http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/28/09/mandaue-wood-supplier-feels-pinch-global-economic-turmoil

Mandaue wood supplier feels pinch of global economic turmoil

By CARINE M. ASUTILLA, ABS-CBN News Central Visayas | 01/29/2009 12:07 AM

A wood supplier in Mandaue City has admitted being affected by the global economic turmoil.

It said its sales have decreased 70 percent since August and as a result it has reduced its manpower requirement and even work days.

Green Peaks in Mandaue City is the wood supplier of about a dozen furniture-export companies in Cebu. Among them are Giardini Del Sole in Alang-Alang, Mandaue City; Mehitabel Furniture in Lahug, Cebu City and Tradewinds Rattan and Handicraft Inc. in Tabok, Mandaue City.

Stela Adolfo, Green Peaks office clerk, said that these companies usually order from them twice a week. Since August however, orders have decreased to once a week, sometimes once a month. Giardini Del Sole, in particular, last asked for a delivery of wood November last year and the company only bought wood from them again last Tuesday.

Adolfo said that since furniture-export companies get lesser orders from abroad, they buy lesser wood from them.

Adolfo said that their warehouse in Canduman in Mandaue City contains over a hundred thousand board feet of wood. These woods were stocked in the warehouse since July last year and they have never bought more supply of wood from Mindanao since then. Adolfo said that they are currently utilizing only one dryer instead of the usual nine.

Adolfo said that in order to cope with the difficult times they have already lowered prices from P29 per board feet to P22. She said that despite the price reduction, clients still have difficulty in buying wood. She also said that some of their clients have not paid debts amounting to over a million pesos.

Adolfo said, because of the situation, Green Peaks had offered its direct employees an early retirement plan. Four of their 20 direct employees which include checkers, drivers, and forklift operators accepted their offer. Ten of 30 contractual employees were not renewed after their respective contracts expired. These contractual employees include delivery personnel and classifiers.

Aside from reducing the number of its workers, Green Peaks also lessened the number of working days from six days to five days. Adolfo said that there is a big possibility that by next month their working days will be down to four. She said that their workers are only paid the minimum daily wage.

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/22/09/depositors-legacy-banks-may-get-claims-starting-mid-feb

Depositors of Legacy banks may get claims starting mid-Feb

By CARINE M. ASUTILLA, ABS-CBN News Central Visayas | 01/22/2009 9:33 PM

In about three weeks, depositors of rural banks under the Legacy Group of Companies may be able to get their insurance claims after these banks closed last month.

Lawyer Inocencio De La Cerna Jr. of Legacy Group of Companies said that probably in the middle of February, Philippine Deposits Insurance Corporation (PDIC) will start paying the depositors of the closed rural banks.

He said that the PDIC are almost done verifying the bank deposits.

While the depositors may be able to get their insurance claims, of which P250,000 is the maximum, investors of their pre-need companies however will not be assured that they will recover their investments fully.

De La Cerna said that last December, nine of the corporations under the Legacy Group of Companies have already filed a petition for dissolution before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

These corporations are; Legacy Consolidated Plans Incorporated, One Realty Corporation, Galaxy Realty and Holdings Incorporated, Conventional Realty Corporation, Scholarship Plan Philippines Incorporated, Fusion Capital Corporation, Shining Armour Property Incorporated and Legacy Consolidated Asset Holdings Incorporated.

The voluntary dissolution of the nine corporations that made up the legacy Group of Companies, excluding the rural banks, would mean that the SEC will assign a liquidator to sell all the properties of the corporations which will be turned over to SEC. After the properties will be sold out, the remaining assets of the corporations will be given back to the investors.

De La Cerna said that this will not guarantee that the investors will be fully paid with their investments since the company’s asset is not sufficient to accommodate the investors.

De La Cerna said that the legal process on the said petition of the nine corporations has already started. He said that the investors will be given notices by the SEC when they can file their claims before the SEC office in Manila.

De La Cerna said that all the corporations have submitted the list of the names of their investors to SEC when they filed the petition. He urged the investors that they should check if their names were in the list of their investors. He said that if their names are not indicated, they can file complaint to SEC.

