Inviting Comments on the SSS website

to the readers of this blog

i am planning to give the SSS webmaster feedback about the SSS website
so i am inviting comments from all of you

for example, is it easy to access the website?
is it easy to navigate?

do you use My.SSS?  tell me about your experience

i promise to inform the webmaster your comments so i hope you comment

thanks!

Muang Thai - a favorite resto

It is almost 11 and i am getting hungry.

I am thinking of food, glorious food.

Muang Thai is a Thai restaurant that is behind Heart Center.

My favorites there -

Fried Catfish Salad - yum, the best so far that i have tasted, and we've ordered the same in a lot of other restos.  the catfish was crispy, the green mango was perfect, and well, they used to have separate sauce, but now they have blended it with the dish.  i prefer it separate because i can season the dish  with as much as i like......

Sizzling Squid - yum.  really, really good food.  The squid was tender, and didnt taste .... fishy, in tagalog, one would say, it doesnt taste malansa.  A taste of tart with soy, and a wonderful blend of spices.  the veggies with it were delicious as well.  i had a good time eating them.

and of course, the Spicy Shrimp Soup - what is it now, Tom Yum (camt remember) which i have been trying to duplicate at home.

and the rice.  There are several that i like, the Muang Thai Rice, their banner rice dish, and the Bagoong Rice.  Either one is good.

The Massaman Curry is okay, and their Satay Chicken/Beef is good, but not as spectacular as the first 2 i mentioned.

hmmmm.

i already have my lunch.  i will try to catch dinner there sometime second week of May, after my laboratory examinations....  

A Korean Hot Pot - Nowana U&I

Ensogo offered a deal for Nowana U&I - unlimited shabu-shabu for 2 and an order of Bulgogi.

Our family loves hot pot - so i bought a voucher and brought my nephew to this new place ,,, along Mother Ignacia.

It is a new resto, but if you are disabled, you must be prepared to negotiate the stairs.  I had a bit of difficulty and asked my nephew to hold on to my cane.  The stairs are a bit narrow, like some of the old houses in Manila.

The Bulgogi was too sweet and too liquidy - and this didnt match the hot pot.  I would have preferred it a little less watery, with perhaps a thicker sauce, and with a little bite.  Moreover the meat was practically the same one in the hot pot.

The hot pot ingredients were pretty standard - tofu, veggies (2 kinds), some shrimps. fish balls, fresh eggs, and meat that you had to ask for.  For seasoning there was garlic, onions, red hot pepper (red sili), green hot pepper.  Then they served a concoction they had prepared.  We requested for soy sauce and calamansi, since both of us like soy and the tartness of calamansi.

Once you've layered the taste, the soup was good.  we had a lot of it.  we had 2 servings of the meat, and we went to get ingredients twice.  as my nephew puts it, there was nothing special.  it was okay, but not special.  

The soup was good - after we added spices.  i can go there again for the soup, but i have to think about the stairs.

and oh, the bathroom was clean and nice.  Of course, we were the only guests there....... as the resto had just newly opened....

i wanted to say that you should take advantage of the ensogo offer.

and oh, i told the servers that their pot was too shallow.  i mean hot pots were meant to contain lots of soup, and their pot just didnt do it.  also, their tables didnt have the sunken thing for the hot pot, so the pots were on the table, with this cookware that uses gas in a canister.  The disadvantage, hard to get the soup

Provident Funds ....like the SSS Peso-Fund, Pag-ibig2 Fund

remember when SSS announced the SSS Provident Fund - that is - The SSS Peso Fund -
 wherein interest followed the 90-day T bill?
well, that fund is still not in play.  Yep, it has been postponed.  The fund is similar to the Flexi-fund offered to OFWs.  But there are many restrictions.

If you check the Pag-ibig website, there is a Pag-ibig 2 offer wherein contributions are voluntary, have a better interest rate than bank deposits, but the interest rates are not comparable to the SSS Provident Fund.

however, the Pag-ibig offer has less restrictions so if you want to invest now, and with less hassles, go with the Pag-ibig 2 fund.
also, did you know that you can also increase your pag-ibig 1 contributions.
i know, HR never said anything, right?

do you wonder if HR really cares about you?

well .....

SSS UMID cards - An SSS Advisory

Just to make sure you are kept abreast of SSS media advisory of the release of SSS UMID cards

An Angel in the Mail

Instead of Passing this on to mail to only 10 people
am pasting this in my blog.

add a comment .......... and pray for you and your friends

Have you stopped paying your SSS contributions? You can continue - no sweat - PART 2

This is part 2 of the earlier post with the same title.

Yes, you can continue to pay your contributions after you stop, even if the stop is a long time (like 10++ years).  However, if you were self-employed, you might need to be interviewed again, depending on circumstances.

Otherwise, all you need to do is pay as voluntary since you already have previous contributions.

Remember to use the new payment form for SSS Contribution payments.

this is how it looks ...

a reduced copy of the form

click to see the copy in the sss website

Are you an SSS Claimant?

Yes? that means you must have a STUB.  if you dont have a stub. you are NOT a claimant, okay

Some of you do follow-ups too soon, wasting your time and money because the result is the same - your claim is still pending.

The thing is, as Julia Roberts says, you need to ask the frontliner when you can do a follow-up, and dont forget to ask their telephone numbers.  if they dont give you the phone number, mosey over to the website and take a look at the branch directory. take note of the number and call them.

if your sss records contain no flaws - such as everything correct, and your documentation is complete, then claims will not take too long.  allow 3 months at least even if the ARTA says shorter before you start stressing about your retirement.

this is why i am advising all would-be retirees to check their sss records to make sure that everything is fine and dandy before retirement, way before retirement.  what is fine and dandy you say?

1. your full name is correct.  full name: first name, middle name, and last name, and whatever suffixes (Jr., III, etc) - no documentation errors

2. your birthdate is correct.  no documentation discrepancies

3.  your date of cover is correct.....

