MY FAMILY

:: Lucky to have them ::

Life can be difficult at times and it at those times we may need a support system. The best support you can get is an unconditional bond from your family.

Family is defined as any group of people closely related by blood. It can also be a group of people who are generally not blood relations, but who share common attitudes, interests or goals and, frequently, live together. A bond is defined as something that binds, fastens, confines or holds together. It is also to establish a close emotional relationship to or with another.

A strong family bond can help you grow into a well rounded adult. Knowing there is a unit of support available whenever you need it can give you a confidence that nothing else can.

Family bonds are very important with the uncertainty in the world today. Loss of jobs, tight finances, divorce, serious illnesses and even gang related crime are some of the things that if you faced alone you may not be able to cope with. Standing united in your family unit is like a wall protecting you from a mighty force. It prevents you from being knocked down to the point where you cannot get back up again. There are people there behind you to pick you straight back up again.

To build a family bond it is vital to spend time together doing many different activities. Everyday things to build bonds with children make them feel special. Whether it's putting washing in the dryer or cooking dinner, they love to be involved. Spending time with a partner if you have one will keep a bond tight so that you can work together to strengthen the family unit. Even if you can only manage an hour after the children have gone to bed to just sit together and forget any problems for a while. Then there is the most important part. Spending time as a family. A walk or a bike ride together can be fun and inexpensive. All of these things make sure that as a unit you are as strong as you can be.

Whatever size your family is, whether you are a single parent and one child, or a couple raising twelve children, the family bond is essential. Why is it essential? Because it helps shape our futures and make us who we are. This is important for the next generation and those generations still to come.

Father-Daughter Relationship: Be Her Role Model and Mentor

Fathers can make such a difference in their daughters' lives. But often, girls are overlooked as fathers develop special bonds with their sons. Fathers are the first male that a girl knows, and the relationship with him sets the tone for all male-female relationships she will have in the future. Fathers are role models for their daughters.If you were raised in an atmosphere where the roles for men and women were different, some of those stereotypes will still prevail. It can be difficult to break free from old habits and social norms, even when you know it's the best thing for your child.  It is hard work but it is entirely possible.What you show your children is as important as many of the lessons they learn at school. If they grow up with gender biased role models in the home that is what they will create when they grow up and start their own families.  If they grow up seeing both parents being respectful of each other, and the children, that is what they will create for their family.Seeing a father cook, clean and help around the house will have a greater impact on the daughter than just telling her that mom’s ‘jobs’ are just as important as dad’s job.  Actions speak louder than words. Teaching her to fix the car can be just as valuable as teaching her how to cook.Make time to talk to your daughter.  Get to know her, find out how she thinks and feels about everything.  Let her know that you care.  Spend time with her regularly.  Get involved in her activities. Share your interests and hobbies with her.  Show her that spending time with her is important to you.  Involve her in the decision-making process.Your relationship with your daughter teaches her what value she has as a person; her identity and self-worth develops from how you interact with her.  When you neglect her, she learns to neglect herself.  If you abuse her she will learn to take abuse or become abusive.  If you respect her she will learn to respect herself and others.  The way you relate with her will determine how she will relate with others, and what kind of family life she will create for herself in the future.Seemingly unimportant chores are extremely valuable in teaching children the basic lessons of sharing, compromising, co-operating, respect and responsibility. Your attitude toward everything you do is a loud and clear message to your children. Sometimes she can do things that she may think are boring, and sometimes you will do things that you are not interested in.Children need the presence of both parents; they need the active involvement of both parents in their everyday life.  A mother cannot fill the role of the father in the same way that a father can.  Nor can a father be a mother for his children.Along with the serious responsibility of being your child's first and most influential role model, parents should also make time to have fun with their children. Children also love to do things with their parents that involve play. Kids will have a lot more fun and take ownership of your special time together if they help decide what activities to engage in.Know that you are shaping your daughter’s future by how you relate with her.

Hiding behind the mask

We all wear masks at some points in our life. It isn’t always a bad thing. Hiding our true feelings for others, to protect them or protect ourselves. Just putting on a happy face when we don’t feel very happy. Acting confident and pretending nothing can hurt you. Until the mask starts hurting. Then it’s time to take it down. Even when it is for a little while. And then, when we take it down, we feel, truly feel what’s inside.

