Open House and Art Sale

Alice has just issued invites ... to the batch and to the general public

date   :  9 December 2012,  Sunday
time   :  2-8 pm
place :  9 Major Dizon Industrial Valley Complex, Marikina
directions - just click on major dizon and you will see all posts on this place

Giselle's art pieces will be on sale.  She has works all over the world.
There will be other artists as well .....

there are donated works from Napoleon Abueva, Araceli Dans, and a lot of other artists,

see you. i will be there early afternoon

Last working day before the Christmas month

just want to wish everyone a good 3-day weekend.

it will be the first Sunday of Advent this Sunday, so if you are hip into Christmas, there are 4 candles in the wreath, one for each Sunday of Advent, 3 of them are violet,1 pink (for Gaudete, or Joy, the 3rd Sunday), and a white candle that is lit on Christmas day, the white candle is also called the Christ candle.

i dont have any Christmas decor, except for one Parol, but i hope to catch up this weekend.
i use foil to "light" the candle on the wreath.

happy 3-day weekend, and decorating too!

27 Days to Christmas

I was walking and saw this sign

27 Days to Christmas

and well, i paused and thought about Christmassy things

well - i posted on my journal to ask my e-friends if they wanted cards

this year, i am rather busy, but will attempt to make my own cards and to "force" myself

i bought some digital images, some of it art - to frame and hang, some of it elephants...

i do have most of my Christmas gifts ready. I shop the entire year so i wont have to rush by Christmas, but i still have to wrap them (if i run out of time, i will put them in gift bags)..

I do NOT have any Christmas decorations yet!!

I shall do it this coming weekend, whether or not the painting of the rooms (just mine, really and the bathrooms) are done.  i do have to have the curtains done!  ah well, we will see. will report to you.

i have planned my Christmas dinner, my birthday (which falls right smack between Christmas and New Year), and New Year. i have partly shopped for it.  i dont know if i can still have Excelente Ham.  I cant go to Quiapo, you see........

maybe i should start putting them in Christmas bags......

a

TEXT to SSS

do you text a lot?  do you want to text SSS?
here's the number  2600  for SUN, SMART, and GLOBE subcribers for ALL TEXTS

You need a PIN or security code to get the following info:
     1.  contribution data
     2.  loan status or loan balance
     3.  claim status

To get the PIN or security code, please register first.  To register, do the following:
text  SSS REG

example: SSS REG 0337500398 10/26/79    and send to 2600

To retrieve the PIN in case the member forgets:
text  SSS RESET



STATUS OF CLAIMS:

SSS STATUS Sickness

SSS STATUS Maternity

SSS STATUS EC MED

SSS STATUS Disability

SSS STATUS Retirement

SSS STATUS Death

SSS STATUS Funeral

example :     SSS STATUS Sickness <0337500398> 1234

CONTRIBUTIONS, LOAN STATUS AND BALANCE:

SSS CONTRIB

SSS LOANSTAT  

SSS LOANBAL

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

 

SSS DOC Sickness

SSS DOC Maternity

SSS DOC ECMed

SSS DOC Disability

SSS DOC Retirement  - for less than 65 years old

SSS DOC Retirement Minor - with minor dependents 

SSS STATUS Death

SSS STATUS Funeral 

TO GET UMID (ID) FOR  

     OFW

     VOLUNTARY MEMBER (VOL)

     SELF EMPLOYED (SELF)

     CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP RECORD (CHANGE)

SSS ID

SSS OFW

SSS SELF

SSS CHANGE

TO GET NEAREST SSS BRANCH (FOR MEMBER'S CONVENIENCE)

 

SSS BRANCH (CITY)

SSS BRANCH (POSTAL CODE)

TO GIVE FEEDBACK

SSS FEEDBACK (concerns/inquiries/complaints)

TO GET HELP FOR SSS KEYWORDS AND COMMANDS

SSS HELP

Comments on HTT's Friday column on Retire-the-SSS-Loan Program

wasnt able to post this last Friday or the weekend because i had a bit of a to-do last Friday, which carried over my weekend.  anyways, here it is.

