On Patriotism and Government Corruption

Love of country and patriotism always comes in different form. No one could ever judge a person of not being patriotic. Maybe they adore the foreign products but that doesn't mean they hate their country, I always believe that patriotism and love of country comes in different form and in different means.

However, one day while browsing my Facebook Timeline. I noticed a friend who shared a short essay of a Korean about the Philippines. He had talked about how Koreans envied the Filipinos before because we are one of the richest country in Asia which I thought they were correct because Philippines used to be the number exporter of rice and other goods but then those are the Philippines golden days.

Photo credit

What about today? I think even today, farm scientist usually come here in the Philippines to learn more about highland and hybrid crops. Philippines has every resources but what happened? Maybe they are correct. Severe corruption in the government and Filipinos lack of patriotism and discipline has been pulling us down.

I wanted to share his essay so it might be a good help for everyone and a little of inspiration.

Unedited version:

*****

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES 

by Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines . Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines ? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines , for Filipinos were very rich in Asia . We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism…

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park . They asked to him, “President, when can we be well off?” That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea , and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea . He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines ? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people.. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines , I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun.. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame.. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.. I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love.

Let’s put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes. I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country. Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others.

That’s all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

I sincerely hope that this essay inspire us all and show LOVE for our homeland.

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Book Donation: The book collection are growing fast

The books are growing fast... Since we started collecting old books we were able to raise at least 3 boxes of old books.

And as a way of thanking everyone who supported our cause here are some of the books that we have collected.

Thomson Reuters: Manila Volunteers Club

Want to donate or help our cause... please do let us know...

We do meet up every weekend. For easier access to everyone we can meet you up at any MRT or LRT stations. Cash Donations are accepted as well.

My Smoothie Dinner on the First Day

I haven't take any hard solid for the past 13 hours and just taking my smoothie. At this very hour I had a feeling that my stomach is really adjusting. I think I am having muscle spasm in my stomach area. So what I did was, I had 4 pcs of soimai before taking my smoothie.

INGREDIENTS:

My Green Smoothie for Dinner

Note: It is better not to eat anything except for your smoothie for the next the first 3 days for the cleansing to normally do its course.

My Red Smoothie Diet

When I took my all fruit and vegetable diet. I felt that I needed to have more fiber intake. I felt that I need to do more than just 3 fruit and 3 green leafy vegetables, that's the usual combinations.

 However, I wanted to experiment. I wanted to increase the fruit and vegetable intake. Fruit and vegetable are rich source of vitamin and mineral. It is also a very good source of fiber which is essential in proper bowel movement.

Ingredients:

2 pcs banana, 2 cups spinach, 2 pcs bell pepper, 1 pc green apple, 1 pc red apple, 1 pc cucumber, 1 pc beet, 2 cups fresh orange juice

Blend all ingredients until desired smoothness.

Day 1: My Own Version of Smoothie Cleanse (Breakfast)

Living in an urban community somehow offers a lot of innovative ideas from technological advancement to food. Ever since I know that I can always make a smoothie out of fruits and normally I add a lot of things there say for example sugar and milk or sometimes I will add sago for that matter just to add something different. I never knew that vegetable could play a very important role in making your smoothie healthier.

Kessa, a friend of mine, introduced a way of cleansing and detoxifying your body. So she told me that we could mix fruits and vegetable and so she showed me ways on how to prepare it. Well there's no harm on trying, its for my benefit anyway.

Well in my circle, we all love eating. We love to eat meat, fish and meat again then poultry products. Only once in a while where I would consider cooking vegetable with of course meat and most of the time, in the office we always have our lunch break to either Mc Donalds or starbucks or any other fastfood chain available.

This time around I would like to start my own 3 day smoothie war. My intention here is to get as much fiber as I can and to increase my fruit and vegetable intake in a day.

My First Day Ingredients

1 pc cucumber

2 pcs banana

2 pcs bell pepper

4 pcs Asparagus

1 stalk of Celery

2 pcs of tomato

1 pc  Red Apple

1 pc green apple

10 pcs grapes

2 cups of fresh orange juice

1 beet

Please note: wash your fruits and vegetable properly. You can also peel off the apple but I prefer not to. I also recommend to remove the seeds.

I was able to make 1.5 liter of smoothie out of this. I had 2 tall glass of smoothie for my breakfast. I was able to consume the rest before lunch time.

During the day I noticed that I am craving for a real meal (3 cups of rice and viand). Of course I have to force myself not to eat rice.

