This just in from the CNN: Magnitude 7.9 earthquake strikes Indonesia.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Indonesia on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was recorded about 33 miles from Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra, which is home to more than 800,000 people. Several buildings were damaged, Metro TV reported. People were seen running out of their homes and toward the hills.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a tsunami watch for Indonesia, India, Thailand and …

Today is a very important day lalo na sa mga taga-Barrio Siete para alalahanin ang isang worldwide event na nangyari eight years ago.
This is my tribute.
I was busy preparing dinner when my phone rang. Siyempre, dahil lafang ang nasa harapan ko dinedma ko muna ang phone call. I wasn’t expecting any calls naman eh. Nag ring ulet kaya kinuha ko na lang ang cellphone ko. Aba, ‘caller unknown’, which means galing sa labas ng Pinas ang tawag. Sinagot ko na lang at baka kung sino na ito.
“Hello?”
“Bakla!”
“Sino to?”
“Hoy bruha ka, …

There was a time when men were men, bound not by rules but mutual respect. A respect that one need not earn but modestly given by virtue of simply being men. Contracts are not made by voluminous set of recycled trees but by a few pristine words.
In the wars of the old, rivals shake hands before and after battles. Even opposing sides have mutual respect. They are enemies in the battlefield, and being soldiers, comrades outside of it. These days, the gentlemanly conduct of directing a battle, were all gone.
Now, …

As Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” – John 11: 25-26

Una sa lahat lilinawin ko lang mga kabarrio, hindi po ako Pastor, Bagamat ganito ang tema ng aking sinulat ay nais ko rin na ipahayag sa mga hindi pa nakaka alam ang tunay na pananaw ng mga Muslim kay Kristo Hesus.
Kamakailan ko rin lang nalaman mula sa isang kapatid nating Pilipino na muslim kung …

This is a true story of how I ran across the best boss in the world.
Haddonfield, New Jersey
I used to work in Haddonfield, New Jersey. My boss? Nasty bitch, foul mouthed and hated white people. Working as Controller, I had a staff. Napakatamad, bastos at maldita. I can’t do much. Ka-chika nang impaktita si maldita. I didn’t like the partnership they had dahil it was unprofessional and it was then that I wished i had another job.
Business divested: Unemployed
Months passed, anak nang leche oo! I was only joking, aba! Pucha! …

Ugali ko nang mag-basa nang Ellen Tordesillas pag-gizing ko. And as is usual, nag-kakape sa Barrio Siete, nag-babasa. Pero this time, na-tapon pati pagka-babae ko at na-ngilabot ako nung nabasa ko ang isang link na iniwan nang isang reader.
It’s about an OFW. Another malreatment. Another heart-wrenching story. Na inaabot nang ating mga kapwa Pinoy. It’s about Jenny, 41, a Filipina household service worker employed by a Kuwaiti family.
““There was no single day that she did not hurt me. She loved hurting me,” cried Jenny as she showed all the …

SERVICIO PUBLIKO MGA KABARRIO!!!
Think about it. There are over 10% of us nang total na bilang nang mga tao sa Pinas – Overseas Filipino Workers, isama mo na mga Overseas Pinoys, Immigrants at mga eherrrmm, nag-sipag-tago just to earn and provide decent living sa mga naiwan sa Pinas – which means, sobra pa tayo sa 10% nang population nang Pilipinas. Getz? We can be a force to reckon reckon pag-dating sa election. Pero, we cannot be a force until we all register and vote. So, I am re-printing this news …

I know, I sound like one bloody broken record, but it’s unbelievable kung gano ako ka-busy sa pabrika and its almost unimaginable na walang sumasabog na problema dun dahil, it’s crazy, it’s almost daily. I tell you, pwede akong magsulat nang komiks sa mga nangyayari sa loob. One afternoon, after fixing one disaster – binalandra ba naman kami sa dyaryo at lecheng inokray okray nang mga tao dito sa siti, I tell you, biglang dumating yong mga TV cameraman, akala ko merong shooting, leche kami pala ang tinitira. Nag-tatago ako …

Leaving sometimes isn’t a matter of choice. It’s coming back that is. The Hobbits of the shire travelled all over Middle-Earth, but they chose to come home, richer in every sense of the word. ~Patricia Evangelista