HTT proposes to retire the sss loan program. The basis being that it is a difficult program to administer,  with too many members not paying, thinking they would just wait for the loan to be deducted from their retirement benefits, forgetting that the interest and penalties will continue.  

*sigh*  if only people will pay. still since the first condonation, people think SSS will keep condoning the loans.  I think SSS will NOT. not anymore. so, if people will pay, and pay regularly, then SSS need not retire this option.   some people need money quick, and SSS does grant loans quickly - for good payers.

i for one, want SSS to continue giving out loans.  sometimes, people need money now, and cant wait for retirement.

Click here to read HTT's column on Retire-the-sss-loan-program

Gifts for Christmas - another Etsy shop

i got an elephant from her.  then i saw this Hobbes creation.
i know someone who just adores Waterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" but we no longer talk.

still, if you have an SO who likes Hobbes or some other cute creatures.
women have a weakness for such stuff.  strong, dominant women, even.


click here for micro-crochet items

A whimsy post - an Etsy shop of Uncommon Creatures

i get mail from etsy shops.  this was one of the shops i got in my email today.

i collect elephants and i found the elephant in this shop gorgeous.  she has won awards.

i can hardly wait for my own.

do peruse her shop.  she has some of of the most amazing creatures.

so if you know someone who has all the money in this world (like Bill Gates, or Warren Buffet, or the Sultan of ......, or maybe the Marcoses for local flavor) and you cant think of a present, you may want to take a gander at this shop.  remember, you can have yours customized.  Or pick one that is existing and make little changes to make it your own.  a wonderful shop. 

Click here to go to the etsy shop of Uncommon Creatures

Looking at the American Heritage Day

We all know about John Smith and Pocahontas, right?  After all, all that Disney magic couldnt have fallen to naught.  The writer in the article - see link - discusses honoring Native American traditions, which under President Obama - has been announced to be celebrated today, 23 November.

Click to read the story on native american heritage day

What, you would say, has that got to do with Filipinos?
Very simple, like the Americans, we are a nation of many different parts - we have regional characteristics and sometimes these traits serve to divide us as a nation.  I say pooh to that.  We, like them, must come together as a people, and move for the greater good.

While we celebrate our differences - variety is THE spice of life - we must also be as one.
Let us make change for the better.

We dont have much time.  Dec 21 looms.  *winks*

Additional ACOP information - especially for those overseas

All pensioners must present themselves for ACOP during their contingency month:
     for total disability pensioners - the month of disability
     for death pensioners (survivorship) - the month of the member's death
     for retirees - month of retirement, or birthday (when the member turned 60)

Retiree and Death pensioners can report to their banks so that the ACOP compliance done at the bank can be turned over to the Jr/Sr Member Service Representative, Members Service Section of an SSS branch.  This is ANY SSS branch.  All others must report to the same person interacting with the banks.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Pensioners who will report personally need only the accomplished ACOP form and the SSS Card, or if without the SSS card, 2 valid IDs

Persons who are unable to report personally need the documents above as well as 
     Sketch of Residence and Barangay Certification of pensioner's existence
     if confined in a Home or other such places,  Certification from such Institution
     for residents abroad, valid passport or any 2 valid IDs issued by the country with photo and signature
     for disability pensioners abroad,  Complete physical examination report done within three months
          prior to the last day of compliance and certified by a physician indicating his license number
          and clinic address;  AND  Laboratory or other diagnostic examination results applicable to disability

Comments on the End of the World post by Conrad de Quiros

i read his take on the Philippine Daily Inquirer today about the Mayan End of the World prophecy.  there are, of course, many end-of-the-world prophecies but few prophecies have a track record of sorts.

click here for the post of Conrado de Quiros

The Mayan prophecy has a track record of true prophecies, or so they say.  But still, it is one of those remarkable ones that it singles out a date, and the date is verifiable by different experts.  Fascinating, Spock might say.  And it truly is, for me.

Still, the physicality of the world has changed much.  One need only point out the climate changes apparent to any person who is aware of himself and the world around him.  One who is not just thinking of himself and what he can get out of this world - during his oh-so-brief existence.  Earthquakes, frequent now.  Hurricanes and tornadoes in places where they havent occurred before.  Icebergs melting.  The signs of change are rampant.

