Welcome and Celebrate the New Year

“10!
9!
8!
7!
6!
5!
4!
3!
2!
1!
Happy New Year!!!”

by Dante Rossetti Santos Alejo

Boom!

Noise is everywhere as people welcome and celebrate the New Year. We always do that. For the past 10 years, I have been fearful of what might happen to me or to anyone yet very excited celebrating the incoming year.

I do not want people using firecrackers such as Piccolo, Pop Pop, and Goodbye Philippines especially to scare people walking in the side of streets. Some Filipinos do that when I do not know what benefit they get from scaring people.

Then, I was cheerful when I learned from the news through the television that Department of Health (DoH) warns and restricts people to use firecrackers that may cause them (the ones who use cited dangerous firecrackers) harm.

The DoH did everything they had to do just to warn people, and I must say that they have done a good job. They might have scared people through the pictures depicting what might happen to them when someone uses illegal or dangerous firecrackers, but the thing is they are victorious to their goal.

According to the GMANews.tv as per the DoH, there are almost 800 people hurt because of unwanted firecrackers as they celebrate the New Year. This is still considerable as good because the rate downs as to comparison to the last five years welcoming the start of the New Year.

In relation to this, last year I was very mad at children living near our house. They used to throw Pop Pop and/or small and big triangles also known as Pla Pla to places they want, and there came a point where they threw it inside our premises, particularly in our garden. I got mad at them because of that. Also, whenever I go out, some do the same way. I just get annoyed of what they are doing especially that they did it from the very beginning of December (2009).

I just thought it might happen again last year (2010) as boys did it when September 2010 came. I told myself I do not want this to happen again notably from September to December, they would do that. Until news regarding warnings of DOH came out, I became happy more than ever when nobody was doing it anymore. They just did it from the morning of December 31 until we all welcome 2011. They were not able to do this on December 29 or 30 because it was raining those days.

On the other hand, my mother; my sister; and I went to Divisoria on December 31, the last day of the month and of the year, to buy some stuff that we may add to our personal belongings.

It was just unusual that there were lots of people in Kalentong, a market in Mandaluyong City, wandering and buying while in Divisoria, only few are buying. This happened in the evening. I thought we would be celebrating New Year in street; I thanked God for not letting that to happen.

After Divisoria, we went to Quiapo to attend a Mass and then back to Kalentong. We saw familiar faces there and greeted each other. After awhile, we made it back home before 9:30pm. Then we prepared.

We had our own countdown before 2011 comes. We used our sounds equipment; we used microphones and speakers to greet everyone a Happy New Year.

After the countdown, we lighted the fireworks we bought such as Lusis, Sparklers, and Fountains. We had our picture takings everywhere and gift giving like what we did on Christmas. We also did our traditional “Paagawan ng Pera”. It was indeed an enjoyable moment for me.

I slept before 5am because I did the household chores as I wanted to assure that everything was fine. I woke up around 11am then slept again and woke up again after an hour. Then i enjoyed the rest of the day.

I want to assure that 2011 will be a better year for me, for my family, and for my friends as God guides us always.

Reference:

I. Photos – date accessed January 2, 2011

• http://offtheplanet.typepad.com/photos/73rd_tsuchiura_all_japan_/tsuchiura_fireworks_04_21.html

• http://www.debateitout.com/should-fireworks-be-allowed-on-new-years-eve.html

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Quiapo_Church.jpg

II. Others:

• http://www.gmanews.tv/story/209589/close-to-800-hurt-during-new-year-revelries-health-dept

Christmas is Bro’s Day

"People making list, buying special gifts, taking time to be kind to one and all…"

True to the first stanza of Jackson 5’s song, I always experience this during Christmas Season.

by Dante Rossetti Santos Alejo

Our Christmas vacation started on December 17 though Far Eastern University scheduled December 18 as the last day of classes. Thus, before these dates, I have attended different Christmas parties within my groups and colleagues in the university.

On December 18, I attended my friend’s debut in Laguna and went back to Manila the next day. For that week, it seemed I was on an ordinary vacation and there’s no Christmas season to celebrate because I did not feel we were doing some preparations for the big event.

However as the Christmas day comes fast, I gradually felt our preparations. I just realized that this is the only Christmas that I wasn’t able to buy gifts for my family and it is because I ran out of money for the reason that I spent and paid too many things in school during the first and second week of the month.

I was December 23 when I decided to go out with my mother to Divisoria and buy something that we may add to the gifts wrapped and placed under our Christmas tree.

