The New Homeless

I saw this piece from the news last night, it is about people who lost their homes and are now living in their motor homes. Are they considered homeless or not? Technically, I guess they are not homeless because they still have a place they can call their own. What are the pros and cons of living in a motor home for a long time? Well, you don't have much space, no privacy and depending on how big your motorhome is, not a lot of conveniences. But then, you do not have a lot of expenses compared to living in a house, you only have motor home repairs to worry about. Is it better than living in a small and cramped motel room? Honestly, I do not know the answer to that. I'm sure these people want to be in their house and nowhere else.

I feel bad every time I hear people losing their homes to foreclosure, but not if they lost it because of trying to keep up with the Joneses. if you know what I mean.

Filipina Killed in NY Shooting

I knew from the moment I saw her photo on the news that she was from the Philippines. Dolores Carbonillas-Yigal was among those killed when a Vietnamese immigrant opened fire inside the American Civic Association building. She is from Cebu and has been living here in the US for 3 years with her American husband. News reports said that the gunman was frustrated from not finding a job and angry at the humiliation he received from not speaking good English. Why he chose to kill fellow immigrants taking classes to learn how to speak English will never be known. My prayers go out to all families who are affected by this tragedy.

A Tragedy

When I heard of the news that actress Natasha Richardson was in critical condition, I prayed for her and her family. I was sad to hear that she died yesterday. I don't know why I am affected by her death. I think it's because she's also a mom and her death was so sudden. She was taking skiing lessons with her son when she fell. What seemed to be a minor tumble turned into a deadly situation. This tragedy reminds us that life is precious. It can end in any moment. We never know when our time is up. Being a mom, it made me think of my kids who are still young. I cannot even imagine not being there for them. Her death reminded me to live in the moment. Life is too short to worry about trivial stuff.

Why Can't She Break It Off?

I was flabbergasted when I heard that Rihanna has reconciled with her abusive/batterer boyfriend Chris Brown. What is she thinking? Well, obviously, she's not thinking! Why did she go back to this guy who just weeks before left her battered and bruised. Did you see THE photo? My goodness. What's even unbelievable is the statement from Rihanna's father. He said that he supports her in whatever decision she makes. Uh, hello! Aren't parents supposed to guide and give advice to their sons and daughters especially at times where they seem to have lost their minds? This is just mind boggling for me. I was disappointed with her decision because I thought that she's going to set an example to her fans that abuse is NOT OKAY.

Check My New Ride

Uh, in my dreams that is. LOL What do you think about this new car? It's called Aptera 2e and is currently in production. They already received 4000 deposits for this car. If you want to get one for yourself, better send in your deposit. The cost is not determined yet but it will be between $25,000 - $40,000. It is an electric car which you can charge from your home outlet (110-volt). It's supposed to run about 100 miles with a full charge.

This is just a prototype. I don't know what the final body will look like. I hope it's going to look like a regular car, not like a car that looks like it came out of a Jetson's movie. LOL It's a great concept, no gas, just electricity. If they will have a regular car body on the same engine, then I'm sure dh will get one. Right now he's driving a Honda Civic Hybrid and he saves $ on gas. So what do you think? Will you get one for yourself if the car looks exactly like this?

The Octuplet's Mom

I saw this piece on Good Morning America where they have the interview with the grandmother of the octuplets. I'm sure you all know about this news story since it's all over the place. I feel bad for the grandmother. She said that she has been the primary caregiver of the other six children that her daughter (Nadya Suleman) already had, one of which has Autism. According to her, Nadya has not given her monetary support for the children. She and her husband talked to the doctor before the implant and asked him not to do it since their daughter already has six children and no means of support. They showed pictures of the house and it's already crowded! I think that this person, Nadya Suleman has some screws missing up there. She has no job and is on permanent disability which means the state is giving her money. She already received about $165K. She obviously is just thinking of herself. She didn't even think of the risks involved in multiple births like cerebral palsy and other health problems.

So aside from the cost of the fertility treatments, where did she spend the money since she hasn't contributed to her children's care? It could be that she spent it on plastic surgery. Uhuh, you read that right. They showed photos of her on GMA and she doesn't look the same. It's obvious that she's had a lot of surgery done on her face. I remember they talked about this in one TV show, they said it seems like she's trying to look like Angelina Jolie. Couldn't this story get more bizarre?

A Filipina Swept by A 3 ft. Wave

I saw this news on Yahoo yesterday. What was supposed to be a happy day for a couple turned deadly. Leafil Alforque just arrived from the Philippines three days before this tragedy happened. Her fiance planned to propose in a popular romantic spot in the coast of Oregon called Proposal Rock. As they were walking towards the rock, a big wave came and swept her out to sea. Her fiance couldn't do anything to save her. This is so sad and tragic. What was supposed to be the beginning of a wonderful life with her fiance ended before it even started.
You can read the full story HERE.

Have you Ingested Melamine?

It's all over the news. Tainted milk have sickened thousands in China. Now there is a recall for White Rabbit candies here in the US and Cadbury chocolates in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. These candies were manufactured in China and could contain melamine-laced milk, which has been blamed for killing four children and making around 50,000 ill.