4. all your employers have been correctly captured

5. no missing contributions and loans okay

btw, sss has an ongoing project related to manual verification and consequent pension adjustments that will take til year end to complete.  that is, of course, the target date.  dont be angry if it gets delayed.   there is still Murphy's Law to be considered.

btw. it is easier to email you. so get your child/grandchild or other relative to handle responses for you for email.  texting is a bit hard to explain matters, much, much easier to email - and there is out of pocket expense for the sss personnel so you just may get your response easier

Text Talk - Not for use in this Blog

This is just to announce that I will NOT respond to any comments using text-talk.

i dont see why people cannot spell out the correct tagalog/pilipino  or English word when there is no limit to the text.....

so if you want to ask or comment and expect a response, write in proper tagalog or English.  Even taglish would do, just NOT text talk.

SSS says goodbye to Commissioner Marianita Mendoza

SSS said goodbye to Mrs. Marianita Mendoza this afternoon at a send-off party at the Executive Lounge at the Social Security Building along East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.

I had the opportunity to speak with her many times.  She is a warm, wonderful physician, beautiful woman, who is very soft-spoken.


She will be missed by the Officers and Staff of the SSS.

L-R: Trustees: Trustee 1, Alfred, PCEO de Quiros, Trustee 2, Carol, Horace Templo, Comm. Marianita Mendoza, Zaldy

April birthdays

April 1 - Choodze Orpilla
April 3 - Ylla Sales
April 17 - Ricci Sindac
April 29 - Kay Uichanco

Life and Death - a slightly confusing post that i published anyway

I wish everyone a Happy Easter!  The joyous rebirth into Christ's love.

There would be no Resurrection without the Crucifixion, and Life with God can only begin after Death to the Material World, to use one of Madonna's words.

The only sure things,  Brad Pitt says in Meet Joe Black, are death and taxes.  And taxes in the Philippines are truly, truly onerous.  In the Philippines, the sick are further burdened by the Philippines gross income tax.

Death waits for everyone, some have very short waits, others have long, long waits.
Death, they say, is easier than living.  But giving up to death is not quite kosher - which is quite different from having a DNR*.

Hot Pot recs - Luk Foo and David's Tea House

i love hot pot, i think they call this shabu-shabu, a term i confuse with shawarma.

yes, i know. totally different but sometimes word associations can be iffy

but hot pot, yummy.  nothing to beat it.

we are a family who love soup, so hot pot is a favorite with us.

Luk Foo's hot pot is, to my -our taste, one of the best.

Unfortunately, not all Luk Foo places have hot pot.

In Luk Foo - you have to choose the items you want in the hot pot, there is regular beef, imported beef if you wish, pork, veggies (corn, bok choy, pechay, chinese cabbage, young onions, leeks), mushrooms (several kinds), fish/shrimp/squid balls, squid, shrimps (we couldnt have any as my nephew is allergic)....

There are only 2 - the one along E. Rod (cor. Araneta ave) and the one near the airport

The one near the airport has a ghost,and when we were there in 2011 (it really is too far otherwise) to have dinner with my brother - who was returning to the USA

I also tried David's hot pot - oh, also very good.  will visit again and this will probably be sooner than later since this is much nearer.  David's tea house is in the corner of morato and timog and is in the 2nd floor -----

at David's i was on solo flight so i couldnt have a lot of stuff as i wouldnt be able to finish it.  Still, it was good..

if you know of other hot pots, let me know.  Oh yes, i've tried tong yang - when it was along Quezon Ave.

Reaction to the Pinay Investor post regarding ANC's coverage on maximum vs minimum SS contributions

Boy.  That post makes all the individuals in SSS seem  blind, deaf, and dumb. While there may be people there who fit this description, not all of them are bdd

First of all, abrupt increases are not allowed, while payments may be accepted, remember - accept monies, always - BUT when a claim is adjudicated, the member might find his abrupt increases disallowed and given merely a refund, and given a small pension amount.  This would just be right and proper, for his attempts to fool SSS.

First of all, how does this hypothetical person know he will live long enough to get his pension?
What if the member dies before age 55?  His beneficiaries will only get minimum benefits.  What if the member experiences illness or disability - this would depend  on his current MSC, as well as his CYS, to use SSS parlance.

So this system of paying minimum, then opting for sudden increase is NOT a correct strategy.  It can backfire when a member needs money most - in contingency cases.

So, those who attempt to cheat SSS, beware ......
   unless you are in collusion with an SSS employee

Happy Birthday to Horace T. Templo

Happy Birthday to Horace Templo from all of us -

do you like cats? a Colossal look at them

Cats.  Independent. Snotty. Prideful.
and Lovely.

Click and take a look

Clarification On SSS LOANS

People keep asking about loans and loan interest
and i have heard the media hype about it too

All you have to do is - find out how much your net proceeds are and how much is your amortization,

Right now there are only 2 amounts for salary loan
1 month for those with 36 months contribs
2 months for those with 72 months contribs

NO OTHER AMOUNT. so dont ask how much your 5th loan is. okay
the number of times you borrow is moot

Leonard Nimoy - SPOCK

i was a fan.  to me,  Leonard Nimoy was Spock.
enigmatic. calm. cool. collected.  stoic, even.

I liked his poetry.

He was the epitome of Star Trek

I found out about his death whilst i was waiting for my blood extraction at NKTI last Saturday am
the lady beside me was surfing the net using her Dad's tablet (who was also waiting to have his blood extracted) and told him - Nimoy has died .... of COPD.  It was 27 February 2015 in LA, CA

Nimoy will be missed.  i last caught him in one of Oprah's shows.....

click here for funeral news

A Goodreads quote on Reading

Reading is one of my favorite things. Better than TV and better than the movies.  To me, at least. -  Always Better.  Imagination tops any effects.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. 

Dr. Seuss

Theodor Geisel (born March 2, 1904), a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, acquired his pseudonym as a student at Dartmouth. He was caught drinking with friends and, as punishment, was forced to drop out of his extracurricular activities. That didn't stop him from continuing to write for the campus humor magazine using his mother's maiden name, Seuss.

