Happy New Year!

It is less than 4 hours to go and 2008 will just be a memory! How time flies! And, how things can change! So, before "amnesia" took over, I am making a short list of the blessings I am very thankful of for the whole year:

1. For my good health! (And for my unfaltering sanity the whole year!)
2. For the good health of my whole family & of the whole LEENTech Network Solutions' personnel.
3. For the good health of our relatives who are on the other side of the continent- the Prodigalidad Family U.S.A.,/Canada. (We missed you , Guys! Happy New Year!)
3. For my "new-found technology" where I can express myself and be able to share it to the world - the world of blogging!
4. For the continued family business existence. (Hi, Richard, Karlo, Lhen, Randolph, & the rest of the team!)
5. For the unwavering protection & blessing to a far-away daughter. (Keep up all the good works, Chaps! Love you!)
6. And, for finding the long-lost, perfect inspiration to everything I am doing!.(Busy...busy...busy!)

There you are! So, to all of you who stood tall with us during the hard times but who also shared with us the triumph of the company's continued endurance, "Happy New Year!"

So you want to own a pet? Here's some advice on how to be "pet-ready".

Everybody enjoys seeing a cute pet! (Well, almost everybody, I think!) Whether the pet is a dog, a cat, a bird, or what have you. But for me, finding satisfaction in "interacting" or "petting" someone else pet is very different from actually owning one.

Take for instance a cute puppy pet. Gandang tingnan at himasin hangga't puppy pa. Hangga't kaya mo pa ung pambili ng puppy food niya masaya ka pa rin! But, wait till the puppy became an adult dog already! Madalas ng magsira ng mga gamit. Lakas ng umubos ng dog food! (Teka, magkano na nga ba ang per kilo ng dog food na branded ngayon?) Di rin biro ang magpaligo at maglinis ng dog house niya! Teka, nagkasakit pa gawa yata ng magpalit ng brand ng dog food niya! There's a Veterinary Doctor at the other town, patingnan natin! Wait, let's do some research first in the Internet. Baka me home-made solutions pa para maging masigla ulit ang pet dog (at ng medyo makatipid na rin sa gastos!) . Sorry, hindi talaga pwede ang trial-and-error baka lumala ang sakit niya, We better bring him to the veterinarian na. Good! My son's dog, LINUX, is now well again a day after the visit to the vet.! Pero teka, bakit ako yata ang abala at nag-aalala at hindi ang real pet owner? Oh, well, my son is always busy managing his business, he is not yet fully "pet- ready", natutuwa lang siya talaga na makakita ng mga cute pets. Well, maybe, the desire to own and take care of his own pet is there! Kaya nga I made this blog to sort of provide some advice to former pet-lovers turned pet owners:
1. Kung gusto niyong mag-alaga ng pet, una niyo i-prepare ang sarili niyo!
2. Condition yourself into being a responsible pet owner. Not just a pet admirer!
3. Do some research ahead of time. If it's a pet dog, check out the Internet for, say, how to care best for the preferred breed.
4. Get a good place in your yard where to put your pet where it will be comfortable.
5. Consider your pet as a new member of the family. So, treat it as one.
6. And lastly, be prepared for the "unexpected", (sometimes) not-budgeted contingency funding for your pet's perpetual maintenance. Estimated lifespan of a medium-sized dog, according to experts, is from 10 - 14 years. Total cost to maintain a dog pet through its entire lifespan is from $7,000 - $15,000. That's a lot of money! But, if you are a certified dog lover, it should be all worth it! Here's where most of the money are spent:
6.a. Dog food is the biggest consumable, but it is the easiest to compute!
6.b. Vitamins is a must, hence should also be already on your budget.
6.c. Veterinary consultation & hospitalization- this is where you should be prepared to stretch your wallet. Sometimes you just do not know how many times you will be going back & forth to the clinic if your pet do not get well after its first or second trip to the clinic. There's a nice article on how to save money if you want to be a serious pet owner: Reducing the Cost of Owning Pet. Please check it out

At present, we have four (4) pet dogs in the house. I originally owned just one, but I am actually taking care to all of them now. I don't mind though, I am pet-ready anyway! How about you?

