A Promise

I kept my promise. 

Thinking of YOU

I'm thinking of you right now!!!

Your day is a day and half a night away.  I will drop by.  I know it's  been "MONTHssssss".  I promise! Rather than you dropping by.  I hate goosebumps.  Lol!  Seriously, I know you have been good to me =)

Sorry, no beads for you like Mom.  Bead arrangements for men have been a challenge. I tried once, but that was the first and the end of it. I hope flowers will make do.  No promises though, but yes I will TRY HARD  to control the foreseen debate with  flower vendors once again. I expect! a hike on prices of flowers on your special day. Grr!

I miss ya.   I sometimes wish  that you are just a text or an email away.  Sad that you  have not even reached this day and age of texts and emails.  "INSTANT" and "SPEEDY" COMMUNICATION.  Unless a bill, personal letters sent via mail no longer exist.  Reason why I dislike checking out the contents of my mailbox.  A bunch of bills, bills, bills and a LIZARD.  Ugh!  But I know you are happy UP there.  Plus,  I'm grateful for your FAST reply to my endless nags.  Beats all forms of technology-sent messages.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.  Sending you this short note in advance via my blog --- Blog???  Well, it's sort of a journal that exists in "cyberspace". Unlike privately locked diaries, entries are for the whole wide world's pleasure and consumption.  So, be careful on what to write.  Yet, a really cool tool to use for sharing and most especially discovering.  I'm pretty sure you already know what this is about.

 I HEART YOU, DAD .... in other words, I love you! 

Do you get the drift? Do not answer please.  I will just assume that it is a yes.  See you on Sunday and will definitely NAG you in a bit ....

                                                                                       ♥ TRIX

He dreamed. I feared.

Twenty years from now ....

You will be more disappointed by the things you did  not do

than by the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

 

Explore. Dream. Discover.

(author unknown)

I never saw this coming.  Though I repetitively brainwashed myself that it will be alright, a long-playing series of discussions transpired between J. Bond and I. Emotions extremely fluctuated.  He explored, I feared. He dreamed, I feared. 

That was over a year ago.  The time when I leapt high with eyes closed and breathed fear.

But in dreams. In taking risks.  And in doing so ... even with eyes closed, I have finally conquered fear. 

We are now ONE and absolutely looking forward to more fruitful years  (with hopefully a new branch soon?). I proudly  salute the team,  our principals, community partners, sponsors and  patrons.  And of course,  a HIGH-FIVE to my sparring partner, J.Bond.

See you at the finale of our month-long anniversary celebration on July 10, 2010.  Cheers!

                                                                                   at your service,
                                                                                            Patricia of Generika :)

Carrie vs Agua

When everyone has fanatically been talking about Carrie and her friends for the past days,

I remain glued  in my room this way.

All because of a fantasy TV series named Aqua Bendita which airs over at the Kapamilya network from Mondays-Fridays, 7:45pm-8:45pm.  Really!  The beading happens before and after.  But never during :)

the Dream of a better LIFE

After two years of mourning, Mom packed her bags and moved to New York.  A couple of months later, I found myself, with 3 younger siblings, in a plane en route to a New Life.  The age range, 7-14 years old. 

That day marked the beginning of a new chapter.

I flew back to Manila to finish  high school.  Though summer breaks were spent in New York, the rest of the year was all about teenage life in Manila.  I have grown so accustomed to this jet setter lifestyle that I eventually gave up the opportunity to take a collegiate degree in New York, and more so the opportunity of becoming a U.S. citizen.

Looking back, I still stand firm with the decision I made years ago. Living my story in a foreign land was never part of the plot.  All I know, up to this day, is I AM HOME.

Yet, a different story is heard from the many Filipinos who dream of a better life. It remains a fact that the Pharmacy has provided employment opportunities to frustrated job-seekers in the Philippines.  A fulfillment my husband and I share with a beaming sense of pride and honor.  In this blog, I only speak of what we have personally encountered in the Pharmacy's one year of existence.  Though a tiny part of a  massive spectrum, this, I believe, is a reflection of a disheartening dark reality that has long loomed in the land I call home.

Early this year, one of our staff, with nursing background, volunteered to do work for a hospital located at the south. A 12-hour duty  was required of her, with extended hours on peak days.  This volunteer work eventually caused conflict in our store schedule, and thus culminated with a resignation. More than words, actions spoke decisiveness to walk this new path.  A courageous act  towards what I believe is exploitation. The volunteer act lives to its name.  VOLUNTEER, work for 12 hours, at least 4 days a week, with no pay, not even a minimal allowance to pay for meals, transportation and uniform.  All these accepted with a firm mind and a whole heart to gain experience.  For it is in this experience that the chance (with zero assurance) to work and live the dream in a foreign land lies.

Nursing in the Philippines is indeed an in-demand course primarily blinded by the hypothesis of a lucrative career overseas. Here's the grim reality -- nursing graduates pay a high price to gain experience. But, not all have the means to pay. With dreams down the grave, they take on different fields. Yet, even those with a bag-load of experience are most often faced with frustration.  Many years ago, nursing opportunities overseas was lucrative.  Today, it is a gamble.

In an interview, I make sure to ask these two questions towards the end.  A barometer I use to gauge the applicant's passion for his chosen career.

1. Why did you take up nursing?  The answer, It is my parents wish that I take nursing.  Nursing equates to employment opportunities overseas and it will help support my parents and my siblings.
2. If not nursing, what course would you have taken instead?  The top 3 answers, Architecture, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Business Management.

