My turtle boogs..

Last May, I got this turtle at Magallanes. I don't know what kind of turtle he is though but he's big and brown (AKA "bisaya" turtle or local turtle). I named him Boogs because that time I went to the ear doctor and had mine removed. Anyhow, when I first bought him I wasn't sure if he was healthy enough because his shell was cracked which was a sign of an unhealthy turtle but I bought him anyway and also bought him a new home. I didn't know what I got myself in to though because I didn't know turtles crapped ALL THE TIME. So for every 2 to 3 days, I kept changing his water because he might get sick and die (and I was just finally able to get him back to full health). So anyway, for the next few months I didn't know that you could buy a filter specially for turtle aquariums and it was not until I visited this petshop in Parkmall, Cebu that I discovered this small filter/fountain/oxygen thing which is perfect for Boogs. It cost only about P290 and I couldn't wait to install it back home. The name of the product is Power 150 filter, it doesn't have a brand name. It's pretty simple, it sucks in the dirty water, filters the solid particles (poo and left over food) and blows out clean water in the other end. I'm still on the 4th day using it and so far so good, the water is still clear. The downside was it had no user manual so I basically had to do a trial and error thing like:

1) I didn't know you had to make sure the filter was free from any blockage on all sides or else it doesn't work. On my second day using it, I put the filter to close to the rocky bottom of Boog's aquarium and I thought it didn't work but when I pulled up the filter gadget a bit, the water cleared in a little more than an hour. It was amazing.

2) I didn't know what some of the components were especially the accessories so it took me about 3 days to figure out that I can use it as a fountain as well! However, my turtle hated the theatrics because it excited him and he would literally run it over with his body so I had to remove the fountain heads accessories.

3) The turtle is having trouble adjusting with the moving water so when I feed him I guess I have to turn off the Power 150 filter so he can eat his pellets.

Here's his pic with his new and improved home. I will definitely get him a bigger aquarium soon because he is getting too big for this one.

I don't know what type of turtle he is but if anybody knows can you help me on how to care for him? I think he is healthy but if I can make my turtle happy then the better.

He doesn't like to swim, I tried putting him in deep water, he just floats. He doesn't like to be under water too long because he always sticks his head up but he likes his head to always be wet.. hmmmmm

Wanted: Marketing associate job in Lahug, Cebu

If you want to make a living through writing, like me, then you might be interested in this offer...

Job title: Content Writer/Marketing associate

-Day Job (Office hours, flexible time), day off can be negotiated
-Office Job (not work-at-home)
-Career Job
-Guaranteed Regular pay P10-15k per month
-Will be dealing with web content
-Hiring until Jan 10, 2012
-If you love FOOD and earning money, this job is for you
-Not a networking scheme

If you are f/m, 21-28 Years of age, has marketing background, college graduate of any course, good in WRITTEN English (so even if you are not good in spoken english as long as you have excellent written English skills then you should apply for this), highly trainable, ambitious, idealistic, committed and eager to be a partner in a new company with high chances of career advancement. Preferably in Cebu Area. Send me an email at marianjanealumbro@yahoo.com or text me 09228171880 introducing yourself and attaching your complete resume is a plus. You will be hired based on the quality of your work, your commitment and how long you can stay with the company so if you are looking for a part-time or temporary job or contractual or project-based job then this is NOT FOR YOU.

You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING TO GAIN.

If I met Maria Ozawa in the Philippines, these are the Top 10 questions I would ask her..

So, there's a rumor going around that Maria Ozawa is here in the Philippines right this very moment..and apparently, another rumor has started that she wants Filipinos in her next bukkake (link: http://goo.gl/Cuwsf) which me think what if in a bizarre twist of fate I'd get to meet her coz you never know because of the small world right? hahaha I'm not really a super fan but a lot of the guys I dated know her and are big fans of Maria Ozawa so I kind of like found an interest in her movies for purposes of research.  ;) I just thought, If I met her what would I ask her. Here are my Top 10 questions for Maria Ozawa.


1) What makes a good porn actress?
2) In your movies, you do a lot of things to please the viewers, which of these things to do you do when you have sex with your lover privately? or what type of lover are you in private?
3) Which nationality do you prefer to have sex with (on and off cam) and why?
4) What preparation do you do before filming? (beauty and body)
5) How many men have you had sex with?
6) What type of sex toys do you personally own?
7) How do you balance your personal life and career?
8) How do you keeps yourself fit and sexy?
9) When the recent disastrous earthquake hit japan, a lot of your fans got worried because of the rumor that you were one of casualities, How did you feel about that?
10) If anyone wants to be a porn star, what advice can you give them?

I hope someday I can get an exclusive interview with her. Lol! Just my good luck if that happens. Hey, I'd rather talk about sex than trash talk! This holiday season, make love not war.. ;)) Oh, and if ever, I'll definitely ask for sex tips from her! hehehe

About the pope kissing issue...