Clarification for Funeral and Death Claims

One of the fundamental documents needed for these claims is the Death Certificate
If the Death Certificate contains errors - there is NOTHING else to be done except to have this corrected.  Okay?

Nothing else.

Alba and Annabel

Two lovely restos at Morato with very good food, both had lunch buffets - and  i indulged a bit, i must admit

the thing is, Spanish food - though very good - is a tad cloying

at Alba's buffet - i tasted their callos, which was ok, but i prefer my mom's Callos a la Madrilena
because my mom tamped down the richness a bit.  their callos was deeply rich, and i couldnt eat more than a spoonful of it.

- their paella was okay, and well, i just have to try my hand at cooking it

the lengua was very good, very rich, but less cloying than the callos - must be the way the tripe tasted .....

the mushroom .... i forgot the actual name was just right and so was the spaghetti
the lechon cochinillo (did i spell that right?) was simply good, but i couldnt eat more of it -
i couldnt even return to the buffet!

i loved the salads and the breads though - similar lovely taste as that of Annabel's

and Annabel;s - i loved the balance of flavors of the food they served in the buffet
i enjoyed the baked oysters - and you could taste the pimiento flavor in it
the beef steak that i had to have well-done because i am a KT, the gorgeous pork belly

i enjoyed the shrimp, but not as much as the oysters
the lengua was delicious, i thought it was a tad better than Alba's but this may been due to the fact that Alba's version was toooooo rich.  The fish was alright, but it was nothing special -

the soup at Annabel's was very delicious, it beat Alba's by a mile.  i should have indulged in another cup of soup - it was that good, yes.

the spaghetti at Alba's was a tad better than Annabel's, i dont quite know yet what made it special

i'm going back to Annabels soon but both restos are good, just make sure you dont overdo it on the richness ............ like i said, Annabel has a better balance of tanginess and richness but you will enjoy both places.....

Colossal's Honey on Tap

Neil Gaiman has honey bees - and has several pictures of his hives -
i guess he might be interested in these -
still, a tad unfair for the honey bees .....


take a look at "honey on tap"

Pretty Money - Hungarian Euro?

Seen such pretty money

take a look

d'you think it will encourage savings? or expenditures?

Feb 20 - A meeting with batch mates to see Rubi Sevilla

Setting was at Inday's home once again - at their place in New Manila.

I was saddened by the fact that Tony's big eel (who was situated in the dining room) was gone.  I have to admit i missed seeing it although we - when we toured to check out the art pieces and the renovation upstairs - were ooed and aahed by the light display of the other aquarium, controlled by Tony's cell phone.  Tony, just in case you dont remember from the post last year, is Inday's husband and Inday is a Sayans 75 batchmate.  Both Inday and Tony are MDs, Inday is a pediatrician and Tony is a cardiologist.

i must say the art was wonderful, they had art from Paete and of course, from Tony's mom.  So many wonderful pieces.  We met their 2 dogs again who were temporarily caged upstairs (they were set free after our visit). but the renovation was really wonderful.  Inday showed her skills in setting up and doing the actual installation of the screen for their special window (someone remarked it was created for a harana).  The windows had capiz shells in ye olde format

Attendees - and in no particular order, just with the women first - Alice, (Inday and me of course), MDs Mianne and Benita, Peggy of Papemelroti, Nimfa (Janet was in the US), Amihan, IT Joan, and banker Tylette - an honory batch member, and Rubi

and the men - Manny (yes, he and Alice were there early with the batch powerpoint presentation), Jes, our 2 Bobbys - bankers Bobby of BDO, and Roberto Jesus Reyes of Unionbank, MD Jerry, Jiben, Albert, Doy, Charlie (Peggy's husband)

as usual, their were laughs-a-plenty and a siding of serious assertions.
someone asked, who should i follow - the economist or the banker?
Nimfa is an economist and professor at UP, and Bobby of Union Bank was the other discussant ....

i should say, evaluate their advice and follow your gut....

pics to follow

standing:  Tony, Albert, Jes, Jerry, Bobby (BDO), Jiben, Bobby (Unionbank), Doy, Benita, Amihan, me, Nimfa

sitting:  Charlie, Mianne, Rubi, Alice, Pegs, Inday, Tylette, Manny

Becoming an SSS Member

Some new graduates think that paying to the SS as a volunteer member is a good thing to do so that they can get an SSS ID.

No.  One cannot start to be an SSS member by joining as a voluntary member.  If you persist, you will have problems later on when you start to claim your benefits - when you need it - so do not give yourself a headache.....

One can become an SSS member IF AND ONLY IF
             one is hired as an employee  OR
             one is self-employed

self-employed individuals are those who are in business for themselves or those who practice their profession ....

NOTE:  There are exceptions for OFWs

If you are an SSS member and have a child who is or may be incapacitated for life?

If so, please ensure that you provide SSS with the necessary information and proof of your child's "incapacitation" or disability or mental health, whatever is the cause - this means that your child will never be emancipated upon reaching maturity.

Moreover, should you and your spouse pass on, your total pension will be given to the child, who must be under the care of a guardian.

An example would be a person with Down's syndrome -  this is a person with an extra copy of a chromosome.  Most individuals with Down's syndrome only reach the age range of 8-12 years old, and will never have the mind and maturity of an adult.

There are other diseases that can incapacitate a child - for example, if the mother was pregnant when she got ill with say scarlet fever - that will affect the child.

Inform SSS as early as you can so that SSS can already tag the child's record so that she/he will receive a pension for the rest of his or her natural life....

SSS re-posting = Manual Verifications for 1985-1989

You have probably seen this a few times in newspapers - or perhaps heard discussions on the air via radio or television -

Basically, this means that the contributions  for the period January 1985 - December 1989 that may be missing and these missing contributions could substantially affect long term benefits such disability and retirement.  These contributions, however, will NOT affect short-term benefits such as sickness, maternity, and salary loans.

