Bringing Home Essential Lessons from Singapore

My husband and I took advantage of the week-long declared holiday during the APEC summit in Manila last November 16 to 20 that we decided to have a family bonding in Singapore (again, last was in 2010). It was a great time to take a break from stress brought by demanding work, monstrous Manila traffic, and rising crime statistics that send fears in every corners of my mind . At last! After more than five years, I get to set foot again in one of my favorite places. This place is where I experience all the best things I only hope that the Philippines could have, efficient transport system, clean surroundings, secure place to wander around, magnificent structures, gender-sensitive places/people and the list goes on.

But this post is not about the places that we visited in Singapore, this is all about my wishful thinking... a look at the Philippines on a different perspective, maybe a shallow comparative analysis of these two countries. Shallow in the sense that I only touch on topics that I see only the basic differences but could have huge impact in the Philippines' struggle to be among the best in the world in terms of governance.

 To understand better how Singapore became one of the cleanest, safest, best countries in the world, one really has to have a first hand experience and immerse himself in its day to day activities. But our almost two weeks of stay could not be enough so I bought a book that will somehow give me an idea on how this little red dot became one of the best countries in the world.

Before I share with you my book review and the insight I got about Singapore and the Philippines, let me share with you this relevant video from Word of the Lourd...

~ to be continued

#ALDubEBTamangPanahon The Right Time Has Come

October 24, 2015 is the big, big day for the AlDub fans that Lola Nidora declared as the "tamang panahon", the right and perfect time.  Aldub has been trending worldwide in Twitter world for quite some months now.  If you happen to be not one of the followers of this phenomenal Filipino love team, you might wonder what is all the buzz about.  

The love team started from the Philippines' longest running television variety show Eat Bulaga in one of its segments titled "Kalye-serye" only last July 2015.  It is a combination of a reality TV and game show series (serye) that is set on the street (Kalye) in Metro Manila and nearby provinces everyday (except Sunday).  The kalyeserye was born from an original Eat Bulaga segment "Juan for All" that gives out big prize money to selected individual.  The main characters of this kalyeserye are Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza aka Yaya Dub.  Alden is a rising Filipino actor while Maine is an internet sensation with her YouTube dubsmash antics.  The other interesting characters of this series are the three "Lola" (grandmothers) named Nidora, Tidora and  Tinidora played by the show's versatile hosts Wally Bayola, Paolo Ballesteros and Jose Manalo. You read that right, these three are male actors portraying the role of old women, they are so good at their disguise that you will surely separate their real character from the roles they are playing.  What is prominent in this kalyeserye are the lessons and values which are reflective of Filipino culture in olden times.  Lessons and values which revolve on building relationships, proper way of courting a lady and so much more including waiting for that perfect moment thus the byline "tamang panahon".   

Although we have seen a lot of reality tv shows here and abroad, what makes this segment unique is its street-scene role playing seasoned with a comedy-like Cinderella-type plot.  This is what makes the 'Aldub Nation' (yes, they earned that title for being such hardcore followers of AlDub) all glued to their tv screens to find out if there will be a happy ever after or the way they describe it a 'forever' love or friendship (?) between the two not only in a split screen romance but also in real life. Something that remains to be seen and all the more sends everyone into romantic euphoria. :-)  

#givingback Unsullied Perspective Donation Pledge to Philippine Red Cross

In our post about our 12 months of Fun Treat Closing, we had given our winners until September 30, 2015 to notify us through email about claiming their prizes. A week after the deadline, we moved on to our next undertaking.   Just as we promised, we donated the equal money value of all unclaimed prizes! We picked the Philippine Red Cross as our recipient of our Fun Treat donation because this institution symbolizes the true value of giving and volunteerism.

I personally experienced first hand Red Cross' commitment of helping those in need when it became instrumental in saving my son's life. With that, our team knows that through Red Cross, they can make the most out of our little donation. That means more sons and daughters being saved.