I like White Rabbit candies. I ate a lot of it when I was younger. Good thing I haven't had it for years or else I would've been worried. This is alarming. How can we be sure that the food products we are buying that are made in China are safe? I guess we shouldn't purchase any products with dairy that is made from China until after this problem is completely solved.

If You're with a Loser, Blame the Pill

Did you hear? Women now can blame the pill for their bad choice of men. Uhuh, no wonder there are a lot of nice women out there with men who are not exactly 'Mr. Good Guy'.

"Birth-control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds. "


You can read the full article here.

Sounds Like Home Alone (Almost!)

Have you ever seen the Home Alone movie series? In one movie, Kevin, the part played by McCaulay Caulkin boarded the wrong plane. In this news story, a toddler was left at the airport in Israel while her family (parents + 4 siblings and 18 suitcases) were in a rush to board a plane for Paris. The toddler was found wandering in the airport by a policeman. The parents only found out their daughter was missing 40 minutes into the flight after being informed by the cabin crew.

A similar incident happened a couple of months ago, that time, it happened to a Filipino family migrating to Canada. That story can be found here.

I cannot imagine this ever happening to us. But of course, we only have two kids. When we were on vacation in Europe last month, we held the kids by their hand, have them walk in front of us and we always check if they're with us all the time.

Would You Like To Shower Before The Plane Lands?

Imagine you are on a 15-hour flight to the other side of the world (i.e. Philippines), wouldn't it be nice to be able to take a shower in the middle of the flight? How I wish!

This plane shower is offered in the new Emirates' Airbus A380. The lavatory doesn't look anything like a regular plane lavatory.

The first class seat is totally private and looks like a small office cubicle. I wonder how much a seat on this plane costs. It must be way up high since the prices for regular first class seats are already expensive. If money is no object, then I'd book a flight in this plane to the UAE and vacation in Dubai.

Lucky or Unlucky?

I usually watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, not religiously but once in a while. I like the show's premise: find a deserving family and give their house a complete makeover. Wait, it's not a really a makeover since the crew tears up the old house and completely build the family a new house. Anyway, I read online that one family this show helped is now in foreclosure. What the heck happened? Apparently, the Harper family of Lake City, Georgia used the two-story home as collateral for a $450,000 loan. They used the money to start a construction business that failed. Now, the people who volunteered time and money to build the house are understandably upset. The volunteers, which included the Mayor are less than thrilled about the family's bad financial decisions.

I also read that the employees of the construction company and other businesses also raised $250,000 in contributions for the family, including scholarships for the couple's three children and a home maintenance fund.
This is not the first time that a family that was on the show made bad decisions. Last year, I remember reading about another family from Extreme Makeover. That time, the family who took in their friend's children decided that they don't want the kids to live with them anymore. The kids sued and said that the reason why the family received the home makeover was because they took them in. It is a messy thing.

Want to Avoid JetLag? Don't Eat

This is what researchers in Harvard University suggested for travelers to do to avoid jetlag. According to the researchers:

"If, for example, you are travelling from the US to Japan, you are forced to adjust to an 11-hour time difference.
"Because the body's biological clock can only shift a small amount each day, it takes the average person about a week to adjust to the new time zone.
"And, by then, it's often time to turn around and come home.
"A period of fasting with no food at all for about 16 hours is enough to engage this new clock.
"So, in this case, simply avoiding any food on the plane, and then eating as soon as you land, should help you to adjust and avoid some of the uncomfortable feelings of jet lag."
Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert at Norwich University Hospital, said the discovery was "potentially very beneficial" to travellers and people who work unsociable hours.
"It's never going to make the symptoms disappear entirely, but it could certainly make them a lot more manageable," he said.

What do you think? Is it going to work? Well, there is only one way to find out, and that is to try it. I'll let you know if this works. I'm not promising anything though, it might be hard to resist that delectable 'airline food'. :D

Uh, You Have to Sit in the Lavatory for the Rest of the Flight

Did you hear about the man who flew Jet Blue Airlines and had to spend time in the lavatory? This happened on a cross-country flight from the East coast to California. For the first hour of the flight, the flight attendant was seating on the jump seat (the seat where F.A. sit on take off and landing) since the flight was full. The man who was flying for free (he used a Buddy Pass), was asked to give up his seat for the F.A. since she isn’t comfortable in the jump seat. The man protested and the pilot came and told him that it is his plane and he can tell anyone what to do. So the man gave up his seat. He wasn’t allowed to use the jump seat because they said that the rules prohibit passengers from using it. The pilot told the man to sit in the lavatory. (!)

The man said that the flight was very bumpy and he was scared for his life while sitting on the toilet. After a long while, his seat was given back to him. Now, understandably, the man is suing Jet Blue for $2 Million. I would sue too, if that happened to me. I cannot, for the life of me, understand the pilot’s thinking. Why did he ask the passenger to give up his seat for the F.A. when there is no place for him to go? Jet Blue is not commenting on this lawsuit. This is definitely humiliating for the poor man. If all of these really took place, then I hope he wins this lawsuit.

Ooops, where's our son?

