Working out, the medicine for everything!

I was in a sensitive funk all day, from the morning to the evening. Work has been stressful and crazy. Still awaiting my monthly visitor. Was feeling really tired and sluggish after work but I forced myself to train and workout. Miraculaously, after an hour and a half, I was laughing and giggling. My worries disappeared and I felt like a new woman.

Note to self: whenever I'm in a bad mood, exercise. Note to my future boyfriend/husband: whenever I'm in a bad mood, make me exercise! Haha...=P

Taking donations this week for victims of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) and Typhoon Pepeng (Parma)

Dear friends and family,

By now, the international media has made it known that Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) has wreaked havoc on the Philippines. Not too long after that, Typhoon Pepeng (Parma) hit the northern part of the Philippines. Fortunately, my own family members live in the central and southern regions of the Philippines so they are all okay, but unfortunately, there are many people in the northern part of the Philippines that are in evacuation centers and are in need of many materials including food and clothing. At this point, 140 people have been killed, several thousand are still missing and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. News reports state that this is the worst rainfall the country has seen in 40 years. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Ondoy's total rainfall was 410mm, while Hurricane Katrina's was 380mm in New Orleans.

Therefore, I will be taking any of the following donations directly to a cargo/shipping place this Saturday for the second shipment to the Philippines. If any of you live in LA and have the following, please contact me THIS WEEK and I will do my best to put the things in my car of whatever you can give.

This is what they are asking for at the donation drop-off centers:

Clothes
Blankets
Towels
Canned goods (preferably with a pull-open tab)
Ready-to-eat food (cereal, crackers, snacks)
Instant noodles
Baby formula
Diapers
Toiletries (shampoo, bath soap, toothbrushes)
Medicines

Thank you for your support and help!
Cheryl Samson =)

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade

Although this movie came out in 2005, I watched this movie for the first time last night after Junko recommended it to me. It was a good movie, in my opinion. The effects to me were better than Hero, and although it reminded me of the Kung Fu Hong Kong Cinema, I thought that the story line to this movie was more creative and interesting.

So if you like the Kung Fu flicks, I recommend this one to watch. Enjoy!

Southeast Asia and the Pacific: Typhoons and Earthquakes

Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) hits the Philippines:



and not long after that, Typhoon Parma followed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-QFYuQmQeg

Typhoon Ketsana in Vietnam:


Typhoon Ketsana in Cambodia:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8283136.stm

Earthquake in Samoa:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Earthquake in Indonesia:

The coming of a new era: A personal message to all who read this (choose to read this if you have the time)

When you mistreat mother nature, mother nature fights back. Global warming has affected the weather throughout the world and unfortunately, all the climate change has hit Southeast Asia hard this past week. It's kinda scary to wonder what regions are next and who will be hit hard as a result of all of this. These past few years have demonstrated natural disasters all over the world. If you know of any donation efforts or support to these regions, please contribute and send your support whether money or materials. These countries are already third world countries on their own, the worse addition they would need is a natural disaster causing a larger state of calamity, which is the reality of the current situation. Please keep the people in this region in your prayers and thoughts, and actively do something if you can and if you have the means to do so.

On the flip side of things, when there is massive death and destruction, there is also massive birth, transformation, and creation. The Yin/Yang of life. Because I see life as circular, every ending gives birth to a beginning and therefore, we must believe in the power of what is coming and hope that it is going to be better. It feels like the end of an era, and the welcoming of a new one. Many things must be washed away to make room for what is coming. Please stay hopeful and positive that we create something better than this last era. Trust me, a new era is rapidly approaching and all we can do is place our intentions in a positive direction and live our own lives accordingly, in line with that vision of something better than what we have had before. The responsibility falls on our hands, on our generation, this time, and it's important that we look at our history, at our past, to not repeat the same mistakes as we have had before, but to learn from them, move forward, and create new things and new situations, to create a better environment for those who are to follow. We cannot passively wait for things to unfold and happen, but we have to actively engage as agents of change or others will move past us and ahead of us with different intentions and focuses. This is what you already have seen and are seeing now throughout the world. But do not be discouraged or intimidated by it, it has always been that way. As much as there is goodness in this world, there will always exist a force of evil, and it is up to you to decide which side you choose to be on. This is not an individual effort, but a collective consciousness. If you haven't started yet, then let today be the beginning of that. Find ways to do it in your own way. We can not all do the same thing, but we can enhance our lives and this world thru our own gifts, talents, and individual life purposes. We all have unique talents and gifts to offer to this world, and it is up to us to discover them, work at them and redirect them outwards. If you are on the path of positive change, justice, and transformation, then I'll meet you along the way. Challenges will come our way, but please don't get discouraged, and lose sight of the larger positive vision, the larger positive goals. The time is not yesterday or tomorrow, the time is now.

Many of you know this and are already aware of this, and some of you are discovering it now. Nevertheless, let it be a reminder or a message. Thank you for allowing me to share. Something spoke thru my spirit this morning, and maybe I was called to write this to reawaken or awaken some of you. Remember, we are all in this together.

Janet

I woke up this morning watching Janet Jackson videos and stumbled upon 2 videos that I never saw. Both of them spoke to me in different ways, not only the lyrics but also the imagery. When I was young, I loved watching ALL the Janet Jackson videos. I mean, what girl my age didn't want to be like or dance like Janet Jackson. I used to stand in front of the TV trying to copy her movements, over and over again.

I never knew that the theme for the video "All for You" was based in LA. Ah, Janet, "Ms. Jackson, if you're nasty".

I'm a Grandmother!

Yea, you read that right! Well, not technically, but being Filipino, I kinda am.
This is Tristen Cartier Ayson.
His grandmother is my first cousin.
So in the Philippines, my cousin's children are my nieces and nephews, therefore, this is my grandson.
His dad's name is Carlo, who's only 2 years younger than me, and his mom is Stephanie, who's half-Mexican, and half-Filipino.
Carlo is my nephew.

Can't you tell he's Filipino? I mean, look at his nose...haha, dead giveaway in my opinion.

Anyways, I'm happy to welcome this new member to the family. I can't wait to meet him in person!
Welcome to this crazy world, Tristen Cartier Ayson!
Wait 'til you meet your cool ass grandma ;P