Divisoria, as I watch on television, is different during this season particularly that day compared to the ordinary days. People were everywhere and I really had to make my arms ready to push and fight over the thousands of people just to reach the area I was heading to.

Evening of December 24 and I was home alone. My father was outside to work and earn money; my brother was in his fiancée’s house and would go home later; my mother had to fetch my sister fresh from Bataan at the bus terminal in Avenida, but they did not meet for some reasons and my sister went home by herself – in that case, my mother went to Divisoria again to buy some stuff.

Before Christmas Eve comes, we still had the time to prepare some food that we haven’t prepared last night and in the morning. The fact is we had not attended the Church Mass.

Anyhow, we set up the sounds in preparation to changing of dates.

For us, December 25 is not just Christmas day or Jesus Christ’s day as most people do. Christmas day is also my brother Christian Denver’s day. We celebra

te the two occasions in one day.

In the morning of 25, mother cooked spaghetti for our additional food. That day, my brother went out to his girl’s house; as well as my father’s and I forgot the reason why he went out. Therefore, I together with my mother and sister was home.

I ate then slept. I woke up at night and decided to open the TV to watch the news.

And then, I ate and slept again.

I believe that Christmas is just for children…

Nevertheless, no matter how much food we have, no matter how much money we have spent during Christmas season, as long as the family stays and celebrates Christmas together, it is enough.

What important is we celebrate my brother’s birthday and Christmas’ real essence.

David Paul Bears It All!

“God breaks a man deeply so that He may use him Mightily,” a quote that comes from David Paul, a cancer patient survivor who proves that everything is worth living for.

by Dante Rossetti Santos Alejo

David Paul admits that reaching his dreams to succeed is more difficult without a father guiding him on the path he is taking. Yet, he remains strong amidst the tests that came into his life.

He is currently studying Mass Communication at the Far Eastern University. He took his elementary and high school in Take the Nations for Jesus Christian Academy (TNJCA) formerly Corpus Christi Christian School. Let us all understand him better through the questions I asked him.

Q: Who are your parents?
A: My mother is Veneranda Ilayat Ariles and my father is Deogracias D. Diego.

Q: Why are you using your mother’s surname?
A: I’m using it because my mother and my father are separated. My mother wants me to use her surname instead of my father’s.

Q: What is your set-up? I mean, do you live with your mother or father in a certain time and day?
A: No. I just live with my mother. The last time I saw my father was nine (9) years ago, that was in 2001.

Q: Is he still alive?
A: Yes, of course. He is.

Q: Do you know where he is now?
A: As far as I know, he is still in U.S. because he works there.

Q: Is your father supporting you?
A: Yes. Financial support particularly.

Q: Do you have siblings?
A: None in my mother’s side but I have half-sister and half-brother in my father’s side. (He told me the names of the two but I decided not to identify them in the article for security reasons)

Q: Do you have girlfriend?
A: None. I am not courting anyone because I am afraid to be rejected.

Q: What do you do in your life?
A: I just do everything I want to as long as I am not restricted to do it and I live life to the fullest. I do not care what people say. I am immune to that.

Q: What do you mean “I am immune to that”? From what?
A: People laugh at me because of my actions and they always say something behind my back. Well, I can’t blame them. They do not know what I suffered from that made me who I am now.

Q: Ok. Next question is what is your unforgettable experience?
A: My unforgettable experience is when I suffered from cancer.

Q: What kind of cancer did you suffer from?
A: It is leukemia. I was diagnosed in 2004.

Q: How did you overcome that cancer?
A: I had undergone in chemotherapy for about three to four years. I went in and out of the hospital.

Q: How did you manage your studies while suffering from leukemia?
A: I had to study at home because my doctor advised me not to go out while I was having chemotherapy. When I recovered, I went back to school and it was my fourth year in high school then.

Q: So, are you saying that you are now a cancer-survivor?
A: Yes, I am. I thank God for letting me to live and helping me to recover as fast as it could.

Q: How do you perceive life now?
A: I perceive life now better because God gave it to us though temporarily but we still have to take care of it and do what we have to do. Face our problems with God and it surely will be solved. God breaks a man deeply so that He may use him Mightily. Let us just live life to the fullest.

David is perceived by the others as always serious, low-tempered or easily gets mad, God-fearing, and intelligent but weird. During the interview with him, I have observed through his eyes and actions that he is serious and determined in life. I also noticed that he cannot establish an eye contact with me most of the time and I do not know why.

On the other hand, David has just celebrated his debut last December 7 and he is looking forward to having better health and longer life. He lives now happily, stays stronger and still ready to face whatever obstacles may come in his life.

Source:
Pictures - http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1494002196