De La Cerna said that as the legal process of the petition is ongoing, filing a criminal, administrative, or civil law suit against any of the corporations would only mean a waste of time and money for the investors. He said that since the corporations were the first ones to file the dissolution, any complaint to be filed would be held in abeyance. SEC currently has jurisdiction over the matter, he said.

De La Cerna said that those who have been investing in the corporations for over three years have already gotten more than what they have invested. Those who were only able to invest for a year however may have not yet gotten back their investments, he added.

as of 01/22/2009 9:33 PM

As of the moment, this is my song:

You watch the season pull up its own stage
And catch the last weekend
Of the last week
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced
Another sun soaked season
Fades away

You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart

Invitation only, grand farewells
Crash the best one
Of the best ones
Clear liqour and
Cloudy eye
Too early to say goodnight

You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart

And from the bottle flow, we are in celebration
One good stretch before our hibernation
Our dreams are sure
And we all will sleep well
We'll sleep well

You have stolen
You have stolen my
You have stolen my heart

I watch you spin around
In the highest heels
You are the best one
Of the best ones
We all look like we feel

You have stolen my
You have stolen my
You have stolen my heart

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/17/09/firecracker-nearly-spoils-sto-ni%C3%B1o-feast-cebu

A fluvial procession nearly became another tragic religious event on Saturday after a boat full of Sto. Niño devotees sank off Mactan Island in Cebu province.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said its members rescued all the 35 passengers from the motorized banca marked Kent and Kelly after it sank along Mactan channel, about 50 meters away from the 1st Mandaue-Mactan Bridge at 7:40 a.m.

The boat was following 87 other boats, when it was hit by a firecracker. Water flowed through the hole created by the firecracker's blast.

Captain Simplicio Gilig, commander of PCG Mactan, said the passengers panicked and jumped off the boat.

Gilig said PCG members escorting the fluvial procession rushed to the panicked devotees and rescued them. He said some passengers managed to swim to the PCG boat.

Gilig said the passengers were all taken to a medical boat for treatment. Some passengers only experienced difficulty in breathing, he said. With a report from Carine Asutilla, ABS-CBN Central Visayas

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/15/09/big-waves-wash-out-houses-cebu

Big waves wash out houses in Cebu

By CARINE M. ASUTILLA, ABS-CBN News Central Visayas | 01/15/2009 9:25 PM

Many houses in Cebu province have either been washed out or covered in sand as big waves spurned by storm surges affected many coastal towns.

Carlito Cagang, 54 years old, now stays under a tree after his house was ruined by big waves last Tuesday. Cagang is worried if he can still build a new house. He said that he has been paying for it for 20 years.

Cagang’s house was just among the 26 houses in Ginatilan town in Cebu province which were destroyed by big waves.

He said that around 1 a.m. last Tuesday, water from the sea were already coming inside his house. He said he immediately took his personal belongings out from his house. A few minutes later however a big wave washed his house out.

Barangays Guiwanon, Palanas, Looc, San Roque, and Poblacion in Ginatilan were affected.

In Samboan town, 26 houses were also destroyed from the storm surge. Barangays Poblacion, Kolase, Tangbo, Bonbon, Suba, and Sr. Sebastian were affected.

Couples Benjamina and Carlito Rodriguez were among more than 30 families who lost their home.

The couple, with three of their kids, are staying in a small house across the street which is adjacent to the house which was destroyed by the strong wind and big waves last Tuesday. Carlito built the small house the morning after the incident. At night however, they would stay at Suba Barangay Hall.

In Dumanjug town, ten houses were totally damaged. Barangay Looc was the only barangay affected. 37 families were immediately evacuated to a gym. The families however would return to their destroyed homes in the morning and sleep at the gym or the chapel during the night.

The residents said that their homes were destroyed last January 7. Some houses were uprooted while others were buried in the sand.

The houses were located more than 20 meters from the shoreline but last week during a high tide, the waves would reach their homes carrying sand with it.

Every night since the incident their place gets flooded with seawater. The flood would reach knee-high.

The towns of Malabuyoc and Alegria were also affected but only electrical posts were uprooted and coastal roads were destroyed. But buses and other vehicles can still pass through it.

