"I Am A Filipina..."

“I am a Filipina. I’m also a married woman and I insist whoever is married to me to give me safe and satisfying sex, period.”
- senador na pabor sa RH Bill.

Narinig ko 'to habang ina-amyendahan sa Senado ang RH Bill. Isa sa mga senador na hindi pabor sa nasabing panukalang batas ang may gustong alisin ang word na "satisfying" sa phrase na "safe and satisfying sex." Pero umalma ang mga babaeng senador na pabor dito. Karapatan daw ng mga kababaihan ang magkaroon ng safe and SATISFYING sex with their partners. Nasabi ko na lang bigla, "Ibig sabihin, kung hindi naibigay ng asawa mo ang karapatan mo, pwede mo siyang hiwalayan?"

Siguro nga hindi naman talaga yun ang ibig sabihin ng senadora. Pero yun yung naintindihan ko.Di ko lang alam kung ano ang pagkakaintindi ng iba.

Naalala ko bigla ang D.A.R.E. namin nung elementary days. Isang SPO3 ang nagtuturo sa 'min noon. Tinanong niya kami kung saan daw ba nagtatapos ang karapatan ng isang tao. Walang nakasagot. Sa bandang huli, siya rin ang sumagot sa tanong niya - ang karapatan ng tao ay nagtatapos sa isa pang karapatan ng kapwa mo.

Maaaring hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon, applicable ang sinabi niyang 'yon. Pero sa isyu ng bayan sa ngayon, maaari ko nga bang ipasok yun? Na maaaring matapos ang karapatan ng isang babae sa "safe and satisfying sex" (kung yun nga ay isa sa mga karapatang pantao na nagbabantang ma-deny sakaling di nakapasa ang RH Bill) sa karapatan naman ng isang sanggol na maisilang? Siguro sasabihin ng ibang makakabasa nito na, eh paano magiging kapwa yun, eh hindi pa nga tao. Hindi nabuo. Eh pano'ng mabubuo, inalis na nila ang karapatan ng sanggol na 'yon ang maging  tao at maisilang. Paano na ngayon ang pag-aasawa at ang pagpapamilya? Kawawa naman ang mga mister ng tahanan kung sakaling di nila maibigay ang "karapatan" ng mga misis nila. Kawawa naman ang mga misis ng tahanan na gustong maging ina, pero ayaw silang pagbigyan ng mga mister nila. Kawawa naman ang mga batang magiging solong anak. Mahihirapan sila pagdating ng panahong wala na ang mga magulang nila dahil wala silang kapatid na magmamalasakit at mapagkakatiwalaan nila. At higit sa lahat, kawawa naman ang mga batang hindi na kailanman maipapanganak. Hindi nila matitikman ang tamis ng halakhak at pait na dala ng luha, ang pakla ng pagsubok at ang sarap ng tagumpay. Hindi na nila mararamdaman ang saya ng buhay.
Iginagalang ko rin naman ang opinyon ng ibang tao na pabor sa panukalang batas na ito. Hindi ako nanghihikayat na sumang-ayon ang sinuman sa kung anuman ang mga sinabi ko. Pero kung sakaling may mga reaksyon tungkol sa blog ko, wala namang masama. Maaring mali ako at tama sila. At maaari din namang tama ako at mali sila.

To kill is against God's will... So let's say NO to RH Bill.

Para sa Budget

Nanonood ako nung nakaraang gabi ng isang programa sa TV kung saan iniinterview ang isang babaeng tatakbo sa pagka-kongresista sa darating na 2013 elections. Konsehala siya ngayon sa nasasakupan niya, na hindi ko na babanggitin kung saan. Tinanong siya ng isa sa mga nag-iinterview.

"Bakit kongresista kaagad? Bakit hindi muna mayor o vice mayor?"

Nagulat ako sa sagot niya.

"Kasi, kailangan ko ng budget para sa mga proyekto ko. Mas marami akong magagawa kung may budget na ako at hindi na ako aasa pa sa mga sponsors..."

Actually marami pa sit\yang sinabi. Pero hindi ko talaga lubos maisip na tatakbo siya sa posisyon na 'yon para sa budget. Okay, let's give her the benefit of the doubt. Baka nga naman nagkakaubusan na ng sponsors at walang-wala na rin siyang pera para sa mga proyekto niya. Pero maaari namang makatulong na hindi na gagamitin pa ang pera din naman ng mga mamamayan. Ano pa ang tatawagin mong tulong dun, eh 'di ba yung gagastusin niya sa pagtulong eh galing din sa mga tutulungan niya?

Haii... ano na naman kayang kinabukasan ang darating sa Pilipinas ngayong papasok na 2013?

