Let me share 4 playlists I organized from this online music site.

The playlist of Filipino Christmas Carols below, I collated for you to add more joy to your Christmas celebration. The first song in the track is Pasko na Sinta ko sung by my two girls and three other members of the Manila Children’s Choir in 1999. The second track is “Kasadya ni Takna-a” the original version (Pasko ay Sumapit) as sung the way it should be.

Christmas Songs in Tagalog/Bisaya

Filipino (Pinoy) Christmas Songs

Christmas Songs rendered by Filipino Artists

Christmas Songs by Filipino Artists

Vienna Boys Choir

Vienna Boys Choir Sings Christmas Carols

Christmas Carols sang by Foreign Artists

Christmas Songs

My favorite carols of all time are those sung by the Vienna Boys Choir. These traditional Christmas carols embody the ideals of truly Christmas-themed songs and espouse the sacredness and joyousness of the season of the Nativity. I like to imagine Christmas Carols the way it should be. Christmas carols say the story of Christ’s birth. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the angels sang various songs when they encountered the shepherds to tell the news of Jesus’ birth. The practice followed from then on and slowly became a tradition to sing carols on Christmas.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy listening to the upbeat and festive carols.

Whether to greet the advent of the yuletide season, or for wishing each other well in Christmas, the Christmas Carols like “We Wish you a Merry Christmas” or Jingle Bells”, never fail to enliven our spirits.

What is your favorite Christmas carol?
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I took shots of this buggy as my brother and I checked out a harness shop at the Amish/Mennonite Community in Jamesport, Missouri last month. I saw a lot of the Amish and Mennonite people and of course we saw many horse and buggies along the way.

As we left the Harness shop, I quickly took a snap of this Amish man who didn’t seem too happy. I didn’t know he was caught in my shot because all I wanted to take was the photo of the buggy.

I am so fascinated by the Amish and their way of life. Just looking at them made me imagine what it might have been like living in the 1800s. It feels as though one steps back in time when you visit any Amish Community.

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I missed my brother so much and listening to his music made me feel he was right there in the room, playing it for me. The heartfelt passion as he played every note in the piano moved me so much. I also missed my other brother Reuben and my dad and mom. I counted 4 deaths in my family of origin. not counting my own son. Five deaths in my immediate family.

It is easy to count what we do not have.

I cannot ignore fleeting moments of nostalgia. In my sadness, I assessed what I had. I counted my blessings.

1. I have a loving husband and two daughters.

2. I have four other siblings.

3. I have new and old friends.

4. I live a good life.

I can go on and on.

I have a lot to be grateful to my family.

Gratitude makes things right. Gratitude turns negative energy to positive energy. I started with who I am, and what I have today and applied gratitude, then let it work its power.

Like I said in my previous entry, Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

1. It turns what we have into enough.

2. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

3. It can turn a meal into a fiesta, a house into a home, a stranger into a chum.

4. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

I am grateful to whoever converted my brother’s music to a church song. When you hear a faster beat of my brother’s composition in your church, just know it is my brother’s way of saying thank you to God for “extending his life” through his music.

Thank you for the music.

This is my entry for the November Rice Bowl Journals Collaboration Project——————————-
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It is rare for me to rant in my blog unless of course, there is a positive resolution in the end. I also believe that when I have problems with services or products, I give the business owners or officers a way out. Ranting without doing anything about it is just not my cup of tea. In most cases, my bitch powers work and I often get satisfactory results. Being married to a lawyer, I often hear my husband say that one should try amicable settlement before filing a suit. Our courts are swamped with thousands and upon thousands of court cases that have yet to be resolved years later.

I also don’t believe in pulling strings to get my message across. I feel that one should start with the persons involved before bringing it to the highest officer or persons involved in my complaint.

