MARIKENYA.com

Marikina’s Version of the ‘old COD’ through the Animated Christmas Display

mhel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:45:01 +0000

The Marikina city governemnt is really making big-time efforts in making its citizenry feel the spirit of Christmas despite the losses and pains from the flooding caused by typhoon Ondoy.

Two days ago, the animated christmas show placed on the Marikina city hall, already opened. The show mimic the popular COD department store animated display in Cubao way back in the 80s. Marikina’s own version feature animated doll show with the theme “Rising from the Mud.” It shows the struggles of Marikenyos from the typhoon Ondoy flooding and the efforts of Marikina for recovery and since its a christmas show, it narrates the story of the birth of Christ.

It is entertaining for children so if you want to bring them to see it, the chistmas animated show is up every night, starting at 6PM and repeat after every thrity minutes until 11PM.

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Rising from the Mud

mhel — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:20:31 +0000

Marikina, after the Ondoy tragedy, is literally rising from the mud. After the flooding, the great problem befell us was cleaning up what’s left from our mud-covered houses.

Yesterday, my husband was telling me if we can already buy some paints for our mud-stricken walls and ceiling. Although we already cleaned our house, we left the part of the wall and the ceiling beyond our reach. At the same time, we still fear that another typhoon will come that may cause great flooding, talk about trauma… In short, we do not want to completely clean-up and remodel because of the fear and trauma for another flooding.

Let me show you what happened to our house visually through this photos –

Terrible, right? It was very sad that for almost a week, we can’t even glimpse our floor tiles. It was hard for us to simply rise from the mud as what we only have were covered by it. What we saved from our meager salaries, we invest on improving our small abode. When people tell you get over it, it’s all gone, I hope they would understand that it is not that easy as “those things” were the only ones we had. Of course we will rise again, but allow us some time to do that. These are hard times, more so for people who do not have any means of “bouncing back” to life.

With God’s love, everything will fall into place once again. Someday.

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Update on CENTEX “MCF Scholarship Program”

mhel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:52:44 +0000

In the last weeks, there were questions regarding the scholarship program managed by the Center for Excellence (CENTEX) which offers free training courses for Marikina residents.

For those who are interested in the free training, please be informed that the remaining available courses for enrollment last September of 2009 are cancelled. Unfortunately, the schooll where CENTEX send its students was affected also by typhoon Ondoy and its classrooms, equipment, etc. were flooded. This means that the regular vocational-technical courses may resume next year, probably in February.

At the same time, the training on animation will not push through also as TESDA will not provide vouchers anymore to support the scholars. This is a sad news as CENTEX has prepared for the new batches of animation students months back.

Please wait for further news on the scholarship, hopefully, it will resume very early next year. For updates, subscribe to the feeds by entering your email to feed subcription found on the upper right side of the page.

Questions? Leave a feedback on this post or send me a message via the contact form.

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My Ondoy Stress Report

mhel — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:57:11 +0000

My apology for not being able to post more articles for this site in the last days. There are so many factors which contributed to this problem.

First, up to this time, I still do not have a broadband connection. For a month now, I’ve been persistent in calling up Globe telecom, almost everyday, and each time I can get through them, to beg them to reinstall my broadband as I need it badly. Up to this time though, nothing has been done, no restoration was made.

Second, there were so many things I needed to attend to. One of the very immediate is cleaning up. the signs of mud flooding our house’ first and second floors, are still visible and tainting the appearance of almost every corner of our small and cramped abode. Since we threw away our cabinets, tables and drawers, our dishes, clothes and other stuff, are scattered on the floor and everywhere else. There’s a big improvement in the physical aspect of our house since the Ondoy tragedy but much is needed to be done to put a little order in our home.

The last reason, I will disclose to you in the next days. Hopefully, Globe will soon restore my broadband connection so I can blog again for this site’s readers. In summary, my days and nights are too full that sleep and relaxation seemed a luxury to me which I was not able to afford. My only hope is that after all these physical and mental stress I’ve been undergoing, the effect would be that of weight loss pills. At least, if that desired effect would be realized, I would feel good that there is something positive about all these stressful events.