Although SSS will accept requests for manual verification, these will not be processed until after December 2015, which is the target end date of the project.

However if you know and therefore believe in Murphy's Laws, then add another 6 months to that, so that would be after the elections of 2016 - another administration.

However, pensioners should not worry about the adjustment, if any, this will be given to them - but it is to be hoped that it will not be posthumously - so take care all of you pensioners

Death of a Soldier ....

Those of us who have kin or kith who were - are soldiers know how painful it is when we lose them in a tour of duty.  Love for country  .... is our country worth it?
i hope it is.

this sums up my thoughts on the matter ....
This is a poem with the title "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Click here for the poem and read the remarks so you know why i thought of this poem


reproduced below as tribute for those who died

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

---

1. Half a league, half a league,  Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. "Forward, the Light Brigade! "Charge for the guns!" he said: Into the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. 2. "Forward, the Light Brigade!" Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier knew  Someone had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: Into the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. 3. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them  Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell  Rode the six hundred. 4. Flash'd all their sabres bare, Flash'd as they turn'd in air, Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while  All the world wonder'd: Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro' the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reel'd from the sabre stroke  Shatter'd and sunder'd. Then they rode back, but not  Not the six hundred. 5. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them  Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came thro' the jaws of Death Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them,  Left of six hundred. 6. When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made!  All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade,  Noble six hundred.

Colossal Art recommends (and i concur....)
i just had to share


Take a look at these flowers

Part of one of my favorite poems, Jabberwocky -  one of very few i have memorized

i have my own concept of a Jabberwocky and all those lovely works

what about you?

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe. 

Lewis Carroll

Do you use "chortle" or "galumph" in your speech? They are part of the English language thanks to Lewis Carroll (born January 27, 1871)—both words appeared in his nonsense poem, Jabberwocky.

Processing times for some transaction types

Manual verification requests can take 3-6 months, sometimes so much longer
DDR - death, disability, retirement depends on whether your case is bad - meaning many corrections - this is why we suggest that you check the correctness of your records way before your retirement so that you will not have any problems when you finally get to retire

some people dont know if their names are spelled correctly  - you have to check or if there are several SS numbers.  there should be only one - just like the highlander

so check early.  check details - your employers, your contributions, your name, addy

btw.

For Pensioners -
Please be informed that there must be 120 contributions to be eligible for a pension.
a would-be pensioner would receive the minimum pension of 1,200.oo if he has at least 120 contributions, at least 10 CYS (Calendar year of service) and if his contributions was at the lowerst level.

The case cited by VP Marissu Bugante about Ms. Agulto is correct.  The lady has 20 CYS, at least 120 contributions at the minimum level so she got 2,400.oo minimum pension.

Note the lady has at least 20 years CYS.  Those who have only 10 CYS get only 1,200.oo
i hope this answers some of the queries SSS has been getting about the minimum pension.

An SSS-related post: For pensioners

Pensioners who are missing 1984-1989 must request for Manual Verification at any SSS branch.
You cannot request through any other office except the branch

Also,the member must personally file the Request for Manual Verification at the branch.  This cannot be coursed through any other office.  Follow-ups can only be made through the filing branch, not any other office.  Complaints must be coursed through Member Relations unless the complaint is about that department.

Changes to your member records must also be done at the branch, and must be done by the member himself/herself.  Remember to get a copy of the document being received.

I hope this helps pensioners and members.

Batch 75 - First meeting of the year

First Friday of the Year 2015, and we were at Lito Sibayan's home at La Vista

I was with Dale, Amihan, and Joey - Dale having graciously agreed to bring us over to Lito and drive us back home.  I was half afraid i couldnt manage Lito's driveway - you see, his home has a very steep incline, and thus coming in, a sharp descent - with my lumbar concerns that affect the nerves to my right leg.  I was brought down by car and brought up by Nang's (Dale's mom who passed away June 2014) wheelchair.

We found Jondy (?) Flavier - batch 78, and .... oh i forgot his name, Batch 71-A when we arrived. Alice and Manny were already there, having arrived a tad earlier than us.

Who were there ... well, there was:

     Xen and Beth, and their engineer daughter who sought advice from Lito

     Albert and Nimfa, both in black, and Nimfa looking fab, and Albert looking unchanged

     Gorbo (Kintanar), Jason (Mayordomo), and Angel (Lebanan) - were the rarities

     Jiben, Paeng, and of course, Alice and Manny - and the us  - with Dale

     making 16 batchmates all-in-all

  

missing were Rosel and his wife Tes

Dode, and Doy, Leo Peter, i missed Baba, too - i thought she might be able to make it but i guess not

Beth brought over a surprise for us, which featured Rosel doing all the dances we could think of - and doing extremely well at it.  i wish you could have him go.  Twas amazing and brought us all lots of cheery laughter.

The food?

There was siopao, siomai, seafood karekare (Gorbo brought this), chicken macaroni salad, Pixie's grilled boneless bangus (a hit after all the holiday meats), Amihan's pancit, and there was another pancit, veggie fried lumpia (bean sprouts or toge, as they say), fresh fruits, chicken skin (Jondy), pork rinds, and chestnuts!

Manny and Alice brought lechon, by a new vendor. Very nice, but then lechon always is.....

I enjoyed the talk with Jason - he talked about his life at the UN (i teased him about working for the CIA, you see....) and his stay in Canada, Europe, and Africa and his future plans.  A gentleman farmer, that is what he aims to be....

pics to follow ... am waiting for my copies

My BIrthday - 28 December 2014

Birthdays are days to say Thank You, God
Thank You for Your Blessings and Graces
Thank You for my friends and loved ones

There were my friends from Sampaloc, Israel and Efren
My sibs Jonas and Yet (with daughter Patti)

Alice and Manny, Amihan, Boboy and Amy, Jerry, Paeng, Dale, and a surprise - Gorbo
Clarits and Annabel, and Khristian

I had fewer guests this year because i thought i was going to be sick
and worried about managing my guests

But all was well, and we had a nice get-together.

pics to follow

A Goodreads quote - seems perfect for this Season

It is our purpose in life - to give meaning to our existence.  I once read a poem in an olde M&B book ... it goes 

what is this life if full of care, we have no time to sit nor stare....
so sitting and staring is part of our lives, to think, and meditate...

