Litte Lulu

Little Lulu


I am sharing to you a story about my favorite pamangkin (neice). It all started when she was a baby, the first time I saw her, my whole world started to change. She is the daughter of my cousin, Ate Ailene. She is my cousin on my mom’s side. I don’t know how or why but little lulu simply captured my heart, the first time I saw her. She was a few hours old then, when she reached out and gently held tight my hand. My stone cold heart started to crash that very moment. Being a frat man during my law student days, I was trained to become cold and somewhat violent. Ready to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. I disciplined my nephews somewhat strictly. With my hands always ready to spunk their little hands at an instant when they did something wrong.
Little Lulu’s hands simply melted my heart and freed me from my inner shackles with her sincere love. God sent lulu or her complete name luisa which means light in Spanish to enlighten and straighten my path and my family as well. She will be turning 8 this August and I am just glad that I met her. By the way her dad left them when she was still in her mother’s womb. Their dad abandoned them. Lulu had been our sweet little baby since then. Until now, I still wonder why her real dad can afford not to even see her or enjoy spending time with her. I know and that God will support and protect her family. Her mom was able to send all the three of them to school and provide a decent house and meal for them. On my family’s part, we are doing our best to assist them in ways that we could.
Problems may come our way but God will strengthen us and help us conquer this challenge. The bible says “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Which also means, “you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”

God bless,

Yel
Alnp-alabang

Dying to Live

Dying to Live


I went to mass at Greenbelt chapel in Makati last Monday and was inspired by the homily of the priest. He shared a story about dying to accomplish something before we can finally enjoy our life. Dying to finish studies and then dying to get married - dying to have a child - dying to enjoy our life when our child or children grow up - dying to retire from our present work and then finally dying….

The homily is simple but striking. When will you finally live? Is it when we are able to accomplish our goals or now, wherever we are, whatever our present status is. Choosing to live is a decision, yet we sometimes forget and finally become sorry when we get old and do not have the opportunity to accomplish the things that we want to because it has already passed by. This is so because we choose of dying for something and forget to live in the present. Let each day count and thank God for each new day.

Savor today as if it is one of the most special day of our lives.

Have a nice day.

God bless,

Yel
Alnp-alabang

Lapag Brothers on "Hobbies, Toys and Games"

Favorite cartoon series:
Ariel: Ritchie Rich
Dan: Super Friends, Flying House and Voltes V
Dom: X-Men, Ninja Turtles
Eric: X-Men
Kicks: Transformers, G.I. Joe
Red: Transformers, Voltron, Justice League Unlimited
Favorite cartoon character/s:
Ariel: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Dan: Spiderman
Dom: Spiderman, Spawn
Eric: Spawn
Kicks: Spiderman
Red: Justice League
Favorite toy/s:
Ariel: Mechanical tools
Dan: Game and Watch
Dom: Ninja Turtle and Lego
Eric: RC Tamiya
Kicks: G.I. Joe Cobra Commander aircraft
Red: Lego
Favorite childhood game:
Ariel: Patintero
Dan: Patintero
Dom: Syato
Eric: Taya taya
Kicks: Sipa
Red: Syato
Favorite "Family Computer" game/s:
Ariel: Pacman
Dan: Mario Brothers
Dom: Contra, Mario Brothers and Battle City
Eric: Iceberg
Kicks: Contra, Battle Toads
Red: Bomber Man and Battle City
Favorite childhood book:
Ariel: David and Goliath
Dan: Dog of Flanders
Dom: Three Investigators
Eric: Flying House
Kicks: Jack and The Beanstalk
Red: Choose your own Adventure, Animal Farm
Collection during childhood:
Ariel: coins and rocks
Dan: Game and Watch
Dom: Marvel and Image comics, stamps and NBA cards
Eric: NBA cards
Kicks: Marvel comics and NBA cards
Red: Key Chains and Wine Strirrers
Childhood hobbies:
Ariel: skateboarding
Dan: playing
Dom: drawing
Eric: cycling
Kicks: biking
Red: drawing

Lapag Brothers on "TRAVELLING"

Kami to. Para lang may idea kayo. how we look like. This is our usual AG meeting. Sayang wala si Red sa pic na to (our ka-lapag also). This was taken last week at M' Blessed, the restaurant owned by Red.