TO THE VATICAN: Thought to ponder: Why is it that it's more acceptable to see two men shooting each other in media than kissing? Even the cross itself depicts brutality and both can be a symbol of a lot of things. I'm just saying. I remember when I asked my CL teacher in high school about some things I found confusing about our religion. Like weren't the romans the ones who crucified Christ so isn't it a bit ironic why we are called roman-catholics? She answered "You ask that because you don't have faith". I thought at that time, that was a pretty stupid answer and only now do I realize that maybe she didn't know the answer herself. Before people start calling me a heretic, all I can say is that it's a free world, to each his own and I wouldn't have chosen my religion if I had any choice in the matter.

Related articles

• Vatican criticises Benetton picture of pope kissing Muslim leader (guardian.co.uk)
• Vatican takes legal action over kissing ads (theprovince.com)
• What Is "Heresy" and Who Is a "Heretic"? (westernthm.wordpress.com)
• Pope Kissing Ad: Vatican Threatens Legal Action Over United Benetton Campaign (huffingtonpost.com)

reflection

Thoughts for the day before sleep and busy week ahead: Before you jump into a relationship with someone, listen to their ex's. (Don't think you can ever change them because the only thing they will change about themselves is the person whom they are in a relationship with) and before you choose someone else before your own spouse, find out if they are also willing to commit to the vows of marriage that you weren't. (sickness health, richer poorer, death do you part-Is a momentary thrill of lust, mystery and adventure worth waking up later, this person missing, face bruised, emotions still not stable, beauty faded, youth gone and looking back realizing you had let go of something good which is a family to grow old with for this?) :) Good night everyone!

Regrets..

This is my latest blog so far. I haven't gotten a chance to blog lately because I never got an inspiration to write something. Now I feel like writing about regrets. I'm the type of person that I really hate regretting anything. I always do something that I want to do out of whim because I know life is short. (at least I try to) I remember specific moments that I didn't step up and suffered undesirable consequences later. Lately, I've been having my own share of regrets. I regret not being friends with that one person in my past. I have weeded out people I don't like but this person was an exception I realized. This person was not good for me, but then again this person was someone special whom I wanted to at least be in speaking terms with. When anger is gone, I realized all that is left is just longing to connect again. How are you? What's new? Anything changed? It's true maybe what they say that when two people broke up they can never be friends because if they still are, either they are still in love or never were. But I would like not to think of us being inlove then and being out of love now but I would like to think that it's just pride. It's as simple as making the first move but I would never do that. I guess the mess made is just far to dirty to just sweep under the rug at this point. Hoping one day, time will come we can all be friends, when we can all just hang out and talk about the past and not feel bitter about it. I regret cutting this person off my life not because I went them in my future but the fact that I want to forget them in my past and just move on because I can't move on knowing there is still anger between us. I've already said my sorry I don't know if this person got it. I haven't heard from them back or rather they never tried. Anyway, I don't know if he regrets it also not being in good terms with me I doubt he does so, I guess my only recourse is to forget this person as if nothing happened. If nothing happened, the cause of this regret will disappear and I won't regret anymore. Let this be my last post about this person. Let this be goodbye..

Related articles

• Facing Regret in Life (everydayhealth.com)
• Regret (hafsakhwaja.wordpress.com)
• Bitterness and Regret (dickstersrandomthoughts.com)

My promise when I become a parent...

Just wondering what kind of parent I might be like>>>When I have kids I'll never build walls that will make them feel distant from me and feel like they can't approach me with anything. I'll respect them and that's when I will expect respect in return. I'll never make them feel like they can't reach my standards nor force them to obey me but we will reach to that stage because we have an understanding and not because I say so. I'll trust them to make their own judgments as I want them to come first to me if they have any problems at all and not to other people because they are afraid of what I will say. I'll be frank and strict but first and foremost I will not choke them. I'll never ever judge them because of formalities, religious beliefs, and freedom of expression. My children will be empowered in their own home, be their own individual, and good people who can think of themselves as I was taught in school and by my own conviction. In addition, I won't make my kids feel like they owe me anything. I can never change my relationship with my parents but I can change my relationship with my own children. I won't be like my own parents because I will be better than them. That's a promise.

A love worth dying for...

So yesterday I found out at two in the morning that my Kinder Garten puppy love which lasted up until the third grade actually killed himself because, get this, he and his gf broke up. I later on I was informed he used a gun to and shot a bullet through his head. I still can't believe it though well, we were not close and the last time I saw him, he applied for the company I was working in 4 years ago but he didn't make the cut. He was with his gf and I guess I just forgot about him all this time. I especially made a blog about him because I guess he was one of my earliest childhood memories. My first crush, my first kiss, technically, my first boyfriend. Yup I had a bf when I was 5 years old but I didn't really understand what it meant back then. He just told me during recess, "You're now my gf" and I said, "Sure, as long as we break up when we go home!" and he said, "Deal". I still talk about the time when he kissed me I went home crying because I thought I was going to get pregnant and my mom laughed at me and said you don't get pregnant through a kiss. (Well, duh I was 5) I still remember we used to call each other on the phone when our parents didn't know. I remembered the digits still. Anyway, I can't believe he is gone. Do you know that feeling that you know there something that has been there your whole life and you don't really notice or care about it until it is gone? Well I guess this is that feeling I am getting right now. I guess I was used to his memory being someone from my childhood, that I just thought I might see him as I grow old probably laugh out the memories and just be friends or maybe not.

