Helping Hands, organized by the healthcare workers of Palm Beach Florida will hold a fundraising event, "GARAGE SALE", for the survivors of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Purchase good finds and different items while helping our countrymen. Food and drinks will also be sold in the event to help raise more funds. See you on November 30, 2013, Saturday 8:00AM to 5:00PM! See flyer for more details on how you can help onsite or online. Let's make it happen!
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A lot of things has been said about the Philippine government and it has truly affected not only the people in the Philippines but also the Filipinos all over the world. A lot are tormented about what has been happening, which I have to be honest includes me. Filipinos from all over the world gathered to organize groups, try to keep in touch with their families, help in any way they can and most of all, try to very best to be hopeful and continue to have strength in all the hardships happening in the Philippines.
I have heard Anderson Cooper in a lot of blog site most especially in the news. It is through one of his broadcast that made me really hopeful of what is happening in the country. Unlikely as it is, that Filipinos are resilient, we never give up but his news about the goods not being sent to the typhoon victims absolutely broke my heart.
Today is a different story. I am sharing this blog because just like what I blogged before about typhoon Yolanda, Anderson Cooper's broadcast in his AC360 blog shows the real picture of a Filipino.
"This site made me cry... Remembering the Filipino people and how we cope up with our challenges. God bless the Philippines..." - me
Overwhelmed with the courage about how Filipinos handle stress, I have decided to compile my favorite #YolandaPH and #PrayforthePhilippines tags. I have also decided to post this to remind myself of the true Filipino values instilled in each one of us.
From shameless selfies to drinking sessions happening while the typhoon is happening, Filipinos have their own way to overcome this catastrophe. Photos are not mine, credits are from the owners. Photos are compiled from hashtag #YolandaPh and #PrayforthePhilippines which were posted in Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Here goes my list:
1. Do you want to know how courageous a Filipino is? Watch this man walk along the shore while the typhoonYolanda is at large. Photo not mine, taken by Philippine Star in Albay, Philippines. This is my top favorite because this photo shows that Filipinos remain strong amidst any storm. Filipinos are born to have good coping mechanisms that remains unique and genuine within us.
2. Atom Araullo. Formerly the Ovaltine ambassador when he was a little kid, now a broadcaster. Kudos to you and to your team! Amidst the heavy rain and strong winds, he covered the story for all of us to see. A true service to the Filipino people. A reminder that Filipinos work hard not just for the money, but we work hard because of our dedication with our work. Not because we see a job as a means to earn money, but a means to self fulfillment and happiness.
3. A photo posted on Instagram where rescuers standby for people in need. Filipino's spirit, Filipino's faith, Filipino's heart. This reminds me how helpful Filipinos are. We are ready to help to people in need even if it has to risk our own lives.
4. Bayanihan at its best! Photo not mine. Taken in Candaba, Pampanga, Philippines. Filipinos strive hard to help each other especially in these times of need. In comes naturally to every Filipino. No effort needed, No regrets.
5. One of the most famous post and status all over Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Retweeted and Regram by famous celebrities and even the former US Ambassador to the Philippines, Kristie Kenney. It is true, we have been having typhoons from A to Z all throughout the year and nothing can bring our spirit down! As it has been trending in twitter and other social media, they shouted: STRONGEST TYPHOON: YOLANDA! STRONGEST PEOPLE: FILIPINOS! STRONGEST NATION: PHILIPPINES!
6. Also one of the most famous status, a comment from CNN site. I am not really sure if this is from CNN since I have been looking at their site but I cannot find it. Nevertheless, this meme posted by a lot of Filipinos and foreigners makes us all proud to be Filipinos. May we keep this spirit forever in our hearts. A reminder to myself saying that no matter what happens, I shall never forget my roots. There may be bad times where Filipinos may be picked but these are just bad apples in a basket. The good ones will always outnumber the bad ones. So no matter where I may be, I will forever be proud to be a Filipino.
7. A brother's love. Photo not mine. No location stated on the caption but this is a reminder for us Filipinos that whenever someone needs help, we are always available. We are brothers and sisters to everyone. We are one with everyone.
8. Saddened about this photo. Photo not mine and taken in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. This place is one of my most favorite place. Why my favorite? Because no matter what happens, the people of Tacloban will continue to rise and shine in this battle. Filipinos are born to rise, not with revenge but with strength to show who we are but spreading our wings and soaring high. We are born to win! We are born to succeed.