As a blogger, I often encounter copyright infringement. We, of course, know that most of the blogs are hosted in servers based in the US where Digital Millennium Copyright Act (”DMCA”) is strictly enforced. A Friendster Blogger even stole my personal entries to make it come off as hers. Two bloggers copied off my recipes complete with photos hotlinked to my server. In cases, like these, one should get hold of the host and report the violation in a specified format. In 24 hours (except for blogger.com because they want the complaint mailed), the entry is removed. Oh yeah, Friendster makes it hard to report copyright violations.

I also choose my battles.

In the 2007 Search Engine Marketing Conference, I was amused to see a photo of my husband being used by one of their speakers. Good thing that my husband’s face was not seen or else I would have raised a fuss. I just let it be. Almost fair use except I did not get credit for the photo. Still, I refused to burst an artery because it was used for teaching purposes. In my blog, I provide photo credit where the photo is essential to the entry. If the copyright owner tells me to remove their photo in my blog, I comply. I am not a difficult person to deal with.

I also expected that ABS CBN somehow learned about copyright infringement after Eric of byahilo.com complained about the use of his photos (without credit) in Boy n Kris last April 2008. The case has since been amicably settled. I also believe that traditional media outfits heard of Anton Sheker who filed a landmark case against one of the Philippines media giants and oldest newspaper, Manila Bulletin for allegedly infringing on his copyright by downloading photos from his personal blog and using it allegedly for a travel feature without his permission.

I believe most media outfits are aware of getting permission from the copyright owner before photos can be used.

At least I know GMA-7 contacted a blogger to use one of her photos for a news portion and even The Filipino Channel (owned by ABS CBN) asked permission to use my food photos for a TV feature. I truly believed most media giants are aware.

Not until….I heard my daughter screaming her head off in her room and running up to me “Mom, my friend texted me that my photo was flashed on TV Patrol”. I just shrugged it off, “Maybe you went to an event while I was in the US”

Marielle insisted “Mom, it is a photo of me wearing that My Pilipinas shirt you gave me. More text messages beeped from classmates saying they all saw her in TV Patrol. If you have been reading this blog for ages, my daughter is very picky when it comes to her photos appearing in my blog. Of all times that she allowed a photo to be used by me, it had to be used by a nationwide TV news network! Geesh, hello TV Patrol, not everyone are publicity starved and eager to appear on TV.

I plurked about it immediately and indeed some bloggers saw the photo of Marielle beaming a smile as she proudly showed off My Filipinas shirt with a map just below the shirt. The said photo was used in the segment of TV Patrol’s Philippine Flag used in Fashion and reported by TJ Manotoc on November 4, 2008. The shirt was an example of non-violation since the image is that of a Philippine map and NOT the Philippine flag. Talk of irresponsible use of the Philippine flag! Walk the talk. Talk of irresponsible use of my photo!

I got to see the segment in an uploaded video much later that night. It is the third photo where my daughter wears a pink striped shirt and behind her are my books in the office. I also called the TV Patrol phone line and got hold of Joey Gaburnida, TV Patrol Executive Producer who gave me the email address to write my complaint.

That night I talked to my husband about the unauthorized use of my photo and if it was fair use. My husband thinks that ABS CBN TV Patrol committed two violations:

1. Using my photos without permission or credit (at the least) and

2. Using a photo without the permission of my daughter.

With that information, I emailed newsfeedback@abs-cbn.com and newsdesk@abs-cbn.com to provide me an explanation why they used my photo and secondly, provide me corrective measures that it won’t happen again to bloggers and photographers.

You know I have friends in ABS-CBN and I know they have done their share to help me out even if I didn’t ask their help. Thank you guys. But I know they can do only so much. In fact, my husband knows the lawyers in ABS CBN but should an ordinary person have to pull strings so action can be undertaken? I told him not to do anything. I want to course my complaint through the standard protocol.

Three weeks later, no action. Not even a reply to my email.

