Remembering Benstoi...

      His name sounds common but spelled differently. He is still so well remembered, in fact, he successfully etched sad and beautiful memories in the deeper surface of my heart. Not so long ago, he was my "Best Friend"...I know it was not in his capacity to cry and laugh with me, but in his silent look as he sat there on the edge of my bed, I knew he understood and in his eyes that penetrate through the darkness, he saw how many times my heart was broken and almost beyond repair. He was just there...just to listen and sympathized with me in his own way of consoling a desperate friend. That friend was me. 

    This morning, I visited his graveyard. I brought no flowers...no candles. I only brought with me the sweet

and sad memories he left in my subconscious mind. The graveyard no longer looks like one, the place which was four years ago was just a vacant space of a garden of Doña Auroras and Bromeliads, is now planted with bermuda grass, part of its new landscaping. 

But even if the place looks different now, I know buried underneath is the frail body, now

already reduced to bones of my dear beloved "friend"...

     For a while, I enjoyed the flashing back of the sweet happy times when he was still

alive...He was so much a part of the family. I remember he always ran coming to me each

time I call his name..."Benstoi". I can still see the playful scene of him and Lara, my eldest

daughter who also treated him as her playmate. I can still see them in my memory running after each other, but Lara giving up cause Benstoi would then challenge her to climb up 

the santol tree in our backyard.

     He was such an adorable creature. I thought God must have 'given' him to us for

a source of comfort and joy. If there was someone who could be called for a witness of

how bitterly and how bleak the circumstances appeared to be at that time in my life, it

would be Benstoi. So when he passed away on that cold lonely night of February 10, 2008, I know I lost a valuable friend whom I can hardly find among humans. He died, and I saw how he struggled for his last breath. I cried that night until morning, but even then

swollen eyes and a cracked heart in me would not be enough to stand tribute to my most

Valuable Friend, a different kind...cause he didn't have the heart of stone of some cruel

human beings...I will always treasure his sweet memories, I still have his picture in my album...One day I want to capture his innocence, his unquestioning loyalty and a love that didn't ask for a payment in return. I want to capture these priceless qualities in a canvas,

where I could paint a picture of Benstoi...out of memory which will never fade in my

heart. Benstoi is and will always be that lovable, sweet and ever loyal pet cat I was so fortunate to have in those days...not so long ago, and the memories still live on in my mind. 

Why are there more Smokers in Poorer Countries?

Smoking has an alarming climb up in the number of its users. Not only in the adult population, but recent surveys show the increasing number of smokers not only among men, but also among women as well as children even as young as seven years old to early adolescence. This is true and even more rampant in poorer countries. Tobacco/cigarette smoking is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer. No doubt about that. It is also an active attribute to other types of cancer and other major diseases. Cancer and Cigarette/Tobacco smoking have linked each other and developed a strong bond that empowered both to become a potent and dangerous life terminator. The scare of the fatal results of smoking are easily obscured as the smoker enjoys a temporary feeling of reduced tension, and a fake camouflage of a relaxed mind. Smoking is a bad habit with a sign of death on its face, a warning of health danger that we should take seriously. According to Kate Kelland, (Reuters), in her informative article posted in Yahoo News Philippines, August 17, 2012, "Two-fifths of men in developing countries still smoke or use tobacco, and women are increasingly starting to smoke at younger ages, According to a large international study which found 'alarming patterns' of tobacco use...Smoking causes lung cancer, often fatal, and other chronic respiratory diseases. It is also a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, the world's number one killers. Other forms of tobacco use include snuff or chewing tobacco." Kate Kelland uses data from Global Adult Tobacco Surveys (GATS) carried out between 2008 and 2010. "Giovino's team compared patterns of tobacco use and cessation in people aged 15 or older from 14 low-and middle-income countries. They included data from Britain and the United States for comparison." If the number of smokers increased in developing countries, it is not surprising underdeveloped poor countries have more addicted tobacco or cigarette users. With an estimated 301 million tobacco users, China has more than any other country, closely followed by India with almost 275 million. Other countries included in the study were Bangladesh, Mexico, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam. The research said the rise in tobacco use among young women was of particular concern." This is according to the research of same writer, Kate Kelland. Why are there more smokers in poorer countries? I listed here the following 5 reasons I can think of: 1. Poorer countries have more jobless men and women, in the adult level and also among younger generation. Among low income families, tobacco/cigarette smoking becomes a pastime. They resort to smoking as they believe it provides them a temporary respite from their daily problems. 2. Smoking gives its user a fake sense of social belonging to the level of society they want to be in... 3. Their country has poor anti-smoking programs. 4. Their government has no explicit programs to help smokers who want to quit and lack means to provide prospective quitters access to a rehab program. 5. Addiction is so hard to resist unless the addicted smoker himself/herself decides to quit. I want to conclude this write-up with an excerpt from the same informative article by Kate Kelland. “The WHO says tobacco already kills around 6 million people a year worldwide, including more than 600,000 non-smokers who die from exposure to second hand smoke… By 2013, if current trends continue, it predicts tobacco could kill 8 million people a year.”