I never communicated with him after we graduated grade school. We went on to separate roads of our life and apparently he cut his way short...I can understand how much pain his parents are probably feeling right now as they lost their only son and for what? A girl. A girl, I heard, broke up with him after 7 years of being steady. I don't know what happened and I am not in the position to judge. I mean, you can't be forced to be with someone, right? Damn at the age of 25, we still are in that steep climb up the mountain of life, not knowing where to go , meeting new people, choosing careers, or to start a family and that's where the adventure lies and there's so many beautiful things in life that he won't be able to see or experience anymore. It is already too late.. he just had to make it too late.

I wondered the whole day, what was he thinking when he was holding that gun? I can imagine he was probably crying, shaking, almost at the point of puking. He probably thought, "It's over.. My life has no meaning." As he pointed that gun through his forehead, was he thinking, "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this." I think his parents must be devastated now. They really love him. Back then I remembered saying to myself, "Wow, He's so lucky he has parents who really cared about him." They always picked him up at school and he always sat in the middle of their jeep so he won't fall off. I am not a stalker but I will say I actually still remember the plate number. (Well maybe a little bit) When we carpooled to school, his mom would always give him his bag and lunch and kissed him goodbye. I was a bit jealous because my parents were both working so, usually, the maid was the one who made sure I got to school on time. Did he think about them at all? How they would feel if they lost him, did it cross his mind just one bit.? When my nephew died, it was only then I found out that when you die, everyone left here will spend P250,000 at least for your wake and burial not to mention the grief. Did he even consider that? I guess so many questions popped into my head, I will never get the answer.

The million dollar question is: "Was she worth dying for?", he clearly said yes. How can anybody who cost you your life be worth dying for? Anyway, it's a rhetorical question, no one should answer that. No one is to blame but him, he pulled the trigger, he chose to bail out and life goes on. She will move on. His parents will move on. I'll move on after I publish this blog. But him? He'll just be another memory with a bitter end.

I plan to visit him at his wake but I don't know where. I'm waiting for some of my friends to update me. It wouldn't be proper that I would not be there to say goodbye. Goodbye old friend. I'll say a little prayer for you tonight.. RIP "MRD"

How to cook rice perfectly?

Image via Wikipedia

Rice. The staple food of the Philippines. For us filipinos, we can't survive a day without rice. Have you eaten rice with TUYO or BUWAD in bisaya? Yumyum. Rice has many health properties and studies show that eating rice reduce the risk of certain disease. It also is a great way to boost immune system and good source of energy. Rice is food for the brain so having a "no rice diet" is definitely not recommended for people who are studying for the bar like me.

As important as eating rice is, the same thing as the value of knowing how to cook it to perfection. I may not be a chef but I can definitely teach you how to cook rice. You may say you can use a rice cooker but that's just cheating. :P I will teach you in this blog how to cook rice that makes people think that you ARE using a rice cooker. Especially in some situations where you don't have a rice cooker you going out camping, a rice cooker is not available. Cook rice with too much water, you get porridge, cook it with too little water and you get something so hard it hurts to swallow. Cook it with you fire too high, you get black, bitter or brownish rice and you don't want that. Of course, you should make sure it's cooked so if you cook it with too little fire you get something wrong and bad for your stomach. So my point is, I will now teach you simple methods to cook rice.

What you need:

Rice

Water

Cup

Deep pot with cover (preferably something especially used to cook rice)   

Stove (electric or gas)

1) Get your cup and use it to get some cup-full of rice and transfer it to your deep pot. Make sure you remember the number of cups of rice you used. Make sure your pot is AT MOST 1/4 filled with rice if you plan to cook a lot of rice.

2) Wash your rice. You usually do this by filling your pot with water and using your hand to wash the rice then draining the water and doing it again for at least three times.

3) Then after you are finished draining, get your cup, fill it with water corresponding to the number of rice you put it. Then after you are done, add an extra 1 1/2 cup of water. So the ratio would be one cup of rice to one cup of water. Don't forget to add the extra one and a half cup of water.

4) Cover the pot and place the deep pot or rice pot on the stove and turn it on the the highest flame and wait for the water inside your deep pot to start boiling. (around 5-8 mins from the moment you turned on the stove)

5) The moment it starts boiling, you have to turn the heat back down to the lowest heat and allow the rice to rise up and simmer. check your rice periodically to see if it is growing. it should grow the same as your water level.