Dealing With Your Emotional Pain

Some emotional pain will leave us with time. Some will leave if we decide to let it go. There are times, though, when we must live with emotional pain; either because we haven't had sufficient time to heal or because we are not able, willing, and/or ready to let it go.There is fresh emotional pain, and there is the variety that lingers in varying degrees (sometimes in the form of emotional scarring but sometimes simply in the form of persistent inability to feel truly happy).My approach to fresh emotional pain has always been to aim to take as much a break from it as possible. In other words, to give our mind a rest. One might ask how much help this apparent attempt to, at least temporarily, escape emotional pain might be. After all, after taking that "break" from it we always find it is still there.Actually, however, "giving our minds a rest" from it (even for short periods of time, and even though it will remain) does help. When we are in pain we are essentially "operating under the influence" of a brain/body chemistry that, at best, makes us feel numb and, at worst, can have negative effects simply by virtue of our remaining in a "negative mode" for too long. No matter how awful our pain is, if there is some way to take that little break from it, it gives us a chance to at least some of the negative "chemicals" affecting us. Getting out and having a nice, pleasant, talk with a friend will change our chemistry, at least to some degree. So will having a good laugh. Even the smallest breaks away from thinking about the emotional pain can add up to more time spent each day, with at least a little more "positive" influence in terms of our chemistry. The more time positive time we're able to "patch together" for ourselves, the better (when it comes to giving our pained minds a little more chance to rest and heal). Even the most seemingly insignificant positive feelings/experiences can play a role in nurturing our "emotional energy" and contributing to the eventual re-building of a more normal level of it.Based on my personal experience, I've found that when there have been those times when a lot of significant sadness takes place over a period of time, particularly when joyful (or even pleasant) experiences don't come anywhere near to matching the amount of sadness; it can feel as if our minds our filled with nothing but grayness. If we begin to have pleasant or happy experiences we may notice that they seem to "move in and displace (or at least "push to the back of our mind) some of the gray". If we don't find enough of those (even small) pleasant/happy experiences it can seem as if the gray feelings in our mind continue to dominate our thoughts/feelings, even if that grayness seems to grow stale and "harden". So, as with fresh emotional pain, the first step at feeling at least somewhat better when we have "older" emotional pain can be to seek out those pleasant, "emotional-energy-nurturing", experiences. This is, of course, not a quick way to feel completely better or to end all the emotional pain. The immediate, and small, help of finding a way to get our mind off the pain can offer that short-term, helpful, break from it. Without seeking out those small joys in life, however, just taking a break is not usually enough to facilitate any "healing".Each individual has his own set of things that contribute to that feeling of having one's "soul nurtured". For many it is a certain kind of music. Fresh air, pleasant social experiences, aroma therapy, exercise, or any number of other things in life can contribute to a sense of feeling a little better in spite of it all.Such an approach to emotional pain can seem absurdly over-simplified, and it's important to point out that such an approach is not, by any means, a magic cure. People who feel their emotional pain is simply too much to deal with often benefit from seeking professional help, although we live in a time when professional help is often a matter of prescribing anti-depressants. I, personally, have known several people who sought professional help and tried medications for a while, only to discover they didn't seem to help.Sometimes, "un-magic" and slow as it is, learning to find those things that help us find some small, pleasant, experiences/thoughts helps us to develop better coping skills; and, when all is said and done, developing good coping skills is sometimes the thing that makes the difference between emotional pain that is awful and emotional pain that is just unbearable. 

CHEF

CHEF is among professions that people dream about, imagining leading a crack platoon of sous chefs in a glamorous, stainless steel kitchen and presenting fabulous meals to hundreds of people. Parts of this description are true, and those who become chefs have very high levels of satisfaction with their professions. One chef said his career " is only for the very crazy. it is hard work, it is grueling work, it is important work, and still, i would do nothing else." Many mentioned the long hours, the painstaking attention to detail, and being constantly sorrounded by food as parts of a job they love. The profession rewards the talented and the daring who can see opportunity and grab it. The best thing in urban centers, chefs were quick to mention, was the support of the community of chefs. "You start out knowing absolutely nothing and these experienced, exciting chefs you've idolized all your life will show you how to run your kitchen. It's like having a living library at your disposal." Rural chefs said the sense of isolation can be discouraging. Chefs work long and unusual hours, making it difficult for them to socialize outside of working hours. One mentioned that " only doctors and truck drivers work the 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. shift." These leaves limited opportunity for meeting others, particularly if they are on a part of the country with few chefs. The first few years are an education. Few chefs survive cooking school who don't understand the physical requirements of the profession: Lifting heavy pots, being on your feet for eight hours, stirring vats of sauces, rolling pounds of dough. Many chefs specialize in a certain type of cuisine. It is difficult for new chefs to have their skill recognized without an established history of success in a variety of workplaces. Those who leave the profession do so with heavy hearts; they genuinely enjoy the companionship of fellow chefs, the creativity involved in working with food, and the aesthetic  beauty of sound presentation. But they leave anyway due to lack of opportunity, the daily pressures (which can be considerable), and the low wages for those who do not advance immediately to positions of authority.

Proud To be Pinoy

I am proud to be Pinoy (Filipino) because we always rise to every occasion and no matter how bad things we always seem to find something to smile about to keep ourselves going.Filipinos are known to be loving,talented, hospitable and rich in culture. We also have very diverse ethnic and regional ways and in the philippines you can also we are family oriented. We are patient and forgiving because despite the chaos in this world, we still believe in god. We instantly have that sense of camaderie when we meet on a sidewalk in a foreign land. The subtle pride and patriotic attitude of the filipino is something to look up to.We are like birds flying free and when the cage closes we never give up because we have a heart of a filipino and maybe someday we can fly free with the other birds never losing hope always fighting. PROUD TO BE FILIPINO.