Extended Family Problem

It is true that nothing in this world can be compared to the kind of love a mother can give to her children. In my case, I witnessed how much my nanay loves us. She loves us so much, but I believe, mas mahal nya yung mga anak nyang hindi masyadong financially blessed because she sees them as "nakakaawa".

Nakatira kami sa squatter na lugar for more than 20 years. Ang mga tao dun dalawa lang ang future: Drug Addict and Sex Workers. Yan yung tingin ng mga taga-labas sa mga taga-looban. But I have my own vision, dalawa din: you remain POOR or you gain RESPECT.

My father is a construction worker. Minsan meron syang work, minsan wala hanggang sa wala na nga syang work. Ang nanay ko namasukan na katulong, stay-in na kasambahay. Apat kaming magkakapatid. Yung panganay at pangalawa lalaki, then I have a sister, I'm the youngest. Even though, ginagalang kami sa "looban" kasi matino naman ang mga magulang namin, lahat kami napag-aral nila. Pero ako lang ang nakapag-college. Yung panganay namin, wala pang 20 years old nag-asawa na. Sunud-sunod ang anak nila, 5 children. Akala ko graduate na ang magulang ko sa pagbabanat ng buto para saming magkakapatid dahil malalaki na kami at may mga work na sila (habang nag-aaral ako ng college). Pero maling akala pala yun. Lalo kaming nahirapan kasi dumami pa kami sa family. Ako bilang bunso at scholar, napakasungit ko sa family ng kuya ko kasi nakapisan sila samin. Naiistorbo nila yung pagrereview ko. I was really immature that time. Naiinis ako pag wala akong extrang baon as in pamasahe lang ang dala ko pag pumapasok sa TUP-Manila. Madalas pa kaming walang kuryente (kasi naputulan) tapos ni minsan hindi nakaitikim ng plantsa yung school uniform ko. Minsan may bakas pa ng uling galing sa usok ng gasera yung uniform ko at yung baunan ko ng kanin at ulam. Dumating ang time na sobrang hirap na ng kalagayan namin, iniwan kami ng panganay kong kuya na nagwowork sa mall. Dun na sila tumira sa Maynila sa side ng asawa nya. Pero ganun pa din, bumalik uli sila samin dahil taghirap din dun.

Nag-asawa na din yung pangalawa kong kuya. Siya yung black sheep. Sya yung adik sa pamilya namin. Hindi ko alam anong pagkakamali ng parents ko sa pagpapalaki samin that time bakit kami nagkaroon ng adik sa pamilya. Doon sya nanirahan sa side ng napangasawa nya. Nung nagpakasal sila, parehas silang nagresign. Yung kuya ko kasi naghahanap ng mapapangasawa na maghahanapbuhay para sa kanya. Yung napangasawa naman nya, more than 7 years na nagwowork kaya naghanap naman sya ng asawa na magwowork naman para sa family nila (like housewife). Nagkaroon din sila ng 3 anak. Ngayon, namamasukan as kasambahay yung sis-in-law ko sa ate nya kasi may kaya yung ate nya (nagpapahulugan ng mga gamit, bumbay ang napangasawa nya).

Wala pang 18 years old, nag-asawa na din ang ate ko. Pumasok sya for a few months sa EPZA Cavite at nakilala ang napangasawa nya. Ok sana sa una kahit mahirap lang din kalagayan nila. Kaso dumami ang anak nila at nagkatanggalan naman sa work ng asawa ng ate ko. Yung ate ko, di na nakapag work dahil sa dami ng anak nila. Sa ngayon, nagkahiwalay na sila. Yung lalaki kasi, tinatakasan ang obligasyon sa mga anak nya. Lahat ng anak nila (4 girls) nasa ate ko. Kasalukuyan silang nakatira sa father-in-law nya.

Way back 2007, nakapasok ako sa isang Thermal Powerplant Company. That time dun pa din kami nakatira sa squatter. Walang proper comfort room. Nakatayo sa dagat yung bahay namin. Di ka makapag-cr pag may tao sa silong (say nag-aayos ng pundasyon ng bahay nila or may namumulot ng mabebentang bagay mula sa mga tinapon ng mga tao din nakatira doon). Year 2009, nagka-schedule ako na magtraining sa Japan. Naglakas-loob akong kumuha ng bahay sa PAG-IBIG. Developer namin yung HOMEMARK. Sikreto namin ng nanay ko na inasikaso na kukuha ako ng bahay para makalipat kami ng nanay at tatay ko. Ayoko na sa bahay namin sa Bacoor. Ayoko na kasing pati magulang ko namumroblema sa financial ng panganay kong kuya at mga anak nya. Hindi din ako makapag-ipon gawa nila kaya naisip kong lumayo na sa kanila para matuto sila sa mga sarili nila.