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other? 

George Eliot

George Eliot (died December 22, 1880) was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, author of classics like Middlemarch. For twenty years she lived with her lover, the philosopher George Henry Lewes, and her pen name was a tribute to him. Eliot was code for the phrase: "To L - I owe it."

A GoodReads quote -

The power of the mind is truly amazing.  So keep thinking positive. Have good thoughts and may good prevail .... Keep the light in your spirit aglow

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.. 

John Milton

When John Milton (born December 9, 1608) wrote Paradise Lost, he was blind and nearly impoverished. The epic poem took six years to write and he sold the publications rights for just £5—not a large amount even in 1667.

PALAWAN TRIP -

It was my first trip to Puerto Princesa.

and it was a huey

here are the pics, the story to follow

at the airport

in the plane

Island hopping

Manny, Evelyn, me, Alice

Ka Lui food - really good food

A meeting with friends and officemates

last December 6, the OEVP-Operations

in no particular order

Mamu (Emily Ferrer) with Papu, Hermie Bungay, Ging de la Paz, Tina Sampang, Clarits Vidal, Anabel, Ranil and family

Noel Trinidad had to drive his mom to the province, and Rey Oriel had Lion guests

We trooped over to the Shrine of Santo Nino de Providencia, which was a few meters away from the ancestral home of HT Templo in Las Pinas. We were first-time visitors to the shrine so we were given info and pamphlets and novenas.  We stayed there a while to pray, to ask for blessings and peace in our lives.

Kuya Pat, Ht's man-about-the-house maintains the house and gardens and indeed, they are well-maintained.  I especially took a gander around the gardens, and checked out the flora.  The plants were pretty, and specially the flowering plants.  Horace was very knowledgeable about his plants, but i guess you would too, if you were the person who got the plants and had it planted in the first place.

And the food.  Oh glorious food.  Seafood mainly although there was liempo and the ubiquitous chicken.  I loved the crabs, and the sugpo, and the fish!  i also drank some red wine ....

I had brought over salad greens, and the ladies set about to preparing it.  Ht said there were lots of onions and i had to say mea culpa because i particularly like the sweetness of the onions - they were the red onions.  i also bought over my favorite sesame dressing - because i didnt have time to mix my own.  my friend Alice says she likes my salad dressings .....

Curiosity prompted me to examine his oven, and he willing explained the conceptualization and implementation of the brick oven.  The food was cooked very nicely, that we will all attest to....

Pictures to follow .....

A Viral Post on Malts - drinks, anyone?

Single Malts.  it isnt quite appropriate to say yum, but .... wellllll....

it goes down well .... it also looks quite spectaculat

take a look-see. click here

A GoodReads quote - the Inner you

Your soul - keep it yours.... do not give up a part of it for the Darkness - for any price.

That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality–your soul, if you will–is as bright and shining as any that has ever been....Clear away everything that keeps you separate from this secret luminous place. Believe it exists, come to know it better, nurture it, share its fruits tirelessly. 

George Saunders

Happy 56th birthday, George Saunders! The big-hearted American writer's short stories concentrate on the beautiful, the weird, and the profound. He is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" grant.

A Goodreads quote on Seeing.....

Vison.  To see what is not there.  To see with the mind, or the heart, or the spirit, or all of them.
To be now what is the future.

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible. 

Jonathan Swift

Satirist Jonathan Swift (born November 30, 1667), author of Gulliver's Travels, was a founding member of the Scriblerus Club, along with fellow wit Alexander Pope. This literary society's sole aim was to ridicule scholarly pretension.

P.E.S.O. FUND START POSTPONED

This is just to relay the news that the SSS PESO Fund start will be next year, not DEC 1 as initially announced.

more to shop with???

A Viral Post - Mistresses

powerful women in history who were mistresses of men in power

take a look see.  Obviously Liz Taylor does not look like Cleopatra but she certainly looks very regal, and very beaufiful ..... wasnt she also reputed to be a mistress, or at the very least a friend  to King Solomon - of King Solomon's mines......


click here to read about the mistreses

Attention: Gawad Kalinga

Another look-see. Simpler, less costly, but just as private.
I hope this reaches someone or an organization who might want to think on this.
It could also work for those flood-prone areas.

click on this link to see

Friday nights: At Ba Nois and Bonfire, a little spot by the Riverbanks...

It isnt so much Sabado Nights (i still remember that San Miguel ad....) but Friday nights that are popular with us.  Why?  Really quite simple.  Easier to sleep in on a Saturday morning as there is Sunday worship....

anyways. it is always easier to catch me when i am already out of the house...than to invite when i am already at home.  simple physics at work - Newton's law if you remember about a body at rest ....

anyway, Ba Nois.  It is a Vietnamese resto found at the ground floor at the UP Town Center.  We spent over 4K pesos. Food galore for 4 people- batch 75 classmates.  Alice Sibal-Lim, the birthday celebrant, Manny Lim, her hubby, me, and Joey Dumandan.  Others were either out of the country (Benita), out of town (Amihan) or had previous commitments.

4 dishes were really outstanding.  i dont remember their names but i can certainly remember their taste and their image so though i can point to you the dish, i cant say the name.

Joey Dumandan cooks (he used to have a resto in Tacloban - before Yolanda or Haiyan) and i told him to try putting the red chile (and grinding it down) in one of the sauces to make one of the dishes a lot more delicious.  The food itself was bland so the sauce had to do double time to make the food great.  when done, so it was much better.

the fried thingamajig was better than the fresh one, and they had this thing about wrapping lettuce over the viand....   one thing though, i learnt a new sauce ad i wil be trying it out soon.

later on we went to Bonfire, by Marikina's riverbanks.  We had expected the band to be able to sing Skylight Pigeon... but they couldnt so it appears we have to go back on a Sunday for the band who can.
Food was okay, btw.