The Office of Civil Defense however does not have a record of anyone hurt during the incident. Local government units are currently giving assistance to the victims and are repairing road damages.

Not allowed to sail
Meanwhile, because of the storm surge many pumpboats and fastcrafts travelling from Santander to Negros Oriental were not allowed to sail. Many of the employees are not earning.

Matilde Ba-at, owner of 11 pumpboats in Lilo-an, Santander said that 88 of the pumpboat crews are currently not earning.

The barge in Bato, Lilo-an were only the ones allowed by the Coast Guard to sail and carry passengers as well as cargoes to Negros Oriental and back.

Delays in travel is expected however after one of the five Maayo Shipping barge was hit by a big wave when it was about to dock at the port in Santander last Wednesday. Minor damage was sustained but the cargoes and the passengers including the contingents for Sinulog from Sta. Catalina town in Negros Oriental are safe.

Port Collector Giselo Rusiana said that since they are the only ones that will be able to accommodate passengers and cargoes for Negros and back, they are expecting higher revenue despite the cut in trips because of the one barge that can not be allowed to sail yet.

The fishermen in Samboan and Dumanjug are the most affected however. Most of the small boats were carried to dry lands.

60-year old Rodulfo Aranas said he is raising five kids through fishing. He said that he and his neighbors have not been out to fish for more than a week already because of the big waves.

Aranas said that in order to have something to eat, they wait for low tide and pick seashells instead.

as of 01/15/2009 9:25 PM

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/14/09/nbi-no-mass-burial-unidentified-victims-%E2%80%98frank%E2%80%99

NBI: No mass burial of unidentified victims of ‘Frank’

By CARINE M. ASUTILLA, ABS-CBN News Central Visayas | 01/15/2009 12:16 AM

Dr. Renato Bautista, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) - Disaster Victims Identification (DVI) team leader, clarified that the Interpol and his team are not planning to cremate or conduct a mass burial for the unidentified bodies of the victims of Typhoon Frank especially of a boat tragedy last year.

Bautista said that many relatives of the victims came to their office after reading a report that a mass burial and cremation for unidentified bodies of the victims of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars and other victims of Typhoon Frank will be conducted.

Bautista clarified that they will not make any move without consulting the relatives of the victims.

He said that in the end, it will be the family’s decision that they will follow. Bautista said that the families can either agree to mass cremate the bodies, conduct a mass burial, or both.

Bautista stressed however that these are just possibilities and that there is no plan for it.

Bautista cited the earlier Superferry 14 tragedy, wherein the families of the victims agreed to cremate the bodies and had the ashes distributed to the families.

He said that they have not yet started consulting the families regarding the possibilities since they are still waiting for the other results of DNA samples.

275 identified from ‘Princess’
Bautista also clarified that there have been 275 bodies identified from the 307 bodies recovered on the first salvage operation in Sibuyan Island last year. 235 bodies were identified through DNA samples matching while 40 were identified through fingerprinting, dental samples, and positive identification of the families. He said that the first batch of the dead bodies were still identifiable physically.

Out of the 275 identified bodies, 76 bodies remained unclaimed. 63 of them are in Cosmopolitan, six in Bantayan Island, and seven in Cadiz.

On the second batch, 199 body bags arrived in Cebu. Each body bags contained several body parts from several victims. Bautista is not sure as to how many victims were inside the body bags. Out of the 199, only four were identified.

Bautista said that they are still waiting for DNA results. He said that more ante-mortem samples are needed to identify the bodies. He said that they plan to get more samples in IloIlo. Bautista also said that not all of the bodies they have now are from the sunken MV Princess of the Stars.

On February 5, the Interpol will turnover their work to NBI-DVI in identifying the bodies.

He said that since their job started, they were able to collect 239 case files of the victims, which will also be turned over to them. He said that the case files will serve as reference. A case file contains photos of the cadavers and photos of the victims when they were still alive. It also has DNA matching results and DNA sample forms.