Last October 7, Unsullied Perspective sent the money pledge online. It is a convenient way of sending donation directly through Philippine Red Cross' bank account. We opted for a bank to bank transfer, but there were also other options available like mobile payments and through other channels. After sending money, we were notified through email about the successful remittance of our donation.

There goes our Fun Treat! Watch out for more of Unsullied Perspective's gift giving pledge. Let us continue to be a blessing to others.

Two Miles, Two Hours, Traffic

Throwback post from September 3, 2010....It is now 2015, five years after but the same problem persists in Metro Manila.  :-(

I sensed that my son was annoyed when I got home Friday evening when he told me “Mommy, you always get home late!” Oh-oh, I know my son has every bit of reason to feel that way since all our schedules had been affected. I told him about the traffic dilemma that I had to go through just to get home, that made him shift his mood.

This is the fourth day since the end of August that I experienced being stuck in a traffic jam ‘(~_~)’. My usual twenty minutes travel time from the office to my house had been prolonged to almost two hours. Imagine the 600% increase in my travel time! If only the 600% could add up to my daily wage to buy time for my kids who were waiting for me at home. Ahh… I really can feel that time is not just gold, it is more than gold! What an agonizing hour being stuck in the middle of the road while thinking of another missed dinner with my family.  There is no doubt my sleepy kids were anxiously waiting for me. Nothing much I can do but to bear each tangled homeward-bound episode of my life and ponder on things that I observed such as ….

It is rainy season here in the Philippines, the heavy downpour brings on heavier traffic either because of flooding where cars could be stalled or because drivers are just understandably cautious and drive at slower pace as the road tend to be much slippery or flooded.

The “ber” months (September-December) is the season for mall-wide sales thus more shopaholic people converge in one place and that is where heavier traffic can be noted. Choke points are usually at those places where there are malls and night markets where public utility buses and jeeps carelessly park to pick up passengers. Whether the traffic light is red or green, nobody seems to care. The driver only cares to get more passengers and people only cares to get home after a tiring shopping day.

Since Christmastime is just around the corner, business is likely to be booming and one indicator is again, heavy traffic. If you happen to passed through roads nearby the air or sea ports, you might notice a queue of twenty or forty foot container vans or delivery trucks that almost occupied the whole stretch of road. How you would wish to have a flying car if you happen to tail behind a long truck as it would be impossible to overtake in a bumper to bumper traffic. Booming business is good but heavy traffic is no good at all with all those hours that had been wasted and spent unproductively and all those carbon emission that cars left behind.

So while I was stuck there, my thoughts brought me into analyzing things further; what a hard life it is for those who are earning from driving and caught in a traffic mess. I can’t help but be disappointed at their predicament. A public utility jeep (PUJ) driver who travels on an eight kilometer return trip usually takes only twenty minutes for each round that should give him ideally at least three trips an hour. If he would be caught in a traffic jam for an hour on his one way trip that would make his return trip up to 70 minutes and that translates to only about eight trips for say a ten hour trip schedule. A jeep usually transports a maximum of sixteen people for seven pesos fare per person on a one way trip that should give him PHP 224.00 on his return trip. Ideally they could be earning as much as PHP 1792 in a day even if they would be caught in heavy traffic. But sadly, that seems to be just a wishful thinking because (1) most drivers do not own the vehicle, they usually rent it from jeep operators amounting to six hundred to maybe more than a thousand pesos depending on the number of hours they would be using the vehicle (2) Since there are too many jeep plying the same route, aside from traffic, they would also be spending some minutes in terminal queues waiting for passengers thus their trip schedule might not be maximized (3) there is no guarantee that the jeep would be fully packed with passengers for its entire trip, the usual peak time are during rush hours when students and office workers go to work and when they return home, and even if it would be full, there is no assurance that all passengers will pay the PHP 7.00 fare. (4) If the situation gets really bad such as their route is badly affected with flood, they have no choice but to cancel their trip and that means nothing to bring home to their family.

