Do you have useless junk accumulating at home or in your office? When are you planning to get rid of them? I suggest that you do it now and convert your trash to cash by joining the Recycling Market events at SM Supermalls.

The Waste Market Day happens every first Saturday of the month, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the open parking in every SM Supermall. (Update: It’s now every first Friday and Saturday of the month) You can just come and bring all your trash and junk and exchange them for useful items and cash. This event is sponsored by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the SM Group of Companies, in partnership with the Philippine Business for the Environment.

What can you trade or sell at the waste market?

Items you can trade:

• Scrap paper and cardboard - for bathroom tissue, table napkins, bond paper and notebooks.
• Empty ink and toner cartridge - for quality remanufactured ones
• Plastic bottles and plastic scraps - for plastic household items like hangers, basins and pails
• Used lead batteries (from cars, UPS and voltage regulators) - for car check-up coupons

Items you can sell:

• Used PET bottles (containers of softdrinks and mineral water bottles)
• Aluminum and tin cans
• Junk electrical appliance, specially computer monitors

Items you can just drop off:

• Polystyrene
• Styrofoam
• Junk cellphones and cellphone batteries

This project is in support of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The act calls for “practical applications of environmentally sound techniques of waste minimization such as segregation, recycling, resource recovery, re-use and composting.”

For more information, you may contact the administration of the SM nearest you.

fitzvillafuerte.com

I need your opinions.......

The 70-year-old Chinese man who hand-

In a twist worthy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, friends and relatives criticized the relationship because of the age difference and the fact that Xu already had children.

At that time, it was unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older woman.. To avoid the market gossip and the scorn of their communities, the couple decided to elope and lived in a cave in Jiangjin County in Southern ChongQing Municipality

In the beginning, life was harsh as they had nothing, no electricity or even food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used to light up their lives.

Xu felt that she had tied Liu down and repeatedly asked him, 'Are you regretful? Liu always replied, 'As long as we are industrious, life will improve.'

In the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began and continued for over 50 years, to hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily.

Half a century later in 2001, a group of adventurers were exploring the forest and were surprised to find the elderly couple and the over 6,000 hand-carved steps. Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, 'My parents loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over 50 years and never been apart a single day. He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother's convenience, although she doesn't go down the mountain that much.

The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week. Liu, now 72 years, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her arms. So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife's hand even after he had passed away.

'You promised me you'll take care of me, you'll always be with me until the day I died, now you left before me, how am I going to live without you?'

Xu spent days softly repeating this sentence and touching her husband's black coffin with tears rolling down her cheeks.

In 2006, their story became one of the top 10 love stories from China , collected by the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government has decided to preserve the love ladder and the place they lived as a museum, so this love story can live forever.

I should be sleeping right now. It's 1:30am and my right shoulder is killing me. Im so tired but here I am typing away on my laptop. I seldom write an entry on my blog but I felt that I should or I'll never fall asleep and call it a night.

OK so I usually sleep at 4am. So this 1am thing is new. I was so in the mood to sleep and I was starting to relax. After saying our family prayer for the night, something that Maman and I did even if we weren't together (then), I was beginning to doze off when Maman mumbled something in a frantic tone. I woke up and asked if he was dreaming. He said no he was, in fact, awake. I asked him what was the matter and he said that he was thinking about Jiji, his brother.

Jiji is about 11 months older than Maman. The third and fourth in the family respectively, they had a very colorful relationship as brothers.

Born to an average life, they would probably be called simple just like their parents. Maman's father was a self- made man. Having accomplished achieving what other ivy legue alumni could only dream of. I think my father-in-law never finished elementary because he was orpahend at a very young age, and I mean very young. I was told that he worked for people when his age was still a single digit then became a taxi driver and later on opened up a car service shop later focusing on the illusive Mercedes Benz. This bussiness was later known as Sunshine Motors and all that when he was barely in his 30's with no big capital to boast or fall back on. It was really just the shirt off his back. I must admit, he is like that guy from Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

Later on, he was lured into politics. In my opinion, that made his world a little out of whack. He became a mayor of Urbiztondo, Pangasinan. It's a small town but from what I see, I think he did good as a mayor because he really did help a lot of people.

Now I won't go into details and I would like to leave the judging to the people from his town.