How the Miami Heat ate up the Thunders in Game five of the NBA Final Series...

June 22, 2012, is a very memorable day of the Miami Heat, as they beat the aggressive young team of the Oklahoma City Thunders. Honestly, before the finals started I had the mixed feeling that the forthcoming NBA finals would be a see-saw affair cause, both teams displayed impressive performances. Both coming from wins from their respective play-offs opponents: Oklahoma beating the San Antonio Spurs, thus giving them the outright chance to play against the Miami Heat who beat the Boston Celtics, to qualify them to play for the NBA Finals. Actually, last year I was a Dallas Maverick fan. My favorite player was Dirk Nowitzki and until now, although they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunders in the semi-final rounds in this year of NBA season. Miami Heat lost to my favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks, last year 2011 NBA Finals. Although I was impressed with how the Oklahoma Thunders finished up to the Final NBA rounds, I still had second thoughts whether the Thunders could snatch away the Championship trophy, from Miami Heat, a tough and a runner-up to the last year's NBA Finals Champions, the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams were hungry for the win, for the NBA crown this year 2012. Oklahoma may have the youth element in their team, but it is the experience of the Miami Heat and their playing as a team which spelled doom to the hopes of the Oklahoma City Thunders to win the elusive NBA championship. I would like to give a big handshake of congratulations to Le Bron James who led the Miami Heat, along with the other two important players, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh who completed the "Big Three" which devastated the Oklahoma City Thunders, under the tough efforts of Kevin Durant, the 3 time NBA High Scorer. What was really the biggest factor why the Heat ate up the Thunders, was that the bench players, special mention Mike Miller, who scored 23 points, including 7 out of 8 3-point shot attempts. Le Bron James finished with a brilliant all-round game, accomplishing a triple- double, with 26 points, 11 rebounds and a game high of 13 assists. While I was watching this last game ( although the Heat were ahead by as much as 25 points), I was still apprehensive because we cannot tell the final results until the final buzzer sounds. "What ifs" ran in to my crazy mind...what if the Heat will relax in the fourth and final quarter...Oh, I've seen how these young and energetic, sharp shooting Oklahoma City Thunders came up from behind as much as from 20 points deficit as in their last game against the San Antonio Spurs, in which they came out victorious in that game. And if the Miami Heat relaxed and became confident because there are still two remaining games...but the fact is, they will have to play those two games in Oklahoma City, with a very anti- crowd who will do all they could to distract them. Finally, I was relieved with less than five minutes more to the last second...the Heat still maintained a twenty-points lead. Coach Eric Spoelstra decided to pull out his precious "gems", LeBron James, Dwayne and Bosh. Also in a gesture of surrender Coach Scott Brooks pulled out his Key players too, Kevin Durant, Westbrook and Harden.. The last buzzer sounded. Miami Heat won the NBA Championship! The team which I did not want to win last year, but that was a different scenario. Does it mean I've changed my favorite team in the NBA. Well, all I can say, I was so much impressed of the way they won the NBA crown this year 2012. Congratulations, Miami Heat!

Hope You had a Wonderful Weekend...

For the past years, holy week fell usually in one of the hot summer months. Holy week is a most awaited and welcomed break from work, or from what one is being busy with. Our country, Philippines, being the only Christian country in Asia, is celebrating this season with the main purpose, and that is commemorating the death of Jesus Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the main core of the Christian religion. For the Catholics, this is supposed to be a season of fasting and penitence. Well, it just makes me wonder, do people really ponder and meditate on this main issue in which the salvation of our souls do matter? A lot of people spend this season in frivolous vacations...in beautiful places, hotels, beaches,and mountains. I don't want to sound hypocritical, but I sense something wrong in our observance of the Holy Week. Of course, I am not speaking in general for there are still those who contemplate on the religious and spiritual importance of this season, although this is not really the exact date of Jesus' death. I am not here to argue the veracity of the date of the lenten season.

What surprised me is the change in the weather pattern which also affected the Holy Week. You might have also noticed that Good Friday always falls on a full moon. That's probably the reason why Holy Thursday and Good Friday don't fall on the same dates every year. I remember lenten seasons in the past, they always ended up on a full moon night. These past few nights, including the eves of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the eve of Saturday , it rained not just flimsy raining but real hard, and lasted even for hours, starting from late afternoons and even flooded the main streets of the city. Why is it like this? I'm just asking for the sake of asking. There are questions jumbling on my head. I just can not find the answers.

The Dead Rat in the House...