Religious figures have warned of end-of-the-world, too.  Lucia of Fatima, for example.  St. Bridget of Sweden. One of the caveats is that if we - the people of this earth - can change, then we can avert disaster.

I agree with Conrado de Quiros's statement below although he says it differently.  Man is truly unique.  He can do the greatest good and yet, also do the greatest evil.  May Man in general do his greatest good.

"I may not believe in the predictability of the Mayan calendar and the Bible, but I do believe in the unpredictability of human nature. Good question to ask: What does it take for all of us to catch up with the reality of a threatened world?

The end of the world?"

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in the USA

Happy Thanksgiving.

It would be wonderful if every country took a day off from toil to say Thank you to their Creator, or if they were atheists, to say thank you to a still beautiful world.  As we use the US thanksgiving day to say our thank yous, may all of us be reminded that the world can only remain beautiful if we do our part to keep it so.

I hope we all do our part.

For Employers in the Private Sector - including HouseHolder for Househelp or Kasambahay

Everyone is going online.  Makes thing easy.  Also, when you try to access SSS and you are going to do some sensitive transactions, make sure you are using  https,  not   http, okay?

SSS is now requiring employers to submit the Contribution Collection List (also called the R-3) through any electronic media - the most common being a flash drive, diskettes having fallen out of vogue.  CDs are acceptable especially since many inexpensive CDs are not rewriteable, and are thus safe from tampering.

Employers can also submit electronically, via the Internet with these simple steps:
1. Register at My.SSS  in the SSS website.  Click here to go to the SSS website

2. Follow the instructions for the Employer found on the Online Employer User ID Registration Page
3. Accomplish the online form

4. Click the Submit Button.
note:  the Click Button cannot be seen in the picture, but it is below the box.

when all that is done.
1. Log-in to the Employer account
2. Choose Transactions from the Main Menu
3. Click on the Submission of Contribution Collection List (R-3)
4.  Click on the link that mirrors what you want to do -
     4.1.  Download R-3 File Generator
     4.2.  Create Collection List Online
     4.3.  Upload Collection List
     4.4.  Edit Previously Submitted Collection List
5.  Click on the specific "end" of your  trnnsaction
     5.1.  Save
     5.2.  Submit
     5.3.  Cancel

If there are concerns on this procedure, let me know and i shall try to inform the proper parties.
also, this is applicable to householder-cum-employer

Who is your ArchAngel?

Do you want to know who is your ArcAngel?
They are supposedly assigned by the day you were born ....

So if you were born on a Sunday,  St. Michael the Archangel is yours.

If you dont know when you were born, you can use this tool =====>    click here to use tool

or this tool or click this tool - to get the entire thing

Saturday Socializing

our group, Sakonit, met last Saturday at the home of the MD of the group, Jerry.  he lives in Philinvest 2, and has a wonderful home, and like all homes when December nears, a little crowded because all the Christmas decors are out...

we played mahjong.  i havent played in the .... maybe last 10 years, and was a trifle rusty, but i broke even.

i was thinking if i could parley my jedi sense (you know, when you sense things beyond the normal ken) into winnings.  i guess my jedi sense isnt for financial gain, more for danger - and that's good enough for me.

i discovered that everyone in the group knew how to play, if not prodigiously, then at least adequately.  i was never one with jokers except when playing poker with family members - and then we'd have all kinds, queen-low, one-eyed jacks, bigotes wild. we played one mahjong game with a joker and it was interesting - and fast!

in an aside, 

my dad taught his children to play contract bridge, poker, and mahjong just in case a group of people needed a fourth, and he felt all his children should be able to play.   not really into bridge, but i know someone who used to be into it.  dont know if he is still playing.......

Jerry, Li-Ann, Dale, Liz ... i'm taking the pic

Alice and Paeng.  Manny and I have no pics

On the SSS Loans Recent "Fracas" ... addendum - CHeck out HTT's column

As an SSS member, i read with Spockian eyebrow about the recent lambasting of the SSS due to the salary loan interest computation.