With that notion, there could be different scenario by which their story carried on, and I hate to think how a bad situation could bring out the worst in somebody’s persona. Too hard life for some and only compassion and understanding can drive us through traffic and a bad-tempered driver.

Lenten Reflection: Parable of the Lost Sheep

I remember as a kid, I read Gospel comics that my friend used to lend me. One of the bible stories that I liked best is the parable of the lost sheep. After I read that story, I really felt how precious we are in the eyes of God. This is so relevant and interesting to ponder. The verses are from the books of Matthew; Mat 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Mat 18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Mat 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh! Mat 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Mat 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. Mat 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? Mat 18:13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Mat 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 

Here is the Tagalog translation of the above story... 

Mat 18:1 Nang oras na yaon ay nagsilapit ang mga alagad kay Jesus, na nangagsasabi, Sino nga baga ang pinakadakila sa kaharian ng langit? Mat 18:2 At pinalapit niya sa kaniya ang isang maliit na bata, at inilagay sa gitna nila, Mat 18:3 At sinabi, Katotohanang sinasabi ko sa inyo, Malibang kayo'y magsipanumbalik, at maging tulad sa maliliit na bata, sa anomang paraan ay hindi kayo magsisipasok sa kaharian ng langit. Mat 18:4 Sinoman ngang magpakababa na gaya ng maliit na batang ito, ay siyang pinakadakila sa kaharian ng langit. Mat 18:5 At sinomang tumanggap sa isa sa ganitong maliit na bata sa aking pangalan ay ako ang tinanggap: Mat 18:6 Datapuwa't sinomang magbigay ng ikatitisod sa isa sa maliliit na ito na nagsisisampalataya sa akin, ay may pakikinabangin pa siya kung bitinan ang kaniyang leeg ng isang malaking batong gilingan, at siya'y ilubog sa kalaliman ng dagat. Mat 18:7 Sa aba ng sanglibutan dahil sa mga kadahilanan ng pagkatisod! sapagka't kinakailangang dumating ang mga kadahilanan; datapuwa't sa aba ng taong yaong panggalingan ng kadahilanan! Mat 18:8 At kung ang kamay mo o ang paa mo ay makapagpapatisod sa iyo, ay putulin mo, at iyong itapon: mabuti pa sa iyo ang pumasok sa buhay na pingkaw o pilay, kay sa may dalawang kamay o dalawang paa na ibulid ka sa apoy na walang hanggan. Mat 18:9 At kung ang mata mo ang makapagpapatisod sa iyo, ay dukitin mo, at iyong itapon: mabuti pa sa iyo ang pumasok sa buhay na iisa ang mata, kay sa may dalawang mata na ibulid ka sa apoy ng impierno. Mat 18:10 Ingatan ninyo na huwag ninyong pawalang halaga ang isa sa maliliit na ito: sapagka't sinasabi ko sa inyo, na ang kanilang mga anghel sa langit ay nangakakakitang palagi ng mukha ng aking Ama na nasa langit. Mat 18:11 Sapagka't ang Anak ng tao ay naparito upang iligtas ang nawala. Mat 18:12 Ano ang akala ninyo? kung ang isang tao ay may isang daang tupa, at maligaw ang isa sa mga yaon, hindi baga iiwan niya ang siyam na pu't siyam, at pasasa kabundukan, at hahanapin ang naligaw? Mat 18:13 At kung mangyaring masumpungan niya, ay katotohanang sinasabi ko sa inyo, na magagalak ng higit dahil dito kay sa siyam na pu't siyam na hindi nangaligaw. Mat 18:14 Gayon din na hindi nga kalooban ng inyong Amang nasa langit, na ang isa sa maliliit na ito ay mapahamak.

