That's more like it!

I remember the last most sensational email I have read about Filipinos. Well, it was a hate email. I'm sure most of you have read it already. I wonder why there are people who keeps on maligning our race.. But ofcourse there are also people who are very appreciative of our talent. Read this article I got from another website, which made me feel so good despite my terrible headache. :)

Imagine a world without Filipinos Abdullah Al-Maghlooth | Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa

Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.” Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them. Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work. Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors. So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen. What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas. When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore. Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said. This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom. The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy. We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences. We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop. We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.

...Birthday Tatay!

To the people who became my friend through this blog, I apologize if I haven't been visiting your blog lately... I just kind of lost the drive to blog since my lolo passed away..

and Today we're supposed to be celebrating my Lolo's 85th birthday, who I fondly called Tatay. I thank God for his life. For making me a part of it. I miss him so much. Today June 14th was his birthday. When I was typing the title "Happy Birthday Tatay!" earlier, it made me think if I should still put "happy" before the word "birthday" if the celebrant has passed away already.. oh well just a thought... but the I decided with the "..." instead.

Since he died I never really felt that he's left us, although I'm missing him every single day... but now that we're celebrating his birthday, it's so different that the "celebrant" is not with you anymore. It is today that I have felt terrible longing of seeing him. Holding him. Guiding him. Earlier I just cried all of a sudden. The same feeling I had 2 days prior to his internment, because during that time, I knew that I only had 2 days to see him for the last time.. I missed him then. I still miss him now. But It is today that I miss him the most since he died. a lot of times in a day I think of him, his memories, then my thoughts will be divided between my him and Inay. The person who have felt the most loss, the most painful of pains when my lolo died. If i felt this terrible how much more my grandmother? When lolo passed away, I have easily accepted his death, because I knew that he'll be in a better place where there is no sickness and pain. But when he died, what worried me the most is the person he has left behind. Lola. But Im glad with the strength she's showing us since lolo died. She's proving me otherwise. I'm proud. The person who we thought was weak is after all strong. And I'm praying to God to continue to give her all the strength she needs,and good health . There are days, I stay with lola and sometimes even during my rest days from work, that I stay in my lola's house, and At night when I'm sleeping beside her, I never had a continued sleep. I was sleeping very lightly. Im scared. I would see to it that during the night I'm gonna check on her and Im even gonna hold her hand while sleeping. That's how scared I am. But I believe in her, and I will always be with her all through out.

Makes me think of the Armageddon OST--- "I can stay awake just to hear you breathing...watch you smile while you are sleeping... "

I have lost a grandfather. My ONLY grandfather. ( I was never given the chance to become close with my other grandfather in short. ) And I intend to have my grandmother for a longer time. I don't think I'll be able take it if something happens to her. I just can't. My life is my family. Papa. Mama. Ate. Inay (lola). Tita. Tito. and Lolo (Not in chronological order) These people are my life. I cannot imagine how's life without them.

My lolo's death has become another turning point in my life. Some realizations came within me. Some decisions finalized. It has made me realized that our life is all about numbers. (?). maybe that's why i hate math... life=number. think about it. If only our lives are not being "numbered"...