The Party Animal Getting Sloppy

Actually the title does not really describe me. Well I could say that I love to party and go out to have fun with friends and family. Ever since I started earning for myself back in the Philippines, I was very fond of spending happy times with my friends. Back in the Philippines where I first worked, I have my own circle of friends to spend happy and good times. I didn't see any wrong with it because I know my limitations. I drink on parties but never an alcoholic. I don't smoke and most importantly I don't do drugs at all. My activities were just simple, going to movies and go club dancing as well as going to bars with friends.

When I arrived here in America, I found a new set of friends so I felt at home and never been feeling homesick at all. I spent a lot of time with these friends, who all came from my hometown in the Philippines.

Lately though I felt something has changed, a major change. I found out that being a home bound person can be very relaxing and at the same time cost saving. Am I getting old? I just recently celebrated my 50th birthday and yes I'm getting old but my perspective in life is still very young at heart. I just love to enjoy life but at this stage, with caution. I can only think of a few factors or reasons why I mellowed down in partying. Number one reason, I can say is my health status. My readers already knew through my previous blog entries that I have kidney issues. Because of this, I have to significantly cut down my alcohol intake and be more watchful on what I eat and drink. Another reason can by my relationship with my friends. I already found out who my real friends were and these "real" friends were quite busy with their own personal and family affairs, that cuts down the frequency of my going out on weekends. Another reason which I could not resist to mention here, is the economic situation. It just came naturally to me recently that I can control my urges to go out and spend more time at home instead.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying I no longer go out and spend some time with friends. I still go out but to more important and legitimate appointments only. If there are invitations for parties, of course I would attend if time permits. Going out of town? I'm ready for it but I have to manage my time well. I have plans for a major vacation and I have to save up on money and my vacation days.

I'm still a party animal, but this time I am very cautious and choosy on my prey.

Network Wars – Are Customers to Suffer?

It's part of business strategy. Communications networks are fighting each other to get a big share of the market and most of the time, at the expense of their subscribers.

When I first arrive here in America, I spent my first pay check on a cell phone using Cingular network. I subscribed to it because this was one of the two networks that used the GSM (Global Systems for Mobile communications) platform which is the same thing used in my home country, the Philippines. I did my homework at that time, researching online about reviews on their services and I found it appropriate for my needs. I had my mobile phone for several years until another giant network AT&T bought Cingular. We instantly became AT&T customers and eventually my phone service became poor and erratic. I couldn't get a signal inside my room and in any other parts of our house. Even outside and surrounding our house signal was very low. Then I decided to change my network to T-Mobile, another network that uses GSM platform. I didn't have any problems at all with my signal and I even observed that the signal inside our house was much better than my previous Cingular service. I can make and receive calls even when I'm lying on my bed. Then with the rise of smart phones and the popularity of social networking, the need for unlimited internet data connection was undeniable. I upgraded my subscription plan that will cater to unlimited internet data connection with T-Mobile.

Introducing the iPhone: exclusive only at AT&T. Then came the android phones together with Google powered phones and Windows phones. But most of the customers were attracted more to the iPhone and its apps and features. There were several reports and is now a known fact that iPhone users always suffered problems on connectivity like dropped calls. I have a number of friends that complained about this problem with their iPhones. Still reports came out that a big percentage of T-Mobile costumers switched to AT&T because of the iPhone. Verizon Wireless, a network that uses CDMA platform now offers iPhone so customers wanting this phone have another choice. This scenario brings T-Mobile's market share into jeopardy and just yesterday, reports came out that AT&T is going to buy T-Mobile. This would leave AT&T as the main GSM network in the USA. It was known that T-Mobile had been working on expanding their latest technology to 4G, and with this merger, I just hope that AT&T will use this to improve their sloppy service.

Millions of dollars will be paid out to T-Mobile and for sure AT&T customers, now including me, will carry the brunt through our phone bills. Maybe we may not feel the effects now pending the approval of the merger but nowadays prices have nowhere to go but up.

Loss And Hope

Five days after the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, there are still about 8,000 people missing and more than 4,300 dead. Adding to this is the threat of a nuclear meltdown which may bring a long term devastation. In the midst of chaos and hopelessness, miracles still happen. I can't forget the one that I just read online about a Japanese student studying here in America. A friend informed her that they spotted her family member on a YouTube video. She searched for the video and saw her older sister in there making a shout out to her through the news people to inform her little sister in America that the family survived the devastation. Stories like this helped the survivors as well as the rescue workers to still hope that they can still find survivors amidst the rubble. There was this international rescue worker who still keeping hope alive to find more survivors if they keep on searching.

Check this video: "California student from Japan finds family alive on YouTube"

Since we are not in Japan, all we can do is to pray for them and try to help in anyway we can. There are so many ways to help and donate money for Japan. Just go online and search for your legitimate charitable institutions that set up some fund raising for Japan's relief and recovery efforts. Japan has often donated when other countries have experienced disasters, such as when Hurricane Katrina impacted the United States.

Below are organizations that I found online that are working on relief and recovery in the region.
American Red Cross
Global Giving
Save The Children
Salvation Army
AmeriCares
Convoy of Hope
International Medical Corps
Shelter Box

There are still more institutions and organizations in your communities that set up some programs and activities to send monetary help to the devastated nation.

As one children of God, let us all help our Japanese brothers and sisters.

