Do you treat people like you're on a New York subway?

How do you treat the people you love? Do you care for them or do you treat them like you're on a New York subway? I have seen many different kinds of people on the subway and they all have their own way of surviving.

• Some push and shove to get in, to get their way. New Yorkers are famous for rushing and running to catch a train, amidst the fact that another train is coming anyway in just a few minutes.
• Many are inconsiderate. They want the best seat, they want to sit down, and they want to beat you to it.
• Some talk on the phone and they put their "dirty laundry" out there for everyone to hear. 
• A few occupy too much space and purposely take up more than one seat or put their stuff on a seat next to them. 
• Seats are not given up for the elderly, but they have to stand and balance just like everyone else. 
• When people come and ask for money, we can be experts at not hearing, looking the other way and simply ignoring them. I tend to do this myself. 
• Taking advantage of a captive audience and asking for help (which gets ignored above). 
• When a subway car is empty and people start walking in, notice how people keep a safe distance from each other and choose to stay a couple of seats away. 

Strangers sit next to each other on the subway for minutes and sometimes hours, and I guess some of these actions are normal. But in real life, at least when we get off the subway, let's remember to treat people better than that!

10 Things I Miss about the Christmas Season in Manila

Christmas 2007 - the boys with Danae

10. Not being the only one to start decorating, shopping, and playing Christmas music early -- I am so used to finishing all the preparations before December 1 (because of #3). And singing Pinoy Christmas songs!

9. Wearing whatever I want to the parties, and not having to layer my outfits or think about the cool and freezing weather.

8. 13th month pay. Every time I tell my friends here about that law, it makes them consider moving to the Philippines!

Thammie, Claire, Pinky, Iya, Phoebe, Macy, Jolina, Jan and I

7. Shopping in Divisoria and under the Quiapo Bridge. I love getting the Christmas wrappers, cards, and gifts by September or October and beating the Christmas rush. Macy and I have our first drafts of Christmas lists by August!

6. Annual get-togethers with college friends. When we don't have the time before Christmas, we meet before New Year's or at Bang's birthday party. It's cool to see how this group grows with boyfriends, girlfriends and now spouses too. Fats and Joanne, are you gonna have babies by Christmas 2011? :-)

Not-so-small group party, 2008

5. Post-Christmas leftover lunch at the Mumars. We hang, play games, talk about how we spent Christmas day with our families. One time we even went outside to play patintero!

With my first inaanak, Alexa

4. Sambang Gabi and the annual breakfast in Tagaytay after. Sambang Gabi is our church's version of a special dawn service a few days before Christmas. After the service, we have hot chocolate, puto  bumbong, bibingka. Then we head over for the real breakfast in Tagaytay, which is 2 hours away from Manila and has an amazing view of Taal Volcano.

3. All the parties, especially the Every Nation staff party, with LA, Robert or Dennis hosting and all the fun games. I also really miss our Balimbing party (don't know what else to call it) at the Punzalan home, our small group party with Miz Judy, my small group party with the girls, and our youth Christmas party. I am sure everyone in Manila has a full schedule for the rest of the season, and I certainly miss it!

With my inaanak, Lorenzo

2. Giving gifts to my inaanaks (godchildren), friends, and family that I haven't seen in two Christmases! I miss seeing Danae, Bella, Arkin, Ereka, Lorenzo, Alexa and of course, my niece Angela. Aside from the parties, there's always impromptu get-togethers and coffee with Pinky, Macy, Jan, Charis, Iya, Chryso, Voica and so many others!

1. Spending Christmas with Mama, Papa, Bhaya, Melody and Angela. When we were kids, our parents used to take us to Star City, or even Payanig sa Pasig (where Metro Walk is). We would drive around looking at the lights, enjoying the cool air, and think of different things to do every year. I have great memories of simple and fun Christmases and I surely miss it and am thankful for it.

With my niece and inaanak, Angela

For my Pinoy friends in America, what do you miss about Christmas in Manila? And for my friends in Manila, how's your Christmas celebration so far? 

No matter where you are or how you are celebrating this year, I hope you have a very merry and memorable Christmas and a fabulous new year!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6

Seasons Matter

Having grown up in Manila, I never experienced the four seasons. In the Philippines, we only have hot, humid, and wet, and more often it's a combination of all three. So experiencing seasons is one of the reasons why living in America is special. I've always liked the spiritual parallels of seasons, and now that  have been here now for for full seasons straight, I think it's safe to say seasons matter.


There are some things you have to or can only do in a particular season, like putting on socks at night in the winter or swim outdoors in the summer. This is still so new to me, because I am used to never having to wear socks at night (except maybe in Baguio) or having the option to swim anytime of the year. I was wondering back in July why everyone took vacations then, and now I understand more.








Seasons change sooner than you think, and this can make for an expensive wardrobe, extensive interior design and special menus for each season. You have to store certain clothes, and have different footwear for the extremely warm or cool times.

I've wondered why God made seasons, and sometimes I think because He likes seeing the changes. He is not boring and can't stand things being just the same. And so even if winter or summer can be inconvenient, we have to deal with it because there's beauty in every season.

Seasons can be hard if you are not aware of how you should dress or live, and are not willing to adjust. If you insisted on wearing your gloves in the summer or swimming outside in the winter, you're definitely in for trouble. And since temperatures drop at night in the fall and spring, it's unwise not to carry a light jacket. Winter also is really unbearable if you think can wing it, dress like you're in denial, and don't have a layering strategy. (Especially for an Asian like me, layering is a must!)

Even if I don't like winter, I am learning to live in it. Winter is a time to stay in, enjoy family, bundle up, and to enjoy the snow from inside, with a cup of hot chocolate, a blanket and a good book.

Spring is a favorite -- a time of new beginnings, where what you thought was dead is alive. You can shed some of the extra layers and take good walks. During spring this year, I enjoyed looking at the trees outside my apartment and noticed changes in the plants practically every day, with blooms, flowers and fresh leaves.

Summer reminds me of Manila, of a time when I can wear what I want and walk around in flipflops. It does not get as humid here, but it's still unbearably hot. I laugh at how people want to get tanned here, spreading out even if we don't have a beach or pool in the area, but I guess the harshness of winter and the anticipation during spring just makes everyone excited for the sun.

And fall is just beautiful. I love the colors. Fall is a time to enjoy the outdoors, get together, cook, and celebrate. If trees were people, I am sure they would say it's painful to shrivel up, shed leaves and look like you're dying. Fall is also a time when you gear up for the winter, and that's definitely what I am doing now.

Each season is special. And God works in seasons. Funny thing is, we're not often content with the season we are in, not just in the physical sense but in the spiritual as well. But know that whatever season you're in, it's only a matter of time before it changes again.