Not My Usual Shopping Cart

I decided to start my fruit and vegetable diet. So here's what I am planning to achieve in my shopping cart.

When I go all organic will it be called dieting? Maybe, to some it could be dieting since I am slashing my meat and fish and poultry products in my shopping list. I decided to go on a smoothie diet or detox. For me, this is the best way to slash out some of your weight.

The best way in dieting is taking an ample amount of food to give you energy to do your course in a day. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner plus snacks are part of our daily life. But then, it is our decision as to what should be serve during those meals that would make the difference. When you go on dieting don't starve yourself to death! Let mother nature take its course by eating the proper food.

Watch out for my diet plan!

Favorite Tea House: MoonLeaf McKinley Hills

I would say I am a tea lover. It actually started when I was teaching Korean students way back 5 or 6 years ago. They were my greatest influence when I when it comes to drinking tea. What I love most is the wild mountain tea found mainly in the mountains of Cordillera. I love the aroma and fantastic taste of the said tea.

However, when I came to Manila to work I rarely had a chance to drink a cup of tea. May be I just don't know where the best places are. Of course it needs to be budget friendly but taste ridiculously good.

MoonLeaf has captivated my taste buds ever since I started drinking the tea and their employees at McKinley Hills are extravagantly friendly. They're addictive. The sense of humor is there that I love. The jokes they crack are really friendly and smart.

My Favorite MoonLeaf Crew team. They don't just deliver right into your desk they also deliver magnificent customer service. Photo Credit

Aside from the excellent customer service, the tea they serve is also wonderful. I love the taste. Sometimes though its pretty sweet but you can definitely adjust the sweetness according to your preference.

Here are my two favorite tea.

Wintertime Milk Tea

Pudding Milk Tea

The shop is also welcoming. The light is not that strong that makes it really relaxing.

The Crew at work.

And of course I always make a chance if given an opportunity to announce Project Mountain Alphabet's existence. I practically just wrote the name of the project on their free wall.

Paris Roxas: From Call Center Vogue to Fashionista Guru

I really haven't had an idea when a colleague suddenly appears in a prestigious fashion competition like Mega Fashion Crew (TV reality show in the Philippines). Got really excited to watch him compete and made it to Top 4 or Top 5.

Later on I happen to know that he is styling for different Local TV shows like Paroa: Ang Kwento ni Mariposa and Ikaw lang ang Mamahalin  Hiram na Puso both starred by Barbie Forteza, and Faithfully headlines Maxine Magallona. All shows are aired at GMA 7.

According to Paris after quitting her call center job. She then realizes that she is more fulfilled to become a fashion stylist. She started as associate fashion stylist from different magazines and tv shows. As hardworking as she is, she gain her own spotlight as fashion stylist.

She has styled various local artist. Below are some of her sample works.

1. Bella Padilla

2. Jon Avila

3. International Ford Super Model Danica Magpantay.

Paris Roxas has styled some of magazines fashion editorial like MEGA Magazine and Uno Magazine to name a few. Below are samples of his work.

So you want some styling... you can contact her thru her facebook.

(Note: All photos here are taken from Paris Roxas with of course his permission)

Random Pictures at Salcedo Village Weekend Market

Another reason why Salcedo Village is haunting is because of their wide array of food, beverage, kitchen stuff, vegetables and fruits.

Here are some of them that are totally delicious in my eyes.

The Foods you wanna indulge:

Not only that... they also have these bread, pastries and cookies that I really like:

And of course nothing can beat their well taken cared flowers. I am a flower lover and I cant resist myself from buying. If only I have a good place and or a house here in Metro Manila am sure I have bought a lot of these flowers at Salcedo Village Weekend Market.

While roaming around the market. My eyes caught these beautifully beaded table utensils. I love them.... I am almost tempted to buy them....

 Who says you cant bring your kids while you do shopping for your kitchen needs. At Salcedo Village they have these park just beside the Salcedo Village Weekend Market. You can definitely bring your kids and have them play while you do your buying stuff. This would definitely distract them from going along with you and keep bugging you on something out of your shopping list.

So folks.... See you at Salcedo Village Park next weekend? Or if you have ever been to Salcedo Village share me your stories and experience there....

Salcedo Village Weekend Market: My Favorite Filipino Goodies

Filipino have their own distinct desserts and goodies we just love and enjoy. These are the foods I would say every Filipino would love. Every weekend I normally go out and buy any of these following goodies.

Most Filipino Kakanin (goodies) are normally made of malagkit rice (sticky rice or gluttonous rice), coconut milk, milk and sugar. This makes these foods really tasty.