A Viral Post - Creatures of the Mind

this is interesting ... do you have your own mind creatures?

click here to see the mind creatures

Magical places via viral

do look

click here for truly magical places

A Colossal pic ... worthy of Van Gogh

This is located along a bike path and partly named after Van Gogh.
Gorgeous, isnt it?  Here's a sample pic so you'd be encourage to click some mor below.













click to see more pics

A Goodreads quote on Life and Love and Living

Life is indeed simple.  We stand up for what we believe, and show support for those we love.  Do you do the same?  Or does something prevent you...

. . . when it comes down to it, that’s what life is all about: showing up for the people you love, again and again, until you can’t show up anymore. 

Rebecca Walker

Happy 45th birthday, Rebecca Walker! The influential journalist introduced the concept of Third Wave Feminism in an article for Ms. magazine when she was just 22 years old. Walker's mother is Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple.

New SSS website

Because the new SSS is up, please be informed that i shall be fixing the forms links in each of my SSS posts.  This will take sometime -

Actually, i am disappointed that the links were not maintained, as this is possible.  *sigh*

oops, i forgot to put the link for the new sss website although it is still accessible by using the same
here is the link to the sss website

A GoodReads quote on TRUTH

This quote is about justice to me.  Truth shall break free and woe to you who hide behind those in current power thinking your evil deeds will never come to light.  Some blindly follow people in power, thinking that some things are small evil.  But dear readers, there is NO such thing as a little evil.  Evil is Evil.  There is nothing ever small about it.

This is not to say that Jefferson was evil.  He had slaves, all inherited if memory serves - he manumitted some of them, at different times in his life.  He is of course, best known for writing the Declaration of Independence.  It is a most inspiring piece of work.

Quite as inspiring as Lincoln's Gettysburg address.

Truth crushed to earth shall rise again. 

William Cullen Bryant

Influential poet and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant (born November 3, 1794) had his first poem in print at age 13—it was an attack of Thomas Jefferson's political philosophy. Later, he delivered the introduction for Abraham Lincoln at the famed Cooper Union Speech, which secured Lincoln's nomination for presidency.

Thank you for the prayers

This is for all my friends and relatives who prayed with and for me before, during, and after my hospitalization at NKTI last week.

I know who you all of you are, and you know who you are.

I also thank my doc, Dr. Benita Santos Padilla, her partner in the procedure, Dr. Morabe and Benita's doc friends, her discussants (discussing my case)

My most heartfelt thank yous to all of you.

P. E. S. O. FUND - update

I got a few additional requirements for the PESO fund

first, you must open a bank account, and the peso fund starts DEC 1
i hope to have further updates for you - like the actual procedure before then....

also, a financial sample so you can see some of the products available in the market today

Sunday, 19 October

Paeng's birthday.
so Sakonit trouped over there for lunch .... and we found Butch with  his wife Josie (met her for the first time) and Jerry O discussing things over what seemed like "done lunch"

Alice, Manny, and I arrived together (they gave me a ride!) and proceeded to have lunch.  I remember having a bit of rice, karekare, chicken, lumpiang shanghai.  i had a tinny bit of beer, and a tinny bit of scotch.

Amihan was not free to join us, neither was Dale, or Boboy.  Joey arrived, but sooooo late - but we did have a chance to gab part of the afternoon away.

Mama, Paeng's mom was asleep though Li-Anne assured that she was strong, only that her sleeping habits have changed.  Mama is 97.  Marianne, Paeng's daughter is now 3rd year - at the College of the Holy Spirit (yes, over there in Mendiola), taking psychology.

Butch is a chemical engineer, and he had a fascinating discussion on coffee - decaff that is, and 3-in-1 things.
I will no longer take decaff, not after he explained the process and the chemicals that removes caffeine from the coffee beans.  The chemical that removes the caffeine is similar to the paint remover you use when you redo the house.  So ugh.

Jerry did give away so many dvds.  Alice said i should give the titles of those i want so she could save them for me.....

a rest day - and splitting a bedroom, or better yet, 2 bedrooms

normally, Saturdays are domestic catch-up days
this is when i fix my cabinets so that the clothes look nice through the glass
and generally fix my bedroom  -
since i have a lumbar concern, my doc said i should try to relocate downstairs

but i am not fully acclimatized to sleeping downstairs so what i have done essentially
is to continue to split the my stuff into two (2) bedrooms
i have clothes (from top to bottom) for home and external use
i have meds, vatious ointments and stuff in both rooms

the thing is, insects bother me very much
so this, too, i must watch out for - in both rooms

so i had my Wilkins deliverd - and man, it is already 150 bucks/5 gallons
and had my 2nd floor bedroom a/c checked - to find out it will cost about 5k to get it going
*sigh*

and then i really rested... slept the afternoon away, actually

Office Companions meet .... after times apart

it is always nice to touch base(s) with companions after a spell of distance of time and space

Last Friday, 17 October
At Sambokojin West - the following gathered to catch up with news about each other
Emily and Chito; Tina; Ging, Paulie, and Justine; Clare and Annabel; Hermie; Aris and family;
Fred; Albert; and the man-of-the-hour who handled the bill, Horace; and me

Albert was off farming, HT was working with an HMO in Makati (near STI where i used to work!), Fred was relaxing (nice to be retired), Emily and Chito were recharging, and Aris shared a bit of news about GSIS (he still has to share some more); and the rest were still with the same agency they were with, but perhaps with some changes.... in their lives.

I had cooked and eaten shrimps, loved the wrapped asparagus and mushrooms, enjoyed the fresh salad, and of course, the miso soup and the tempura.  Ging got a huge vat of ice cream that she shared.  That was the only sweet i got.  Good eats.