Holding On To Faith, Hanging On To Life

I went home that Sunday evening after spending sleepless nights in the hospital where my son was confined. My husband and I decided to have our child admitted in the hospital at the initial onset of his fever for fear of the deadly dengue. Dengue is a life-threatening disease transmitted by Aedes Aegypti mosquito. At that time, there already were 69,594 dengue cases wherein 501 deaths had already been noted by the Department of Health. We had been in the hospital since Thursday when my son developed high grade fever ranging from 39-42 degrees centigrade with accompanying whooping cough. The doctor’s initial diagnosis was pneumonia based on his radiological consultation but he also had skin rashes, was vomiting and was complaining of stomachache. The fever subsided on Saturday and he looked well the following day.

That Sunday we thought that my son was already out of danger after his fever subsided so my husband decided to send me home so I may be able to look after my little girl who was also having slight fever. I was thinking that by Tuesday, we would be released from the hospital but little did I know that the nightmare was far from over. By the time I reached the house of my in-laws where I left my two girls, my husband’s brother broke to me the bad news that he received a message from my husband and that my son was taken to the intensive care unit of the hospital. My son was positive for dengue, the hematology report indicated a drop in his platelet count from 330X10 9/L on September 9 to only 62X10 9/L at 6PM that Sunday. On hearing the sad news, I was trying hard to search for my inner strength but fear engulfed me. I wanted to go back to the hospital, I was in a state of denial when I told them that he was okay when I left the hospital and even assured them the same words that my son told me that he was doing well. My mother-in-law told me to just stay behind and to be calm while she and my brother in law hurriedly went to the hospital. While looking after my other sick child that night, I was praying hard for a miracle that they all get well. I hardly slept that night and I found myself sending text messages to friends requesting for a plant that others testified to help cure dengue patients. I was too desperate to try anything to cure my sick child.

At the break of dawn, I found myself phoning a friend in the office to ensure that I would have that plant before I go back to the hospital. I was able to serve that herbal tea to my son during lunch but it was such a struggle to convince him to take it, as he reasoned out that there was no scientific evidence and no approval from the Department of Health that the plant really had cured dengue patients. He only had four spoonfuls of rice with soup for his dinner and then told me that he just wanted to take a rest still complaining of his bad tummy and ruptured vein in the intravenous insertions. I was holding back my tears that time since I did not want him to feel as helpless as I was. When my sisters visited him that night, they were all alarmed that my son was too pale, his body too weak and dehydrated despite being administered with an intravenous solution on both hands and he had edema that his face, feet and arms were all bloated due to fluid retention. I went out of the ICU to talk to my sisters and to my mom who was also there. My mom insisted to the resident doctor to give us the true details of my son’s condition. We were faced with more problems when we had the last hematology report at 6PM wherein his platelet count further dropped to 42X10 9/L while his hematocrit had an elevated reading at 0.53 above the normal range of 0.42-0.48. I was totally disoriented and it felt like hope was fast fading away, I just sat there crying and nothing was coming to my head. I just heard my mommy talking to the doctor and all my sisters in disagreement of what option the doctor had told them. My sister-in-law and I was wide awake the whole night as if that could alleviate the suffering that my son was going through, waiting for each moment and praying for my son's improvement. The result of his blood test of 12NN revealed further drop in his platelet count to 36X10 9/L and it felt like our world was falling apart. When the doctor told us that the life of our son is not in her hands and that we must pray harder, no words could comfort me at that time and fear was written all over me. I wanted to convince myself that everything would be fine, my husband and I were holding on to faith while my son was hanging on to his dear life. That time between sobs, I was trying to remember the parable from the bible wherein a man's great faith had helped cured his servant. (I just want to share it with all of you)


Mat 8: 5-10
And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, “Lord, my servant lie at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented”.

Jesus said unto him, “I will come and heal him”.

The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it”.

When Jesus heard it he marveled and said to them that followed, “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel”.

Mat 8:13
And Jesus said unto the centurion, “Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee”. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.