A Thousand Years...

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years...

These were just a few lines of the song that keep coming through my head, and it makes me hum the whole day. I think i wnt to make this the music while I walk down the aisle... :)

Just like Bella did while Edward was waiting for her...

I am no fanbut I guess... I just like the song.:)

Scraped Knees and A Loving Kiss

It's six p.m. Sunday and I just woke up from a long nap (for me,  sleep has become heaven ever since I joined the graveyard shift). My boyfriend was sitting beside me asking me what do I want for dinner. Earlier that day, I was craving for grilled fish, so we planned to go to the supermarket to grab the makings for it. But since I woke up late and there's no way for us to set up the grill and everything, we just decided to go out and look for some grilled stuff that we can bring home.

As soon as we gone out of the house, I felt my knees trembling, and my legs wobbling. I have multiple sclerosis, and I know what I felt were its manifestations. I tried to keep it cool, and walked properly, holding his arm as we walked. And just when we were crossing the street I fell - flat on my stomach. I tried to get up and he was holding me, lifter me up and asking me what happened, if I was okay. I just shook my head and said I was alright. I brushed the dirt on my clothes and my knees, but they were painful enough without being touched, so i just decided to wash them once we got back home.

I couldn't remember the last time I was wounded, and I can't believe how painful they could be. Aside from my wounds, my knee joints were swollen, bruised and aching, especially my left knee. I washed them with soap in running water, ever careful, wincing in pain. When I went back to my room, my boyfriend was waiting for me - dry clean towel, antiseptic solution and cotton in his hand. He was sitting at the edge of my bed and told me to sit beside him so he can clean my wounds. I smiled, that was sweet. He used the towel to dry my legs and my feet and then started cleaning my wounds. It hurt so much, I begged him to stop but I know he should do it. I looked away from him, from my wounds, gripping his arm, tears cascaded down my cheeks. When it was over, he asked me why I was crying. I said, "It hurts". He smiled back and asked me again, "Which one hurt? The wounds or your feelings?"

I didn't answer. A surge of emotion flooded and rushed over me and I knew there was no point in denying... he already knew. I have been dreading about my sickness for months now. I often cried, alone or with him, repeatedly saying how afraid I am about what this could bring, or where this could lead. I never said a word this time, I wiped my tears using the back of my hand and he pulled me close.

"Everything will be alright," he whispered and kissed my hair. "I will always be here... I love you."

That might be true. After the doctor told me there's no cure for MS, I was sort of doomed, so how can everything be alright? But maybe someone who would lie to me is all I need. Or maybe it wasn't a lie after all. Here I am, with my legs stretched and scraped knees infront of him, with bruised pride because once again I failed, and I felt useless and weak for bawling like a baby. And yet there he was, sitting next to me, actually telling me that everything's okay, and that I am being loved despite of being such a clumsy failure. I looked above me, and thought of how must he be someone God has sent to take care of me. I held him back and my tears stopped from falling, because I knew in my heart that I love him too.

Just something to think about: Count the things to be thankful for, and you'll immediately forget the things that you complain about. :)

From the Bookworm’s Lair: Far From Xanadu

Do you know how it feels to be failed by your own personal hero? Or fall in love with someone in hopes
that that person will love you back even if this person is so near yet so far? Mike Szabo has experienced
these things. People silently watched as the whole world ripped away infront of this curious character.
The words were beautifully written and played, in a way that will make you relate on how Mike must
have felt. I am no member of the LGBT group, but I can very much relate to it. Cry, fall in love and stand
up in this astounding novel written by Julie Anne Peters.

Thank God For Small Favors

It's October, and instead of enjoying the air of the -Ber month (hey, it's 81 days to go before Christmas!), I'm going home soaking wet. I don't know what's with Mother Nature these days, but I personally believe that another typhoon is no longer needed as the year ends. Anyway, anybody would agree with me if I say a cup of hot coffee or hot cocoa would be very much appreciated on cold days like this. I am a self-proclaimed coffee addict, and I would love a cup in any day, on all occasions. But then, I decided to make this day special. I realized I wanted more than a cup of freshly brewed coffee. I want a bowl of soup. Seafood soup preferably. So I did a quick tour to the grocery and grabbed some mussels and made my soup. Below is the complete recipe for it.

1/2 kilo mussels (it sounded good)
1 medium onion
1 medium garlic (I would need at least 5 cloves, crushed)
ginger, salt, cooking oil
malunggay leaves

- Heat cooking oil in the sauce pan. Add garlic, onion and ginger.
- Add the mussells, then pour 3 cups of water. Let it boil.
- Add salt to taste, then the malunggay leaves. Let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.