Get to know more the LAPAG members on
“Travelling”
> Where and when was your best summer trip?
Ariel: Singapore 2005
Dan: Ilocos Sur 2003
Dom: Cebu 2001
Eric: Pagsanjan and Morong 2007
Kicks: Davao 2001
Red: Vanuatu 1992
> Beach or swimming pool?
Ariel: Beach
Dan: Beach
Dom: Beach
Eric: Swimming pool
Kicks: Beach
Red: Beach
> Longest road trip?
Ariel: Baguio
Dan: Ilocos Norte and Cagayan Valley
Dom: Bicol
Eric: Baguio
Kicks: Bicol
Red: Bicol
> If a foreigner would ask you to tour him the Philippines, where will you bring him first?
Ariel: Amanpulo
Dan: Batanes
Dom: Amanpulo
Eric: Marinduque
Kicks: Anywhere with greens, beaches…
Red: Palawan but first to any Provincial Fiesta...
> What country in Asia would you like to visit?
Ariel: Thailand
Dan: Thailand
Dom: Maldives
Eric: Hong Kong
Kicks: Singapore
Red: China
> How about outside Asia?
Ariel: United States of America
Dan: Vatican City
Dom: French Polynesia
Eric: Australia
Kicks: United Sates of America (New York)
Red: Spain

Watch out for more Q&As with the LAPAGs.

Cash Flow 101

Ano nga ba ang cash flow? Sabi nila ang cash flow daw ay ang flow ng pera papasok o palabas ng bulsa mo. Oo nga, bakit pa natin kailangang gawing kumplekado ang dapat ay simpleng diskusyon lang. Cash flow, ganun lang pala yun, eh ano ngayon sa akin?Ganito na lang marami sa `ting pinoy ngayon ang nagtratrabaho. Marami ang nasa abroad at nagbibigay ng limpak limpak na dollars sa kabang yaman ng bansa. Pero kung tutuusin, gumaganda ba ang buhay nila? Gumaganda ba ang buhay natin? Oo nga, gumaganda sa ibang aspeto dahil sa pera na nabibili natin ang mga bagay-bagay na dati ay hanggang ilusyon lang. Pero bakit parang may kulang? Bakit masaya lang ba tayo tuwing kinsenas at katapusan o may padalang remittance si nanay o tatay galing Jeddah o Tate? Sa wakas may pang tuition na, sa wakas may baon na sa eskwela, sa wakas may pambili na rin ng bagong model ng cellphone. Pero kung minsan ang pera ay napupunta lang sa mga bagay-bagay na pwede namang saka na lang. Bakit mo pa ba kailangang bumili ng bagong model ng cellphone kung buo at functional pa naman ang luma? Bakit mo pa ba kailangan bumili ng bagong sapatos o damit kung okay pa naman ang mga luma mo? Bakit mo pa ba kailangan magpunta sa mga gimikan na sa isang gabi lang ay ubos na agad ang kalahati ng kinita mong sweldo?Tama sa madaling salita, parang mali yata ang pag prioritize ng paggastos. Oo, ako din naman kung minsan ganun din. Ang pera na pinambili ng assets, bumabalik at meron pang kita pero ang perang pinambili ng liability, di na. Parang cellphone na luma, unless ibenta mo di na magiging pera ulit at kung ibebenta mo sigurado sa mas murang presyo ng pagkakabili mo. Gets?Pero ang perang pinambili ng asset, babalik say o at may dagdag pa. Ang edukasyon ay asset kasi gagastos ka nga pero magdagdagan naman ang kaalaman mo na mgagamit mo sa ibang bagay. Parang business, mag gastos ka man sa capital, babalik naman sya sa yo na may tubo. Pero kailangan yung business na okay in terms of market o dami ng pagbebentahan at profitable o may malaking chance na kikita. Kasi bakit ka pa magbubusiness kung break even lang o walang kita, para ka lang nagtrabaho sa wala. Eh ganun pala, mahirap pala mag negosyo ay bakit pa? Sa totoo lang mahirap lalo na kung di mo alam kung anong ginagawa mo o ibinebenta mo? Pero kung may sipag, tyaga, talino at lakas ng loob ay bakit naman hindi. Sa negosyo marami kang matutunan, nandyan ng malugi kahit na ginawa mo ang home work mo. Kahit na graduate ka ng magaling na eskwelahan ay di iyon kasiguraduhan na successful ka agad sa business mo. Maraming matutunan at dapat pang matutunan. Kaya dapat ingat at wag mahiyang magtanong kung kailangan. Kasi kung minsan puro advantages o positibong bagay lang ang naitatanong natin at wala ng disdavantages at threats o mga negatibong pwedeng mangyari o makakaapekto sa papasukang negosyo.Isiping mabuti kung ano ang gusto mong gawin o ipagbenta at tingnan mo rin kung ano ang gusto ng market o posibleng mong pagbentahan ng serbisyo o produkto mo. Tingnang mabuti rin ang mga possible mong kakumpetensya. At higit sa lahat pasukin mo ang negosyo na malapit sa puso mo. Yung pwede mong gawin kahit wala kang sweldo. Ibig sabihin gusto mo talaga ang ginagawa mo.Eh ganun pala ay bakit pa ako magnenegosyo? Oo nga mahirap magnegosyo, pero kung tutuusin, dapat nating tanungin ang sarili natin kung ano ang kakaharapin natin 10 o 20 years mula ngayon. Dahil sigurado ka ba na dyan ka na sa pinagtratrabahuhan mo hanggang ganung katagal? What if suddenly, kailangan mo mag resign, what will you do?Ang gusto ko lang naman sabihin na you can already go into business even while you are working. What business? Diskarte mo na yun? Let your mind work. Kasi when you already realize na mas malaki ang kikitahin mo sa pagbubusiness ay bakit ka pa mag stay sa work mo ngayon? Think of doable things, mga pwede mong gawin ngayon at kahit maliit sa umpisa.At higit sa lahat prioritize your spendings. Isiping mabuti, isa, dalawa, tatlo o higit pang beses bakit ka kailangang bumili o gumastos sa isang bagay. Asset ba to o liability?Learn also to tap other good long term investments gaya ng insurance at plans. Pero dapat mag-ingat din. Kailangan mong alamin ang background ng insurance company. Alaming mabuti ang financial background o track record ng company.There are also other investment tools kagaya ng stocks, mutual funds at iba pang investment vehicle na mas malaki ang posibleng kitahin kaysa sa savings interest ng bangko. Pero dapat alamin mo munang mabuti ang lahat ng ito before you enter into these. Learn from the experiences of others. Sa lahat ng bagay, importanteng alamin mo munang mabuti kung ano ang gusto mong pasukan. Mahirap ng maloko at mawala ang perang mong pinagpaguran.Give and you shall receive. Learn also to give to the poor or the church or sa community mo. Learn to give with your heart. Kasi di lang naman tayo nabubuhay para sa sarili natin. Sabi nga sa kanta, "Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang …"God bless,Yel