President Arroyo, International Commission on Missing Persons Director General Kathryne Bomberger, and Interpol Director General Ronald Noble are set to attend the turn-over ceremony at the city hall of Cebu City.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/13/09/cebu-groups-slam-oust-cj-puno-moves

Cebu groups slam 'oust CJ Puno' moves

By CARINE M. ASUTILLA , ABS-CBN Central Visayas | 01/13/2009 11:49 PM

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ Cebu and Cebu City Chapter, Cebu City Regional Trial Court (RTC) judges, representatives of law universities and students and civil society groups signed a statement condemning the reported plan in Congress to impeach Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Reynato Puno because of a leak on an unofficial SC decision on an election case.

Spokesperson of Cebu City RTC Judge Gabriel Ingles said that after a report about the alleged ouster moves against Puno, Executive Judge Meinrado Paredes gathered the consensus of all the judges through text messaging and came up with the Statement of Deep Concern.

The judges said that though the plot to oust Puno is still unverified, the issue has been so loud that they need to express their gravest concern.

The judges maintain that they see Puno as someone who exercises judicial independence. They believe that he is an obstacle to any politicians who wants to “destroy our democracy in order to stay forever in power and place our country under the rule of men not law.”

Lawyer Noel Adlawan, Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu chapter president, said he also believes that any move to take away Puno from his position is in line with the administrations’ call for Charter change. He said that Puno has been expressing his disagreement on Cha-cha.

Lawyer Briccio Boholst, IBP-Cebu City chapter president, said that they are bothered with the reported move to oust Puno. Boholst said that the intervention of the other branches on the judicial system has happened before during the time of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide.

“There is another attempt to influence the Supreme Court, this must be stopped and the other branches of the government should be called on to respect the separation of power,” Boholst said.

Law student leader, Aaron Pedrosa says that if Puno would be impeached, it would leave the justice system with President Arroyo’s allies. Pedrosa said that Arroyo had appointed seven of her allies to work in the judiciary.

Mark Chang, National Association of Law Students in the Philippines national president, said however that it is just political maneuvering.

“This ouster move on January 19 by our own lawmakers is a political maneuvering. We call on the Malacañang to spare the judiciary from politics,” said Chang.

Chang also said that if the lawmakers will continue their plan, it will only suggest that they are biased. He said that the impeachment complaint against Puno is groundless and immature compared to the impeachment complaint filed against President Arroyo
.
“There was this substantial complaint against Arroyo but they chose to ignore it,” Chang said.

Civil society representatives also defended Puno. Vince Cinches, Fisherfolks Development Center executive director, said that Puno has been strong in implementing easy access of justice to marginalized people. He said that if Puno would be impeached, the last bulwark of democracy would be lost.

Dennis Abarrientos, Karapatan - Central Visayas secretary general, meanwhile said that during Puno’s term as chief justice, many political killings were brought back to court because of the writ of amparo and habeas data. He said that losing Puno in the position would mean killing the hope of the families to bring justice to their love ones who are victims of political killings.

The group further stated that despite the fact that the country is facing several problems including lay-offs and unemployment, and climate calamities, some members of Congress are “still pushing for their own personal agenda.”

They said that Congress should instead come up with a bill to address the problem on global warming affecting human and economic development. They are also asking Congress to produce a substantial bill that would protect human rights.

The group strongly believes that the call for impeachment of Puno has become a political tool to serve selfish political ends.

The joint statement signed by the representatives from different sectors in the society would be given to the House of Representatives and to the Office of the President.

They are calling other civil groups to join in condemning the plan of impeachment against Puno.

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/12/09/cv-fiscals-want-pdea-execs-also-go-leave

CV fiscals want PDEA execs to also go on leave

By CARINE M. ASUTILLA, ABS-CBN News Central Visayas | 01/12/2009 10:52 PM

State prosecutors of Central Visayas on Monday asked President Arroyo to also order some members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to take a leave of absence.

Central Visayas Regional State Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane was in Manila on Monday to attend the gathering of all regional state prosecutors following an order of the president to all the officials and fiscals of the Department of Justice (DOJ) involved in the ongoing probe into the bribery allegations on the “Alabang Boys” drug case to take a leave of absence.