Photo Credits: Jcoop500
I went home last June primarily to celebrate my Mum’s birthday and at the same time to have Thanksgiving party for all the great things that happened the previous year. I go home practically thrice a year but these “coming homes” are spent mostly in Manila. I only spent three (3) the most …

Sa panahon ngayon medyo may kahirapan ng bumili ng kung ano-anong bagay para lamang my pangpa-salubong sa sa mga mahal sa buhay sa tuwing magbabaksyon.
Dagdag dito ang mga nagtataasang presyo sa merkado, ang pagsirit ng presyo sa mga pangunahang bilihin, lalo na kasalukuyang pangyayari na pandaigdigan krisis.
Dekada ’90, nasa Saudi ako noon, madalas akong bumili ng mga appliances, dahil puro nga mura at de-kalidad pa, nakakatiyak kang puro orihinal pa ang mga pyesa, hindi katulad sa Raon sa bandang Quaipo na pinapalitan ng local ang mga pyesa ang mga panindang …

Photo Credits: I don’t remember now. I think Forbes.com
Why do people act they way they do ba? Ano ba??? How come they do the darn wrong things and would let you and your co-workers down? Or act crazy and behave nasty in some negative and damaging ways? Kung naka-experience na kayo nang ganitong mga baliw na ka-opisina, mag-hunus dili, wag kayong tatalon sa bintana, baka pers floor lang sya. Umakyat ka pa. At piktapos mung tumalon? Andyan sila sa harap mo.
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Kabayan saan ang punta mo? Tanong sa akin ng isa rin Pinoy OFW sa loob ng paliparan ng NAIA nung una kong punta dito sa Angola dalawang taon na ang nakakaraan. Sa Angola kabayan, pangiti ko namang sagot. Angola? saan parte ng mundo yun? Tanong muli nya muli sa akin.

Madalas natatanong ako ng ganyan sa tuwing pabalik ako ng Angola kapag ako’y nagbabakasyon, maging ang mismong empleyado ng NAIA ay may kapareho din tanong. Minsan naisip ko tuloy kung naisali nga ba sa mapa ng mundo ang bansang Angola, bakit …

I was talking to one of my boylets in Tiwi, Albay the other day. He gave me the news. My other boylet na binilhan ko nang pridyidir is now an OFW in Dubai. Huh?! Eh dahil kilala ko yong nangutong saken… “Tatagal ba yun dun?!” sabi ko. Eh kasi nga, first it was Kotsengkuba who told me he’s had it and decided to go home after working for so many years in China. Then, it was my nephew who said, he is so tired with his Arab employer in Saudi. …

Halina sa Kabukiran
*bow*

Photo Credits: Sa hanay nang magsasaka
Sa aking bukirin ako ay nagtanim
Binhi at butil ipinunla ng mariin
Sipag at tiyaga ay aking gagawin
Sa darating na panahon ay may aanihin
*(nasamid) humingi ng tubig*
Viewed 17680 times by 4304 viewers

In every country, state, province, city, county, there are  laws, rules and regulations  that need to be followed. Laws that are similar in some ways, but there are some that are uniquely their own. Laws that if we violate, we pay the consequences. Even here in Barrio Siete, La Kapitana has some rules to be followed in the Barrio, othewise, we’d all be banished in the Sitio.
Ganito ang itsura nang nilalatigo.

Photo Credits: Islamization Watch
Kamakailan lang ay napabalita na ang ilan naming mga kapatid sa pananampalataya ay posibleng maharap sa lupit …

I am one of those who appreciates coded languages err abbrevs. In my emails, especially to my boss, I am always used to signing… “FYI” which means, “for your information”. If we plan out for a dinner, I’d say… “BYOB” for “bring your own bottle” because the resto is not selling alcohol. So, I’m kind of used to these coded languages, after all, the gay community must have perfected the art of coded languages, we have our own.

