WoMenS mOnth

It's the end of march. Anything special in this month? You bet, a lot there is..


It is my month. The month I was born..but who cares? It was only me. And who I am? Funny if you think about it and that same question might entered your mind, too. Who dared am I or if this is my month?


But, hey...let me finish my dears...Yes, it is my month - the month I was born - and THIS-is-my-Month - as a woman.


It is women's month by the way. And I am proud to be one!


It was first celebrated in 1911 in Europe. In March 8 that year, the whole world celebrated it as International Women's Day. In history, women are belittled. Fathers' became weary if they bore a daughter. Mothers are afraid of their husbands and the society if they gave birth to a daughter. A son is cherished...a proud of family. But a daughter??? They never even have the right to learn to read nor write, maybe even their name. What a shame. I was - and still - thankful that I was born these years, where women are treated the way men are. Women in the past has no rights, they had no voice. They only follow what are told them to do of their father or husband. It's much a shame that sometimes, a son is more powerful than the mother. That the mother have to follow the son not the other way around, mostly in Europe.


But as time goes by, in so many ways, women started to find ways to show their abilities, to seek rights the same as the men, to find voice for their thoughts. In many European nations, as well as in the United States, women's rights was a political hot topic. Woman suffrage — winning the vote — was a priority of many women's organizations. Women (and men) wrote books on the contributions of women to history.


From that day in 1911, the celebration became Women's History Week in 1978, and in 1987, at the request of the National Women's History Project, Congress expanded the week to a month, and the U.S. Congress has issued a resolution every year since then, with wide support, for Women's History Month. The U.S. President has issued each year a proclamation of Women's History Month.


From then on 'til now, we celebrated our month..we celebrated our talents and abilities..and what our women ancestors has contributed in the past.


Here in the Philippines the National Women's Month celebration opened last February 28 this year with the theme - "Babae, Tagumpay ka ng Bayan!" - it attempts to broaden the understanding of microentrepreneurs, partners from government and non-government organizations, academe, and the private sector on microenterprise development, government programs and services that are responsive to the issues and concerns of Filipino women relative to their dignity and rights, the environment, and family and work life balance.


This is the end of the month-long celebration. And as we end this month, may be not end but rather continue to honor and respect the dignity and the contributions of womens, then and now. ^_^

MaYon Volcano

This is our pride! I grew up seeing it almost every single day of my 17 years. But since then, I see it only once in a while now. That is, only if I went to our province for a few days of vacation. I missed looking at it. I missed seeing it's magnificent view.

Even though I grew up almost always seeing this perfect view, I am always admiring it. Wondering what was on the other side of it, what was inside it. I even sometimes wonder what it is like to live nearer to it. How would it looked like if I am closer to it? Would it still be this beautiful? Would it still looked like a perfect cone? Would it still this magnificent?

But even though I sometime wonder those things, I wouldn't trade my place to anybody's place closer to it. I wouldn't trade the beauty of our view of this mountain/volcano to the danger of living nearer to it.

These pictures are taken in front of our house. And this is how it looks like from our place. It is a very nice view specially if the weather is good and clouds wouldn't obscure it's magnificent beauty.

This very beautiful volcano could be this magnificent if in good weather and condition. If there is no danger of erupting. I even watch it in my younger years erupting lava. I admit, watching its tip change color is still awesome, but thinking the damaged it caused some of the family's, thinking the loss of lives because of it makes me a little sad.

This is the Mayon Volcano. The pride of Bicol, especially the province of Albay. It rises 2462 m (8,077 ft) from the ground and it is the Philippines' most active volcano. It is considered to be the world's most perfectly formed volcano for its symmetrical cone. Its sides are layers of lava and other volcanic material. It has forty-nine eruptions in recorded history. The first recorded major eruption was in 1616 and the most destructive eruption of Mayon occurred on February 1, 1814. The latest damaged it has done that took a lot of lives I think was in 2006, although it is not because of eruption but because of erosion of lava and large stones and other volcanic material that are gathered around it.

That year, the storm helped in the catastrophe, too. And it that eventually was also the cause of our loss of our house, the entire house and nothing left us but what my parents are wearing that day before they left the house to transfer to a little farther place.

Besides all this, we already overcome it. And whatever has happened, I still admire this and love this mountain. I am still star struck by it's magnificent. It is still a miracle of God! *_*

Holy WeeK and my Plans

It is holy week in Roman Catholic calendar. Holy week is the observation of Christ s life before his death on the cross, before he gave his life in exchange of forgiveness of the sins of the people.

It is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter.

This year, 2010, This week starts yesterday, March 28 with the Palm Sunday. On this day we remember the successful entrance of the Lord, Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. I went to church late morning for the 10 a.m mass with my youngest sister.

It is now the second day of the holy week. Most schools are already in vacation for the summer though some colleges still have classes.

Offices have still work until Wednesday and will be on vacation starting on Maunday Thursday until the Easter Sunday. Our office announces an overtime work during those days - Maunday Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday. Well, nothing new in that, didn t have to be surprised.

But, I am not going to report to work on any of those three days..Hehehe..nothing new too.

I didn t observe Fasting (not eating or reducing dairy and meaty foods) the whole Lenten season (that is from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday). I have my own devotion on this week. My sacrifice will be the joing the Alay-Lakad (Sacrifice walk) from home (Cembo, Makati) to the Church in Antipolo City, Rizal.

This is my third walk in this route. We usually start around 8 p.m. on Maunday Thursday and arrived on the church on the early morning - around 2 a.m. on Good Friday. It is tiresome and as well as fun, too.

I enjoyed each walk of course we are praying while walking. Hopefully through this sacrifice we can share and feel a little of what Jesus has suffered during those times of turmoil in His life.

I am looking forward to this walk. I know it would be a good one. *_*