Maman would alwasy say that he wished his father had more time for them. I guess politics can really eat you up alive.

In Jan of 06, Maman's father, 60, died of cardiac arrest. It was all a shock. Surreal. I remember everyone was around his deathbed and confused. When I got there, he was still on the machine. As if we were all waiting for him to wake up. Denial was all there was.

Tonight, Maman has been mumbling because Jiji is sick. He has been for years and he has rejected the thought of having any operation. Maybe he was giving up on life because it was too difficult or he knew about the Eternal life God has told us. Paradaise is the ultimate summer destination for Jiji. Maybe that's what's on his mind.

As the evening summer shower taps on our bedroom window and Rio's undying Disney Channel booms on the background, Maman has our pillow talk but in a morbid color. He told me that he was worried about his brother. I asked him why. He said that he was scared of what will happen to his brother when he dies. They were already told by the doctors that Jjij might take the fight to heaven anytime soon. The family was told to be ready. I was green with envy because Maman's family was given that chance to be ready while our family was never even given the chance to say goodbye to my brother.

I persuaded him to leave ASAP. I told him if I were given that chance, I would never leave my brother's side. Heck, I would wipe the shit off his ass with my bare palm if he wanted it. I would do anything. Everything. Everything just to have another extra second to be with him. I told him I understand that he has already lost his father and he knows the feeling of loosing a family but I told him that it would not be the same. I am lucky to have both my parents pestering me everyday at the age of 35 but I terribly miss my brother who told me once over lunch in our family kitchen, that he would take care of me and we will all grow old together.

Yes, masakit mawalan ng magulang pero mas masakit ata mawalan ng kapatid, lalo na anak. I think it's because with a parent's death, it is common knowledge that parents usually die before the kids. As a parent, you have so many dreams for your kids. It doesn't just stop after college or marriage. As a parent, you dream of your kids have their own grandkids. Big dreams with simple complexities. You dream that your kids have a full and happy life. So imagine when all of a sudden you loose your kid or your sibling. This is not the order of things to happen. This is way too early. This is not the right time. Grim Reaper, I think you dialed the wrong number.

I commend my parents for living their life as my brother wanted them to live. To go on and make the most of it. Maybe because my brother had so much life in him that when he passed away, his energy was and is still so vibrant, I gotta wear my shades.

As we lay in bed thinking, tears started rolling down my own eyes. Im sure Maman had his won drama on his side of the bed. I was thinking about what he was saying. What lies after death.

I know my God and I know there's only the good stuff on the other end of the tunnel. My Aunt passed away last year and before leaving, she talked to my mom over the cell and while in conversation, she suddenly blurted out that their parents and sister was already there to pick her up. My mom was encouraging her to go because she was so sick. Then, while my mom was in the middle of her coaching to dash towards the light, my aunt told her "O, ara man gali si Troy. Sya ang ga drive. Ari na ang awto malakat na kami Olive" (Oh Troy is also here and he's driving the car. It's time for us to go).

My mom cried like she was at my brother's funeral not because she was sad for her sister but she was so envious of her to have the pleasure and honor of the company of her favorite son.

In panic, I sat up and asked Maman, "Man, kung makakausap mo si Jiji, pwede paki sabi......" then I trailed off thinking my brother would probably be somewhere else since they never really talked.

Oh how sweet it would be to hear his voice again. To hear him laugh and make us laugh. How I missed watching him tickling our brothers like 8 year olds. The feel of his rough palms because it had too much dry skin and his outrageous ideas that would seem to be so brilliant until you realize you've been had by his grandiose approach to life. I remember those days and I remember him.

There are days when I wish he would just be a phone call away because I need advise on something. He was never perfect. But he was A OK for me.

I know now that no matter how loud I scream, even on top of the highest mountain, he will probably never hear me. Maybe he would but I won't be hearing his voice no more. I would write him e-mails but I know I will never get a reply from him. I would text him sometimes, but I know that his line is as dead as he is in this world we live in.

"It has been 2 years and I still can't get over you. Many changes has been made. Did you know that our neighbor sold their lot and now, there are townhouses being built? Serendra at the Fort is so beautiful at night, we could take a stroll with the family and have dinner.

There are so many things we could have done but why did you leave so soon?"