Gubalane said that the DOJ personnel honored the order of the president but said that they are asking her to let other members of PDEA allegedly involved in the same scandal to also take a leave of absence
.
In a phone interview, Gubalane said that it is unfair on the part of the fiscals to be the only ones to go on leave. He said that there are members of PDEA who are involved in the scandal and should also be temporarily relieved from duty as the investigation continues.

Gubalane also said that the Ombudsman will conduct an investigation on the alleged bribery and said the fiscals welcome it.

State Prosecutor Llena Ipong meanwhile said that some of the prosecutors in Central Visayas received a text message coming from their fellow fiscals in Manila asking for support. She said that they are urging them to wear red armband as a symbol of protest to the latest order of Arroyo for fiscals to take a leave of absence.

Ipong said however that none of them will wear an armband since their office in the region has not yet come up with a stand whether or not they should support the protest. She said that they need Gubalane to return first to Cebu and organize a meeting.

Provincial Prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba for her part also said that their office has not yet come up with a stand either. She said that if it is regarding the president’s order, she said it would be hard for them to choose on who they should side.

She said that even if they should convene, it will not guarantee that they will have a stand for the matter. She said that they did not receive any communication from DOJ Manila that is asking them to join in the protest against the president’s order similar to what the regional office received.

as of 01/12/2009 10:52 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/10/09/cebu-schools-shine-sinulog-sa-kabataan-fest

Cebu schools shine in 'Sinulog sa Kabataan' fest

By CARINE ASUTILLA, ABS-CBN Central Visayas | 01/10/2009 11:06 PM

CEBU CITY - Pajo Elementary School in Lapu-Lapu City and Carcar National High School grabbed the top spot of yesterday’s Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan at Cebu City Sports Center.

The event started with a street dancing from Capitol to Cebu City Sports Center. Seventy-two Philippine flags were carried by CAT cadettes of Abellana National High School leading the street dancing of the 18 school participants.

Silveria Arce, Principal of Pajo Elementary School, said that they did not expect to win, but they were already hoping to move a place higher from the 5th place they were last year.

Arce said that they did not have enough time to practice but the students were able to catch up.

“We only had two weeks of practice, but the students were able to learn fast the blocking and the dance steps,” said Arce.

March Mandal, choreographer of Pajo Elementary School, which represented the Lapu-Lapu City Division, said that their dance concept was all about lovers brought together by Sr. Sto. Niño.

He also said that the dance theme was patterned after Leyte’s Binuyugan Festival.

Pajo Elementary School also won for their orange Filipiniana the Best Costume award.

Aida Babao, Principal of the Carcar Central National High School, said that they were already expecting to snatch the first place, saying it has been easy for them to prepare for the said contest.

What they have presented for Sinulog sa Kabataan was the same with their presentation in Kabkaban Festival in Carcar City last year, where they also won first place.

Other winners for the High School category were; Kulturang Tayuranon from Tayud National High School in Consolacion for the 2nd place; Mandaue Integrated Dance Group, 3rd place; Lilo-an National High School; and Guinsay National High School.

For the Elementary category, Kawayan Elementary School in Dalaguete won the 2nd place followed by Tugbongan Elementary School in Consolacion; Naga Central Elementary School; and Sogod Central Elementary School.

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/05/09/rural-bank-mandaue-city-declares-bank-holiday

robbed a bank?

I am STUBBORN

I've never ROBBED A BANK?

I will never MARRY WHEN I REACH 30

I wish I HAVE THICKER HAIR

The craziest PERSON I KNOW IS VERA

The silliest AND SWEETEST PERSON IN THE WORLD IS MY TATAY

Why DO I HAVE TO TELL MY PARENTS I’M OK WHEN I’M NOT?