I hate to make conclusions where I don’t know the real score. Yet I can’t help thinking that it is dismissed without merit because hey, we gave publicity to My Pilipinas shirt anyway and as a new media publisher, isn’t that your job?. ABS CBN, being a news reporting outfit can claim Fair Use but I am opposing FAIR USE on these grounds:

1. Denying credit to me, the owner of the photo.

2. Large portion or whole photo was used which clearly showed my daughter’s face and be easily recognizable.

ABS CBN TV Patrol is forgetting that the photo is not owned by Collezione. Neither is my daughter a model for Collezione.

So will I file a suit against a violation on the Philippine copyright law as enshrined in the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, officially known as Republic Act No. 8293? Will I create more noise?

My resolution: I will let my husband-lawyer decide on this matter tonight.

What would you do if this happened to you?

Update from TJ Manotoc

TJ Manotoc, the reporter of the segment called me an hour later after this was posted (oh do I have to blog to get a reply?) but I was unable to pick the call. I just talked to him a while ago. He explained how he got the photos. He interviewed Rhett Eala for the Philippine Flag segment and was told that he could use any of the publicity photos. His team googled for the images and my daughter’s photo came about. Since they were in a rush, they didn’t bother to get the source of the photo. Ooops, not a good idea I said.

It took him a long time to reply because the News Team kept sending it to the wrong email address. (My, they should have better communication protocol in cases like these). TJ didn’t read this entry when he first called me. I found out that a concerned blogger-friend working in ABS CBN saw my plurk that I blogged about this entry. The blogger informed the handler of TJ Manotoc who in turn found informed TJ.

In the end, I gave him a piece of advice to just give credit in case they are in a rush to use the images in time to meet the deadline. TJ Manotoc apologized profusely and wants to convey the same apologies to Marielle too.

Let’s see what my daughter has to say.

Second update

In fairness to TJ Manotoc, he owned up to his mistake of being in a rush to report his segment. In the rush, he forgot to give credits which he normally does. He explained the facts as it was. For my second question regarding corrective measures, he plans to inform his friends within the ABS CBN news team about fair use of copyrighted materials.

He wanted to talk personally to Marielle but my daughter said “no need to. Apologies accepted”

I accept his apologies but it doesn’t end there. Actions speak louder than words.

I will continue to be vigilant.

Third update November 29

My husband is satisfied with TJ Manotoc’s explanation and future plans and will not pursue any legal course of action. Same with my daughter, Marielle. I am sure TJ Manotoc will not repeat the same mistake but I am not sure other news network or reporters will do the same.

My entry does not end with TJ Manotoc or ABS CBN. ——————————-
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I noticed something strange in my blog referrals. There is an upsurge of suicide image searches in my blog. My blog is number 1 in the image keyword “suicide” which points to the Suicide Prevention page. Thank you Google. That has been the trend for many months now but in the past two days, there is just way too much reference to it. I surmise that someone is looking on how suicide deaths look like or are curious on the latest sensational suicide death of 19 year old boy Abraham K. Biggs which was viewed on justin.tv. He took a fatal drug overdose in front of an Internet audience. Although some viewers contacted the web site to notify police, authorities did not reach his house in time.

In this news article, Webcam of son’s death appalls dad , Abraham Biggs Sr. said those who watched and the Web site operators share some blame in his 19-year-old son’s death.

“I think they are all equally wrong,” he said. “It’s a person’s life that we’re talking about. And as a human being, you don’t watch someone in trouble and sit back and just watch.”

I know for a fact that these kids were taught to report any suicide thoughts of their peers to their teacher or school authorities. For some reason, they did not take him seriously because he had threatened suicide on the site before but this is actually a clue already. Most suicidal people give warning signs in the hope that they will be rescued, because they are intent on stopping their emotional pain, not on dying. But not many know that.

My heart goes out to the father.

“It’s a shame I wasn’t there to help him. It’s a big loss to me. I wish I was there to help him–since nobody else would.”

If parents of suicide victims only knew that their children would kill themselves, I am sure they would have done all they can to save their lives. Suicide is a significant cause of death in many western countries, in some cases exceeding deaths by motor vehicle accidents annually.

