Remembering Raf

All Souls Day is nearly coming and one of the special people that is very very close to my heart to remember on this day is my dear nephew, Raf.

Rafael Alfonso or simply Raf is the 12th grandchild of the Balinas family. He is the middle child of my sister. He was a special baby and will always be in our hearts. He was born with aneurism which was the reason for him to be taken out of schedule from his mom's stomach and had to be operated to fix his brain. There were more threathening events which we thought he would passed away but God provided us five (5) fruitful years with him. He has touched so many lives not only within our family but to our friends and other people which we do not know also.

In any family gatherings or out of town and country trips, we made sure he was with us eventhough we knew it would be difficult. Hence, for us, we wanted him to feel how good life is and experience what everyone in the family has.


Sometime in 2003, God decided to end Raf's life and be with Him. It was painful but we're happy too since finally his ordeal on his condition has finally ended. Also, we knew he was with our Daddy because he died on the 39th day after Daddy died. I believe Daddy waited for Raf before he finally went to our Lord's way.

To my dear Raf, we missed you so much just like your Lolo. We knew you are an instant angel of the family. Your brothers, Migs and Sandro will always remember and love you as their special brother. I know someday we will be together again in God's plan.

Bride and Prejudice

I was surfing in Google for Pride and Prejudice when I accidentally typed "Bride and Prejudice". I was surprised because I remembered this movie which I watched in one of my plane trips going to Europe last December 2004. Oh I love this movie since it has a nice plot plus the main male character, Martin Henderson is so handsome ( he looks similar to one of my "special" friends though ;-) ).

To give you an overview of the movie, it is about the Indian family (Bakshi) with four (4) daughters, namely: Jaya (eldest daughter of marriagable age), Lalita (headstrong and smart, portrays by Aishwarya Rai), Maya and Lucky (youngest and who almost married to a wrong guy). They have a new neighbour, Mr. Balraj which Mrs. Bakshi sees this handsome man as a prospective suitor for Jaya. With this kind of idea, Lalita disagrees and is determined to marry for love without the interference of her mother.

In one of the many social gatherings, Lalita met Will Darcy (Martin Henderson) which happens to be an American hotelier and the bestfriend of Mr. Balraj. Darcy instantly attracted to Lalita.

Was it a happy ending to Lalita and Will? Well, that's for you to find out...

In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, there's a conflict between Darcy and Elizabeth which revolves around their social status. But for Bollywood version, cross cultures act as negative barriers between Darcy and Lalita.

Aishwarya Rai plays the role of Lalita with great versatility. She is one of the famous Bollywood actresses. As my Indian friend said, she is the highest paid model and actress in India. Also, she won the Miss World title last 1994 where Sushmita Sen (another Indian beauty candidate won the Miss Universe title of same year). Such beautiful and very succesful lass, she is still single.

If you have read the novel, Pride and Prejudice, you will love this movie too. Like Filipino movies, there's so much entertainment and touch of heart scenes.

Soccer Game in One Humid Sunday

Today is a special day for my nephew Migs since it's his 1st soccer or football tournament with other football schools. As early as 8:00AM, we were already in Brent football field. I thought it was cancelled since it was raining so hard.

I was so amazed on how many kids were there to participate. In fact, there were more than 10 football schools from all ages and cultures. To name a few, British School Manila, Alabang Football School, Makati Football School, CSA and Brent School.

Let me share some of the pictures I took:

This is the first game with Brent School. Migs team won with 3 goals. I remembered my sister, Tel told me that during registration, she eavesdropped some of the Brent students saying " Oh no, alabang's goona fry us". And it really happened.


This is the team of Migs. It was taken after their first game which they won over Brent. It was really hot after a long rain in the morning. Unfortunately, we all got sun burned.




Migs and I were resting while waiting for their 2nd game with Xavier School. It was humid and hot. Unfortunately, they lost by 1 goal. I bet kids were tired and hungry too because they haven't eaten their lunch before playing.


After watching the lost game of Migs' team, Sandro became cranky and kept on crying. I guess he was sleepy too. Nonetheless, my sister made a point to pacify him.




Well, Migs' team did not make it to finals. But one thing I know, all the kids had fun and enjoyed meeting new friends.

Special in October

October is a special month to some of the people that are close to my heart... my brother MJ, my nephew Sandro, my friends Monti, Vic and Wins and most of all, my dear Daddy.

Let me share to you the birthday boys and describe why they are close to my heart.

1.My Brother MJ. I used to call him "Dobberman" because he was so strict to me and to my sister, Tel when we were in our grade schooldays. Because of him, I turned my back to amplaya, okra and durian. And when he left for Australia, my sister and I celebrated and had party in our house. But now, we are best buddies and I always enjoy my trip in Australia and be with him and his family.


2. My Nephew Sandro. He is the youngest member of the Balinas family. He is cute and bubbly boy but he turns to be the most stubborn kid in town when he is not in the mood. Only his parents can only control him. Mind you, if he's scolded by his Dad, he never cry or blink his eyes (kaya mo yun?) Well, I still love this rascal.


3. My college friend Monti. This good looking guy has a good heart and nice to everyone. Very helpful and never forget to greet me on my birthday. Like his wife, Tricia, he is simple and happy person.

4. My ex-officemate Victor. We call him "Papator" as invented by Jason Carlos of Smart. This guy is one of my favorite partners in work when I used to be connected with Datacraft. Because of him, our projects were successful. More so, our clients became our friends too.


5. My client and friend Wins. He works with Smart Communications as the team leader in MVas Group. You will be lucky if he will be your friend. Such a very nice person and loved by everyone. Very helpful too.


6. Lastly, my dear Daddy Joe. He will always be my idol, mentor and most of all, my inspiration. He is the reason why I am successful now in my own little way. He molded me to be a strong-willed, independent and practical person. Hence, one (1) trait I never forget too is to help others when in need. Such strict father but he got the biggest heart and loved by so many people. Missed him so much.




I have many things to say to each of them but the space is not enough. Nevertheless, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF YOU!!!