Homework: English to Batangueño translations

Translating from English to Tagalog to Batangueno. Wow. I'm such an expert. Not! Why not give it a go yourself?

Kids, do your own Homework

Humor me, I say.

Laiya Beach, Batangas

Several weeks ago, I found a comment on my CBox from Jasmin, a student from Davao, and she was asking if I could translate some English sentences into Batangueno for her. She obviously did not read my profile page. Heh heh heh.

Friends, I am not Batangueno (although at this rate, I may very well become one lol). No offense to my kabareks - I think Batanguenos are a great people. Very strong and solid, a brave and assertive bunch. I love kapeng Barako, but I'm still looking for a genuine local place around here where I can buy some - recommend a place to me!

In the interest of nationalism, I prefer to refer to Batangueños as "Filipinos in Batangas" and say "Batangueño" to mean the dialect they speak around here. And for the record, I have, not once, heard anyone here say "Ala-eh!"

Turning Bloggers into Published Writers

I am pleased to share with you that the collection of Inspirational Thoughts and Stories of Bloggers from All Over the World has now been published and is available online. I have one story as part of this collection - so now I can add "published writer" to my Profile page. woot!

The lady behind this “creative work of love” as she puts it, is JenaIsle, a professor from Pampanga, Philippines. In an interview with American writer Holly Jahangiri, Jena speaks of her "frustrations of unpublished work" and then the "joy of being published" and wanting to share this experience with other bloggers and writers.

And now this here is the result - an inspirational book born of an inspirational story.

If you would like to own a copy of this book, you can place your orders here.

ps I can't wait to get my own! 

Postmortem Review for Typhoon Ondoy Flood Rescue and Relief Operations

It's been almost a week since I posted our traumatic Typhoon Ondoy experience, and was at a loss about how to move forward with my blog. Now I know how - this will be my last Typhoon Ondoy post.

When I began writing down my recounting of the events that transpired during Typhoon Ondoy's devastation, one of the Philippines' worst tropical storms, I had only one thing on my mind - I had to release this fear and frustration over everything that I experienced. I did not expect my posts about Typhoon Ondoy to be one of the most read articles on this blog. To everyone who visited, Thank you, and I do hope the compilation of Typhoon Ondoy stories here did help you also to begin your healing.

I have one more thing in mind though. After every big operation or project, an analysis or review is done at the end to assess where improvements can be made. We call this a postmortem review or an after action review (AAR).  I am sure the government will have one about Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. Here are some of my contributions...

The RCS for Typhoon Ondoy victims in GK Village

For all Filipinos who have opened their homes and wallets to help our kababayans pick up and start again after the devastation of Ondoy, THANK YOU. Let the rebuilding continue.

For the benefit of Typhoon Ondoy victims in the Gawad Kalinga Village in Sitio Pajo, Brgy. Baesa in Quezon City, ALL85 presents Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, together with the Ryan Cayabyab Singers (RCS) in "ALL85 GOES GK!", Nationbuilders 25 years after.

The concert, originally scheduled on Oct 3, was moved to Oct 17 because of the devastation of back to back typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. The show must go on - and it does on Saturday, October 17, 8pm at the Music Museum, Greenhills...

Trauma in Ondoy's wake

The sunburn on my nose and forehead has begun to peel. No, I did not go to the beach. Who would go in this weather?

 

Saturday Surprise: Flash Flood

We had so many things planned for that weekend: maybe a barbecue lunch, dinner out to a fancy resto, a movie, some errands perhaps, or a relaxing massage - but our weekend activities was decided for us instead by Ondoy.

I wanted to sleep-in that Saturday morning (I drove home from Batangas the night before) but was woken up early by my worried girlfriend Liz: her sister Belle lives in Pasig too, and the flood in their area is rising fast. My dad and I had a quick coffee and tried to make our way to Belle's house. One of my Uncles volunteered to drive my Lolo's Tamaraw FX for us - we needed a high enough vehicle. The traffic was horrible. When we finally reached Ortigas Extension via East Bank Road, the FX could no longer move forward because there was already about a meter deep water. Even on foot, the water was already too deep to traverse. We saw one vehicle being pushed across - it was the only one that tried.

Share your Ondoy Story to help the Nation Heal

The victims of the ravaging flood brought about by typhoon Ondoy are in dire need of the basic necessities: food, clothes, shelter. Please send your donations to these addresses.

I am not a psychologist, but I do know that talking about your traumatic experiences helps you cope with the emotions, knowing that your experiences are shared my many others gives you a sense of assurance that things will get better.

Where were you when...

I encourage you to talk about your story, here, on your blogs or with friends and family: share how you lost and how you survived, share your frustrations, vent your anger, release it and learn from it, let's give suggestions to each other about what to do next time or how to build safety in our lives...