What is all this fuss?  Dont you check what you have to pay before you take out a loan?  Or do you blindly sign for a loan? if the member checked it out, then that means he agreed to the loan, with all its ramifications, yes? do i hear a no?

Have you read about it?  Does it bother you as a member?  Most members use it when they need funds immediately and it is usually only the actively employed who pays their loans.  No surprise there as the employer deducts the amortization from one's income.the rest of the members forget they have loans.

everyone i discuss sss with, i say, dont forget to pay your loan.  if you cant pay in bulk, then pay what you can as regularly as you can.

do a Sinatra (i listen to oldies but goodies), that is "regrets, i have a few" only.

HTT's take on the loans ... vs pensions

a cat pic

i just have to share this cat picture.

click here for a cute kitten playing

i cannot keep pets in the house - my doc has told me not to have them -
altho i do have cats outside.  i enjoy looking at the kittens.

File anywhere for SSS

Just in case you are STILL not aware, you - as an SSS member - can file anywhere, in any SSS Office.  Service delivery is at your option.

This means that you can conduct SSS business in any branch convenient to you.  The Servicing Branch policy has been dropped, effective 23 October 2012.

From Mary Southerland through email

 i do not know how to link an email post in this blog so i copied this.
this is too wonderful not to share. 


November 13, 2012
Treasures of Darkness
Mary Southerland
 
Today’s Truth
Isaiah 45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
 
Friend to Friend

I love a great movie. To me, a movie is only great -- no matter what any movie critic says or how many stars the film is granted -- when good wins over evil, the right guy gets the right girl, nobody gets hurt and everyone lives happily ever after. A bit naive, I know, but I have decided that there is enough harsh reality traipsing through my daily life without paying to see more on a movie screen. When I sit down in that cushy theatre seat, popcorn and soda in hand, I want happy endings.

With these criteria in mind, I went to see the movie, "Seabiscuit." God has a way of wrapping remarkable truths in unremarkable circumstances. There I was, munching and sipping away, minding my own business and enjoying my brief respite from the real world when his words echoed through the movie theater and slammed into my soul.
"You don't throw a whole life away just because it's a little banged up," he said. I was done. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the movie, but those simple words were written just for me and lingered long after the movie's credits scrolled across the movie screen. We are all “banged up a little” by life. I know what it feels like to be broken and in pain. And I do not like it – a fact that seems meaningless when it comes to facing and dealing with tough experiences in my life. The hits just keep coming. I have a choice to make. I can embrace the pain and brokenness in my life and learn from it, or I can surrender to the darkness and hide – and hope it all goes away. Trust me, girlfriend. It doesn’t.

Our son, Jered, played football all the way through college. Over the years, he endured several injuries, but as a junior in high school, Jered experienced his first surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot. The orthopedic doctor explained exactly what he would do during surgery. “First of all, I will remove the scar tissue that has formed around the break. I will then insert a metal screw to connect the broken bones.” As he spoke, I was comforted by my mind’s depiction of a shiny thin and smooth metal screw resting gently in my son’s foot. There are times when ignorance is a blessing.
The surgery went well and after two weeks, I took Jered in for a follow-up visit during which his foot was once again X-rayed to make sure it was healing properly. The doctor walked in, smiling and waving an X-ray in his hand. “Your foot is healing beautifully,” he announced with great pride. Curious, I asked the doctor if we could see the X-ray. When he slapped it up against the light board, I was horrified to see a thick, long metal bolt. In fact, on closer examination, I was certain the beginnings of rust could be seen on that barbaric screw jammed up into my son’s precious bone.

Seeing the look on my face, the doctor assured me that everything was fine. I was far from convinced and had a few questions that needed answering – immediately. “Is that screw supposed to look like that or did you put the wrong screw in my son’s foot? Will he be able to play football? Will his foot hurt when it rains? Will that enormous screw set off airport security detectors? Will Jered’s foot ever be as strong as it was before the surgery?” I asked. The doctor listened patiently, smiled and said, “Well, now that you mention it, I need to be honest and tell you Jered’s foot will not be as strong as it was before.” The evil doctor then grinned and said, “It will actually be stronger.”

