Mother's Day

for all the mothers who put their child/children's needs over and above their own...
this is your day... enjoy!

haPpY MotHer'S daY!!!

special mention to my Mom of course! here she is with her "apo" (grandchild) ***wink***

OFW of an OFW

OFW - Overseas Filipino Worker... a person of the Philippine origin who lives outside the Philippines for work, either on a temporary status or a more permanent one. Most OFWs, like myself, have their own OFW... Oh Fine World.

Oh Fine World! Not great, yet not bad. Just fine. It could not be great being far from home and from loved ones. Yet it would not be bad while earning more than what one would back home. And there's much more bitter-sweet stuff about being an overseas worker.

Back home, we used to celebrate each member of the family's birthday. Either we go out or have pizza and pasta at home, together as a family. But this year, on my Mom's birthday, they eat out (without me of course) and I just greeted my mom over the net (thanks to Yahoo and Skype!)

We did the same last CHRISTmas, and new year's eve... and on various occasions... with family... with friends... all of them I miss so much!

Ask me about my first new year's eve here... it was fireworks less; it was very windy that night that the local government canceled all fireworks display in the island. For someone who used to live in Bulacan, where most fireworks in the Philippines are made and sold, and where every new year's eve is pretty happily noisy, that was just so different, and yes, disappointing!

But my oh fine world is not totally disappointing... like my last birthday, it was a blast! And I would say I am lucky that my boyfriend also works and live here in the island, so I am not without a "family" at all. Not to mention that at work, I got my own "family"- -We are five Filipinos in the office who would meet up beyond working hours or during weekends to get together for a movie night (in a theater or at home), videoke night, or some food trip (the latter, we are trying to avoid, as everyone's diet's affected, much to our dismay!). And Bermuda is just beautiful! You know that I always liked trees, and there's quite a lot of greens here, almost as much as the blues (the ocean and the sky).

So while an OFW's OFW couldn't be great, it could be fine... or more than fine, depending on how one handles it - normally on how homesickness is dealt with. I remember this friend who celebrated the last yuletide eating with his family. Not physically, but over the net. He took a leave from office (due to time difference) and ate his Noche Buena and Media Noche while his family are having theirs back home. He even took time to "decorate" the CHRISTmas tree with his niece! (thanks again to Yahoo and Skype!)

Oh well, life could not be perfect I guess... there are always trade-offs we have to deal with. Making the most out of what we have is what matters.

(Now I'm thinking if I should change my title... 'cause that last sentence applies to all... may one be an OFW or not.) ;-D

Name Game

My mother told me that I was named by one of my aunts. And the original choice was to include "Marie" as my second name. Thank God, for some reason, they were not able to! Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against that name. Growing up, I always enjoyed having a short name! I didn't have much to write during quizzes and exams but the answers (if I happen to know them!). I used to hear complaints from those who were named too long... two or three names, imagine! But I could not blame anyone for that! As a parent, you would also want your child's name to be unique, wouldn't you? You might want to spare him the hassles of getting a police/government clearances; those with similar names as others have to wait extra hours/days before they get cleared!

I finally felt how to name someone when I had to name our family's dog. She's the most different among her siblings as her head was spotted with black, while the others are so white. During those times, I was dealing with a recruiter named "Heather", and I liked her name. So much so that our dog's "head" is differently colored! So, "her" "head" is! So "Head" "her" is! So I named her "Heather"! A British name for our cute mongrel (mixed-breed or "askal" in the Philippines)!

It might not always be that easy to come up with a name for someone... a name is a name!!! Most likely, one would carry it for the rest of his life (at least if he wants to be spared of legal expenses to have it changed!). It's never an easy task I guess. There are a lot of considerations at place - - - What were yours when you had to do it? Did you ever have regrets? Was your subject happy with the name you gave him?