Can you imagine traveling cross-country only to find out that your son was left in the airport? Well this happened to a newly immigrant Filipino family on their way to Winnipeg, Canada. They accidentally left their 23-month old son in the Vancouver airport, they didn't even know he was missing until they were told in the air. Apparently, they were in a hurry because they were re-packing their luggages after a customs inspection. They only had 10 minutes to get to the gate so the grandparents and mother went ahead. They thought that the boy was with the father, while the father thought that his son was with his wife. Since they sat at different parts of the plane, they didn't know the boy was missing. The boy didn't have his own ticket so there was no extra boarding pass.
Meanwhile, in the Vancouver Airport, the child was found wandering between the security checkpoint and the gates. Since he didn't speak English, they found an employee who speaks Tagalog and this person took care of him while waiting for the boy's father. Air Canada covered the costs of the return flights and the father and son were reunited.

A Girl with Two Faces

I've seen a documentary in Discovery Channel about babies born with some part of their bodies fused with their twin. They said that these things happen when a fertilized egg breaks in two but still remain fused. This baby girl is now being treated like a god by the village people in India.

A girl born with two faces rests in the village of Saini near New Delhi in this March 15, 2008 file photo. The family of the baby has refused special medical treatment for the infant, saying she is the incarnation of a Hindu goddess. The month-old girl suffers from what appears to be craniofacial duplication, an extremely rare congenital disorder in which part of the face is duplicated on the head. Media reports said she ate with both mouths and blinked all four eyes. The anomaly gave the newborn god-like status in the village, with hundreds of people flocking to the family's dilapidated brick house to worship her and seek blessings.REUTERS

They Just Lost...What To Do Next?

The Austrian national rugby team tried to get over their 48-0 defeat by Lithuania by staging a mass striptease in the capital Vilnius late on Saturday, only to find they had been caught on video and put on the Internet.

The video showed a group of 20 men singing and stripping off their clothes on a street in central Vilnius, while people in a nearby bar clapped and cheered.

The video is here. If you are easily offended, then I advise not to watch it.

Gay Prom Queen?

Do you think a gay teen can be voted in as Prom Queen? I saw this newsbit about a high school gay student who was nominated by his classmates for the title of prom queen. What do you think, did the school do the right thing?

A Wisconsin high school has told an openly gay student that he can not go after the title of prom queen after classmates nominated him.

"If a guy can win Miss Legs and a girl can win Miss Physique, how is that different than me being nominated for prom queen?" said Uriel Gomez, a student at Washington Park High School in Racine.After Gomez's classmates chose him to be on the ballot for prom queen, he was told he could not go after the title, WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wis., reported.

Gomez said he never planned for this and was prepared to give up once he was "shot down" by school administration. However, Gomez was encouraged by his peers who don't believe the school's actions are fair.

"It was the student body that wanted him there. So who is the administration to say he can't be?" said Gomez's date to the prom, Madeline Thompson. With two weeks until the May 17 prom, Gomez is in limbo and feels his reasons to be in the running are legitimate. At this point, Gomez doesn't know if he's on the ballot. Regardless, he said he wants to have a fun and memorable night at this year's prom.

WISN-TV attempted to talk with the Racine Unified School District to get more information, but they would not comment on the situation.

Filipina Girl's Upside-down Feet Treated in NYC Surgery

I thought I'd share this newsbit with you all...

In her 15 years, Jingle Luis has never walked on the bottoms of her feet. Born in the Philippines with feet so clubbed they twist backward and upside down, she uses crutches to hobble on what should be the tops of her feet.

But Jingle may not have to accept the condition much longer. She and her mother have journeyed from the Philippines to Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx for surgery and follow-up treatment that will consist of slowly rotating her feet until she can walk normally.

Jingle and her mother arrived in New York on April 17. In Thursday's two-hour procedure, screws were inserted into the bones of her feet and attached to scaffold-like devices that will stabilize her feet while the screws are turned bit by bit. "It's like putting together an Erector Set," Amaral said during the operation. He estimated that it would take a month to rotate the feet a few degrees at a time.

The scaffolding will be replaced by casts and then by braces, which Amaral expects Jingle to wear for about a year. Then Jingle hopes she'll be wearing high-heeled shoes, said the girl's mother, Jasmine Luis.

Jingle's father is a corn farmer; her mother sells farm-raised fish door to door, carrying her wares on her head.

A Despicable Act

Have you ever seen the face of evil? Click here if you haven't. This is the face of the Austrian man who imprisoned his own daughter in the basement for 24 years. All the while, he raped her repeatedly and fathered seven children with her. She disappeared when she was 18 years old and her father made up a story that she joined a cult and does not want to be contacted. She was holed up in the basement that is secured with a security keypad. The wife said that she has not gone down to the basement because her husband forbid it. Four of the children were raised by the grandparents, the husband told the wife that he found the baby by the door with the letter from their daughter. Meanwhile, the other three children stayed with their mother in the basement.

This is so cruel and appalling. Their neighbors are questioning themselves if there was anything they missed that should've raised a red flag about what's happening in that house. Do you think if this happened in the Philippines it would've gone unoticed? Probably not, there is usually that nosy neighbor who makes everybody else's business hers.