In “A Farewell to Arms," Ernest Hemingway writes, "The world breaks everyone and many are strong at the broken places.” Jesus says it this way, “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name” (Isaiah 45:3).
Wow! The truth of this verse rocks my world. Don’t miss it! God has gone before us and buried a treasure in every problem and stored rich truths in every minute of darkness we will face. The only way we can discover that treasure is to embrace the problem as an opportunity to trust God and uncover a new seed of victory. Some things cannot be learned in the light – they are treasures of the darkness.
 
Let’s Pray
Father, my heart is broken, and it seems very dark. I don’t understand what You are doing in my life. The darkness is very real and filled with more questions than answers. And I don’t like it! But I love You, Lord, so I choose trust instead of fear and faith instead of doubt. Lord, please fill each broken place in my heart with Your mercy and Your grace. Today, I choose You. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
 
Now It’s Your Turn
God has changed my life through the truths of Psalm 40:1-3.
Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God."      

He's 45 and hasnt paid any SSS contributions

i rode a cab from lunch and as is usual with me and cabs - and cabdrivers, of course -i mentioned SSS.  i want everyone to have a pension because everyone needs one.   yes, everyone NEEDS a pension. okay, so maybe Bill Gates might not need one but then there are very few like him.

my cab driver is 45.  he has zero SSS contributions.  he wants to contribute but is basically thinking that it is too late.  lucky for him, i was his passenger. *grins*

i let him know that it is NOT too late and that he can register and start paying asap.  he only needs his NSO birth certificate and then fill up an E1, then pay as SE- self employed.  If he already wanted to put his wife and kids, then i told him to include his marriage contract and his children's birth certificate.

and then pay.  i told him to pay as much as he can afford, that is to pay maximum.  i told him the amount, which is 1,560.00 monthly or for 4,680.00 quarterly.

likewise, i told him to pay his PhilHealth since we dont know how time will shape us and what fortune brings us.

SSS Payment Channels overseas

just in case you find it easier to navigate here

click here for list of payment channels overseas

reaction on htt's column on obama and the us pension

i followed obama's first campaign and 2nd campaign - altho admittedly i also enjoyed the exchange of my 2 classmates who were on opposite sides.  then, and now, i would have voted for obama. having said that, i rather enjoyed yesterday's column. couldnt read it yesterday because ....

click on htt's column on obama-and-my-brothers-pension/

all too true, and based on htt's experience in the sss.  he has definitely been asked to speak/discuss/defend many issues on sss.

i wish that people, especially politicos really cared about retirement - as in really planning an strategizing for life it...................

but like he says, the "many" people dont care either and when not enough people care, nothing happens

Do you use Shakey's 77-777?

i love pizzas but i recently ordered from shakey's and was terribly disappointed when their call taker gave the wrong number for the pizza delivery guy.  i used to have the number 442-xxxx but i had changed it a long time ago.  AND i have informed the Shakey's call taker several times that that number is NO LONGER MINE!

and yet, that is the number the delivery guy was given ------!!!!!!

i got so angry at how INEFFICIENT their call taker guy was - and the poor delivery guy got the brunt of my anger although i was careful to tell him i was not angry at him but at the call taker.  the delivery guy (who was from the new Anonas branch) was profuse in this apologies but i told him it was not his fault.  i even tipped him.

still, i wanted to blog about it in the hopes that Shakey's management WILL TAKE NOTE!!

I couldnt resist but share this cute cat picture

 same site as the contented cat

click here for a winsome cat

The Elephant and the Dragon, published in 2007

by Robyn Meredith

Joseph E. Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics said this book is an exciting and journalistic account of one of the great economic stories of our time.

i got attracted to this book because i collect elephants.  and well, when i did a search on elephants, this book popped up (so did Agatha Christie's Elephants can Remember - a book i have read more than once) and i decided to purchase the book.i just got the book today!

although it is old, well relatively old, i think i will enjoy reading this book. i just hope to have the time.

love dies

i never thought that - love dies.  but it does.

and i dont mean just romantic love.  i mean love - in all its forms

love between friends, even love among siblings.

so why does love die?  simple.  one of the parties simply stops caring.  

one of the parties does one thing and says another.  in short, one party lies
and lies and lies and lies until there is no credibility left.

no credibility = no respect.  there can be no love without respect

love, like life, needs to be nurtured. without nurturing, love dies.
have you seen relationships die simply because one or both parties simply have no time to be with each other.  the moment you hear there is no time together, you already can hear the death knell of the relationship.  love dies, indeed

there is a song that my friend and i used to hear at Shakey's Ali Mall that goes .....