6) If your rice has grown because it absorbed all the water already. Turn off the stove. You turn off the stove only when the rice has grown to the level of the water and it still is a bit moist. Let the rice settle and continue to cook without the fire. After about 5 mins. You may take out the rice and put it in a plate. The rice should like like moist but not wet. It will eventually dry up in about 3 mins and there you have it. The perfect rice. The point is you use rice's special properties of absorbing water and heat to cook it. Not so dry and will still taste great even after an hour or so!

How to install programs to my epad/china tab/APAD/Msi tab/joy pad?

If you recently bought a china tablet internet pad/epad/apad/msi/joypad (if bought from Welcom) you might be wondering how to install new programs such as chat, chikka text messenger, viber, etc. it's quite easy. Your problem would be the internal memory of your china tab gadget. Usually it only has 2gig free memory and you need to have a micro SD card to use as expandable memory so that your china tab will function normally and it will not hang up. Personally, I preferred to uninstall all the unnecessary games to free some much needed memory. Androd tabs don't use .exe programs that you use to install in a Windows OS. Android tabs use .apk programs so what you need to do is download these programs, usually available online for FREE, and save it to your micro SD and install it in your android tab bearing in mind the limited internal storage space so you shouldn't install a lot..
Here are the keyword of my favorite android tab or china tab applications that you can search and download online:

Chikka text messenger: allows you to text for free using your android tab or china tab (chikka.apk)
Viber: allows you to text for free using your android tab or china tab unlimited if you are texting someone who also has a viber in their china tab or IPHONE as an app. (viber for android)
ebuddy: allows you to chat using your ym and facebook and other messenger accounts simultaneously. (ebuddy.apk)

they are usually FREE online and you can download them in the market app but if you can't try looking for them online manually.

remember you can only use these android apps if you have internet connection. But if you have mobile internet like smart bro or globe tattoo or sun broadband, you can actually use that to connect to the internet using your china tab or epad, or apad. Read this post to know how : http://marianjanealumbro.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-connect-your-china-android.html

How to connect your china android tab/Epad/joypad/Apad/etab to the internet using your USB mobile internet?

Hi! If you recently brought a china android tablet, joypad, apad, msi tab, china e-pad, or any other name this cheap small china internet tablet goes by, you know that it is one of the cheapest and greatest invention and right now they are selling like hotcakes. You can connect to the internet, surf and chat and it doesn't cost as much. Once you also buy the accessory keyboard which costs about roughly P500, it really looks like a cool laptop. The con about this gadget is that the touch screen is not as sensitive as you want it to be but it actually does the job well if you ignore the expected battery glitch. What do you expect for something worth P3,500 brand new right?

In this blog I will be teaching you how to free you china tablet from WIFI connection and connect it to the internet using your mobile internet.

Things to get ready:
1) Your China tab USB connector (usually provided when you buy a new apad, it's the small thing you can connect your USB to. It has two USB ports and one LAN port and the other side connects to the Chinatab)
2) Your mobile internet
3) Your Etab, china tab, apad or whatever else it is called by

Step 1: Go to 3g settings
Step 2: Set up new network
Step 3: go to this website http://aljoriz.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-unlocking-smartbro-white.html
Step 4: Enter the particulars of your mobile internet in the fields provided. (ex. if you are using smart bro prepaid like me, use the smart bro prepaid settings)
Step 5: Leave the USER and PASSWORD fields Empty
Step 6: Connect your USB connector, connect the USB mobile internet in the port
Step 7: Click connect in your 3g settings.
Step 8: wait for the 3g network to finish connecting. You will know that you are now connected because the icon "3g" will appear beside your volume icon in your epad (right where the wifi icon used to appear)

There you go.. you don't need to install any other program to your china tab. (.apk)

It's very easy and takes a while to connect to the internet and sometimes you will have a problem if your battery is low but it makes a good emergency internet connection for one of those days you really need an internet connection to send an email or check your facebook account or chat and no Wifi in sight so better set up your 3g network beforehand so you can use your mobile internet when you need it.

Cheers!