Passion does not breath life in this case.  But the dream for a better life does.

On June 21, our Store Supervisor flies to Baker's Field, California. A promising career awaits her at a Nursing Home.  She leaves behind her parents, a younger brother and a tearful boyfriend.  I  asked a few days ago the question she faced during her first interview.  WHY?  All she said, For greener pastures.

I am frustrated ....

...  how the Pharmacy has evolved into  a stopover for nurses who await for overseas opportunities
... of the lack of employment opportunities for nurses in this country
... of how reputable hospitals and establishments lure nurses to work for free
... of how nursing students live the dream of their parents, sacrificing their own dreams

Yet, I understand the dream of a better life.

Today, the Filipinos celebrate Independence Day, looking  forward to  a better future with the coming of a new president. Many have aired their sentiments and suggestions. A sense of  "Dear God" letter,  hoping that someday  prayers will be answered.

I look back to the decision I made years ago at this very moment.  I still stand firm. 

But I pray and dream of a richer land that every Filipino will someday be proud of and call HOME.

*Thanks Pat for this link.

Flash OFF

I fall in love with photo moments like  this.  A dramatic mood of fairy tale romance and enchantment stir my imagination aglow.  Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother (not prince charming!) danced in my thoughts  when I snapped  this photo. 

However, I was faced with disappointment a second after my one and only snap. The photo came out dark, grainy and blurred.  The flash  refused to work on such heartwarming moment. Sell the camera and get a better one was what I firmly thought.

Now that I have uploaded the photo, I think otherwise.  Fairy Godmother had deliberately turned the flash off from her wand to make me remember ........

...That once I was 18... and had a Grandfather who I looked up to as Prince Charming.

Happy 18, J!  Glad to hear that you love the mood of this photo with your Grandpa S.

                                                                                           ----Ate Trix

found in the Philippines

I often go back to this one same place found in Greenhills or Festival Mall for three reasons:

1st,  to shop for affordable pearls.
2nd, to satisfy the never-ending pearl craving of my New York-based family.
3rd, to carry out special requests of visiting relatives and friends residing abroad.

My 2 months ago visit was a mix of 2 and 3.  Sister # 4's fiance came over to Manila for a quick vacation and brought back to New York a few long strands for my sister (white and pink) and my mother (brown).  Every opportunity that comes my family's way surely equates to a visit to the pearl stalls found only in the Philippines.

Yesterday's visit, on the other hand,  was to fulfill a request by a visiting relative.  An aunt from J. Bond's maternal side of the family. 

Scanning the rows of stalls engulfed by layers of stringed pearls, one could immediately assume that the products carried by each stall are one and the same.  Probably true for the untrained eye like mine. A meticulous scrutiny and patience are plus points to survive the scavenge and discover unique designs.  Strings of pearls, semi-precious stones and other accessories are literally displayed within all possible areas in a 4-6 square meter stall. In my frequent visits, I usually cap the hunt with a  confused mood.  Most especially on  peak shopping days when everyone else seems to crave and hunt for pearls at the same time. Thus, I have addressed this confusion by applying these pearl-shopping styles:

1.  Shop early.  The 1st customer gets the best discount.
2.  Establish a friendly relationship with 1-2 stall owners.  It has worked wonders.

     -  1st crack on new designs and good-looking pearls.

     -  Again, appealing discounts.

     -  And, free add-ons like pouches, gift boxes and earrings.

The so-called experts  have shared  a way of testing the authenticity of a pearl --- specifically those sold in  stalls.  Rub two exact same pearls against each other.  If rough and texture is uneven, the pearl is authentic.  If smooth, it is man-made.  Truly a unique and mind-boggling way to test.  Majority of buyers and loyal patrons know this technique by heart. But my own personal belief says, as long as it's inexpensive (way too low compared to price of pearls sold at jewelry shops), then there may be(?) a huge probability of a hocus pocus way of manufacturing  these pearls.

In these stalls, I have been educated of the different type of pearls aside from South Sea Pearls --- Fresh Water pearl, Rice pearl, Mother of pearl, Black pearl, and so forth and so on. All natural.  The majestic pearl, in particular, lives to its name. Shiny. Round. Perfect. In other words, made by man.  There's too much to see and choose from that my way of pearl shopping have eventually evolved into design-based rather than a scrutiny of authenticity. 

I happily tagged along yesterday without having any plans of making a purchase. True enough, I went home with nothing!  A first in history.  I give myself a pat on the back.  Yet, I must confess that self-control can truly be tiring.  Energy down the drain!   But with this came a realization  after having observed the scrutiny of my aunt (and mother-in-law). The Philippines is blessed  for having such an abundance of pearls (and other semi-precious stones). Pearl stalls found in Greenhills, Festival Mall and Market Market  have become  popular destinations for locals and tourists alike.

In our  New York trip last year, my Mother toured J. Bond and I around her United Nations office. A first for J. Bond and an "nth" time around for me.  But definitely a tour with better appreciation perhaps due to "maturity". I faced boredom in my younger years.  The last stop was a souvenir gift shop.  In that shop, I slowly scrutinized each and every module that highlighted the crafts found from different countries. 

Then, there came the Philippines ...."an archipelago popularly known as the Pearl of Oriental Beauty and Enchantment".  The different pearls found in stalls, and that of which I have  doubted the authenticity, were ALL on display ... in a glass case ... at the United Nations ... and tagged with a high price.