I have met a few parents who lost their children to suicide and never did they imagine that their child would kill themselves. They often ask themselves ” How could I have prevented it? or I didn’t know”

If you are a parent, you can read through this Suicide Prevention page.

Typical warning signs which are often exhibited by people who are feeling suicidal include:

- Withdrawing from friends and family.
- Depression, broadly speaking; not necessarily a diagnosable mental illness
such as clinical depression, but indicated by signs such as:
- Loss of interest in usual activities.
- Showing signs of sadness, hopelessness, irritability.
- Changes in appetite, weight, behavior, level of activity or
sleep patterns.
- Loss of energy.
- Making negative comments about self.
- Recurring suicidal thoughts or fantasies.
- Sudden change from extreme depression to being `at peace’ (may
indicate that they have decided to attempt suicide).
- Talking, Writing or Hinting about suicide.
- Previous attempts.
- Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
- Purposefully putting personal affairs in order:
- Giving away possessions.
- Sudden intense interest in personal wills or life insurance.
- `Clearing the air’ over personal incidents from the past.

The presence of one or more of these warning signs is not intended as a guarantee that the person is suicidal: the only way to know for sure is to ask them.

I hope the boy’s death is not in vain. The boy’s father believes the webcast was a cry for help.

“But rather than get help, he was ignored,” Biggs said. “I would not want to see anything like that on the Internet and not try and get help for that young man. I think that’s what the average person would do. Any normal person would do. I’m really appalled.”

An average person really does not know when a suicide is about to happen. If most of us knew, then there would have been very minimal suicide deaths.

Somehow, I hope my Suicide Prevention page can help save a life in the future.

A final word: if you have a suicidal friend or family member, please don’t use the line Kasalanan yan (Thinking about suicide is a sin). The suicidal person needs medical help NOW. NOT a lecture, please.

Suicide prevention is everybody’s business. Suicide should no longer be considered a taboo topic, and that through raising awareness and educating the public, we can SAVE lives.

Suicide Prevention Hotline Numbers

USA Suicide Prevention hotline
In an emergency, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK

Philippine Suicide Prevention Hotline

Office Address: 2/F, 48 McKinley Road, North Forbes Park, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Office Phones: +63 2 8931893 /8106233
Fax: +63 2 8931892
Website: www.in-touch.org
E-mail: intouch@i-manila.com.ph
Crisis Line: +63 2 8937603 /+63 2 8937606 (24/7)
Mobile Text messaging: type hello crisisline and send to 2333 (Globe) or 211 (Smart)——————————-
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My daughter said “we’re not Americans, mom so why should we celebrate Thanksgiving Day”.

I protested “but I love Pumpkin Pie” and I want to bake it today to feel like I am celebrating with my brother and sisters in the states. My siblings often wished I’d visit them during Thanksgiving day but I just tell them that I will be with them in spirit. So I thought baking the Pumpkin pie was a great idea

But…

Nope, my daughters refused to acknowledge Thanksgiving day the American way.

As a compromise, I agreed to bake Pumpkin Pie on Christmas day and thought that was the end of the discussion.

Then, I gleefully announced “let’s honor and reflect on your paternal great-great American grandfather who arrived in the Philippines in 1921 from Iowa. He was quite an adventurer just like you, Lauren.”

Oh my gosh, another violent reaction from my daughters whose eyeballs nearly popped out from their sockets, saying I’ve become colonial minded. Far from it!

I love looking back to the past and knowing the roots of my family. I like knowing their way of life, their personalities and quirks to see if these were passed on to my children.

Despite the protestations from one daughter, my husband and I prayed for all our ancestors from faraway lands like the Chinese, Spanish, Japanese and the American who without them, my children’s existence would not have been possible.

I am grateful for the life and the traditions that have been passed on through the years.

Thanksgiving day being the most celebrated holiday in the states reminds me of the word “gratitude”. I can affirm my gratitude any day I want to but I want to dedicate this entry especially for my siblings who celebrate Thanksgiving day. I want to share my gratitude to them.