I knew that the story somehow helped me find again my strength and faith and to believe that miracles do happen through prayers. After nine long days in the hospital (four days in the ICU), my son is now on the road to recovery. I thank God that my son survived from dengue hemorrhagic fever and pneumonia. I also thank all the people who prayed with us and visited my son in the hospital, and thanks to our relatives who helped us emotionally, financially and spiritually along the way


Psa 94:17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

FaMEALy Day: A Tradition of Sharing Mealtimes with Family

2025 Story Update: Mark your calendar! September 22, 2025 is Famealy Day. My children are all grown up now, but we still observe this family meal day not only in September each year but whenever our schedules would allow.  It gives us time to share our plans, experiences, laughter and even challenges, tears and fears with one another. The family where I came from also share mealtimes together that I adapted it to my own family. I could attest to the study made years ago on  the importance of parent's presence at the dinner table, that spending time with your children during mealtimes can affect the rest of their lives. Our children hold on to these moments and provide them with shield from going astray and not be influenced by wrong companies. Fifteen years have already passed since we joined this Family Meal Day (though we had been eating together eversince I had my own family).  It is always a great moment of joy for me as a mother to spend those times with my children especially now that they are starting to build their own lives and living on their own. Circumstances have changed. Years ago, my children were waiting for me and my husband to come home from work so we could eat together for dinner. Today, the parents are the one waiting for them to be home to spend rare occassion of shared mealtimes.   But I am still so grateful to be spending and sharing meal times with my children whenever their work schedules would allow it.

Original story in 2010 as posted below:

I arrived home tonight some minutes past seven and just like the other nights, I missed again a very precious dinner time with my kids. Traffic and bad weather prevents me from getting home earlier and I really regret that. I too grew up with working parents and I remember how I always look forward to each dinner time because that is our chance to gather around at a table and exchange stories and views of how our day was. It was always a very enriching conversation and a memorable moment indeed. My mother always make it a point that we eat together when she arrives from work and to make each weekend a special mealtime together. At least I always have good memories of those mealtime moments despite the busy schedule of my beloved mother.

Recently, my daughter in 6^th grade approached me to hand me a letter that sort of reminding me how important shared meal time is. It was given in their school and I need to sign on the letter as a pledge to celebrate the National FaMEALy day. Then my daughter told me, “Mommy don’t forget to sign on that and don’t forget that day.” As I read through the brochure that was attached to the letter, it was the advocacy being advertised on TV by a noodle product named "Lucky Me". Lucky me indeed for receiving this kind of invitation that encourages parents like me to put best effort to practice regular family meals despite being a working parent.

I want to quote these words from their brochure "frequent family dinners are associated with lower rates of smoking, drinking and illegal drug use." and "what parents don't realize is the importance of their presence at the dinner table, that spending time with their children during mealtimes can affect the rest of their lives."

So let's mark it on our calendar to celebrate September 27 or every 4th Monday of September a FaMEALy day or better yet, let's make it EVERYDAY.

Special Notes from a Short Visit at Daddy’s House

My visit in dad’s hometown provided me a chance to reminisce the moments I’ve enjoyed as a child and also had me thinking of my somewhat severing bond with nature. Yes, severing bond with nature in alarmingly awkward condition because I feel that I already grown accustomed to city life. I am now used to all the wild sounds around me brought on by modernization replacing the sound of birds or roosters, I feel comfortable looking at the view from my window of galvanized roofs, towering building facades and hanging cables rather than magnificent mountains and hanging branches of tall trees, I am very much adapted to passing through walkways festooned with piles of garbage instead of green grass and flowering plants. Then it occurred to me, my kids are already missing out the chance to swim through the river where I used to bathe because the river is now full of silt from animal waste and household garbage. They have lost the opportunity to be delighted as trees transform come nighttime and become lighted with thousands of fireflies in the same way it captivated me and my siblings. I guess fireflies now seem to shy away from humans as we were not able to see even one of them or they could have been totally gone as their habitat had already been destroyed apparently because of uncontrolled logging activities. Most kids today fail to experience chasing colorful butterflies along the meadows and might never have the chance to witness firsthand at how these creatures come to life, and other countless happy moments with nature.