This is not a complain though. Don’t get me wrong. I know everything happened for a reason and I’m looking at this Ondoy tragedy in a positive point of view so learning will overcome the losses.

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Typhoon Ondoy Chronicle: Realizations from the Water

mhel — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:39:56 +0000

Experiences make you realize. Believing makes you value. Marikenya

My family, my friends, and I, are still in awe and in great trauma from what we experienced from Ondoy and his wrath. There are so many stories, mostly, unpleasant ones. But now that all my family and friends are safe from the flood, I wanted to focus on the lessons I learned from the calamity that stunned the whole Metro Manila.

Realizations from the Water:

In the midst of hopelessness, no one can save us but God. Prayers remained the best and the only option we have to survive. My prayers were answered. We lost almost everything we founded in the last years but God saved the lives of those I love so much from the flood, just as I prayed and begged from him.

Nothing is more important than saving life. In a matter of hours, a lot of ordinary people became heroes who saved lives not minding their own properties or their own lives. I salute all of you: who swam the depths of the murky water to bring people to safety; who opened their houses to others, even to strangers; who cooked meals and provided relief to the victims; who prayed for the lives of those in danger; who unselfishly helped in any little way they can to those who needed…

Take every opportunity to help the needy. During the time of Ondoy, I’ve realized how many people truly loved me. My friends who extended their help to provide us shelter, to bring us clothes, food and other assistance. In return, even when I cannot even change my underwear because everything I own were covered by mud, my husband and I circled our neighborhood to share old clothes and food we received from friends. We felt a lot better afterwards.

Even in the midst of calamity, there are still people who took and still taking advantage of others. This is in reference to small-time burglars who stole properties of people, even those who opened their doors to save them from the flood, and those big-time government officials in the guise of delivering public service but in truth, benefiting so much from the donations and grants provided by kind souls meant for the victims of Ondoy. May god all bless your souls.

…
The depth of the pains and trauma we victims of Ondoy in Marikina may never be measured. It is only when you wake up horror-stricken and panicky in the middle of the night at the drops of rain over your roof that you’ll realize, the fear thrives within you. I should know. This is what’s happening to me and to all other I know who experienced the tragedy.

Let us continue to pray… That none of those happens again in Marikina and in other parts of the country. That God will help everyone cope and bring their life to normalcy again. That people will see the importance of “the message” of God through Ondoy. That the pains will heal and the memories will blur so that we can all smile again genuinely and hope will shine in our hearts. Oh God, this, we pray…

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The Water Crisis

mhel — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:47:48 +0000

While watching the news the other day (thank God we were able to finally watch the television after weeks of darkness brought by Ondoy), an environmental expert said not because there were floods, we won’t have problems with water.

I believe that we should seriously think about and act on the issue of potable drinking water shortage in the future. Philippines was ranked as among the top wasters of water.

In the household level, we ought to refine our use of tap water when washing the laundry, cleaning vehicles, and even when doing personal activities like brushing teeth. The government and private developers should also consider not developing anymore golf courses or swimming pools.

During the flooding, our family was thankful that we were able to save a gallon of mineral water which we consumed up until the time the road outside our communtiy was travelable to refill the gallon. From September 26 to this day, we cannot really rely on tap water as a safe drinking resource unless you use reliable and high-quality water filters. It is better to be safe than worried as the danger of diseases like amoebiasis, diarrhea, gastrointestinal, parasitism, and thypoid continously loom.

We may be lucky that we were able to save mineral water for our family but we saw a lot of families who do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. It is too bad our negligence for sanitation made us depend on bottled water whilst in the past, we can directly drink from the faucet or the well. It is worst for those who cannot afford it.

Let us save the future of our country and the lives of our future children.
Let us save water. Now.