9. A photo of a place in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines posted on Instagram. Sad but these are the realities of life that makes us strong. A reminder that Filipinos use our trials and hardships to strengthen our spirit. It is not to overwhelm us with anger, sadness and depression, but for us to use these hardships as our stepping stones to move to a higher ground.
10. A photo of a mother and her children in Cebu City, Philippines going to the evacuation site which is posted in Instagram. Filipinos, as they said are water-proof. The truth is, we endure the pain, we overcome the hardships because we are flexible and resilient. We just laugh it out or sometimes just think of our troubles as a joke. We believe that everything will pass and that there is always a rainbow after every rain. The truth is, life is like any storm. As they said, we can only appreciate the sunshine after every rain.
11. This is Yolanda from space. Looking at it, the weather channel said, if it happens to North America, it will be from Canada to Florida. Upon seeing this photo last night, it made me realize that this storm is truly bigger than the Philippines. But no, God is bigger than any storm. The Philippines is truly a blessed country. We are one prayerful country. No matter what faith we have, we all do believe that we have one God who is bigger than every hardship, every trial, and every storm.
This may be a historical event for all of us, knowing that this is the strongest typhoon ever recorded in this lifetime. But most of all, this event proves that we are one as a nation. No matter where we are, Filipinos are close to each other's heart. We care for each other. We have one spirit, one heart and one faith. And that the Filipino spirit lives on.
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I am dedicating this blog post to my husband who tried his best to quit smoking and yes, he is nicotine free! After smoking for more than 10 years, it was a struggle for him to stop smoking. He said he started at the age of 20 and was a smoker of at least 4 to 5 cigarettes a day. But today, his blood work showed he is nicotine free!
How did he do it?
I am sharing with you his secret. Partly because I used to smoke cigarettes too before and quitted smoking for almost 7 years. Yes, clean for 7 years. But mine was a different story.
There are plenty of ways to quit smoking. I could be by using alternatives such as nicotine patch, nicotine gum or an electronic cigarette. But you see, since smoking is more of psychological rather than physical dependence, motivating yourself to quit is the most important. There are also studies saying that the use of electronic cigarettes are not proven to be safe and that some are found to cause cancer. Although my husband did use the electronic cigarette for some time, he found it to be distracting so he quitted it too. Here are the ways how he quitted smoking.
How to quit smoking:
1. Set your goal and know your reason.
My husband's goal is to quit because he said our kids are growing up and he does not want any of our kids to engage into smoking because of the bad effects of it. There were even instances before when our youngest child will get the cigarette box for him and this really touched him. Kids should know that cigarettes are not good. This reason, he has to keep in mind.
2. Set your time frame.
It is very important to know how long you will try to quit. My husband set a goal of 3 months. He started with cutting one stick a day from his usual cigarette smoking. When he had the urge to smoke more, he uses the electronic cigarette, exercise, eat or just keep himself occupied.
3. Focus.
There will be instances where friends who use to smoke will invite you to go back into the habit. What do you do? Stay focused. Do not engage yourself at any chance. You have exerted too much effort. Don't let peer pressure cut it's way. Or maybe you are stressed too much and you realize soaking is a way to relieve stress, look for other ways like deep breathing, jogging, strength building exercises (like going to the gym) or worst suggestion is to eat. Since quitting for some makes them fat, eating is an alternative way to satisfy the oral need, synonymous to smoking. In any way, find a way to stay focused and do what you can do to avoid smoking.
4. Look for your support system.
Our children and myself are my husband's support system. When at times he wants to smoke, we would remind him not to. Also since cigarettes are quite expensive, I try to motivate him by counting all the money he is saving from all the cigarettes that he did not buy. With $52 to $56 per 10 packs, he was able to save almost $300. He did not realize it at first but when he did, he started saving it so he can use it to reward himself.
5. Reward yourself.
My husband bought his new car after quitting. He bought his new playstation. He started rewarding himself with little things each day. An extra hour of sleep, an extra meal, loafing, or shopping. And to this day, he never smoked even a single cigarette.
As for me, if you want to know how I quit, I can share to you just one thing. One day, I realize I want to quit and I did. IN a snap, I never touched a single cigarette. True enough it gave me cold turkey feeling for a week but I never regret it from happening because up to this time, I am smoke free.
Healthy and happy.
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