Copy of the 3g settings for android tablet of the mobile internet networks:
1. SmartBro Postpaid
Profile Name : SmartBro Postpaid
Select Static
APN : internet
Access number : *99#
Save
Activate SIM: text MMS ON send to 3401

2. SmartBro Prepaid
Profile Name : SmartBro Prepaid
Select Static
APN : SmartBro
Access number : *99#
Save
Activate SIM: text MMS ON send to 3401

3. SmartBro Red Mobile
Profile Name : SmartBro Red Mobile
Select Static
APN : redinternet
Access number : *99#
Save
Activate SIM: insert SIM to your phone, text RED(space) send to 9969
ex. N8950 send to 9969


4. Globe Broadband Postpaid
Profile Name : Globe Broadband Postpaid
Select Static
APN : internet.globe.com.ph
Access number : *99***1#
Save
Activate SIM: text TIME send to 1111

5. Globe Broadband Prepaid

Profile Name : Globe Broadband Prepaid
Select Static
APN : http.globe.com.ph
Access number : *99***1#
Save
Activate SIM: text TIME send to 1111

5. Sun Wireless Prepaid
Profile Name : SUN Internet
Select Static
APN : minternet
Access number : *99#
Save
Activate SIM: text Activate send to 2300

6. Sun Wireless Postpaid
a.Profile Name : SUN Broadband Basic
Select Static
APN : fixed
Access number : *99#
Save
Activate SIM: text Activate send to 2300

b. Profile Name : SUN Broadband Standard
Select Static
APN : fbband
Access number : *99#
Save
Activate SIM: text Activate send to 2300



c. Profile Name : SUN Broadband Nomad
Select Static
APN : mbband
Access number : *99#
Save
Activate SIM: text Activate send to 2300

Zaknate: The Story of Love

This is a love story. It is not just any love story about romance but a story of a little baby and how his love for life in his own simple way inspired and touched the lives of many people. On May 27, 2010, a baby boy was born of Mc and Diane on their fourth try. The couple were so happy because finally their prayers have been answered. They had stable jobs in their young age, eager to start a family and it was Zackery Mc Nathan or Baby Nate, the name of their first born, who completed their little family. Little did they know from the moment Baby Nate opened his eyes to the moment God closed it, this little baby would have changed the lives of thousands of people around the world.

Trials

Mc and Diane were prayerful people. Both were good christians and active in catholic groups. Mc works for advertising and Insurance while Diane works in a printer company. They only wanted a healthy child. Like any newly married couple, they were not sure whether they would make good parents but when Baby Nate came into their lives they made a conviction to be the best parents they could ever be and vowed to raise Baby Nate close to the Lord. On the first week of Nate's little life, he was diagnosed with two congenital defects, one, he has a dilated left kidney and second, that he had an incomplete heart. His heart does not have any pulmonary artery which gives essential life-giving oxygenated blood from his heart to his lungs and the reason that he is surviving is the miracle of life which astounded the doctors that there are small veins connecting his heart directly to his lungs. Veins that are not supposed to be there! As the doctor said, "The baby wants to live". Because of his dilated kidney, he was having Urinary Track Infections almost at a regular basis from the day he was born. That was why in the first 3 months of Baby Nate's life, he was in and out of the hospital and so his parents and the doctors opted to correct his kidney defect. They did a series of tests and ultrasound on Baby Nate to be able to consider a suitable approach to correct his dilated kidney. Initially, they didn't want to operate on his kidney directly or to consider removing it because of Nate's heart condition and so they did a procedure on Baby Nate by attaching a catheter directly to his left kidney in order for his urine to come out. On the second procedure, they sliced him up in the operating room and were shocked to see that behind the defective left kidney, there was another left kidney! This condition was called "double collecting system" wherein a person was not born of 2 kidneys but 3! The "extra" left kidney was healthy and so the doctor did not think twice and removed the defective left kidney which ultimately cured Baby Nate from his UTI's completely. The third kidney was never found in any of the tests they did initially on the baby and so they believed that Jesus came and put that extra left kidney inside Baby Nate the night before. This was truly a miracle. The next thing to correct was his incomplete heart.

Where we found the pieces of his heart..

Mc and Diane had stable jobs. However, due to the repeated hospitalizations of Baby Nate due to the recurring UTI's and the two major kidney surgeries, they have exhausted their savings and resources just to heal their son. They were asked to prepare at least Php 1,000,000.00 or at most US $25,000 for the next succeeding procedures to correct his kidney and his heart, money which they could not get in such a short span of time. All they could do was pray for God's intervention and His intervention did they get. Everyone surrounding them, family and friends, all who love Baby Nate, made efforts to raise his funds. Some loaned their personal money, while some gave it freely without any condition. While the couple was busy sending solicitation letters to various people to sponsor Nate's surgery, a fanpage was started on a Social Network called "Facebook" last September 2010. The fanpage was created with the hopes that this could reach a wider scope as to asking for help for Baby Nate's surgery. Since it was understandable that they could not possibly ask anybody for such a huge amount, they started the "P100 drive for Nate's Heart from your heart" campaign this March 2011 on an effort that with pebbles they could build a mountain.

God works in mysterious ways. Because of Baby Nate's fanpage, a columnist from the Manila Bulletin, Kcat, read his story and was inspired to make a column of Baby Nate. Though she herself was suffering from Neofibromitosis Type 2, she wanted  to help in any way that she can. Little did she know, her article was the reason for the couples prayers to be answered and the "P100 drive for Nate's heart" leaped in bounds. The article (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/309207/p100-nathan-s-heart) was finally published and caught attention of people from anywhere in the Philippines and all over the world who donated not just P100 but more denomination to help fix Baby Nate's incomplete heart. Eventually, they raised just enough to get Baby Nate a cardiac catheter and eventually they were able to schedule his open heart surgery: His first of two.