Anyways, dala marahil subalit datapwat nang mga nagbabatuhan, nagpapanaan at mga nag-susungkaan sa …

Its hard to leave our barrio siete behind, just to work in foreign lands in search of more greener pastures…
Lintek, makapagtagalog na nga…
Pag bagong salta ka abroad syempre natural lang yung excited kang makakita ng mga kababayan mo, pag naman nakita mo sila, kulang nalang yakapin mo sa tuwa at bawat makita mong pinoy gusto mo batiin.Nakaka excite naman kasi talaga lalo pa malayo ka satin at ibang mga hilatsa na ng pagmumukha nakikita mo lalo ka tuloy naho-homesick di gaya nung marami kang kababayang nasisilayan nakakabawas ng buryong tapos …

I love to travel, meet people and feel their culture. My next big travel plan wish, would be a week in France or Italy, in a village where people don’t speak English. I wonder how I’d fare. But this time around, the only travel I did was go home to Philadelphia.
My niece got married to a Greek at an Orthodox Church in Philadelphia last Sunday. The Greek groom was the latest addition to our already very international family. I have never been to a Greek wedding before, much less a …

Photo Credits: Search Engine People
Nung 50 pesos ang palitan sa isang US dollar, napakadali nga namang mag-convert kapag meron kang ka-pamilya na nag-ta-trabaho sa abroad.
Sa mga umpukan sa barrio siete at sa mga waiting area sa mga eskwelahan, usapan palagi eh kung ano ang propesyon nung nasa abroad at kung magkano ang kita doon kada buwan. At kung lalong tsismosa(o) ang kausap mo eh itatanong pa kung magkano ang padala sayo monthly.
(Mind you, ang mga ganyang topic ang isa pang lalong ayokong pinag-uusapan sa mga umpukan. Isa pang …

Ang una kong paglabas sa barrio siete ay isang kahindik-hindik na karanasan as OFW…
~Lee

Viewed 10081 times by 1982 viewers

A different kind of Independence Day
Today, Friday in America, is a big day. This is the day that the switch to digital TV, or DTV is going to happen. It will start at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Around that time, 974 full-power stations that cover major markets such as New York and Los Angeles will start shutting down analog signals. The transition is expected to be done by midnight.

Just one very minor problem gramma!!
About 3.1 million over-the-air homes won’t be ready, Nielsen predicts. Aguy! Hahaha! But hey! Just like any …

Kasama sa aking contract ng pagiging OFW sa Esteyt ay libre tirahan. Nakatira ako sa bahay ng aking boss. Ang boss ko ay Fil-am na kasal sa isang Puti.

Unang Sabado ko ay nagbiyahe kani sa Lake Tahoe. Ang Lake Tahoe ay kung saan may mga casino at mga bahay bakasyunan ang mga mayayaman at may time-sharing. Ipapakita raw nila sa akin ang snow. Walang snow sa California mga ka-barrio siete. Malamig lang at mainit din pag summer.

Umalis kami na hindi nag-aalmusal dahil mahaba ang biyahe.

Huminto kami sa Denny’s. Tanong …

Barrio Siete is one with the nation in celebrating our Independence Day today, June 12, 2009.

Sa panahong ito sa buong kapuluan nang mga Barrio Siete, usong uso ang pagiging makabayan. Mabentang mabenta ang mga t-shirt ni Francis M. Pati na rin mga accessories na nagpapakita ng pagiging Pinoy. Pati na mga shoeses ni Pacquiao na very limited, pinilahan pa dito sa isteyts.

Bakit nga naman kasi hindi, eh sempre pag hindi ka makabayan, at least sa japorms, hindi ka in, hindi ka cooool. Kaya naman nung maligaw ako ng SM North …

All housemaids were not born equal. There are those that semplangs to the left, sometimes way to the right, pati yong driver sa kabilang apartment eh kinalantare na. Our maid at the condo? Nawawala sya nang alas-dose nang tanghali. Ang leche at andun sa Wowowee. My sister fired her. The next maid? She goes home to Novaliches every Friday aftenoon. Taka daw sya, parating isang overnight bag plus one backpack na mistulang going on 1 year vacation. Nahuli nang guard. Hinahakot pala mga damit nang pamangkin ko. Sa awa namen, …

Andito pong muli ako sa Barrio Siete. Ako po si Cora Dolorosa. OFW sa Indonesia. Minsan, nag-aabang nang tsunami at pag day-off, tumu-tugis nang mga terorista.
Ako ang kauna-unahang OFW sa pamilya. Kaya ang Mudra (opps… wag mag-isip ng masama kung bakit panay Mudra at di ko nababanggit ang akin AMA…….kalma lang– pumanaw si Ama nung ako ay tatlong taong gulang) PROUD at di ko alam kung mismo sya ay naniniwala na pag-umuuwi ako galing INDO ay dapat akong tawaging BALIKBAYAN (maitanong nga ito …