At last nakalipat na kami. Nasa Japan ako that time. Unfortunately, nagloko yung asawa ng kuya ko. Nanlalaki siya at (sorry for this word) kumabit sya sa Ninong sa kasal ng pangalawa kong kuya. Seaman kasi yun. Sa labis na kahihiyan, ayaw na umuwi dun ng kuya ko sa Bacoor kaya nakiusap na makikitira pansamantala sa bahay namin sa Greengate. Pumayag ako pero bumalik na naman yung dati naming problema.

December 2011, nagpakasal na kami ng napakabuti kong asawa. Kumuha kami ng bahay sa Lancaster gamit naman ang Pag-ibig ng asawa ko. Nagkaroon kami ng isang anak the next year and now (2016) preggy ako ulit for 2nd baby.

April 2013 namatay ang tatay ko. Nahulog sya sa puno ng malunggay (habang kumukuha sya ng isasahog sa tinolang manok). Madami syang bone injury at nabagok ang ulo plus naubusan na ng dugo.

Sobrang gulo ng isip ko that time, masakit kasi hindi ko na nakapili yung tatay ko, nandun sya sa Greengate, nag-aalaga ng mga apo sa panganay namin. Nanay ko ang kasama ko sa bahay namin. Kakaresign ko lang ng work that time, umabroad kasi ang asawa ko (officemates kami before). From hospitalization to funeral pati small details (pamasahe ng lahat, damit na puti na susuotin) kami ang gumastos ng asawa ko, thank God sa malalapit sa buhay namin na nag-abuloy direct samin ng asawa ko, kahit papaano nabawasan yung expenses. But the abuloy na literal from lamay, hindi namin nahawakan yun, labas pasok yung kamay ng pangalawa kong kuya sa lalagyan ng abuloy ng tatay ko.

They advised me to process my tatay's burial benefit sa sss, habang nakaburol. Sinunod ko yung payo kasama ko ang nanay ko. I was with her side all the time pero di ko namalayan na masama ang loob ng nanay ko sakin, samin ng asawa ko. Bakit?

Tuwing uuwi kami ng asawa ko sa Lancaster, kami pala ang topic ng mga kuya ko (habang nag-iinuman, yung alak at pulutan galing sa lalagyan ng abuloy), nakikinig ang nanay ko sa usapan nila. Ang mga himutok nila:

1. Nagulat sila na may malaki kaming pera pambayad sa hospital (more than 9000) pwede namang ilabas daw yun nung buhay pa yung tatay ko, useless na kasi patay na yung ginastusan namin

2. Nagulat sila na cash kong binayaran yung kabaong ng tatay ko (20,000) pwede namang ilabas daw yun nung buhay pa yung tatay ko, useless na kasi patay na yung ginastusan namin

3. Nagulat sila nung cash ko ding binayaran agad agad yung memorial (from 20,000 to 12,000). Hindi nila alam kung paano kami nakiusap ng Kapitan namin para madiskwentuhan yun ng ganung kababa. Ang discount talaga nun hanggang 13,000 pero that time 12,000 yung laman ng wallet ko. Kaya nakiusap ako na ito lang ang natitira sa wallet ko, pag pumayag po kayo magbabayad na po ako ngayon din. Nagulat sila kasi pwede namang ilabas daw yun nung buhay pa yung tatay ko, useless na kasi patay na yung ginastusan namin.

4. Bakit daw lugaw ang pakain namin sa lamay, tinitipid daw namin. Lugaw kasi tag-ulan nun. Di ko din alam ano ang dapat na ihanda sa mga tao, paborito ko kasi yung lugaw.

5. Tuwing uuwi kami from byahe from SSS, nagbubulungan sila na KUMUBRA NA DAW AKO.

6. Bakit hindi ko daw hinatid sa sakayan yung tito ko na nakipaglamay. Hindi man lang nila naisip na puyat ako, umiyak ako, ako pa naggrocery (kasi ayoko ng may nangungupit), may anak akong dumedede.