Maman knew what I wanted from Jiji. I just wanted to ask Jiji that just in case he bumped into my brother up there, to please tell him that I love him so much and I miss him terribly. Please tell him that I have been doing my best to take care of the family just like what he was always telling me. Although sometimes, I do get tired and confused. I am not as good as he is and if it's not such a bother, if he could please help me some more because sometimes I get to be so bad with directions. I know he's always there. I just wanted him to know in case he doesn;t hear it coz I never told him that when he was here.

Losing someone is so traumatic. Sometimes people do get over it but I don't think I ever will.

They say in love, the time you usually recover from a heartbreak is double the years you were together. I am talking about someone like your husband or lover. These people are tied to you technically and emotionally. How about poeple tied to you technically, emotionally and all because you're in one family. People who are irreplaceble.

I hope Maman never misses that chance we missed when my brother died. He said he's scared of seeing him in that state of pain but see, in the end, wouldn't you want to be there to hold his hand when his sun sets?

I wanted to be but my brother never gave me that chance. He muted my phone so I could stay with my parents at home while he passed away in the hospital with my other brothers.

I miss you so much. I will never really say goodbye. Never.

My shoulder is killing me. I better take that capsule of Alaxan FR. Thanks for reading this. I needed to do thins to keep my head clear.

I should be sleeping right now. It's 2:20am right now and my shoulder is killing me. I am so tired but here I am typing away on my laptop. I seldom write an entry on my blog but I felt that I sould or I'll never fall asleep and call it a night.

here are some quotes from my current tv fave kyle xy

There's a reason why people say we shouldn't expect too much. No one wants to see someone they care about end up disappointed. We instinctively act to protect our own from being hurt, and do what we can to make the right choices for the people we love. But the reason we have expectations in the first place is because we want to aim as high as we can. Because when you love someone, there's no limit to what you can accomplish.

Link

I am still in shaken up. I am actually struggling writing this down. But here is a story I have so often read about, but never thought would happen in my own house, with my children at stake. Here are the events, just to update the details from my brother's email. I obviously did not get to give him clear details for we were so preoccupied with all the nitty gritty that has to be done to respond to this particular incident. Nonetheless, I, of course, thank Carl for taking the initiative to inform everyone he thought should know.

March 3, Monday - Ken and I got home and saw Ricci's arm with bruises that appears to be a mark from a tight grip. Usually, Ricci tells me how she gets hurt, but when I asked her this time, she just said she doesn't know or tried not to answer.

March 5, Wednesday - Ken and I got home and again saw a small wound on Ricci's forehead. Again, we asked her of what happened and we got the same response.

For these two incidents, I kept asking the yaya how the bruises and the wound happened. Fishing out, not showing her that we suspect her of hurting Ricci. On both occasions, the yaya just responded with "Hindi ko nga alam e. Hindi ko napansin. HIndi naman umiyak..." and so on, the typical defensive answers. But despite her sounding guilty, I told myself that it could be one of three things: 1-di nya binabantayan mabuti yung bata; 2-wala syang pakialam kung masugatan since she doesn't seem to know (daw) how Ricci gets hurt; or 3-sya mismo ang nanakit sa bata. Ken and I were getting ready to pin these on her, though, but we needed concrete evidence. We talked about getting a cheap surveillance camera and all that. We were actually trying to be patient (and you have no idea how hard it is to wait on this if you are the parent of the child being abused), and we wanted to do the smartest thing for the situation. I took pictures of the bruises and the scratch.....

March 6, Thursday - Ken and I arrived about 9 pm with Manang Linda, our long-time helper who is based in my brother and sister-in-law's house (Carl and Rox). The front door was unlocked, which caused Ken to worry. He opened the door to the garage for me and ran up to our room immediately to check on the kids.

Here's the usual scenario when we get home: Yaya Josie would be in the room and the kids would be in a corner somewhere hiding and waiting for us to look for them.

The scene was different on March 6, though, as the yaya was nowhere in the room. The kids were hiding, but without the yaya to be seen, that caused panic to us. And then there were cheering and jumping when we found them in the bathroom of the master's bedroom. Then Cushie said, "Ate just bought something." I said, "What? She left you here?" Although Ken already had already thought that the yaya was gone, he hurried to the maid's room to find that her things are no longer there - a confirmation. I asked Cushie if he knew the time the yaya left, he responded, "7". He's 5, but he can tell time, so it's highly possibly that the yaya has been gone since 7 pm that night. That's 2 hours of my children being by themselves!