Payment time, 6 of us had discounts - Fred, Albert, Emily and Chito, HT, and I (i am a PWD, the rest were seniors) so a 20% discount for 6 wasnt bad at all....

pics to follow

The Price of a Soul

in this age of selfies, wars, and unstable sits
i was wondering ... what price a soul?

i always thought that the price of a soul was really horrendous - the life, say of a child or a loved one
or the safety of a nation or .... roaring success

but guess what
in a little city in the philippines
i found someone whose price is dirt cheap -
the price of her soul .... a promotion to an assistant vice president position

once you let evil in ......

note:
sits is an abbreviation for situations
.....
and there is no such thing as a little evil

Alfarsi - a Maginhawa place, with persian flavors

Alfarsi.
a small place near Savemore Anonas
persian food, it said in its small literature

Manny, Alice, and I decided to taste their persian food last Monday 13 October
mostly ground beef.  we liked the keema pie, and the wraps, and falafel was good
the place was small - it would fit about 7-10 small groups

good eats, i thought.  will eat there again, or perhaps have something delivered

Dong Juan - a Mother Ignacia place

i was off on forced leave Monday 13 October ....
so after Alfarsi, the three of us --- Manny, Alice, and I - proceeded to Dong Juan
she said the dessert was very good .......

as this picture will show -
i found a drink called Happy Bong whose details read .... a larger drink than your Happy Drink
so i ordered the 99-peso Happy Drink..... it was an alcoholic drink with orange slices and marashino cherries

indeed.  a happy drink.  i will try to recreate it with a bit of bourbon and the oranges and the cherries this coming weekend - any suggestion for the bourbon>

my happy drink, some free peanuts, and Alice's coffee ... i also ordered fries but it hadnt arrived yet

my happy drink, the dessert, the fries, and Alice's coffee

From double 10 in '64 to double 10 in 2014, 50 years in Kamias

50 years.  Golden Times.
To live, laugh, love, and cry.  Good times through Bad times and Best Times.

Lovely people who have gone ahead, have stayed with me
People who stayed true.  Judas kissers.

i love being home.

i love cooking, especially for other people.

food, glorious food.

i ordered turkey, pancit luglug, lengua estofado ... in white sauce, fish fillet
i cooked roast beef (medium rare), roast duck, embo-cheat style, and wrapped ground beef, mechado (which didnt get to the table, fresh veggie salad, green peas with quail eggs in butter (yum), and i tested a cheat style-pancit luglug.  i know how to make the old style difficult luglug.

guests who came -
my sibs-jonas with jap and yet with patti, patrick and dino, cousins grace and bert, mario and minda, israel and efren, officemates - ging, paulie, clarits, annabel, kat, win with marver, classmates and schoolmates - alice, manny, jerry, amihan with jimmy, dale, babie, tylette, and my aksitants - cha and jie

i had lots of guests who werent able to make it ... and here's to name a few of them, officemates - mamu and chito, rey and candy, ranil, aris and classmates - benits, joey, paeng, boboy ....

pics to follow

A Goodreads from the Wiz of Oz author for Oct 9

hemmed in? frustrated beyond all reasonableness?

take heart.  wait for the heart, just like the lion.

Never give up...No one knows what's going to happen next. 

L. Frank Baum

October 9, 1899: L. Frank Baum finished writing his beloved classic, The Wonderful World of Oz. It was originally titled The Emerald City.

teachers ....

i was remembering my teachers and i thought of Mrs. Helen P. Ladera, and i googled
lo.... here's a website that mentions her writing a book with some other teachers\\

it is amazing

tbc

Reading Manga

Manga.  What comes to mind is the most delicious fruit in the world.... the Philippine golden manga.
there is nothing there to compare to its lush sweetness.... and if you like the green ones ....
it also makes the perfect sour fruit - with bagoong!
but no, not this delectable fruit... something else...

Before the Anime channel in Cable TV, I was a purist book reader - with the slight exception of reading Wakasan Comics.  My parents thought we should read Tagalog and not just English materials, and before, it was mainly English/American literature.

Then came Anime....and because there was nothing to watch - this, despite all the cable channels - i started watching Anime.  Got to like stuff like Minekura's Saiyuki - a take on Journey to the West, and started to know about Sutras, and the like.  Got to watch KKM - and i learned what a Maou was.

and then there was Bleach, with Ichigo, the unexpected reaper.  Reapers are a scary bunch for me because of the classic image in my mind.  you know, with or without a skull, in those dark robes and a scythe - to cut the lifeline of any and all..... But Ichigo, he was nice.

For a while i resisted watching Naruto - for the simple reason that i did not like the Tagalog dubbing.
I hate to say this but the dubbing was really poor.   The dubbing was done in a monotone, which irked me.

Then i fouind out that these things were based on the manga .... so i started reading manga, and they are  fascinating.....

****
and so, Manga.

One thing about most mangas is that they showcase the Japanese love of stylized fighting.  Who can forget Shintaro the Swordsman (well, at least those who have seen it - like my batchmates) - such swift and elegant swordplay.. much, much better than the European foils.

havent you noticed .. how determined most Japanese heroes are.  Fascinating.

If there is a producer out there reading it, how about showing Shintaro again in a cable channel.
i'll enthuse about it...

SALIENT POINTS OF THE SSS P.E.S.O. FUND

Items in blue are MY personal remarks and comments.

MEMBERSHIP

• All employees, self-employed (SE), voluntary members (VM), and OFWs who have not reached 55 years old and have not filed any final claim under the regular SSS program may enroll in the SSS PESO Fund. 
• For SE, VM and OFW members, they must be paying at the Maximum Salary Credit (MSC) for at least six consecutive months during the last 12 months immediately prior to the month of enrollment. 
• Membership in the SSS PESO Fund begins from the first contribution.
• Interested and qualified SSS members can enroll in the program through over-the-counter in any SSS branch. Online enrollment to the SSS PESO Fund will be announced soon.

