxemburg and headquarters in the UK and R&D in Stockholm
Goal: To help people to listen to whatever music they want, whenever they want, wherever they want.
Number of employees: 90
The name: A combination of spot and identify.

Visit www.spotify.com

Because everyone loves music!

Melodi Gardot

2009-10-04T22:08:00.005+02:00

I saw her in one of the past episodes of Skavlan and I was totally impressed by her story. She had a bicycle accident in year 2003 which resulted to spinal injuries, short and long term memory problems and worst of all, speech dificulty. She had to learn how to walk and talk again. At present she is very sensitive to light that she needs to wear dark glasess when she performs... but nevertheless, she is a fantastic jazz artist. Music became her therapy which helped her to recover. Imagine what music can do to a person. It's fascinating!

Discover Melody Gardot : Discography : My One And Only Thrill

Stockholm Street Style, Roots and Wings

2009-10-03T12:20:00.005+02:00

Curious to know how Stockholmers dress during this time of the year? Well, check out some photos at The Local's Stockholm Street Style!

Roots and Wings

I dropped by at a friend's house yesterday after work and she gave me a copy of the very first issue of Root and Wings. It's a magazine for Filipinos in Europe which showcases the Filipino culture, people and business. The editor-in-chief is Ms. Rachel Hansen. In this issue, you will be able to read about some Filipino entrepreneurs of Stockholm, Kultura Filipino, the art of Hilot and many other interesting topics about the Philippines and the Filipinos in Europe.

Grab a copy now! It costs 5 euros and you will definitely enjoy the articles and the photos. I did!

feeling not so good...

2009-10-01T05:35:00.003+02:00

No I am not sick, it's just that I had a bad day at work yesterday. I am a person who doesn't like conflicts and I am doing my best to always be calm and avoid having the slightiest conflicts with the people I work with, but sometimes, it just doesn't help. I don't understand why some people have a cocky attitude.

Now, I am longing for yet another travel out-of-the-country. I feel that I wanted to take a break. And I can't wait for the weekend to come.

Later,

the Norwegian charm..

2009-09-28T22:13:00.007+02:00

While Ken likes and admire Syssel Kyrkebo, a Norwegian soprano singer, I do have my own Norwegian favorites and they are Maria Storeng, Alexander Rybak and the latest is the charming Fredrik Skavlan, a talkshow host. He is adorable, very good host and
handsome, too. :-)

Watch Skavlan!

I also think that the Norwegian accent sounds nice. I'm sure that my cousin, Rosemarie will agree!!!

PS

Both of us has a crush on Skavlan :-)

Anna Anka

2009-09-28T10:15:00.006+02:00

Either you love her or you hate her. She is the most talked about (or rather the most hated?) person in Sweden right now because of her very outspoken views and straight forward comments about the equality between men and women practiced in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries.

Yes, Anna Duck ("anka" is duck in English) became very popular since the airing of the Swedish TV reality show on Channel 3 called Svenska Hollywoodfruar (Swedish Hollywood Wives).

Why Anka? Well, she is married to the great singer Paul Anka whom I remember not for the song Diana but for the song Times of Your Life (1975). I love that song, by the way.

Anyway, among the wives in the show, (there were 3 of them), Anna was the most controversial because of her views and comments such as these:

[In the US] it’s the illegal Mexicans who do the work. They do the dishes, clean the house, take care of the garden. I have an enormous garden and four gardeners.”

“Swedish dads are tragic with all their nappy-changing and equality. A real American man panics if he is alone with a child for more than 20 minutes. American dads do not prepare dinner and do not iron, they work and provide for their families.”

“Sexually it is the woman’s responsibility to ensure that the man is satisfied, if she does not then she only has herself to blame if he is unfaithful,”

“[In the US] mothers don’t nag their daughters about education and going to college, but instead that [the daughters] should find an athlete or a celebrity. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Source: the local

What do you think? I personally, think that she is just another one of those people who dared to say what's on her mind. Swedes hates it when others attack them and this is one of the proofs. All those negative reactions about her is, I think, just jealousy. But what I disliked about her, though, is her comments about Paul Anka's American fans. Here's a clip from one of the episodes of the program with an English translation.

Any reactions? I think that she should not forget that she is what she is today because of her husband, if not for him, she's nothing..that simple!!!

Times Of Your Life
(Paul Anka)

Good morning, yesterday
You wake up and time has slipped away
And suddenly it's hard to find
The memories you left behind
Remember, do you remember?

The laughter and the tears
The shadows of misty yesteryears
The good times and the bad you've seen
And all the others in between
Remember, do you remember
The times of your life? (do you remember?)

Reach out for the joy and the sorrow
Put them away in your mind
The mem'ries are time that you borrow
To spend when you get to tomorrow

Here comes the setting sun (the setting sun)
The seasons are passing one by one
So gather moments while you may
Collect the dreams you dream today
Remember, will you remember
The times of your life?

Gather moments while you may
Collect the dreams you dream today
Remember, will you remember
The times of your life?

typhoon, flood hits Manila

2009-09-27T23:55:00.005+02:00

I wasn't really aware that Manila was hardly hit by typhoon...not until tonight when Ken told me about it. I immediately checked the news and photos on the internet and I was shocked about what I've seen. I've no idea that this will happen since I just talked on the phone with my mom just two days ago about my dad who was admitted to the hospital because of a mild stroke.

