Ultrasound 2nd Set

They're getting big pretty fast! Now less than 3 months away, can't wait to see them for the first time...

My Soon-to-be-bigger Family

The best birthday, Christmas, and any day present for me!

Reflections

There's nothing more painful to a parent than losing the love of his life: his child.

One Less Better Person

“I am committed to ensuring that the president of a country like ours must not live in a style which is totally different from that of the masses of the people who put him in power.” - Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)

I don't know him much as a person, only through news clippings and articles from when he was freed from prison and later became president of South Africa. But I hold him in high regards, that his simpleness and honesty made him a lot more of a better person than most people of his stature.

His statement quoted above made me think of how politicians and government officials here in the Philippines act, live, and think of themselves. Being in a position in the government makes these people think that they are better than the average people; they are a class apart. It is all about power and influence. They wave at the people like they're celebrities, smiling with a satisfied, smug look in their faces. Public service is a sham. Their faces front infrastructure projects and development programs like they are the ones funding these activities, and not from the tax payers' sweat and blood.

They live in mansions and high end subdivisions, and ride luxury cars, while their constituents cramp themselves in their shanties and chase jeeps and buses, sometimes having to walk miles on end. Politics is good business, apparently, which also sometimes become the family business. Father, mother, daughter, son, cousin, husband, wife, everyone has to have a slice of the pie.

I am not for socialism; heck, one must reap the fruit of his labor. But extravagance of those who were put in power to serve the multitude is plain wrong. Running the country, the government is a big thing, yes, but it does not warrant you getting special treatment to anything. It is you who actually have to serve as an example to everyone how to be humble, kind, firm, and just.

The position you hold is not your birth right but a privilege given to you by the people you wooed during your campaigns, to whom you promised to serve and take care of once you are elected. I pray to God you keep your word.

With Mandela's passing, we're one less better person.

“A great man is always willing to be little.”  ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Severino Palermo of Guinobatan, Albay

I just had another lucky strike today: finding my maternal grandfather, Severino Orogo Palermo.

 

He was born November 1, 1926 to Francisco Palermo, 35 and Dorotea Orogo, 31, in Mauraro, Guinobatan, Albay.

Dorotea Orogo, 31

Francisco Palermo, 35

Oppression and Deception in the Home Front

Everyone dreams of having their own home: a place where their family can grow and lives can be shared.

But sometimes this is just someone's business. Money-making business.

This is true in our ongoing issues with ProFriends' real estate project, Lancaster New City (aka Lancaster Estates), more specifically in Lancaster Residences. Issues like the legality of the existing HOA being enforced by ProFriends despite the protest of the majority of homeowners in Lancaster Residences, exorbitant HOA dues being collected, lack of transparency on policy making by the developer's village administration (and the lack of balls thereof), substandard construction of housing units and undelivered promises, and so on and so forth.

Most of the homeowners, I believe, are just trying to get by, to get on with their lives. They will just go with the flow and silently look at the atrocities being committed in their own community. Though understandable, it does not help in achieving the change that must happen in order for things to start getting better. Soon, the village administration will again ask the homeowners to nominate their block representatives, a token position being given to homeowners so it would seem that they are being empowered in the HOA. But as it turns out, being a block representative does not have any bearing in policy making: they are just instruments of misrepresentation in order to lull the homeowners into a false security. Block representatives do not have a say in what the developer/HOA implements; they can raise issues and suggests, but the developer/HOA can easily disregard them.

Luckily, a small group of homeowners have already started actions to get things right, to bring the reigns to the rightful hands. Hopefully, in time, the cause will win.

In the mean time, we hope the homeowners themselves make their voices heard. Do not feed the giant's ego by making it feel unopposed. Do not participate in the so-called elections.

Image from an advocate blog: http://lancasterresidences.blogspot.com/2013/10/ang-kapahamakan-ng-eleksyon-sa-ating.html

Deeper Into My Family Tree

Since finding my Dad's birth record, I was more curious to find more about my ancestors. I guess I was lucky to find this marriage record here:

Plus Two!

A few months ago, we found out that my wife was pregnant with what will be our second child. Now it's time for some ultrasound, to confirm and make sure we have a healthy baby.

Waiting for the results

Then came the result, my wife's knees almost buckled: TWINS! And more good news, both are BOYS!

Thank God for the blessing(s)! Reanne is now a big sister, and my family is now complete.

Finding What Fits

It's been months since my 5th year working at JPMorgan Chase, and I'm still at it. When I started here, I wasn't thinking about how long I would be with the firm; I just wanted a new job. Now, 10 teams and 3 functions after, I could never believe how many people I have met and friends I have made. I have learned many lessons along the way, and I could not imagine leaving the company any time soon.

As an additional reinforcement, JPMC gave us who have stayed for 5 years a token of appreciation for the service.

A small plaque and an Esprit watch with JPMorgan Chase engraved at the back for the 5 years of service we rendered. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I wonder what I would get after another 5 years? :-)

Thoughts on Daddy-hood

Being a father is really the ultimate test of patience. A father of a two-and-a-half year old hyper girl, a lot more.  Don't get me wrong, she's an angel.  She's sweet, strong, intelligent, loves to laugh, always fun and jolly.  She likes to get our attention and she talks a lot.  She easily picks up on things an average kid would even have an inkling about.  She's really special, that one.

But when she goes into a tantrum, I have to work hard not to explode.  I know it's wrong, but I get angry. I don't know if I'm angry at her being so unreasonable, but I think I'm more angry at myself for not understanding.  She won't stop until she gets what she wants, that at times I don't even know what she wanted.  She'll just do what she wants.  I tend to shout, I think because I'm frustrated.  But then she gets scared of me, and she will ask for her mom.  It breaks my heart that my daughter gets frightened of me.  I really have to control myself, to stop myself from being a monster.  I don't hit her.  By God, I would die before I hurt my kid.  But emotionally, I may be doing so.  Hopefully she doesn't carry it growing up.  I immediately apologize to her for shouting and asks her forgiveness, that Daddy loves her.  Then I talk to her calmly, why I got mad, ask her what she wants, try to give her what she wants.  It's music to my ears when she says "Love you so much.," and "Miss you."  I crumble when she says, "Daddy, sorry."  I always reply, "It's okay. Sorry din po si Daddy."  Then we'd be okay, like nothing happened.  But she still remembers, because sometimes she says, "Wag na galit Daddy, ha?"  Shame on me.

Found My Dad! (In a way)

Nope, my dad didn't get lost somewhere.

I found his birth registry record from way back 1948, online!


While doing a "shoot in the dark" search online for any links on the Banaag family name, I came across this website that offers images of civil registry records in the Philippines. And it was a good find. Images of the records are grouped per province, town, and year to make it easy to search through the records. It has birth, death and marriage records. You just have to be patient sifting through pages in order to visually find the record you are looking for.