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Typhoon Ondoy Chronicle: Realizations from the Water

Devastated by Typhoon Ondoy

mhel — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:29:48 +0000

It’s been three weeks now since I last posted and I know that many are wondering why I haven’t written about the typhoon that is now a household name in the entire City of Marikina. Ondoy, the storm which took the lives of many Marikenyos, also shook my sanity as my family fought for their lives on a rooftop, during this typhoon’s savagery.

Yes, our family was among the thousands of Marikenyos which lives and properties were devastated by the typhoon and are now survivors of the legendary Ondoy. I wanted to write about our experiences, our pleas, our hopes, but technology, during the times of calamities, are worthless, at least in my case. It is only today that I am able to taste again the usefullness of internet so I can share to the whole world what happened to our family, to our community, and to our city. What’s left of it after Ondoy…

Since my laptop was also flooded, I had to use a friend’s PC to write this article on Ondoy. Little by little, I will unfold the horrors of the typhoon in this site. I would like to invite you also to share your Ondoy photos, stories, and messages. You may send them via the contact form or through my email at marikenya@yahoo.com.

Our community needs help — clothes, beddings, foams, kitchen utensils, water pails, basins, towels, blankets… among others. If you wish to help our community, please contact me. I can help organize the relief operations in our area. Please help directly the communities savaged by the typhoon so the support will be given to those who really need it.

Please reach out and help.

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The Dilemma of Moving On

mhel — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:04:41 +0000

Are you a late sleeper? I am. It has been my habit to still stay awake after a a full day of heavy work. Usually, if I am not yet grossly tired, I would still open my laptop and continue working while watching super late night TV shows. When I am too tired to bear another ray of radiation from the PC, I would simple lie down, watch TV and try to relax while hugging my baby.

Since we don’t have a cable and there’s nothing else to watch after Survivor of GMA 7 (I’m not a fan of Koreanovelas anymore so I don’t watch Shining Inheritance), I am glued to the SNN updating myself with the showbiz chismis of the day. Last night, the news was about Richard Gutierrez and his personal assistant (PA) Nomar who died because of an accident the family is now blaming Richard for. The wife said in her initial attempt to talk to Richard to know clearly what happened to her husband, Annabelle Rama just told her, move on already as Richard is already doing so. She said its easily said than done, how can she move on when she and her kids were the ones forever affected by the accident.

Kris Aquino made a comment after the interview confirming that the idea of “moving on” is really easy to say but very hard to do as she is having difficulty not crying all the time with her mom’s (former president Cory Aquino) memories. I can vouch for this thought as my heart bleeds whenever I remember my son and my tatay.

Is moving on easy? Probably, it depends on the issue of where we are moving away from. I totally agree with Nomar’s wife that that it would be easy for Richard to move on but never for for Nomar’s family who slept on the same bed with this man, and depended their life to him. How can they?

Two nights ago, my nanay’s bestfriend, Aling Zeny, passed away. She died of colon cancer which she suffered having for a few years. She was treated for a while but since the family do not have the means of supporting her medication, much more, expensive treatment procedures like chemotherapy, she, after some time, “expired.” My nanay said because she continuously bleeds, later on, she lost the minimum amount of blood she needs to survive. I wonder at this point if having her colon cleanse would have helped the process.

My nanay was too affected by this as she is older than her, the idea of death at their age is now looming. She is now constantly suffering from high blood pressure attacks and I’m really worried about her health. I hope she would be healthy again so she can spend better days and better time with us, her family. The idea of losing another member, especially as important as my mom, is just too painful to think about. Moving on would never be a possibility for me when it comes to my mother, she has been my life support since I was born and even until now that I have my own family, its still her who keeps me sane and strong.

I hope she lives a long life for me, for us. this, I pray to God.

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Memories of Mothers

Questions and Request Corner for Readers

mhel — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:32:19 +0000

I received queries and requests on different subjects from readers in the past weeks. Some of the questions and requests may be interesting to you (or probably, one you’ve been wanting to ask in a long time). You may want to help me answer some of the questions too.

