The Irony of Life

Just last week, I received an email from my husband who is currently in India, aboard the off-shore vessel where he works. His subject read "Bad News" and I was thinking there was again a problem in the province and that his family had called him. But no. When I opened the email and read it I learned that he lost another good friend.

Melvin Zate, known as Tata to friends and perhaps family, was one of my husband's best friends in his line of work. Tata was said to have died of leukemia while at the duration of his contract. He was confined in a hospital in Singapore and died there. Tata's colleague, who worked in the same vessel with him, emailed my husband who is aboard another off-shore vessel from another company. The news hit my husband bad. I could just imagine how much hurt he was. He must have cried. He has lost a friend.

If the news has been hard for friends to accept, what more for his family, wife and child? If it had happened to my husband, I don't know if I could handle it. My husband said the wife was pregnant.

It is almost funny how life could be so ironic. Just last June or July, Tata and my husband were able to see each other in Singapore and he was just well and happy. It is this reason that my husband could almost not believe that his friend is gone. The irony of life. You can never tell what will happen next.

I told my husband it must have been God's will. Deep inside I am also worried that one day, things like that will happen to him or to me. We are young. We have much ambitions to reach and dreams to follow. But then, we can never.

Only God knows...

My condolences to Tata's family...

I don't know what else to say knowing that it is not easy to accept some facts of life. Sometimes things are not what we want them to be and we have no control over what will become of our lives.

What is It that Makes a Writer a Genuine Writer?

One of the things I usually do at the start and at the end of my day is to search for freelance writing sites or blogs where I can possibly learn more information about the freelance writing market. Although I have been working full time as a writer for an offshore company for some time now and have been doing part time writing work for another, I still feel that my skills are not enough for me to be called a true writer. Call it lack of confidence but deep inside I feel there is more to a writer than just getting employed to write.

My search has led me to several blogs which are really top level; I can't help but commend the writers behind those blogs. From these same blogs, I learned of several high paying markets for freelance writers. I learned, too, some techniques on how to land high paying freelance writing jobs. However, like perhaps many other people who have not yet tapped the best of their potentials, I feel I am not yet ready to venture out to those high paying freelance markets. I feel I still lack the qualities of a genuine writer.

What is it really that makes a writer a genuine writer? I believe that to become a real writer, one must not only have the passion to write. A true writer must be someone who can clearly express his thoughts in words and present those thoughts in a way as to engage the readers. A true writer knows what his readers want and is able to clearly state his points. Otherwise, a writer cannot be called a true writer but just another individual who loves to write and wants to be called a writer but is not really a writer.

Dealing with the death of a loved one

I was on my way to work and making my way inside the train station when I received a text message that an uncle of mine passed away due to high blood pressure. When I arrived in the office, I received yet another message telling me that my grandmother on my father's side passed away that very morning. Oh! The fate. I called my father to let him know, unsure of how I might tell him the news. I heard my father's voice crack on the other end of the line as I told him about his mother's death. I know he was crying.

Just a few months ago, my grandpa, my mother's father died, too. I had a hard time thinking how I might tell my mother. I know she'd get hurt by the news. When I finally blurted the news out, I didn't hear her whimper but I knew she was crying. My mother was a strong woman. It seems to me that she was holding her emotions back. My father, although most of the time would show his manly ego, is more emotional. I heard his sniffs while we talked on the phone.

I know that life on this earth is not permanent, and one day, we'd go back to our creator when our time comes. But how it hurts when a loved one passes away before us. Often, those who are left behind would have a hard time coping with the pain and the loss. But then, it is fate, and it is the reality of life. Death is something each one should accept. It is a part of life.

Kung Fu Panda: A Review

Last week, my husband and I brought our son to the mall to watch a movie. I would have wanted to watch Narnia then but my son wanted so much to watch Kung Fu Panda so we watched the movie instead. I couldn't forget how happy my son was while watching the movie. He loved it. I was glad that we brought him there. Nothing could be happier than watching your child beaming with excitement and happiness.