In honor of Thanksgiving Day, I have a lot to be thankful for today and everyday of my life.

1. I am thankful for second chances and a new normal.

2. I am thankful for the laughter that rings true in my home. There’s nothing like a family who laughs together.

3. I am thankful for financial challenges because it taught us discipline that money can be budgeted wisely for basic necessities.

4. I am thankful for a loving husband that never gave up on me.

5. I am thankful for the excruciating pain brought about by my son’s death because it transformed me into a more compassionate person.

6. I am thankful for my two girls, that despite the turbulent teen years due to their sibling’s death, they never resorted to drugs or alcohol.

7. I am thankful of new and old friendships ,a comfortable place to be myself.

8. I am thankful for negative feedback as I can make an honest assessment of myself without jeopardizing my identity.

9. I am thankful for the internet, blogging and all of YOU, the lurkers and readers of my blog as you help me fulfill my mission in life.

10. I am thankful to God who I thought abandoned me but never really left me after all.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. I have learned the magical lesson that making the most of what I have turns it into more. I have learned an important concept to get me through this stressful time and that is gratitude. I learn to say thank you, for all these problems and feelings. I am full of gratitude because today’s pain could be tomorrow’s joy.

What are you thankful for?
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I am sure you all have uplifting and eye-catching holiday decorations and are experts on your own.

I stick to affordable, recyclable and festive looking decors.

The traditional red-and-green always works for me as it allows me to collect decors through the years. Repeating the color scheme or pattern is essential for that unified look I want in my home.

One item that is most significant among my decors is the Nativity Set, even if it does not match with the rest of the decors. The birth of Jesus is a celebration and evokes the meaning of Christmas in my home.

I’d like to know what your theme or other decorating tips for the holidays. This year, I added a new and cutesy set of decors which I bought from Export overruns at Dapitan.

Please share your tips or decorating ideas.

12 Cups with the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Give in to Giving

Want to help non-government organizations? Check out Give in to Giving- If you’re one of the many who have continuously pledged, year in and year out to get involved or want to help but don’t know what organizations are out there, The 12 Cups with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Give in to Giving Promo can serve as your springboard

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Do you believe that someone who has caused you so much pain deserves a second chance?

Do you believe that YOU deserve a second chance?

Four years ago, I packed my bags and left my husband because I thought I wanted to start a new life without him. Grief had overtaken us so much that we were virtually strangers to each other. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine myself with a broken ankle as I stepped inside my new pad. I had no choice but to live with him and work things out. Truly God works in mysterious ways. It was as if God said ” you can’t run away from your marriage. Try to fix it. Give it a second chance”

If you think that my husband is the culprit, you’re wrong. I am to blame too. It takes two to a marriage. I knew I had to take care of myself first and foremost. I had to give myself a second chance. A second chance to be a more loving wife and mother. A second chance to be more financially independent and a second chance to be a better person.

I believe second chances are possible if….

1. The person who has caused you hurt is willing to make amends and to sit down and compromise.

2. Boundaries are set. One can’t repeat the same mistake all over again but at the same time one must be aware that we should also give allowances for recovery to take place.

3. You love yourself. I’d like to believe that “You cannot give what you do not have.” I find that I am a better wife, a better mother, a more compassionate friend, after I have spent time nurturing myself.

4. You are open to the positive possibilities of the future instead of limiting the future by today’s feelings and circumstances.

5. You forgive. When we hold on to pain, old grudges, bitterness and even hatred, many aspects of our lives suffer. Through forgiveness, you choose to no longer define yourself as a victim.

It’s been four years now.

I lost weight and look so much sexier or so my husband says. My husband is overflowing with love and kisses and I feel so pampered. My children are happier with our new normal. I am financially independent.

I feel good about myself. I feel beautiful.

I want to dance to the music of the Dancing Queen. No kidding!

I continue to be a work in progress.

