Mi Choza De Nipa

Pro 11:24   One gives freely , yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give , and only suffers want.   Today , I came across this passage in my morning devotion , and the Lord has reminded me again that I don’t own anything – I am but a steward. And with that passage , He reminded me of the joy He gives when I give of what I have. 1.        I give of what I have , and acknowlege that what I have is not mine; it is from the Lord. 2.       I give to others to share with them what the Lord has given me. 3.       I give to other people , especially children – they are pure in receiving and giving thanks. 4.       I give; I can only give what I have. Else , I cannot have what I keep. 5.        I give , and I experience the joy of giving. 6.       I...

Today , I called in to check if ever my items that I’ve been trying to get hold on will be coming , if ever. After calling the distributor , and waiting for a couple of minutes , I got the reply call from the lady who was very patient in handling the store’s seemingly unreasonable incompetence. I’d call it that , what else should I call it.   She was starting to mutter like “These people!” when she learned that I didn’t get any call from the store , which is what she and the store agreed to do , to inform me on the status of my orders.   Anyway , the second call seem to close the gap. The PO was received by her , and she is sending down to the store my 3 items , the latest by Friday. Back in the previous calls the other day , I did mention that after Friday , the items will no longer be of use. It simply is missing the important date , which is why I’m getting those items. And bes...

Chabakano is actually a creole coming from the marriage of Spanish and the vernacular in Zamboanga. Its origin is neither from Malay or Chinese language.  

It is a noteworthy thing to compare Pinoy words with words from other countries/languages. This will tell how much influence there is , and confirm what history books tell us starting from our primary school days…   Here goes:   SEA origins Pinoy word:       Other word Kawali               kwali (Malay) Pinto                 pintu (Malay) Balakang           belakang (Malay , meaning behind) Gulis                 garisan (Malay) Utang                otang (Malay , Indon; predominantly SEA countries) Bayad         ...

I am reminded of a story about a mother and her 2 daughters. Having grown and left the house for their studies , the daughters called in one fine day.   After the usual exchange of words , and about each other’s well-being , the first daughter asked the mother if she has an orange.   The mother said yes.   An hour or so , the second daughter called in , and after the customary greetings and salutations , the daughter immediately remembered that she needed an orange , and right away asked her mother if she has one.   The mother thought for a while , then answered yes. She actually has only one orange.   With no more time to go to the grocery , the mother just simply halved the orange , and gave half to each daughter.   When each one got her half-piece orange , this is what they said: “Oh , Mom , I only need the pulp , and I need a whole orange…” “Mom , I do...

Once I read in a newspaper, of an incident about a lady and a government official. Exactly who, I can’t recall, but it goes this way:   “I always see you on TV when I’m watching the news.” “I thought you were much taller than in person.”   To which the official said,   “Lady, in my place, we don’t measure a man from the neck down, but from the neck up.”   Although is many sense that is true, like in the case of Carlos Romulo who was belittled, “ You are small like your country,” by some braggart from the West, to which he retorted back with the same sense, there is another measure to which I would subject a person, male or female.   The measure of the heart.   Intelligence can drive you nuts.   Wealth can drive you wicked and greedy.   Influence can make you oppressive and tyrannical.   Poverty can cause you to steal. ...

Having been born to a large family, more or less, I know what it is to be noisy and loud. We are 6 kids, and only 1 girl proved to be a tough lot to handle. And yet, despite the seemingly impossible feat, my mother was able to discipline all of us, to what we are now.   And yes, the times have changed. My sister, who now have 2 girls and 2 boys, would ask my mom, “How did you handle us back then?”, meaning 5 boys and 1 girl? Once call, and comes the lad. You hear your name, and you come near. That’s not altogether true now.   And when it comes to food, you know the appetite of boys. Not to mention that we have other laborers who stay with us, and dine with us. Roughly, that would be about 12 knights around the circular table. Yap, literally, it is a round table. A huge one.   Growing in the provinces is in itself a blessing far beyond what growing in the cities can be. I don’t despise those families and kids ...

I remember the times when my mother would castigate me for the many things that I do wrong. As a child, I’m usually stubborn, and do things on my own and my way. More often than not, those are things that mo father or my mother won’t be agreeing to. What to do?   I’d remember what my mother would always say, and this, now, I understand better; I’m already a father myself. In one of our sessions, she would remark, that if ever we would go out, and meet up with other people, and they would note our behaviour,and observe our attitudes, the stark and direct remarks will be on the parents, specifically the mother.   “Poor boy, the mother didn’t teach well.” Or “A lousy mother you have.”   To this, my mom would rebut, that we children would bring them either honor, or shame. She would present her case, that either way, (1) parents don’t teach their children well, or (2) childre...