The story of Kung Fu Panda started with the main character, Po, dreaming of himself as the legendary dragon warrior. Po, a chubby panda, works in a noodle restaurant owned by his foster father, Mr. Ping, which was a goose. Mr. Ping wanted so much for Po to take over the restaurant someday but Po wanted to become a kung fu master. Po's adventures started when he went to the Valley of Peace to watch the ceremony meant for choosing the Dragon Warrior, who was said to defeat Tai Lung, the evil leopard warrior. Po was not able to enter the gate of the palace so he made a chair out of fireworks and sent himself flying inside the square. He accidentally landed in the center of the arena. Everyone was shocked when Oogway, the tortoise master, chose Po as the Dragon Warrior.

Shifu, the master of the furious five - tigress, mantis, viper, monkey, and crane - revolted and tried to make Po quit but Po stood his ground. The furious five likewise disliked and disdained the panda. Eventually, Po won the friendship of his heroes, except that of the tigress, through, his good cooking and sense of humor.

True to Oogway's premonition, the evil Tai Lung did escape from prison. The Furious Five tried to stop him but they were no match for his skill. He paralyzed them with a specialized nerve-striking technique. Meanwhile, Po, who had this time trained with master Shifu with the motivation of food, had swiftly transformed into a skilled combatant. Upon learning of the Furious Five's defeat, Shifu decided to give Po the sacred scroll which promises great power to the possessor. When Po opened it, however, he found the scroll was only a blank reflective surface. Shifu was disappointed. He sent the Furious Five to lead the villagers to safety and fought Tai Lung himself.

Po went back to his father. Mr. Ping tried to cheer Po up by telling him that finally Po will learn the secret ingredient of his family's noodle soup. The secret, he said, was 'nothing'. The revelation led Po to the realization of the truth behind the true power of the sacred scroll. He realized that the scroll held no power at all for its possessor, instead the real power comes from the abilities of the person holding it. When the realization dawned on him, Po went back to the Palace to help Shifu.

Shifu was crippled by Tai Lung. He was no match for his strength. When Tai Lung was about to kill him, Po arrived, puffing and panting from the long run. A fight ensued between the two. They exchanged blows and in the end, Po defeated Tai Lung using the Wuxi Finger Hold. A great explosion reverberated through the valley. The Furious Five and the villagers found out Tai Lung's defeat and hailed Po as master.

The movie was a mixture of adventure and action with a tinge of humour. It was great for the general public. Kids would enjoy it a lot.

I am very worried of my children's health. My 7-month old son has a fever since yesterday. My 3-year old, who has just been healed from fever, is suffering from an inflammation on his eyelids and on the side of his nostrils. We brought him to the doctor this morning and we have given him medication. My 7-month old is still feverish although I have given him paracetamol. Maybe he is teething because I notice that his saliva keeps dripping. I hope he will be fine soon.

My husband and I brought our elder son to the doctor this morning. My younger son was feverish, too, but we let him stay in the house. We gave him some medications which we hoped could lower down his temperature and cure his fever altogether. I was very much worried with my elder son because he was crying when he woke up this morning. He was complaining of a pain on his eyelid, which was inflamed and infected. It seemed to bulge more this morning. He has had the infection since the other day and he hadn't been given any antibiotic as I was hesitant to give him any until he has seen a doctor. He has also an infection on the edge of his nose, and he also complained of itchiness on his back.

My heart went out to my son. I almost couldn't bear seeing him in that condition. My husband was having his early morning exercise - basketball and I had to ask our helper to get him so we could bring our little boy to the doctor early.

The pediatrician who checked my son was not friendly, unlike any other doctor I've met before. She was arrogant and exudes an air of autocracy. I was glad when we finally went out of her office. The total amount of the medicines for the inflammation of my son's eyelid reached almost Php2000. It was quite a big amount but we hope it would help so much to cure the infection.