Malling on Christmas Day!

This is not supposed to be the very first topic I want posted for my personal blog. As a first time blogger, I wanted to be "very careful" in selecting my topics before posting them especially my very first one. As a result, I have drafted several topics which, by the way, are still all unfinished as of this date! My plan is to later choose which is the best topic for me to post first. However, this blog I am sharing now came to me so unexpectedly for two reasons: First, I just felt it should be immediately shared because of its timeliness; and second, I wonder if the question I have in mind can get answered.

I am just wondering if those young "inaanaks" (godchildren) nowadays still have a 100% mindset on those godly values of reaching for the hands of their "ninongs" and "ninangs" (godfathers/godmothers) and asking for their blessing on Christmas day? Yes, maybe there are still many kids who feel obliged into going into that routine for the first hour or two of that much-awaited Christmas day. Traveling to their godparents place, getting their blessings through the motion of "mano po" and later acquiring a wrapped gift or cash in return and then a little bit later, took off to a place called the MALL! Hmmm...and, maybe some kids will extend a little extra time "searching" for their "missing" godparents (some of whom prefer not to be found!) and if they are lucky to find them, shout "Eureka" and also got some cash rewards for finding their second parents! And, if they don't, they can just go back home to their own parents, ask for some bucks, and later, took off to that exciting place called the MALL!

Why am I having that thought (or is it a real fact)? Well, you see, as a certified godfather myself, I used to stay in the house the whole day on Christmas and wait for my godchildren (and other long-lost relatives?!) who will eagerly make the very early morning walk towards my house trying to beat one another just to be ahead of the pack! This year was no different. I was able to "fulfill" my own obligation. Hoorah! However, for a change, I left my house after lunch and rushed to the nearest mall just to check on a few things I missed buying before Christmas. To my surprise, the road to the mall is so full of vehicles...both private and public. On ordinary day, I can reach the place in just under 30 minutes. On this very day,December 25, it took me two hours to reach it. (The trip back home is even longer. I even needed to refer to a local map to search for "shortcuts" because the traffic on the regular route is really very heavy!)

Surprise, surprise! Even the mall's queue at the cashier counters is also very long! And, hey, aren't those kids lining up at the counter, paying for their personally chosen favorite toys that are just recently released from the shelves. And, their parents? Oh, they are also with them -sharing the same thrill of spending a little more for their beloved children (from their kid’s own earnings, maybe) and, perhaps, buying something for their own "inaanaks" whom they missed putting on their list but suddenly popped up on their front door!

Oh well I just thought. Maybe after all, this is one of the most exciting reasons why an adult and responsible person (like me!) is always thrilled by this "unforgettable" long holidays - saving some money before it came, and then, figuring out how the saved money can fit in to the holiday's expense requirements! I tell you, there's really a lot of tension in doing this (just an opinion, so please pardon me)!

And so, the question I have in mind right now in which I will appreciate getting answered is that – is malling now really become a part of the young kids (and the old ones too!) itinerary on Christmas Day instead of spending the greater part of the day visiting their godparents or being with their grandparents who missed them throughout the whole year? Calling all mall operators, please help me out here! Do you have some statistics of the total numbers of mall visitors during this Christmas? I would certainly appreciate some numbers. Thank you very much! And, to my fellow godparents, can you share me your thoughts or observations too? Did you miss some "inaanaks" this year? Try checking out the mall nearest your place too!

( Oh, by the way, the mall I went into that day opened their stores at 12 Noon. I arrived at about 1:30PM and, believe me – every store inside the mall, including the fast food stores, are almost all jam packed with kids and adults alike! Say, I almost forgot, I went to the mall because I also missed buying something for my latest "inaanak"...Hmm, I wonder was he my 29th or the 30th godchild? Need to check my long list again. I don't want to get embarrassed by a young man approaching me on the mall and asking for his "aginaldo" (gift) in front of the big toy shop! Happy New Year everyone!)