The second floor of the house was upside down - my mom's closet of curtains, bedsheets and blankets, my closet -my bags, hats, clothes, the playroom (can you believe it?)...every room in the 2nd floor!!!! She tried to get anything of value that she can trade for cash. She got my cellphone (which is already deactivated), my Sony Cybershot digital camera (with pictures from Gael's birthday, Ken's birthday and more of family's), about 400++ cash, groceries (fresh meat), Ken's charger. So far, these are the items we found missing. We haven't had the time to check the entire house yet because we preoccupied with laying down options for the next steps we should do.

We called ferry transits and asked when the next trips to Cotabato (her hometown) are. We have printed photos of the yaya (thank God, Carl has copies. I had some, but, yun nga, my camera was stolen. So the pictures I took of Ricci's bruises and scratch are also gone). We have had the yaya blottered already.

2008 is coming and i hope it's a whole lot better than 2007. it's not that 07 was shitty, in fact it was a very challenging year with so many opportunities. i just hope that all the opportunities that were given to me will be in full bloom by 08. besides, they say that 8 in 08 has double circles so it means money so it's lucky(?). i try to be positive but always remember that just as a wise man thinks, expect the worst and hope for the best.

let's see.... what's new in 07. well, i have more responsibilities now. it's like the last three decades of my life was just the grand rehersal for all that i have conquered in 07. i have been more online since my nephews and neice are in the states and this is the only cheap way we can keep in touch. well, i guess you can tell with the amount of pics and vids i have on my multiply. being away from home is hard, and snapshots can be so comforting.

i have our store in pampanga. one thing i never thought i could have. i just wish we can make the store better but we reallty can't because it's only going to be ours (my partner michelle lim) until God knows when. don't even ask me. it's better that way anyway.

another store i am busy with is the gif shop in the philippine heart center. with a few tangles because of bussiness politics, the challenges are never that hard. i don't make them my problem, but they make me their headache, not that i am a "headache". haha

this 07, my brother turned one in heaven. we had it with my father's birthday since they fall just a day away from each other. i still miss him like he just died yesterday. i dont think i will ever get over it. i can beat judyan santos in crying under 3 seconds when i think about him. i still feel that stab in my heart and all sorts of pain like there's this gaping hole in my heart that will never ever be filled in ever again. what makes it worse is that in a man's death, the summary of his being is seen. i dont know which is which..... if a man us all about his faith, his character or the people he left behind. all i know is i miss him so much and as always i say to everyone who asks me what was my brother like, i would say he was not perfect, but he was a perfect brother for me... tailor made by God Himself.

rio has turned 8 this year. she's turning 9 this 08. she has been so curious about a lot of things. i scold her more often lately. she talks non stop and gives sermons to us, her parents. she opened her own small bank account because i want her to learn about money. i guess piggy banks are a thing of the past.

maman has been working harder than ever. im happy. i think 07 was the happiest of our decade of marriage. we celebrated our 10th year last March and hopefully we can celebrate it with more preperation this '08. the 10 years we have shared were not easy and this year was so different it's like we were just married last saturday hahaha... it's still not easy but it's fun to be married with maman hahahaha......

i have so many plans this coming year. in just a few days it's a new hope for all of us. i wish you all the best and hope you wish me the best too...... :-)

Felicia Escolin                                                                                                         Escolin 1

English II, Period 2

Argumentative Research Essay

13 November 2007

Public School Observations

A public school, what is it? It is where kids from ages 7-17 go to for the fondness of mingling around with friends and other kids, it is where they gossip and basically do numerous things just to entertain themselves. Though, what is the real definition of a public school? In the United States of America, it is a school that is maintained at public expense for the education of the children of a community or district and that constitutes a part of a system of free public education, commonly including primary and secondary schools. Through a source, it said that public schools had been running from the 1570’s. Noticing the years that had expeditiously gone to extinct, values, standards and graduation rates continued to follow its years. From the top of all individual’s minds lies a question. Public schools, are they really improving?