"love hurts .................................". the band we listened to sang it all the time, or at least, everytime we were to listen.  

if love hurts too much, the heart becomes numb until it cannot feel anything.  soon enough it turns into indifference - the kind that can see a former loved person dying at his feet and feel nothing.  not sorrow, not pain, just nothing at all.  to me, indifference is the true opposite of love.  not hate.  at least with hate, the emotions are engaged, but with indifference, there is no connection at all.

indeed, love dies.

you are free to disagree with me. anytime.

SSS Numbers to Call or text

CALL CENTER

Toll free for Globelines subscribers outside of NCR  917-7777

For areas outside of NCR -

Baguio City                 446-5902
Tarlac City                   982-8739
San Pablo City            562-9289
Naga City                   472-7776
Cebu City                   253-0690
Bacolod City              433-9476
Cagayan de Oro City  727-707
Davao City                  227-7273
Zamboanga City          992-2014


EMAIL

member_relations@sss.gov.ph

if there are problems with the numbers, leave a comment or text me.  will post my number tom.

Say a prayer for people with cancer

This was shared to me - by email, so i am sharing to ask for prayers for people who are ill

How's this story for a reminder that "We don't know we're alive".

 

Her name is Katie Kirkpatrick, 21 yrs old. Next to her is her fiancé, Nick, 23. This picture was takenprior to their wedding January 11th, 2012.  Katiehas terminal cancer and spends hours in

chemotherapy. Here Nick awaits while she finishes one of the sessions... 

  

Even in pain and dealing with her organs shuttingdown, with the help of morphine, Katie took care

of every single part of the wedding planning.  Herdress had to be adjusted several times due to Katie's constant weight loss. 

  

An expected guest was her oxygen tank. Katie hadto use it during the ceremony and reception.  Theother couple in this picture is Nick's parents, very emotional with the wedding and to see their son marrying the girl he fell in love when he was an adolescent. 

  

Katie, in a wheel chair listening to her husband and friends singing to her. 

  

In the middle of the party, Katie had to rest for a bitand catch her breath. The pain does not allow her to stand for long period of time. 

  

Katie died 5 days after her wedding. To see a fragile woman dress as a bride with a beautiful smile makes you think... Happiness is always there within reach,no matter how long it lasts.  Let’s enjoy life and don'tlive a complicated life.   Life is too short. Work as if it was your first day.  Forgive as soon aspossible. Love without boundaries.  Laugh without control and never stop smiling  

Please pray for those suffering from cancer.   
.   

    

Barack OBAMA

Hey Jimmy!

Democrat OBAMA is reelected!

BIG SMILE........

htt's a millionaire widow's pension post

late reaction ..... didnt have time yesterday as i was in pain

c lick here to read HTT's the-millionaire-widow-pensioner

survivorship pension is his topic, one i dont really have any interest - being single.

but. yes. no matter how miniscule, it is a good thing to have. any additional money is good.

food trip as halloween dinner at Cafevegis

i asked who was interested in having a halloween dinner

dale was iffy, boboy had xeres visiting, paeng's family tired, jerry was leaving early morning the next day, but alice and manny were free. we had dinner at Cafevegis, located in Moomba Plaza, Mother Ignacio cor Roces

food was good. the liempo tasted like the bad-for-people-with-hypertension one.  but since it was veggie, we ate a lot and enjoyed the food.  i liked the lumpiang shanghai t although alice didnt think it wasnt anything special but i liked it a lot and i order shanghai in many restos. the salmon sinigang was asim or sour the way i like it.  the fried rice was really good but we didnt want to eat too much carbo


the drinks were healthy. i got a carrot-cucumber-celery shake, manny had a similar one sans carrot. alice had an apple shake. 

rosel, try this place if you havent tried it