You may like or you may not like cats. I just found out and convinced myself that not all people like cats. I love cats as well as cute and bright dogs. But in whatever angle in the propensity of reason, there are really those who don't like cats...they even hate these sleek, frisky, and lively creatures of the feline family. One of them is my mother. Oh she loathes having them around in the house. Actually, without you asking it, I have five cats in all. They are all neutered Tom cats. One is Pobi, that's his name. He's white all throughout from head to tail...His blue eyes make him look like as if he belongs to a Hispanic origin; Next to be introduced is Mitmit, Pobi's brother. A combination of black and white make me recall that cat who trumped on top of the piano while a big musical concert was going on in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ahhh...for a fraction of a moment in that instance, the prodigious cat stole the prized attention of the audience. This another cat member in their clowder is Parekoy, just a simple-minded cat who's demand for attention would lead him to nibble my hands, my legs, even my hair...He's ash gray and dirty white in color. Next in line is Kingking,another white Tom cat whose full name I got from my favorite NBA Player, Nowitzki...Yeah, he's Nowitzki, cause each time I look at him, I remember how I root for my favorite NBA player, Direk Nowitzki and for his team, the Dallas Mavericks. The last but not the least in the group is Krong-krong. The name sounds a little funny. He's the cutest and the youngest among the cats in the house. You just could imagine how my mother would frown and scowl in their presence. Her reason is that...she just doesn't like cats. Period! No amount of litany of reasons would convince her to avert her displeasure of their kind. But in the house, mother is outvoted. We are six in all in the family, she is the only one who is negative when it comes to voting whether to keep these five cats as our pets or not...I love cats. For someone who's surrealistic inclinations and melancholic life combined, I know could easily breakdown in the tedious and painful struggles in life. Without a dash of humor, and without an outlet to life's dark caverns of hopelessness.
For specific reasons, I gave credit to having pets. They brighten my day. My cats are always a source of delight. When at times I'm down and feeling as if I'm pissed off with intangible factors...my cats are there meowing and purring away my gripping tensions and stresses. It's so mind baffling sometimes to think that often these helpless creature are the ones to first offer humans in distress, their imminent offer of comfort. They also have a way of "paying" your caring for them. Like for example this morning. This is not the first time they have "gifted" me, what to them was something I would appreciate. Not that I can get something out of it, infact, it's a creature I dreaded most next to snakes. It's their act that counts most. They captured a live big rat, almost same size as Krong-krong. And they mauled the rat black and blue, and bit it until it died. No, they didn't bite

and shred it to pieces. One of the cats gave the rat a big fatal bite at the neck which caused its death. They could have drag the dead body and leave it somewhere outside the house, but they opted in their felinous mind to drag the dead body inside the house, put it under the dining table where it could be easily seen. And can you guess it right, if you guessed how my mother could have felt about it. But contrary to what I expected, my mom, "congratulated" our cats, as if one of them if not all of them have done such a heroic deed! She called them one by one by their names, and patted their heads with gentle affection that "a not so intellectual cat" can understand and appreciate. As a reward, My mother gave them an edible "medal"...a 'Barbecue Chicken', sliced into six...Why six? Because she included our dog, Butsoy, for being their number one "cheerer"...

Mother Earth...Crying, Help!

Barely a month and two weeks since that worse incident of major flash floods which devastatingly hit Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City in the Northern part of Mindanao. A friend of mine has gone there in Cagayan de Oro just last week to visit again her relatives who were among the victims. They are among those who are now living in temporary shelters,like tents...which are just good enough, well...as for the present. My friend related to me, how these people still try to survive this time starting on their steep climb back to living a normal decent life. Good for those who have well-off relatives who help sustain them in their daily needs, like food and other monthly expenses. It is so touching, I know how my friend might have felt...cause as she was relating to me their sad plight as caused by that disastrous flash floods, I really felt how she was affected cause I was too affected and furious on the causes and factors behind this onslaught" of Nature's fury..."With as much attention as the environment is getting lately, you would think that we are getting along well in our drive to help put up solutions to many of environmental problems. These are environmental problems which are even worse than we thought- from destruction in the rain forest to melting glaciers in the Artic. We've seen how the illegal cutting of trees in the forests and in the mountains has caused heavy flash floods which resulted to deaths of many people and destruction of houses and properties...Some of the largest problems now affecting the world are; Acid Rain; Air Pollution; Global Warming; Hazardous Wastes; Ozone Depletion; Smog; Water Pollution; Over Population; and Rain Forest Destruction. Every environmental problem has causes, numerous effects and most important it also has solution. The causes and effects of every environmental problem are well-displayed before us.

Mother Earth is crying, "HELP!" We are scared at the thought that there is a prediction of an impending Earth's doomsday...sometime in December this year 2012. But most of us don't but that, or are we just scared to take that as a fact? Can't we see where we are heeding now? If the world won't end, let's say this year or in the next few years, then the way these environmental problems are eating up our Earth's Habitat, just driving us to a devastating end to our planet Earth. If only all families will support the programs put up by each nation, and through effective government surveillance, I am sure we will, if not eradicate all the causes but at least we can do something to delay Earth's Doomsday...We can participate in tree plantings, eliminate the use of pollutant elements, have strict proper way of Garbage Disposal, maintaining of clean drainage, and caring for our rivers, streams, fountains and seas. We must be concerned with this deplorable situation we are facing. Mother Earth is suffering! Mother Earth is crying, HELP!...Can we just remain adamant on this problem. We have to act. We must give Mother Earth our love and respect!

TO WOMEN: HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE GUY YOU LIKE LIKES YOU TOO..

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