I love MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, DX

I hate CONTROLLING AND BACKSTUBBING PEOPLE

I cannot stand CONTROLLING AND BACKSTUBBING PEOPLE

I will always COME HOME

I have A TEDDY BEAR NAMED YEYEX

I need TO CONTRIBUTE STORIES OFTEN

I still FEEL I’M ALONE

I fear DEATH

I kissed DX WHEN HE WENT TO SIQUIJOR FOR A COVERAGE (DI PA KAMI ADTO HEHEHE)

I might try TO TRAVEL ABROAD OR AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH MY FAMILY

I used to DANCE, READ, WRITE, SING, EAT, AND SLEEP A LOT

plot of "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time"

Christopher discovers the dead body of Wellington, his neighbour's dog, speared by a garden fork. Mrs Shears, Wellington's owner, calls the police. The police try to grab Christopher; they caution him after he hits one of the officers. He decides to investigate to clear his name. However, he is severely limited by his fears and difficulties when interpreting the world around him. Throughout his adventures, Christopher records his experiences in a book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. During his investigation, Christopher meets people whom he has never before encountered, even though they live on the same street.

Ed, his father, discovers the book and confiscates it from Christopher, after a brief fight between them. In his search for the hidden book, Christopher uncovers a trove of letters to himself from his mother, dated after she allegedly died — which his father had also concealed. Christopher had been told by Ed that she died of a heart attack, Christopher assumes it's an aneurysm, but judging from the letters, Christopher concludes that she is still alive and that his father has lied to him. He is so thoroughly shocked by this fact that he is unable to move, curls up on the bed, vomits, and groans for several hours until his father returns home.

Ed realises that Christopher has read the letters and cleans him up. He then confesses that he had indeed lied about Judy's death and also that it was him who killed Wellington, stating that it was a mistake resulting from his anger after a heated argument with Mrs Shears.

Christopher, having lost all trust in his father and fearing that he may also try to kill him since he had already killed Wellington, decides to escape from home and live with his mother. Guided by his mother's address from the letters, he embarks on an adventurous trip to London, where his mother lives with Mr Shears.

After a long and confusing journey, evading policemen who have been dispatched to find him (after Ed called the police about his disappearance), and feeling ill because of the overwhelming information from the crowds and the signs in the trains, he finally finds his way to his mother and Mr Shears' home, and waits outside until they arrive.

His mother, Judy, is happy at his arrival and tries to keep him with her; she cannot believe that Ed would tell Christopher that she was dead. His mother decides to let Christopher stay with her and Mr Shears in their small London apartment. Mr Shears doesn't want Christopher living with them and never did. Moreover, very soon after arriving, Christopher wants to return to Swindon in order to take his mathematics A-level. His mother eventually leaves Mr Shears, their relationship having apparently broken down because of the conflict over Christopher.

She then moves into a rented room in Swindon and, after an argument with Ed, agrees to let Ed meet with Christopher daily for a short while. However, at this stage, Christopher remains terrified of his father; he hopes Ed will be imprisoned for killing Wellington. The story ends with Ed getting Christopher a pet dog, because Toby, Christopher's pet rat, had died, and promising that he will rebuild trust with Christopher slowly, "no matter how long it takes," in his daily, brief sessions. Christopher asserts that he will take further A-level exams and attend university. He completes his first mathematics A-level with top grades and — despite previously wanting to be an astronaut — his ultimate goal is to become a scientist.

The book closes with Christopher optimistic about his future — since he successfully solved the incident of the murdered dog, went to London on his own, found his mother, and got an A in his A-level maths exam.

first cry of the year (literally and figuratively)

an argument over who raised a voice first always gets me a little emotional. it always surprises me when he shouts at me or shouts back at me during an argument that both of us know the reasons are immature and clearly do not deserve our time and energy.

and besides, I've never been shouted at by a man in my entire life. so it really does break my heart. and that's why i had my "first cry of the year"... same reason for the past 17 months.

this long distance relationship sometimes sucks especially when both of us are tired and we still want to end our day with a phone conversation seeking comfort from each other's voices. but unfortunately, the cold air of dawn gets into our tired heads pushing our warmth away.

what's worst... is he never let go of whatever we are fighting about. he is the type of person that wants everything to be done and over with at the very minute it started, while im the type of person that normally drops the argument and prefers to keep silent for a couple of minutes, breathe, and get back on the matter with a much cooler head.

often, (or always) I put down the phone or turn my cellphone off. DX would call me several times. sometimes, it reaches up to 20 missed calls before I'd answer the phone again. he does all the talking while i keep silent trying to figure out if it's smart to talk back, give up, or say sorry and laugh about it instead. but always, we end up saying sorry to each other, taking the blame, and start being sweet again.

i wonder if this is healthy. if this is the kind that would make us grow individually and as partners. if this will last.

so here's my analysis:

1. he shouts back at me because he has also never experienced being shouted at by a girl or anyone for that matter.

