I’ve been so preoccupied during the holiday season that I now only had the chance to post this picture! Well, better late than never, eh? 
Here’s a picture that I took of the large Christmas tree found in Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao. I took this on a Friday, which coincidentally was also “Night Cafe” day in CDO. “Night Cafe” is a regular Friday and Saturday event in the City of Golden Friendship. Most roads within the Divisoria area are closed to traffic and various vendors put up shop along the streets. So without further ado – here’s the lighted Christmas tree. Pretty, yes?
LikeFrom my family to yours – Merry Christmas! (Malipayong Pasko) I hope the past year has been fruitful, peaceful and definitely merry for you and your family. My 2008 has been (and still is!) amazing – I have traveled to more places this year, attended more events and festivals around Mindanao, met more interesting people around the Philippines and tried my hand on more things such as photography, white water rafting and Photoshop dabbling! I intend to continue this amazing journey next year, 2009 – the Year of the Ox. Hopefully, I will travel even farther, increase my list of friends, meet more people, help more strangers, hone my talents more and just become a well-rounded, warmer, more confident, more courageous person. Expect bigger things here in Mindanaoan as well!
Once again, Merry Christmas to you – let love and peace reign! Cheers!
So how much did you receive as Christmas bonus this year? If you think your ten or twenty thousand pesos is already a big amount, think again. Government employees in Bukidnon received fifty thousand pesos for their bonus this December. Yes, Provincial Government of Bukidnon (PGB) employees received P50,000.00 each (more than a thousand US dollars) this year.
Don’t be too surprised, though, because the said amount is actually LESSER than what the regular Bukidnon provincial government employees received last year. The year 2007 saw each and every regular provincial government of Bukidnon employee receiving a staggering eighty thousand pesos (P80,000.00)
Interestingly, some of my friends working in the PGB said that the P50,000.00 still wasn’t enough. They said that they still have to pay a lot of IOUs.
“Daghan pa gihapon mi utang nga pagabayran (We still have a lot of debts to pay off). Nag-hope gyud ko nga more than eighty thousand ang bonus but kini ra man (I really hoped that the bonus would be more than eighty thousand but this is all we got),” one of my female friends said. She recently got hitched and has a baby boy. Still, my friend admitted that the fifty thousand bonus was a big help for her and her family. She admitted it was definitely a far cry from the usual five thousand bonus most private employees in Bukidnon received this year.
Which brings me to ask…how come a province like Bukidnon can afford to give this much as bonus to its government employees?
Have you been to Gaisano Mall of Davao lately? Because I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that you will never think there’s a financial crisis going on when you see the throngs of Christmas shoppers in that mall. Actually, the scenes in other malls aren’t different either. A lot of Dabawenyo Christmas shoppers are also busy checking out the Christmas sales in SM Davao, Chimes, 168 Mall Davao, NCCC Mall, Times Square and in other shopping centers around Davao City, Mindanao. I also spotted a lot of people along San Pedro Street (does anybody remember Mantex? What about A & M?)
Anyways, here are some photos I took over the weekend when my family and I bought some gifts at G-Mall:
See? You can’t help but wonder, “Crisis? What crisis?”
I guess CRISIS-mas isn’t “uso” in Pinas!
What about you? Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?
Men are not the only ones racking their brains out as to what’s the best gift for the female loved ones this Christmas season, the women are also having a hard time too!
Unlike in the past where the easiest gift to pick for men are jackets or pants, women are now challenged with the fact that men are also embarking in the modern age where there’s a lot of things to choose from.
Trend expert Vincent Gregoire gave some cool tips for women in what great gifts to give to their male loved ones. He suggested that before scrimping for gifts, women should think of practical and intelligent presents.
• USB memory sticks or external hard drives. Men are becoming more tech savvy and providing them additional memory in storing files is a safe bet.
• Items that would look good in his pad. You’ve checked out his place and think of an appropriate item that would complement his pad.
• Cooking utensils can be an interesting gift especially if the man has an inclination to learn how to cook.
• Books.
• Experience vouchers. You can give him a ticket to an actual sports game depending on his preference. You can accompany him as well.
Also, titanium money clips would be great gifts for him as well. Money clips actually are timeless so you can give those to him regardless of the season. I highly suggest the nitrate finish money clips! They’re very durable and look very nice
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