How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?

If you are a happy man or woman, you know how to celebrate Valentine's Day. Am I right? I maybe wrong.

For me, it is just an ordinary day. And, being true to yourself is I think enough to feel the essence of the day. Everyday should be a Love Day.

You can celebrate over a cup of coffee? Be with your wife and children. Be with friends or a special someone. Tell them you care. Most of all care for yourself first and you know what i mean.

Be healthy to face everyday of your life. Be simple and most of all do not harm others lest they harm you in return.

Love should be above all things. Simple ways are small beginnings of a wider and safer place you are living in.

Give aid to those in need. Help those who suffer and call the rest to your assistance. By this deed, you can celebrate whatever occasion the world could offer.

Why is Illiteracy a threat?

What happened to economies? The gap between the rich and poor in society is so wide and becomes wider everyday. Why? Who by the way are controlling the race to power? Only those few who were gifted the luxury of knowledge!

The gap that separates the segments of society should be narrowed in order to balance the utilization of nature. And, to narrow down the edge, illiteracy should be eliminated, if not, minimized. This simply means that EDUCATION is the answer.

Illiteracy could widen the gap and should be cured, the earliest possible time. By the way, the learned have been diagnosing this matter for quite a long time and continued doing the same until now. If there were solutions before, the same were not sustained, maybe for lack of the needed support.

Again, who will do the curative effort? This question should be answered by governments all over the world. We educate even the least of our brothers and sisters. There should be support on education because illiteracy is a threat to society more than terrorism.

Financial freedom should be on top when talking about education. More schools, more good and dedicated teachers, more books, more computers and other educational paraphernalia for the less fortunate. There should be no boundaries, no colors, no religion and no bias when subjecting peoples to basic and useful information.

Education should focus on family, government, health and morality. Is this doable? The answer is simple, YES!

It follows that children, who should be educated, are well-fed! There is no proper education when stomachs are empty. There is no learning when the brains are dry. A hungry child learns only how to look for food, the simple need to exist and survive.

Again, illiteracy can topple down governments. Remember that!

The 44th President of the USA-His Excellency Barack Hussein Obama!

Full transcript as prepared for delivery of President Barack Obama's inaugural remarks on Jan. 20, 2009, at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

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Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.

They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Rainy days are here again in paradise!

Living is unpredictable. Sometimes things are deceptive. People change minds and the world is getting older. Are we?

The cycle must continue and the environment is so. Fashion is so unbelievable but it keeps coming back! What a world!

When it rains, we feel graces are pouring upon us. We enjoy every bit of drops that fall because it means life. It helps the plant grow and it nourishes the thirst of mankind.

Yet, somewhere in paradise, people and the unfortunates experienced "iron rain". Do you get what I mean? It means pain and death. It means the cries and shouts of grief all over. They experience the wrath of bloodshed and human cruelty. The rain of war devastates what nature is used to be. It is man-made. We are fortunates but who knows?

By the way, excessive flow of rain water is devastating too. Floods, landslides and deaths occur.
Plants and creatures destroyed!

Which do you prefer? You know, I like peace of mind and I pray that rain that comes gently falls.

Rain should be a promise of life and not a promise of chaos! The world should live as ONE!

War in GAZA!

The invasion of Gaza by Israel is creating a humanitarian crises. More than 500 people have been killed in the week long air strikes and the ground fighting that began over the weekend.

The 1.5 million people of Gaza have been cut off from food and water supplies. Medicine is running out in the poorly equipped and poorly supplied hospitals in the strip. As in any war, it is the civilians who greatly suffer.

If the Israelis think the present offensive is going to be a walk in park, like the Six-Day War in 1967, they are gravely mistaken. The Hamas are experienced and well-trained, have sophisticated weapons and are strongly motivated to defend their territory. So, it looks now that the present conflict will be a long-drawn out one.

The rising death toll and the looming humanitarian crisis have aroused outrage from countries and peoples all over the world. Calls for a ceasefire have been made by, among other countries, France and the United Kingdom. But at the UN Security Council, the United States has blocked approval of a statement proposed by Arab countries calling for an immediate ceasefire.

As for Israel, ultimately it may win the conflict even if it has to engage in house-to- house fighting, but does it have an exit strategy?

Israel would be well reminded, as some analysts and commentators have said that there can be no lasting solution to the situation in Gaza unless there is a coherent and mutually acceptable Palestine peace plan. (Editorial, Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 6, 2009).

It sadden me a lot and my heart aches for the plight of the children. It is my call to all concerned peoples of the world for help, if help can be an option for peace.!

My Thoughts as the Year 2008 ends

Hello out there! I am just here doing something to keep in touch. The year is about to end and I felt I failed in so far as postings into my blog are concerned.

2008 is a very busy year for me. Just like you all out there, you are also busy doing sorts of things. I just hope you are all fine and we will face together the challenges in 2009.

Who knows, by the way, 2009 will be our year and our thoughts are focused on things we usually crave for.

To all your family and friends, let me greet all of you a happy new year.

Let the graces pour upon us and good tidings, too! Big Boooooooooooooooom!

Always keep safe and live clean folks!

The place called Helgoland

The clean waters, white sand and the soothing breeze could be savored when you are in the Holy land in Germany- the Helgoland.

I was there, too. We went there by boat and indeed experienced the waves. Whew!

My grandchildren could just imagine. It is a clean place with only 1,600 + population.

What a sight!