God never stopped caring for Nate as the graces for him to be able to get his surgery never stopped pouring. He needed 8 people to donate type A+ blood for his surgery (7 bags and 1 live donor). It was only hours before the surgery that they were able to complete this requirement because they had to do the surgery in Manila, a place where this young family from Cebu was not familiar with. People with gracious hearts, those who came from Cebu who took the next flight to Manila just to give blood for Baby Nate, even strangers from the hospital gave their own blood in an effort to help this little baby, and people who were not familiar of his story but wanted to help by giving their own blood were the final pieces of God's plan to make sure the surgery was going to push through.

Faith in God's will-Nate's death

People were praying for the success of his surgery. As Mc and Diane took Baby Nate to the Operating Room, they prayed for him to be strong and prayed for his healing. Diane watched her baby's confused eyes as the nurses took Baby Nate. It was the last look Baby Nate ever gave to her.

Baby Nate was just starting to grow up, he just learned how to stand on his crib alone while he held tightly to the edge of his crib to support his wobbly body. Baby Nate had just started teething. At 11 months old, Baby Nate could only say the words "Mama" or "Dada" and some baby sounds. But even though he couldn't speak well, Baby Nate was good at communicating how he felt. Though he couldn't say "I love you", Baby Nate loved his mommy and he showed it every time his eyes lit up when he sees her enter the room and beckons her to carry him. When he cries, he immediately stops if his mommy picks him up. For Diane, to feel Baby Nate's tiny hugs, it felt the world has hugged her and even before his heart surgery, he only wanted his mommy to carry him. Baby Nate loved his dad and how his dad loved his mom. Baby Nate cries every time his parents enter an argument, he doesn't want to see and hear his dad angry. He was very smart and he loved to learn the many tricks his parents taught him. From making silly sounds to making waving actions and other gestures, Baby Nate wanted to learn them all. Oh how his parents were so excited for his first birthday, the gifts that they were going to buy him, the toy push cart they were eyeing on, and the school they will put him into when he is healthy and strong, the good Christian values they already have started inculcating into him and how they longed for the day they can wake up and see their son smiling at them beside their bed healthy and strong.

"THY WILL BE DONE"

God had other plans for Baby Nate different from his parents. For one reason or another, 12:15 AM Six hours after the successful surgery, Nate suffered a cardiac arrest. The doctors tried to revive him for two hours but his heart did not respond. His parents, as much as they wanted to beg him to fight, talked to Baby Nate in their heads in silence, told their precious little one to let go if he is tired and to stop fighting and go to God. Baby Nate was declared expired 1:53 AM, May 12, 2011. He was 11 months old. Many people lost pieces of their hearts that day.

He never stopped caring..

Baby Nate's death came as a shock, it was what the doctors warned that the very difficult medical procedure had a very high fatality risk but he needs this surgery nonetheless so as to save his life because the veins suporting his life will eventually collapse and Baby Nate will eventually deteriorate as he grows up. But when Baby Nate was taken away so soon and almost immediately after the success of his surgery, nobody wanted to accept it. People cried and became angry some even passed on regret. Fear of the medical costs and his funeral cost haunted Mc and Diane aside from the grief they felt for losing their child. The hospital threatened not to release Baby Nate's body because they couldn't settle their bill. The funeral home was also taking so long to process his transfer back to Cebu and also they needed to rebook their tickets (additional cost) which was scheduled that they were going to go home the next week still. Again, they turned to God and he immediately answered, God never fails. They were finally able to book their ticket in the evening of the next day after Nate's death. On their way back to Cebu, there was a fear that the family could not go home together. Baby Nate was transferred to the cargo of an earlier flight and the couple couldn't rebook at the last minute. Diane promised Nate that she would go home together with him and it would devastate her if she can't go home together. As they explained to the staff of the airline the situation, compassion filled their hearts and the general manager removed them from the No.8 spot of the transient passenger waiting list and rebooked them immediately on the same flight with Nate. Behind the Business Class, free of charge. Mc says he told Baby Nate in his head, "Langga, please help your mommy. She will be heart broken if she can't go home with you." and Baby Nate must have whispered to God this request as he made sure the family went home together and they were finally able to hold a proper funeral for Baby Nate at the last minute. But there was still one problem, How can they afford Nate's burial? They were again asked to prepare at least P250,000 for his burial lot but they exhausted all their money for Baby Nate's hospital and medical bills and all they had left was faith.