            On my first point, in the 1999 FRSS survey on the condition of public

school facilities, fifty percent of schools reported that at least one of the nine

building features at their school was in less than adequate condition. The survey

reports that most of these under managed schools could be found in areas where

poverty is very much felt. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems were

reported to be in less than adequate condition at 29 percent of schools. With only

half of the these unrehabilitated schools planning a renovation, I can clearly say

that the public school system lacks the attention of the U.S. Government. 

To add  these facts,  there is also the issue of overcrowding. Dramatic

increases in enrollment due to the "baby-boom echo," immigration, and migration

have led many schools to enroll far more students than they were designed to

accommodate. Large schools were more likely than other schools to be seriously

overcrowded (more than 25 percent overenrolled), while small schools were

more likely than other schools to be severely underenrolled. Large schools were

 more likely than other schools to be seriously overcrowded (more than 25

percent overenrolled), while small schools were more likely than other schools to

be severely underenrolled. Large schools were more likely than other schools to

be seriously overcrowded (more than 25 percent overenrolled), while small

schools were more likely than other schools to be severely underenrolled.

Overcrowded schools were also more likely than other schools to have at least

one building feature in less than adequate condition, and to have at least one

environmental factor in unsatisfactory condition. Among these schools, most

reported using portables and temporary instructional space to alleviate

overcrowding. With these conditions, I think it is safe to assume that this is

another effect of the increasing number of dropouts in the United States.

            The findings present a bleak picture and are sure to generate controversy

as lawmakers and others push to keep U.S. students competitive globally. While

the basic finding that the nation's overall graduation rate is about 70% is not new,

the study suggests that graduation rates are much lower than previously reported

in many states. It also could bring the dropout debate to the local level, because

it allows anyone with Internet access to view with unprecedented detail data on

the nation's 12,000 school districts. Researcher Lawrence Mishel of the

Economic Policy Institute says Swanson's figures "seriously understate

graduation rates, especially for minorities." They say that just 52% of blacks

graduate, and 57% of Hispanics. Mishel says by comparing the number of

graduates with the number of ninth-graders, Swanson exaggerates the effects of

the "ninth-grade bulge," in which many ninth-graders are held back a year before

tackling more advanced work and, often, state-mandated exit exams. Mishel's

most recent research puts the overall U.S. graduation rate at 82%.

            It is a known fact that the school kids are not perfoming up to par to in the

global level. Kids are not performing very well in math and science. Basic

arithmetic skills are simply lacking in many of our students and students don't

appear to have much of a grasp of basic science principles. We see this as a

problem because these are things that have been basic features of curricula for

decades, yet more and more, students can't perform well in these subjects. Next

there is the issue of liberal arts taking a back seat to the 'harder' subjects of math

and science. This is absurd. Liberal arts, or some might call them Humanities,

are the soul of education. We need to own up to the fact that our government has

been the proponent of imbalanced education and has directed funding

inappropriately. Then we need to work to change the national outlook that math

and science are more important than liberal arts. The correct outlook, in this

 author's opinion, is that liberal arts need to be included in a balanced curriculum

that, as an old, wise man said, "Educates not just the mind, but also the soul."

A  further education issue that we face is the increase of students with

special  needs. Autism, ADHD and other conditions seem to be on the rise, thus

necessitating special programs with specialized staff to meet the needs of these

students. We must make a plan that will help administrations understand these

issues better and then create effective strategies to cope appropriately and

effectively with them. Finally, America seems to be graduating fewer and fewer

students from its high schools. Simply throwing money at the problem has been

shown to be the wrong approach. Instead we need to find a way to truly

understand the problem and its causes before trying to fix what is broken. 

            Another proof that the American system of education is not at its best is

the cyberspace. Just take a look at the grammar and spelling of these school

kids. Simple words like “their” and “there” are the common mistakes they make

 and these are no brain twisters.

Some communities have provided a comparative advantage by making

computers accessible in public libraries, recreation centers and local government

offices. We believe we have some better answers to how this can be

accomplished for far less capital outlay than previously thought. Interactive

computers are outstanding for teaching concepts such as dealing with

abstractions. The computer at home may or may not be the teacher of the future,

but it will have a major impact. Leveling the playing field between the "have’s"

and the "have-nots" will have long-range consequences for the society that our

grandchildren inherit. Public policy in this area should require state equalization

of capital expenditures, parent participation in school affairs and technologically

literate school personnel. Home/school learning systems – electronically linked –

can enhance educational opportunity for both students and their parents.