Christmas season 2011

It is the last month of the year, the most anticipated I think, well aside from February where you have Valentine's Day, the Christmas season is THE holiday most awaited by everyone not only here in Manila but around the world.

So what makes Christmas in the Philippines different from the rest of the world? Well for one it starts on the 1st day of the "ber" months which is September and ends when the Chinese New Year is celebrated sometime in February. That makes for a very long Christmas season. So what is in store for us this Holiday Season?

The malls are a buzz, every manufacturer who has a product has their marketing strategy all planned out after all there is extra money to be spent and people are happy in this joyous season of all.

For a lot of people it brings joy as they will meet with family members who they have not seen for quite sometime since they work overseas, or the chance to go back home to their provinces and relieve the time they were kids and enjoy those comfort food cook up by their grandparents. This I think is what makes people happy during these holidays. But that is not all that happens during this time of the year.

Christmas to others is the time of love or the showing of love, a lot of proposals have been done during this time (well maybe because people are in a festive mood and they can't say no) of the year. Some have bigger surprises like getting pregnant or giving birth, while for others it is the time to give that special gift to their special someones.

Christmas for children is very special as well as they can get away with most anything during this time, and oh those gifts that they have been expecting have been keeping them awake most nights. It is also that break from school work they have been longing for.

But alas, not everyone is happy during Christmas, there are those who are sad because they miss their loved ones who are working overseas and can't come home, while others lose their jobs or get broken hearted, and then there are those who find it such a hassle to be moving around the city due to the traffic jams and the crowded malls "everywhere you go."

I have had my share of sad Christmases, being away from my family, losing my parents, being out of work, such is life, but you have to snap out of it and think of the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.

For the past 3 years, the real meaning of Christmas has been felt by family as we have become Christians, it has never impacted me more than ever before. I know the reason we are celebrating is because the one True God sent His only Son to redeem us from sin and make us worthy to stand before God. Christmas has been commercialized for so many years that I myself have forgotten what it really means.

Today, my family and I prepare for Christmas, or should I say, Christ's birth, with our hearts and not our wallets. We ready our hearts and minds to receive our Saviour with love among us to share with others. It is our prayer that everyone have love in their hearts as they share their blessings this holiday season.

Let us all remember the real reason for the season, that we celebrate the coming of the Child in swaddling clothes and not the fat gentleman in red.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

To God be all the Glory!

my being 50

I haven't written anything in a long while, well not in these blog anyway. I rant and rave on my twitter page and an my facebook account, but not here which is quite ironic since this is my official blog page. Anyway.....

So i will be turning 50 in a couple of weeks and you get to think about the things you have done and have not done as a retrospect. So I will give ti a go here and enumerate what I have done in my life that may seem noteworthy or exceptional for someone who will be 50 years of age before the month ends.

I have;

1. flown or ridden private planes - was often brought to and from the mine site I was consulting at by a private plane, a KingAir Beechcraft plane, it has propellers and not a jet but its still private.

2. flown with gold bars literally at my feet on the same flights to the mine site.

3. been a Chief Operating Officer for a dot com company

4. met with CFOs, COOs, CEOs and presidents of multi-million peso companies

5. built several companies from the ground up

6. worked in several states in Australia, the US, Malaysia, Singapore and HongKong

7. been paid tax free salary in US dollars for several years

8. never bought a car of my own

9. traveled overseas on all flight classes on commercial planes

10. never paid for a hotel in all my travels

11. using a Mont Blanc platinum pen for the last 10 years

12. been flown to HongKong for meetings and interviews

13. been part of the computerised maintenance consulting team for the new HongKong airport

14. done indoor mountain climbing

15. drank wine vintage 1986 an 1991 Australian wines

16. been saved by Christ since 2009

17. given up smoking since 2007

18. done training 1700 ft under ground at a mine site in Kalgoorlie , Western Australia

19. driven a right-hand SUV whilst in Australia

20. eaten crocodile, kangaroo and ostrich meet

21. ridden a train from Maryland to New York

22. taken an exam and been interviewed at the United Nations Head office in New York.

23. gambled in Atlantic City, New Jersey

24. seen Cindy Crawford, up close and personal as I stood next to her in LAX

25. watched an actual NBA game and have seen Shaq in person.


So is there anything else I can do for the next 50 years, maybe, but my outlook in life has been different now and the things I want to do have also been different. I have mellowed out in my age and have been more conscious of the thinks I do now. I try to mentor my subordinates more and now also share the Word of God.

I am thankful for all the things I have experienced in the past, I sure not many can say the same specially about the crocodile and kangaroo meat.

But what I am thankful for are all the friends I have met and retained all these years. My closest friends I have been with for the last 33 yrs and they have been with me through the thrills and trials of my life. You can run to them when you have problems but the best thing of all is when they run to me to ask for advice, it shows that they trust me enough to ask for my opinion and help.

Thank you Lord for the new found vigor I have in life now as I seek your approval and prepare my family as we walk with you in seeking God.