With God, when it rains it pours. PCSO granted P200,000 love donation for Baby Nate a few days after his funeral, people from all over the land came and gave donations for Baby Nate and also, a kind soul offered to sell a lot in the cemetery and pay when able. Nothing was planned by man, but everything was already foreseen by God and he never left Mc, Diane and Baby Nate's side in the end and continue to shower them blessings through the acts of people around them. Their payment in the hospital was held in trust by it and if somebody would pay back the full amount then the hospital would return to the couple the money. However, No price on earth could pay the loss of Baby Nate.

Farewell Baby Nate

On the day we buried him, the unpredictable weather was threatening to not cooperate with us, the sky was cloudy and there was a possibility of rainfall. I remember praying to myself, "Please Lord, don't let it rain so we can bury him properly. He is already in your arms so let us part with him properly here on Earth." God heard my prayers and it seemed that heaven was also teary eyed to have lost an angel. Our Baby Nate is now laid to rest and we who are left here on Earth are forced to move on without his toothless smile and giggles. So many people came to bid him farewell. We wrote messages on little cards attached on 100 white balloons (3 dozen for every 3 months he lived) and released them to the sky as we put him inside his final resting place.

Nate's heart was finally completed because the surgery was a success. One could say his incomplete heart was made whole because everyone gave a piece of their heart to him. How his parents loved him and cherished every moment with him, how friends and family did all they can to raise money for his surgery and burial, How strangers from different parts of the whole world and in the Philippines who loved him and donated money to him even if they haven't met him nor did they know his parents. When he left us, a piece of us went with him. Now he faces God and Baby Nate could tell the Lord, "Father God, My heart is now complete, look at the many people who gave their hearts to me" and God would answer him, "I know my child, that's why I gave you to your parents and everyone down on Earth for them to remember my greatest gift to man."

"Zackery" means "God Remembers" and "Nathan" means "God's gift".

God remembers his gift for those who put their faith in him and this gift was none other than "love".

Epilogue

During Nate’s funeral, Mc and Diane talked about how they could possibly return back to community every help and blessing they ever got for Nate. With that, they decided to convert Nathan’s heart fund drive into a foundation where they will help as many sick children as they can with the same or similar heart condition as what their baby had. The foundation’s name is tentatively named, “Get better Nate!” because every sick child is a “Nate” (Nathan for short which meant “God’s gift”). Every sick child is a gift from God. Slowly but surely, they have started to move this project. Aside from already helping one child,  on Nathan’s first birthday, May 27, 2011, they decided to hold his birthday party a day after and they have invited their honored guests, orphans ages 3 to 5 years old from the Asilo de la Milagrosa Orphanage. They again asked everyone who wanted to be involved to bring gifts of toys and clothing for the orphans, friends and family have all decided to pitch in. This starts a new dream for Mc and Diane, and that is to spread God’s love through their works.


Contact:


Moises Alvarado II (MC)
Diana Chriscille Alvarado (Diane)
Contact Numbers : 09173221584/09209664737
Email:dianachriscillealvarado@yahoo.com/marianjanealumbro@yahoo.com
For more details on the foundation visit: “Get Better Nate” fanpage www.facebook.com/zaknate

How to be an awesome girl that guys want to notice?

Hi! It's been a while since I made a topic post. This time I want to talk about how to be an awesome girl. Why an awesome girl? An awesome girl is a girl every man dreams of having. They want to be her boyfriend, she captivates their attention and someone they are afraid to approach but they can't help but still be drawn to her. Yes, You have heard it in Ne-yo's song, "Miss independent" and yes, other songs have been dedicated to her, this independent sexy and enticing woman.

But how can you be that awesome girl everyone dreams about? How can you catch the attention of the guy you've had a crush on for a long time? This is not going to be something like those in the movies that will happen overnight. Some are late bloomers in this department of being an "Awesome girl" and some are just clueless. So here, on this blog post I will give you a bit of an insider's look on how to be a girl worthy of a man's attention. But first, a discussion misconceptions.

Misconception no. 1
"I can't be a girl worthy to be noticed because I'm not pretty"
My dear girl, pretty is subjective. Some will not find you beautiful but to others you are the most amazing creature they have ever seen and yes even prettier than Angelina Jolie. I kid you not because I have friends who are fat and not so pretty (pimples and irregular nose or face) but they found the loves of their lives and they are the only thing their boyfriends will see and most of the people I know don't understand why. Because the truth is, being pretty is just a fad.

Misconception no. 2
"I need to be skinny"
No, I'm chubby let me assure you, it doesn't matter. Hot guys will like you even if you're chubby. Just try ot to be obese, and if you are obese, go on a healthy diet. Eat fruits and vegetables and put that burger down!

Misconception no. 3
"I have to be rich"
No, you don't have to be Paris Hilton to be able to catch a guy with a good financial standing. I don't mean you become a gold digger but it is possible to attract a guy even if you think he is way out of your level.

So let's begin.
First, I will tell you I am not a self-help expert. I'm just a regular girl who has dated a lot. I cannot say that I am the smartest and prettiest girl in the block but I can proudly say I don't stay single for long. I am not a play girl but I will tell you my secret.