The Clan

I'm quite excited nowadays because I am starting to make connections with the rest of my clan. Under the family name of Lumen, a group was created in the social network Facebook by one of my cousins. It was amazing because the membership grew exponentially. We started communicating with the other members of the Lumen clan from all over. It opened the chances to possibly trace back our roots. With the help of my father, I was able to trace part of our family tree. In fact a member happened to be our second degree cousin. She mentioned that she came from my dad's original hometown and further mentioned the name of her father and her grand father. It turns out that her grand father was a half-brother of my grand father. It was such a nice feeling to be in touch with a close relative whom I never met.

Hopefully, the other members would also try to trace their respective roots in order to know the origins of the Lumens. I'm so happy that one of the main purpose of this social network became a reality for us, the Lumens. We are hoping to hold a virtual clan reunion for all the members.

American Holiday - President's Day

President's Day is a United States Federal Holiday that falls on every 3rd Monday of February. This was originally called Washington's Birthday in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States of America.

This day is no special day for me, that is in my case. I started today, a Monday & my second day being off from work, by attending my Zumba class. On my way to the gym, the only thing I have noticed was the deserted roads and then I remembered that it was indeed a holiday with no work and no school. I'm sure my dad would just be wasting his gas when he goes to the bank to pay the house's mortgage without calling the bank first if they are open. Talking about my Zumba class, our teacher is preggy and personally I'm getting worried who will take over her schedule. I just hope that the substitute teacher will be as good or even better as her. Anyway, after Zumba, I went straight to home. Had lunch with my parents and after which I helped my mom sort out the picture files taken during their Golden Wedding anniversary last July 2010. After sorting out the photo files in my computer, we went to Walmart to print those selected pictures for her album. It turned out that we actually selected 242 pictures. This time, my mom will have a grand time arranging and re-arranging these pictures on her photo album. We proceeded to Food4Less to do some groceries. We headed to home around 5:30pm and it was getting dark and chilly. I originally planned to watch a movie today, but I guess it was late already and besides I felt lazy to rush to the shower and a quick change and go out from the house. I was already comfortable on the lounge chair in our living room watching some updates on what's happening in the world. I decided to stay instead and just surf online.

That's how I spent the President's Day. I felt it was just another off day, working on some errands and chores.

The Big V-Day

What's so big and special about this day? Well, aside from being off today, it's "the" Valentine's Day. In the Philippines, or at least from the province where I came from, we have a joke for those singles out there that doesn't have a partner for today. All singles will be subjected to death by firing squad at the town's plaza. That's gross. I don't want to die just because I don't have a "valentina"?

I dont have a "velentina" but I do have special people that I love. My family first and foremost and my very special and close friends. They are always my valentine. On the romantic side, I guess I really have to be killed by firing squad. I can probably kill myself in some other "special" way. I might make a list of things that I will do today..."to kill myself".

Number one (1) - Go to the gym and kill some extra pounds by doing the Zumba.

Number two (2) - Eat lunch with my parents, most likely at the buffet to kill my hunger pangs after exercise.

Number three (3) - Watch movies in the afternoon, to kill my boredom.

Number four (4) - This is an altenate to #3 plan, to chill out in my favorite hangout place. Hint: where burgers and free internet abound

Number five (5) - Another alternate of #3, just stay home and practice how to be a monk.

Based on this list, I really dont have much to do today. I'd better drive to Hoover Dam and jump off from there...hahahahaha....

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY everyone.

Over The Hill

This expression actually means one is past his youthful vigor. This usually applies to those who reached their forties but I would like to apply it to myself, too. I already celebrated my big "Five-Oh" earlier this week and I could say that I am now in the middle of my life span. I would like to think that age is only a number, not being defensive here but it greatly helped maintaining my youthful perspective. I was quite flattered to read some birthday greetings on my Facebook page and mostly would say that I don't look like 50 years old. Well, that's what I am feeling most of the time. I want to always feel young and with vigor and it is a known fact that to maintain this is to stick to a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle means a healthy perspective in every aspect of your life. Living and enjoying life to the fullest in a good way. Surrounded by the love of your family and friends and guided by a spiritual love. A best buddy of mine once posted on his Facebook page something like this: If it rains money on one side and happiness on the other, which one you would choose? I would choose happiness as it brings on contentment on everything and money doesn't but everything.

Reaching your 50^th birthday is quite an accomplishment and therefore a milestone. I wanted to celebrate it with a big bang and I did it. I wanted to do it by myself and that's what I did. Although I seek some help from some of my closest friends but the bottom line most came from my pocket. I booked the place way ahead, before the new Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas actually opened their doors for business. As the date was fast approaching, more preparations have to be done to the minute details. It was my first time to hold a party in a hotel suite so I was both excited and nervous. Excited to see who will actually come from the invitations that I sent out through mails and Facebook invites. I was nervous about every detail of the party; the food, the drinks, and the venue itself. My strategy of specifying in my invitations to bring a bottle of wine instead of gifts actually worked. I had more booze than my guest could consume. Food-wise, I was on the safe side. I purposely set the party to start at 7pm, meaning most of the guests have had their dinner already. I hired a DJ to provide party music throughout the evening. The venue was the best part. I got one of the hotel's attractions, the wraparound terrace suite that usually cost a fortune but thankfully got a good deal on it. I thought I need more chairs for the guests to settle down but with the assurance of my close friends, everybody was doing fine. It was actually a party where guests were expected to interact with each other and not just sit around. We had the best view from our suite and that was worth everything for everybody.

I held my birthday party on February 5^th, 2 days earlier than my actual birth date to make sure that most of my guests were free on that day. What made my birthday celebration special was that my family back in the Philippines, spearheaded by my brother also held a birthday party for my honor on the same day. It was my first time to have a synchronized party globally. I am so blessed to have the love of my family. I can't ask for more.