CONTRIBUTIONS

• Each SSS PESO Fund member is allowed a maximum contribution of P100,000.00 per annum and minimum of P1,000.00 per contribution. Any amount below the minimum shall not earn interest and shall be subject to automatic refund. However, maximum and minimum amount of contributions may change upon determination of the Social Security Commission.
• Contributions may be made anytime, provided that for SE, VM and OFW members, such PF contribution has a corresponding SS contribution based on the maximum Monthly Salary Credit (MSC) on the month of contribution. 
• SSS PESO Fund contributions are allocated in three accounts: retirement/total disability (65%), medical (25%), and General Purpose (10%). 

GUARANTEED RATES AND INSURANCE

• SSS PESO Fund offers guaranteed rates for the various accounts. Guaranteed rate for retirement or total disability is based on the Five (5)-year T-bond, while medical and general purpose is based on the 364-day T-bill rates. 
• The monthly crediting of the guaranteed rate is based on the average of the past three (3) months. Crediting of actual earnings in excess of the guaranteed rate shall be made at the end of the year.

BENEFITS

• SSS PESO is a tax-free fund. 
• Members have the option to receive retirement or total disability benefit either through monthly pension, lump sum, or a combination of monthly pension and lump sum. 
• Effectivity of retirement/total disability is the same as the effectivity of retirement/total disability under the regular SSS Program. 
• Death benefit for beneficiaries of SSS PESO Fund members will be paid in lump sum. 
• In case the SSS PESO Fund member dies prior to the expiration of the pension period, his beneficiaries will be paid the remaining balance of his fund in lump sum.

FINANCIAL REPORT

• SSS PESO Fund members will receive a Statement of Account every month through electronic mail and may be viewed in their web account via My. SSS.

OPTION TO WITHDRAW                                            

• No withdrawals from the retirement account of the SSS PESO Fund are allowed. 
• Withdrawals on SSS PESO Fund are only allowed from the Medical (25%) and General Purpose (10%) accounts but corresponding penalty and service fees will be charged if the contributions are retained for less than 5 years. Penalty and service fees depend on the number of years the contributions are retained in the SSS PESO Fund as shown on the table below: 

FAQS

Can my SSS PESO Fund contribution vary every year? Yes. For example, you can place P100,000 in 2015 and P20,000 in 2016. This is a savings mechanism so it is up to you to save more so you can add on your SSS PESO fund.

Is there a difference between depositing my money in a savings account and putting it in the SSS PESO Fund? Yes.

A savings account earns minimal interest, usually about 1-4% annually. That much is pretty small potatoes for investment.  Also under PDIC, monies in a savings account are protected until half-a-million.  The Peso Fund carries a Sovereign Guaranty for the entire, by virtue of the SSS Law.

I am employed but I am not paying at the Maximum Salary Credit (MSC). Can I contribute P100,000 in my SSS PESO fund? Yes. The SSS PESO fund is a savings mechanism for those who have other sources of income so they can plan better for retirement.

UPDATE:  2015.07.07 

As a young person, you can start small, and make it bigger as you earn more.

If you are a voluntary member, then you are NOT allowed unless you are paying the maximum. or have paid the maximum 6 months prior to your enrollment.  Sorry, this is the biased portion i was referring to ---

Are my contributions in the SSS PESO fund taxed?

No. Both contributions and income from your SSS PESO Fund are tax free because your contributions had already been taxed from your salary.  Remember, we have the gross taxation scheme, a scheme guaranteed to bleed the blood out of its middle-class citizenry.

How are earnings credited?

Guaranteed earnings are credited monthly. Excess earnings, if any, are distributed at the end of the year.

Putting on my SSS member hat, I can see some inequities in this plan.  Can you spot them?  

There seems to be a bias against Voluntary and Self-Employed Members.

I will let you read, and let you know.  

Also, there are no instructions yet - on how to be a member. 

In the meantime, i will try and get the Pag-ibig proposal out here as well so we can evaluate things together.  

Goodreads quote: indeed, it would. it could

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth. 

William Faulkner

When William Faulkner (born September 25, 1927) won the Nobel Prize, he donated part of the award money to establish a fund encouraging young writers, which became the PEN/Faulkner award, and the rest to a scholarship for black teachers as a Mississipi university.

are you an OFW or know someone who is

well, SSS has these services for OFWs

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) will have a  newly created OFW Contact Center Unit (OFW-CSU) to service their requirements - such as dedicated email responses and calls from 6am-10pm weekdays, starting October 2014.


OFWs and their families in the Philippines can reach the OFW-CSU by e-mail at ofw.relations@sss.gov.ph 


or through their service hotlines, 
(02) 364-7796 and (02) 374-7798

P.E.S.O. - FUND; AN SSS ANNOUNCEMENT

SSS announced today the launching of its Personal Equity and Savings Option (PESO) -fund.  It is similar to the OFW's flexi-fund, with similar provisions.

It is voluntary, and is open to members who are below 55 and are paying the maximum contribution for SSS for SEVMs and OFWs. Employed members may join even if they are not at the maximum levels.

Benefits  and Income are tax-free because this is earmarked for a retirement fund.  CONTRIBUTIONS to the fund are NOT tax-free, unlike the PERA fund discussed a few years, but never flew.

Income is guaranteed because it is pegged to the T-bill rate, same as the flexi-fund.

Details will follow at a later post.
If readers will remember, Pag-ibig also announced a similar, if smaller program that may appeal to the smaller-income would-be investor.  The Pag-ibig offer is also less restrictive.  However, I have yet to compare possible incomes and growth of fund.

A comparative post of the Flexi-fund, P.E.S.O. - Fund, Pag-ibig, and  PERA fund will follow at a later date.

If you read about it, and have questions. You can ask on this post.

NOTE:  RIGHT NOW I AM SEEING CERTAIN DISCREPANCIES IN THEIR ANNOUNCEMENT.  HENCE, I AM GIVING TIME TO CHANGE CERTAIN ITEMS BEFORE I START THE DISCUSSION.