The secret is..just let go. Let go? Of what? Everything. Insecurities, doubts and your weakness.

As I may have already pointed out. Men love independent women, boys like girls whom they know is not so high maintenance.

Be more creative in innovating yourself. think like a guy and get a hobby and be good at it. Make it as an asset to catch his attention. For example, you are good in painting. They strike up a conversation with him by showing him something good you painted. Chances are, he'll be impressed and be interested.

Be informed.. Don't limit yourself with one topic or interest. Chances are you will meet a lot of potential boyfriends and they will have different personalities. It would be so sexy if they can stereotype you to be one thing and then they suddenly see you as something else in the next. I have been in those kinds of situations having dated a lot and I can say I learned a lot from the guys I have had a conversation with like in a date and I try to learn a little bit about what they do so that I don't get to ignoramous about it. Read a good book at least once a month, try to get quotes or funny or witty remarks from it and use them in your next conversation. A witty girl is always a turn on.

Be attractive. How can you be attractive by just being you? Simple. Get inspired.
Maybe today you can get a haircut or tomorrow get some good shoes. Maybe even buy a flattering dress to boost that self-confidence. I cannot stress enough how sexy confidence is to men. But not to confident or lest you risk being called a bitch. Just enough to know what you can do but humble enough to show only a little and allow the guy to discover new things about you on his own.
If you are going out on a date, it would be the biggest mistake to lay down the card immediately on the table. You will lose your guy's interest because he has lost the thrill of the chase.

Release but take it back. Now this is a game not all women or girls know how to play. If you have caught your guys attention. Show to him subtly that you like him. For example, look at him in the eyes when you kow you only has his attention and no one else. If you have established eye contact, smile, look down and look away. Yes, sounds like something from that Geisha movie but it really does work. Don't give to much or you will be considered cheap and easy and don't keep too much or else they will consider you a girl with issues.

Be interesting. In a party, I'm never the predator but always the prey. That's the mantra I will say to myself. Especially when I'm single I try my hardest never to think about looking for a guy, its desperation at its finest so no. If a guy sees you and he think, "Oh this girl is not looking, why?" you've caught his attention. What I recommend you to do is to sit in the corner with your drink, smile at your friends and just not care and let the beat of the music just sway your body. I guarantee you 8 out of 10, a guy already has noticed you and will make his move by getting close to you then asking your name. Why? I don't know why, I know it works though, for real. I think its because good guys in a party are not looking for wild girls. They are looking for someone who stands out and that's the sexy and attractive girl standing in the corner alone so they want to get to know her better.

NEVER BE NEEDY..let a man be. If he pursues then ok, if not then ok. next!:))

Anyway, so far I think those are the only things I could think of. Remember girls, project and project. Know you are attractive and sexy inside and out. We are never made perfect but we are perfect to some guy so good luck with you love life, know that men will definitely beg you to your feet if you are worthy of them to be begged of and you know it. I'm enjoying mine single yet again.;) so who's the next prospect?hmm

next article... When is a good time to have sex with someone?

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• How to Get Good Girlfriend Status (socyberty.com)
• Miss Independent is back! (cindybeier.wordpress.com)

Just to let you know what I think of some guys...

So he's hot? so what, when he's got a lot of chicks on the side. So he's ripped? So what, how many women and "men" do you think has touched it? So he's cashin'? so what, if he's just gonna take you to a cheap motel. So he's a rocket scientist? so what, if he'll only just play you for a fool. So you love him? So what, if to him, you're just a one night stand. Ladies.. Choose well.

When to let them go....

Image via Wikipedia

The thing with people is that we fight for relationships, friendships and connections that are no longer worth fighting for. You have to learn how to know when it's time to let people go if they are no longer a good contributor in your life. If they start being angry at you or making you feel bad about yourself that is not resulting to a good consequence for your well-being then this person is worth you forgetting them. Cry about the lost friendship and relationship but move on, the world offers you much better than all that negativity.

Yes, it might have started genuine, the feelings of true bonding and the feeling of respect and value for each other may have been there and so you have know when that is gone. Either because you just grew apart or you that when the feeling was just simulated from the beginning. Yes, we've all been there and you are not alone everyone has experienced betrayal and it's a shame when you are being true and they were not but you know there's no productivity if you are just going to mourn about something and fighting for something that you are never going to win.

So move on, get rid of all the people concerned in your life. Set your mind that it's your life, your destiny that you are taking over and it shouldn't be that you are playing a part in their lives, in their movie as a supporting lead. Anyway, if they are anything worth being in your life, they will come back sooner or later but if pride will prevent them it's not going to be your fault. So be open to them coming back but nonetheless be open for them to never coming back again. Like all good and bad things, this too shall pass.

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• Let's Just Be Friends? (ask.metafilter.com)