2. he wants (the argument) it done and over with right away because he is afraid to lose me. that i might end up breaking up with him.

3. i cry easily on matters like this because i can't take the fact that someone disagrees with me.

4. i feel this way because i still hate the fact that im in a long distance relationship. im disappointed because this is the second time i've been in this kind of relationship.

and why is he not giving up on me? he always say i've changed a lot since the first time we met, since the first two months we were together in Dumaguete. he even told me i have the most undesirable characteristics of a woman.

but why is he not giving up on me?... one time he said, it's something he can disregard, and that if he should count the times i've been the best girlfriend, it's like he has won the lottery.

honestly, there are times i think that this is not forever, that he's not the guy im going to spend the rest of my life with... but then again, who? who's the guy im going to be with forever? who am i going to marry and have children with?

should i wish for someone and something not there? I mean... if you think about it... he's the one person i have now, he's the one person i want to have phone conversation with at the end of the day, he's the one person i want to argue with because i know we'll be ok in no time.

this is just a matter of prayer i guess. if i want to, if we want to, this can be forever. faith.

if the card readers we both asked for predictions for the new year told us we can find other partners in life, that's just a card and the readers are just human. who knows, they don't have 20/20 vision.

note: this post is supposedly for DX only but because your my bestfriend and my maid of honor in the future, iapil tika ver.

NY's reso

it's never too late to change ugly attitudes or change directions, so here are my 9 NYR for 09.

1. learn to control my temper

2. better time management

3. loosen up a little bit, have fun

4. be more open-minded

5. spend more time with family, travel

6. learn to communicate, communicate effectively in a relationship

7. read books again

8. write poems again

9. attend story con on time

A day before 09

1. i'm broke.

2. i felt like quitting my job (for some immature reason).

3. i thought i should get married this year, quit my job, and be a full-time housewife.

4. wished for the rain to pour heavily, when it did, i prayed for it to stop.

5. visited a card reader for a new year story, he said long engagements do not work for me and that i should get married soon (perfect!).

6. took my sister for a 30-minute shopping at sm. she wanted a new pair of jeans for new year. with the money i borrowed from ms. v, we purchased a green apple colored skinny jeans and a green apple colored thong sandals. (don't ask, she just said "hmmm... murag vitamins sa mata ang color, i like it").

7. i thought i should start reading books again, went to powerbooks and bought a novel, "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" by mark haddon. released in 2003, the story is about an autistic 15-year-old kid who wants to solve a murder case and write a novel about it, a neighbor's dog was killed.

8. bought a dark cherry mocha frappucino at starbucks, the sticker went to ms. roda's card, two more stickers and she'll get that red organizer!!! (she gave me that special assignment before leaving for Davao).

9. had dinner at andok's, the cashier said she knew me... ( "ummmm... Karen Asutillo? happy new year ma'am").

10. it was really hard to find a cab, but it was harder to find a jeepney with vacant seats.

11. a woman sporting a katie holmes hairstyle accidentally stepped on my right foot she said sorry but accidentally dropped her groceries on my left foot when she sat beside me.

12. brought my sister to the station. had 10pm-6am night shift (2pm-10pm on Jan.1), i left her there the entire time while i hopped from one police alarm to another. first a shooting incident in Lahug, a lechon house owner was killed. next, another shooting alarm, then a fire alarm, stubbing alarm, firecracker victims rushed to hospitals. (my sister stayed awake the whole time i left her).

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/12/29/08/six-families-mandaue-city-lose-homes-fire

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/12/21/08/family-found-dead-lapu-lapu-city

http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/12/18/08/fisherfolk-talisay-city-protest-%E2%80%98meager%E2%80%99-city-aid

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/12/17/08/after-bank-holidays-bsp-wants-central-bank-act-amended

also check allvoices.com contributed news. :)

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/2039454