7. Kung sa Lancaster daw sana nakatira si tatay, hindi sya mamatay ng ganun. So in short, yung bahay sa Greengate na hinuhulugan namin, parang binigay ko na lang pala sana sa panganay kong kuya.

Naiinitindihan ko naman ang nanay ko kung bakit ang daling nalason ng isip nya. Sensitive sya eh. Malungkot, byuda na eh. Pero kinimkim ko lahat ng bagay na yun nung nalaman ko from my ate yung mga pinag-uusapan nila.

Pero nakakalungkot, wala man lang naka-isip ng sakripisyong ginawa ko din para sa kanila. Lalo na ng asawa ko, na yung inipon namin napunta sa ganung bagay.

Dumating ang araw na nailabas ko din ang lahat ng kinimkim ko na ni minsan hindi ko nabanggit sa asawa ko. Magagalit kasi siya, alam ko. Sa inis ko, nakapagdesisyon na ako. Pinaalis ko sila sa greengate para paupahan ko na lang yung bahay. That time kasi, yung kuya ko, after 2-3 days ng sweldo day nya, nagbbike papunta sa Lancaster, nangungutang ng pambayad ng kuryente, pamasahe, kesyo naubos pambayad sa tindahan. Napuno na ako. Pabahay mo na, pautang mo pa ng budget. Sobrang nakakaloko talaga. Hindi kami makaipon kagagawan nila.

Yung pangalawa kong kuya araw-araw nagbibike din papuntang Lancaster, nanghihingi ng bente, sikwenta hanggang napuno na din ako. Tinapat ko sya na tigil tigilan ang panghuhuthot nya.

Yung ate ko, sa awa ng Diyos, nagtatrabaho sa spa. Sya ang nakakaawa kasi iniwan ng ama ng mga ank nya.

January 1, 2016 : One Year Bible

Genesis 1-2 New International Version (NIV)

The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.”And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number;fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Adam and Eve

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵ Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth^[b] and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, ⁶ but streams^[c] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed a man^[d] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

⁸ Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin^[e] and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.^[f] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

¹⁸ The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam^[g] no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[h] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[i] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

²³ The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”

²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

²⁵ Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Matthew 1:1-2:12New International Version (NIV)

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1 This is the genealogy^[a] of Jesus the Messiah^[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

³ Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

⁴ Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

⁶ and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

⁷ Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

⁸ Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

⁹ Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

¹⁰ Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

¹¹ and Josiah the father of Jeconiah^[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

¹⁴ Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

¹⁵ Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

¹⁷ Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[g] (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,Magi^[h] from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’^[i]”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with giftsof gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Proverbs 1:1-6New International Version (NIV)

Purpose and Theme

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;
³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,^[a]
    knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise.^[b]

Batu Caves

One of the best tourist spot that you should not miss is the Batu Caves. The enchanted temple and shrine has 272 steps which will enable you to climb and see the beautiful overlooking of the place. Beside the steep stairways is the giant statue of Lord Murugan who is one of Hindu's God. It also the tallest statue in Malaysia at 42.7 metres (140 ft) in height. It located at the Sir Murugan Perumal Kovil at the foot of Batu Caves. It took 3 years of construction and unveiled in January 2006 during Thaipusam festival.While going upstairs, you will able to see numbers of monkeys. Just be careful because they may take what you have on your hand!

HOW TO GET THERE?

Since the hotel we were in was walking distance from KL Sentral, the best transportation was to take the KTM Komuter. The dropping point is exactly at Batu Station so you will never get lost since at the Batu Station, you will see the giant statue of Lord Murugan.
At the entrance, you will see this giant statue of a person with the mouth of a monkey. Maybe this statue belongs to Gods of Hindus.

Aside from the stairs going to the top of the Batu Cave, there are other attractions around like the pond below where you can feed the fishes.

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Aside from the fish, there are many birds around the place! There are also souvenir shops (even inside the cave upstairs) and restaurants.

So here we are! Let's go upstairs and see what it feels to be on top!

It was a breathtaking view of the whole place!


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We're almost there! Just stopping by to rest and take some pictures! Oxygen please! Just a few more steps...

Be careful of monkeys! This monkey is trying to get my husband's bottled water! Hahaha...

Inside the cave, you may see a lot of tourist, worshipers, monkeys, statues of Hindu's God, temple,souvenir shops, even chickens of those who were residing there, bats and birds. It feels weird to hear the sound of their worship songs but we need to respect their culture.

Another great experience that should not be missed! Thank God for this great experience!