I have been trying to contact them but no luck...anyway...I am off work tomorrow so I'll try to call again and see If I will be able to get through this time....

I just saw some pics that Michelle posted on her blog...it's unbelievable that this happened but it did: The Great Flood

updates...

2009-09-25T09:37:00.006+02:00

For the last three days, I have never had the time to actually sit in front of the computer, blog or even check my e-mails . I am really tired that when I get home from work, I eat dinner, watch tv and go to sleep. I think this is because of the weather, it's definitely autumn. It gets darker and colder everyday. Anyway, what's up for the last 3 days? I hade some friends came over for a dinner last Monday.

My menu:

***Vegetable Sallad with Balsam Dressing ***

***Roasted Garlic Bread***

***Pork Teriyaki***

***Fried Spring Rolls***

***Curry Puff***

**Tocino (Cured Pork)***

***Pork Sinigang (Pork Stew)***

-Dessert-

***Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream / Whipped Cream***

Nice, huh? I'm getting hungry just reading the menu:-) I got a nice present again and it was a set of placemat made of Abaca. I liked it!

Tuesday and Wednesday was just work, work and work. Last night though, we had a little get together at work. We had an activity called "Räkafton". I don't know how to translate this in English, but it is a dinner with, instead of a typical warm dishes, we were served with fresh cooked shrimps (räka means shrimp/prawn) served cold, with mayonnaise and lemon wedge, homebaked bread, cheese and grapes. I don't drink beer and wine so I just settled for a cider with lemon and cactus flavor. It was good. Too bad, I didn't have any photo to share because I forgot to bring my camera :-)

To answer a question:

Michelle, we haven't been to the movies yet so I don't know if the movie was good. One of my friends whose name is also Michelle (spelled differently, though) is is Belgium right now, so we have to wait for her to come back before we can watch the movie. But it seems that it is good based on the trailer. Wasn't it shown in the US yet?

Thanking someone:

Camilla, thanks for the nice word about my blog. Yours is also nice and I love reading it.

Learned from a co-worker yesterday:

Meditation!

Looking forward to:

Travel, Sepideh Vaziri's upcoming album, birthday

Enjoying right now:

Regina Spektor's music

Have a nice weekend everyone!

special present

2009-09-21T08:51:00.006+02:00

After attending the worship service yesterday, I had to hurry to meet up with two of my friends which I don't see that often because of work schedules. Anyway, we had lunch, coffee and updated each other what's going on with our lives. For our next date we thought of watching a movie called Coco Avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel, which premiered in Sweden last Friday) and have dinner after the movie. Let's see if this will be pushed through. Before we parted yesterday, Mishel gave us a present wich we truly appreciated. It was a picture frame with our photo on it and the dedication says:

Friendship is not how many times you see each other...
but rather how many times you would want to remember
those moments spent together.
Good luck in life!

This is very true in our case because we really don't see each other that often... but we knew in our hearts that we are friends no matter what. That's us, Mishel, Net and Sheila.

weekend

2009-09-19T11:31:00.005+02:00

It's my non-working weekend but my list of to do things is endless! Okay, I am done changing the bed linens and the laundry. The next thing to do is to vacuum the whole apartment :-). Then, I have to do some groceries, too, later in the afternoon because we have a visitor coming on Monday for a dinner and I am planning to serve some spring rolls. I can't do it tomorrow since I'll go to church and meet some friends. Anyway, it means I have to go town today to buy the ingredients, specially, the spring roll wrappers, which, unfortunately, can only be bought at the Asian stores in town. And since I am going to town, I might as well do some window shopping. Need to buy some new clothes for the cold weather ahead!

I was going through some of my old papers in school last night and I found one of the best quotes I liked...it was from a Swede named Jonas Gardell. Here it goes in Swedish:

Vi ska älska varandra,
Vi ska förlåta varandra,
frikänna varandra, och inte döma varandra,
då, gör vi Guds vilja.

In English, my own translation, somebody help!

We shall love each other,
We shall forgive each other
acquit each other and not judge each other,
then, we fulfill God's will.

It makes sense, right? I wish it is always easy to forgive, to forget and then move on..., but it's not!!!

Regina who?

2009-09-18T07:58:00.004+02:00

I heard her music just once on the radio and it was like 6 months ago. I liked the song but barely remember the melody and to add to that, when the DJ mentioned the artist, all I remembered was her name. Just recently, I found out that she is Regina Spektor, a Russian singer who plays the piano and guitar, but grew up in New York. She has released a new album. Check out her latest video below!

still working....

2009-09-17T07:43:00.005+02:00

Week four in my work schedule is tough. I only get 1 day-off and it isn't enough :-) Anyway, we had a nice dinner at the 50th birthday celebration of one of my co-workers. It was held at a Thai Restaurant called "Sawadee" which is one of the pioneers when it comes to Thai restaurants in Sweden. My favorite was the fried spring rolls and the oven-roasted duck with that sweet sauce.

On to some more birthdays:

Birthday Greetings to my sister-in-law, Evelyn - September 3, my nephew Joseph, September 6, and my brother, Edmon, September 16.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Now, I got to hurry to prepare to go to work!!!

Later!