I remember my grandmother used to tell me that during her time Manila abound with fruit-bearing trees and how they enjoyed picking fruits and flowers for free. During my time, the city is no longer like that, you need to travel some kilometers away to benefit from nature’s bounty. I feel fortunate to have experienced there at my father’s place the joy of planting and picking fruits from someone else's yard without being accused of stealing since neighbors gladly gave away their produce rather than being left rotten. Now, you need to travel miles away from the city or to search far-flung island to enjoy nature in finest form. Kids in the city can only see fruits or its packaged dried variety inside the market or grocery store, their idea on how they were grown and produced were mostly learned from books or from the internet. Most of these fruits were mass produced inside plantation where you need to ask the owner’s permission to see them up close or else setting even one foot inside the perimeter would be reason for you to be nabbed for trespassing.

About a year ago, I noticed how engrossed my 12 year old son playing a game over the internet where he was able to raise animals, till the land, reap what he sow, sell what he reap until he was able to acquire another land to cultivate. I was even more surprised when I heard friends excitedly talk about their farmlands, a virtual farmland that is. How they spend several hours each day attending to their crops to prevent them to wither. Just imagine spending more than an hour in a given day virtually getting something done without much real gain. I remember asking my son lightheartedly if he was able to harvest enough for our dinner or earned that much to pay for our electric bill That is all saddening because the first hand experience of the natural world I used to enjoy as a child is bit by bit being replaced with a digital world my kids and the rest of the world is now addicted to, a digital world far from realism. While in the middle of these thoughts, I heard a call from my father then handed me a plant for me to bring back home in the city. This, I said to myself, is something to remind me that it is not yet too late to introduce my kids to environmental consciousness and to renew my bond with nature.

~ written in Dec. 2009~

EARTH HOUR 2010 (starting family life on a new note)

My family celebrated the new year in a totally different way, it was my husband’s idea to just stay at home without much fun fare as the start of 2010 unfolds. His idea was partly influenced by his being precautious as most accidents happen during this time of year and by strictly living within the boundaries of sacred beliefs. I rode on his idea not just to follow the “if you can’t beat them, join them” method of avoiding life stress but also to create something sensible out of the situation I was in.


While everyone else was singing and dancing to the loud tune of the Wondergirls’ ‘Nobody’ song or getting drunk from all the liquor drinks available, our family was spending time in solemn reverie. While the fireworks did their wonders at the stroke of midnight, we were spending Earth Hour during those times. Yes, spending Earth Hour and I really mean EARTH HOUR, with lights out and major appliances switched off.  Can’t wait for the March 2010 Earth Hour activity?   Maybe…. but  as for my husband and kids, the lights in the house were switched off to let them enjoy the fireworks scene as they look through the 4th floor window of our apartment (which somehow did the trick for the kids to feel we were having a unique celebration) but for me, I would like to believe that we were doing something great for the earth by lessening our family’s carbon footprints.

Yes, by spending quiet family bonding time at home during the new year we were able to lessen our carbon footprint which we could have otherwise contributed had we lighted on a firecracker or cooked a lavish dinner or went on an out of town travel. Mind you, after all the depressing and devastating scenario left by typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) in most part of Metro Manila and several other natural calamites happening around the globe which most studies claimed as caused by climate change, I could say that I was totally moved and very much eager to give my own share of commitment for our planet’s sake? I hope that true concern for each other spring forth within us and when most of us already decided to pledge some serious time and effort for the benefit of the environment the damage is still reversible and we can still be able to heal the earth. If we do not start today, when do we start to change our ways?