The Staircase

I recall when I was still a kid, my favorite place in the house, aside from the living room where the television set was in place, was the staircase. Strange isn't it? For me the staircase in our house way back in my childhood days was my playground. It is a place where my childhood fantasies were created. It is also where I learned to slide myself down on the staircase panel with joy and excitement that makes me happy. The staircase, especially sliding down myself on it taught me to be adventurous. The staircase is a place where I play my toys and if I'm not playing, I always see myself sitting on one of the steps with my two hands holding the steel bars as I watched my mom cooks food for us or when visitors come to our house way back then.
Sadly though, we live now in a bongalow house in San Pedro,Laguna but everytime I visit our old home in Ilocos Sur or have a chance to visit a friend who lives in an up and down house, I always find myself comfortable sitting on one of the steps of the staircase.
Here in Letran Calamba where our office is on the second floor, everytime I need to rest I just simply sit on one of the steps of our staircase seeing below our student volunteers in the Campus Ministry mingle, singing religious songs, studying their lessons or reviweing their immenent quizzes to be given by their so called "terror professors".
One student noticed this strange posture of mine and he asked, "Sir, why are you sitting on the stairs?" I replied with humor, "I feel like a child again everytime I sit on the stairs."
In our frenzied hurly-burly of our life as single professionals, its nice to stop and sit on a stair once in a while and to be a child at heart. Its is our connection to the One who is above us. Then you will see the difference.

- Dan

"Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground, with its top reaching to the heavens; and God's messangers were going up and down on it. And there was the Lord standing beside him..." (Gen 28:12-13)