Saturday, December 27, 2014

Holidays of Homesickness

A home will always be home no matter how messy the place is.
Being a single mommy and being away from home during the most important holidays of the year is no less than the most heartbreaking moments in my life.

After six months of being away from my five-year old daughter, going home for a day is like sneaking for lost moments. I went home after six months, but only for a day. After a day, I had to leave home to work. I spent Christmas away from my parents and my daughter.

Now, I am in a dilemma that I might spend the New Year still away from home. I had two booked bus tickets already. The first one, I was not able to use, I gave it to a relative. I have another one, I do not know if I will be able to use it.

Nevertheless, when I went home for a day. I was so sad seeing my kid missed me so much. She had to guard me in my times of sleep even during the day when she is expected to take her nap too. She even had to take pictures of me while I was asleep.

This article may not be about homesickness entirely, but about my daughter who practices photography using my mobile phone. I am glad that the pictures in this post are among her shots.

That's Pope Francis! He is visiting the Philippines in January 2015.
Mama's happiness. I dream that I will be able to buy a new one for her.
Not a facade but ordinary windows.
Caught by the angle.
Worn-out waiting to be worn again.
Living in greens.
The feet that touch the ground always.

Friday, October 24, 2014

A Polio-Free World

Source: +United Nations 

Polio eradication has prevented over 11 million childhood disabilities and deaths worldwide. Thanks to a 26-year effort, a generation of children has grown up free of the fear of polio.

Every child deserves to live in a polio-free world.

October 24 is World Polio Day.

Source: United Nations +United Nations 

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Artistic June

Jar or  pot?
June is filled with arts for my kid. It is the start of classes again. She is excited to be back to daycare. She likes getting groomed everyday and then study.

Few days before going back to school, my kid focuses into the arts. She had to do color combinations from the basic poster colors that I bought for her. Aside from that, she loves the routine smartphone photography. I should have given her an SLR or perhaps a compact camera. However, smartphone is all what we have. Thanks to LG smartphone; we are maximizing its use. It is good for a start.

Clothesline 

Hammock

Silhouette

 Ginseng in 12 Noon

Spot the Moringa

Garden Fern

Upside Down

Sunday, May 25, 2014

May Photography on Smartphone

Sunset in Red
Red Accent
I spent many days of May on vacation leave. When I am on leave, I am confined at home. Going out is seldom; we only make time to bond. At home, my smartphone catches the fast hands of my four-year old daughter. She does a lot of browsing on my saved photographs and does a lot of photography by herself. 

Not-So-Many-Rubles in Yellow
In this post, I am sharing some photos taken by my daughter. I keep a file of those photographs in all forms and angles so that when she has grown up, she will be able to trace them back. I am the one responsible for putting the titles to the photographs that I like from hundreds of them.

Missing Cup

Shades of Summer

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The Lamp that Made a Magna Cum Laude

One of the winning entries to the 2014 Photo Contest in the observance of Fire Prevention Month.
The picture above does not show the actual lamp that made me a Magna cum Laude. Rather, it is similar to the lamp that made me a Magna cum Laude. It is a kind of kerosene lamp, an improvised and home-made lamp being fueled by kerosene.

Out of poverty, the kerosene lamp served as my light in my academic journey. I didn't had access to electricity until I was in early 20's when my family moved to a relative's house with electricity. I am so grateful for the lamp that I included it in my high school valedictory address.

I encountered the kerosene lamp again as I recently judged the photo contest of the Bureau of Fire Protection in the observance of Fire Prevention Month in March. With the theme, "Isulong ang kaunlaran, sunog ay iwasan; kaalaman at pag-iingat ang kailangan", photo contest entries came from all over the Philippines.

The lamp above reminds me of my past. I was like the girl in the picture. I experienced poverty but the lack of material things did not shatter my dreams. Now, I am part of the government's workforce committed to the protection of the country's economic gains through fire protection.

The picture below is another winning entry of the photo contest that I am referring to. It is another reminder of fire safety. On the other hand, it still reminds me of my childhood and schooling days. During that time, a candle was more expensive to use than a kerosene lamp. That is why my family had to prefer to use a kerosene lamp over a candle.


In my present job, it doesn't matter whatever lighting we use or keep. The more important thing is how we use those light safely so that we can still achieve our dreams amid poverty. 

Let us keep inspiring children and our very own children to continue learning and to keep the "light on." With that, they too, cannot just be a Magna cum Laude but perhaps a Summa cum Laude as well.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Children Silently Speaking on Fire Safety



My nose bled in judging the best of the best outputs of students from all over the Philippines last March. The Bureau of Fire Protection gathered all entries of high school students in drawing, essay writing and poster making contests on fire safety in relation to the observance of Fire Prevention Month.



In the final judging, four of us, judges, selected the best three for each category one afternoon at SM North EDSA in Quezon City. The entries were focused on 2014's theme of the country's fire prevention month obsevance: "Isulong and kaunlaran, sunog ay iwasan; kaalaman at pag-ingat ang kailangan."



The photographs here are some of the students' winning entries. These masterpieces now form part of the property of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). The student winners all received cash prizes from the BFP.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Take Action on Climate Change for Our Children and the Next Generations


Source: UN's Clean Water for a Healthy World


My child loves to plunge on water. She likes to take a bath and she enjoys it well. She too likes to swim in the beach. From a place where the sea is just walking distance from our home, my daughter may be good at swimming more than me. I never learned how to swim since then until now.

Well, it may not be all about swimming or having fun. It is all about the future. One day the future generations will ask, did my mom or my grandparents share their part in taking action on climate change?


"Future generations will judge our action on climate change. 2014 is the year for climate action."

Here are ways to take action on climate change: Please click on the link and see for yourself if you have already started doing your part in climate change mitigation in your own little way. Let us act now.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

In Bangladesh, learning why children stop learning


UNICEF Image

UNICEF

In Bangladesh, learning why children stop learning

DHAKA, Bangladesh, 28 January 2014 – Jibon is 12 years old and works at a fish market in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. He lives alone with his mother, who works in a garment factory.

Matthieu Crette unfolds this story of children in Bangladesh.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Silver Spoon


How many mouths will a silver spoon be able to feed? 

With nearly 100 million people in the Philippines, I think of the number of people in hunger. I also think of children suffering from hunger and malnutrition. 

Yet there are people who can still afford to consume in excess of what they need. This ends up putting a lot of food in the trash.

I am sharing this photograph taken by my 3-year old daughter during my brother's wedding in Mindanao last November. This silver spoon reminds me of a hungry stomach. It also reminds me of those whose stomach is full yet can still afford to put unused extra food in waste baskets.

Test Your Hunger IQ and Feed a Child