Yes, I feel loved. I feel blessed.

Only because I gave myself a second chance.

So do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

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Every third Saturday of the month, I receive this gift during the monthly meeting of The Compassionate Friends. I am honored to receive it.

It’s quite common to hear oh she is so brave! when the broken-hearted person appears controlled and poised in the face of grief. How is someone supposed to feel when their heart is broken?

And yet we continue to admire those who do not show their grief in public, who receive condolences as though the occasion were a pleasant Sunday afternoon exchange. He was so brave. I was proud of him. He didn’t break down, not once, and so on and so forth…we hear people say.

Really, whose benefit is this tight hold on our emotions? For the griever’s sake? For the sake of the consoling friends, who may be afraid of being swept into their grief?

Crying tears is not just for those that lost a loved one.

If a little kid says May I cry or should I be brave?, how should the mother react? There is conflicting feelings about crying. It is difficult to allow children the freedom of tears because most of us were stopped from crying when we were little. Our well-meaning, but misinformed, parents may have distracted, scolded, punished, or ignored us when we attempted to heal our childhood hurts by crying. Some of us were stopped gently: “There, there, come on, don’t cry,” while others were stopped less kindly: “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry about! So stop it….”

Poets and novelists for years have written that crying is somehow good for us. William Shakespeare, for instance wrote, “To weep is to make less the depth of grief.” The poet Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote about a woman who learned her husband had been killed. “She must weep,” the writer said, “or she will die.”

According to Dr. William Frey, a biochemist and director of the Dry Eye and Tear Research Center in Minneapolis, Minn., one reason people might feel better after crying could be because they are “removing, in their tears, chemicals that build up during emotional stress.” Frey’s research shows that tears, along with other bodily secretions like perspiration, rid the body of various toxins and wastes. Dr. William Frey compared the normal moisturizing tear with the tear caused by emotion and found that stressful tears contained ACTH or adrenocorticotrophic hormone. ACTH is a hormone associated with high blood pressure, heart problems, peptic ulsers and other physical conditions closely related to stress.

There is just one word of caution about crying.

People who cry easily should feel glad they’re in touch with their feelings. But if they’re crying a lot in response to criticism, they should try to get some counseling. This kind of crying is an alarm bell of a far deeper hurt; it could signify a loss of self-esteem that is triggered whenever anyone says anything negative.

Probably the best advice of all regarding tears comes from Charles Dickens. In Oliver Twist, Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, is a less than sympathetic character. But he’s got the right idea when he declares that crying “opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens the temper.

So when another friend wept in front of me today, I understood the gift of healing.

Have you had a good cry lately?——————————-
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So what does it mean to take care of myself emotionally. This is what I learned from reading self-help books and seeking out guidance.

1. I recognize when I’m feeling angry and I accept that feeling without shame.

2. I recognize when I’m feeling hurt and I accept those feelings without attempting to punish the source of my pain.

3. I allow myself to feel joy and love when those are available to me.

4. I recognize that my feelings don’t have to control me. I can feel and think too.

5. I talk to friends or family members about my feelings when I feel that it is appropriate and safe to do so.

6. I reach out for help when I get stuck in a particular emotion.

7. I try to seek the lessons that my emotions may be trying to teach me. Then after I feel, accept and release the feeling to the air, I then ask myself “What is it I need to do to take care of myself?”

Taking care of my emotions means I allow myself to stay with the feeling until it’s time to let go and move on to the next feeling. Taking care of myself means I’ve made a decision that it is okay to own my feelings.

So my dear friend, continue to take care of yourself emotionally. It’s okay to feel angry. You have the right to be. Just be open to and accepting of the emotional part of yourself and other people. Strive for balance by mixing emotions and reason but don’t let your intellect push the emotional part of yourself away.

Taking care of yourself emotionally means you value and cherish the emotional part of yourself. I know you will be fine. We will be fine.

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You might also want to read Positive Mental Energy and Affirmations and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Photo Blog and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

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