I On Jobs Fair and Employment… I
–>Angela Perolino: Sana po magkaroon ng job fair ulit… Para po magkroon ng chance na mag apply ung tlagang willing mag work…
Marikenya: There will be another jobs fair this November. This is the last jobs fair for this year so mark your calendar. The date is November 17, 2009, this will be held as usual at the Marikina Sports Park (MSP). I heard there will be a livelihod and jobs fair sponsored by a city councilor and PESO this October but no details about it yet so stay tuned.

–>Antonio Camacho: Magandang araw po, meron po bang hiring dyan po sa Marikina as a driver?
Marikenya: If you’re referring to Marikina City Government hiring for drivers, you may go to the city personnel office to inquire and submit you resume for future hiring. Please understand that I am not part and do not have a hold of the hiring process of the city government.

I On Marikina Christmas Bazaar/Marikina Christmas Tiyangge/Marikina Christmas Night Market I
–>Hannah Delfin: I would just like to know when will the christmas bazaar start in Riverpark and who will I contact if i’m interested in renting a space? Thanks very much.
Marikenya: Usually, the Bazaar starts in mid-October. the city government usually hire a company to organize and manage the bazaar. Once it does, you may now contact the organizer for leasing. As far as I know, there’s no chosen organizer yet for this year. Once I learn about it, I’ll be posting their contact details here.

–> Isaac Caidic: Inquire ko lang if magkano po ung rent sa foodstall at kung meron pa ba available slot, thanks.
Marikenya: Isaac Caidic (or whoever you are if this is just an alias), are you referring to food stalls within the Night Market?

I On Free Trainings I
–> Zarah: Kelen po uli mgkakaroon ng free training sa caregiver?
…
Marikenya: If you’re referring to CENTEX Free trainings Zarah, sad to say, there will be no more offering of caregivers’ course.

I On Marikina Photos I
–> Wennie: I want to see some images of marikina in 1950’s-1970’s.. Thank you.
Marikenya: I like that too. I hope there will be more contributors of photos and and memorabilias about Marikina from those eras.

Thanks again for writing guys! If you want to send Marikenya a message or your contributions or if you have an idea how to improve this website, contact me via the contact form or email me at marikenya@yahoo.com, hope to hear from you soon.

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Loving “Who You Are”

mhel — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:02:37 +0000

Usually, I’m a confident person. I have long ago learned full acceptance of what I have and what I don’t which meant I have learned to love my strenghts and my good sides, as well as my flaws. I am referring to my physical, mental, and even social attributes.

If there’s one thing I am thankful for, it is the fact that God created me healthy and complete — no damaged or missing parts, and not sickly. My flaws, if you would call them that way, was being ordinary looking, fat, and poor. In my childhood, I was the girl who was likeable because I was funny and a little “smart” but that’s all. No outstanding character traits, no reason to be popular. I was known to some, unknown to most.

The good thing about having flaws and being plain-looking, is you develop some sort of humility and the will to prove yourself. Because of this, I strived to study hard and do good in finding a career for myself. It took me some time but when I did, It was all worth it. The journey was long and tough, but the experiences were humbling. In the end, I am thankful that I wasn’t the sheltered, pretty girl who has, and can get everything easily. Because of this, I was trained to bear and overcome poverty, pain, and challenges without losing my ground. I am a survivor in my own right.

Today, I still am not popular, still not rich, and still not dashing physically. I still am the “chubby chic” who constantly ask herself how to lose belly fat. The improvements in my personality and lifestyle are already visible though. I am now more confident as a result of my education and search for continuous learning. Physically, because I read and observe, I now know how to look decent and attractive and because I am a “practical” fashionista and I speak well, the impression of other people about me was the opposite of what I used to be. Those who do not know me usually are intimidated of me because they thought I’m classy and very intelligent. I am educated and confident and that’s it. It’s a bonus others see me greater than what I truly am. Then again, I believe I earned this because I learned accepting and loving myself and that I worked hard to prove to myself and others what I am capable of.

As I always say: “Life is what we make it.”

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