Deaths in the House

Under the watch of Sonny Belmonte as Speaker of the House, the Philippine Congress has already lost a couple of honorable gentlemen (at least as far as I know).  Interestingly, both were last termers who would not be joining the race next year.  The first one was Antonio Diaz of Zambales who died of complications last August.  Now, Iggy Arroyo has also been visited by the grim reaper.

The gentleman from Zambales left before half of his term was completed.  Thus, upon the petition of the provincial council of Zambales, COMELEC agreed to finding a replacement.  Next Saturday, the voting population of the 2nd district of Zambales will be trooping to the polls to choose their representative in Congress.

And the lineup is interesting.  Politics is in the family in this seaside province.  Three of the top contenders just happen to be children of provincial stalwarts.  There is Omar who is the provincial administrator appointed by his governor father who has served as cabinet secretary and high ranking policeman under the Arroyo administration.

 Voters would be familiar with Sheryl who has thrice run and lost against Congressman Diaz.  She just happens to be the daughter of the former governor, the one that the current one replaced.

Then there is the political newcomer, Rica.  She is in the race because her father, the recently deceased congressman had indicated that she would be the best one for the job.

So it's looking like a three cornered fight for the privilege to take over Congressman Diaz's seat.

So, will the 5th district of Negros Occidental get the same privilege as the 2nd district of Zambales?

On Losing Weight

I've been reading a little on weight loss since I started the Life Enzyme program.  Actually, I'm reviewing Readers Digest copies because of a research I'm doing and the weight loss articles just catch my eye.

To be honest, I have not followed the program strictly but I can say the supplement was responsible for the lost weight.  That's because I did not really change my eating habits.  Besides, I began to take the Life enzyme supplement and continued to take it during the holidays.

Progress report:  Since December 20, I have lost a total of 9 pounds.  No kidding!  I started at a high of 125 pounds and on Saturday morning, I registered 116 pounds.

Want me to help you?  Just give me a note and I will tell you the secret.

Kiong Hee Huat Tsai

A friend (I don't remember if it was Fely Co or Rowena Co Ting Keh but I am sure Lance was present) once told me that this is the correct way to say Happy New Year.

So Chinese new year is now a holiday.  Why not?  As we recognize that we have a large Muslim community by marking the beginning and end of Ramadan, so too must we see that there are many Filipino Chinese who adhere to the traditions that their ancestors brought from the mainland.

Making this day a holiday also serves to remind us of the influence of Chinese culture on the Filipino way of life beyond pansit and hopia.  For instance, we call elder siblings as ate and kuya.  Many Tagalo families go as far as addressing the second boy and girl as diko and ditse while the third ones are sangko and sanse.  Feng shui is a common practice in house construction and interior design.

The Philippines is a melting pot.  The Filipino culture is a mix of many different influences.  A lot of people from different nations will recognize something from their own homes in the Filipino way of life.

That's what makes it more fun in the Philippines.

Have a happy Chinese New Year.

Enzymes Work!

Two weeks ago, I made an attempt to see if I could not catch my 2011 New Year's resolution of losing an average of 1 kilo per month.  You'd think it would be silly to try and lose over 10 kilos in two weeks.  Well, I was just trying.

So I started taking this Life Enzyme product.  Supposedly, it helps you digest your food better so that you don't need to eat so much.  But of course, the holiday party season has just begun so you really expect to be served up a lot of food.

Anyway, I took one sachet in the morning and then another in the evening before meals.  I did not really change anything else in my diet.  I still ate the usual food which included generous amounts of meat.

I weighed myself on Christmas day and the weight did not change.  I thought to myself that that was a small success.  Even with the midnight meal, I did not gain any pounds.

A week later, I got on the scale again.  Now, it gave me a number that was one kilo less than my starting weight.

What do you know?  It's working!