Davao City: A safe haven for good citizens; a dying pit for criminals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Davao_City_Aerial_View.jpg

It pisses me off when someone says that Davao city is not a safe place to be, well, if that someone will go to Davao city it will no longer be safe. :p Some people quickly make a sweeping assumption from everything they hear in the news. Can you please do a research first? A bomb that explodes in Maguindanao or Basilan doesn't reach Davao, even the tiniest particles of its debris won't make its way there. The city is a law and order place. The city's current mayor and her father who is now the vice mayor (the city's ex-mayor) rule the city with iron fist. As they say, less crime doesn't mean no crime, but Davao has the least crime rate in all the cities in the Philippines. You can even walk along the busiest streets in Davao without worrying that someone might snatch your bag.

I've read some news in the internet that among the cities in the Philippines, Davao city has the most advanced and state-of-the-art Traffic Monitoring Center which is patterned after Los Angeles, California. IBM and the local government helped the city improve its existing Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) by integrating city operations into a single system to enhance the public safety operations in the city. It serves as the center for a balanced and harmonious coordination regarding public safety with Davao city police office, city health office and city social services and devlopment offices, central 911, fire bureau, and many more. In addition, it is equipped with a Weather Monitoring and Flood Alert System which aids communication of all obtained information with the responders and concerned officials. Davao has a 911 emergency response unit that responds to any emergency situation quickly. If you are worrying about the nearby cities, don't be because there are regular checkpoints in Davao city and its boundaries as safeguard against terrorism or any illegal activities that want to get in.

Just a piece of advice, if you are an illegal drug user/dealer or a criminal, don't ever set a foot on Davao city's ground, otherwise, you'll end up sleeping forever 6 feet below the ground. We have this so-called DDS (Davao Death Squad) who rides a motorcycle and shoots illegal drug users, dealers, and criminals. It is even rumored that some illegal drug addicts prefer to get themselves locked behind bars than be killed by the DDS on the streets. Thus, don't do your monkey business in Davao if you don't want to go bankrupt or, worse, get killed by the vigilants.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/news-sources/?date=20120627&archive=prnews&slug=NY31415

My fave hair products: Dr. Organic shampoo and conditioner

Due to the dramatic change of weather, my hair also went brittle dramatically.  I've struggled with dryness and brittleness of my hair for months and tried various products but nothing has worked.  It was my husband who discovered these Dr. Organic Shampoo and Conditioner in the grocery shelves.  The packaging says "The results speak for themselves," and that has managed to capture my curiosity so I bought it without thinking twice.  

A soothing conditioner suitable for all hair types formulated with Organic Aloe Vera, Shea butter, Hydrolyzed milk protein, Panthenol, Sunflower oil and Vitamin E. This incredibly effective formulation gently reinforces the hair’s natural condition by coating and penetrating the external cellular keratin fibre of each follicle, allowing the Aloe Vera complex to soothe, nourish and moisturize the condition of the hair leaving it soft, shiny and protected from the damaging effects of the sun. - http://www.drorganic.co.uk/aloe-products.asp

This gentle, yet powerfully purifying and repairing shampoo, enriched with Organic Tea Tree oil and Aloe Vera, gently cleanses the hair and scalp leaving it instantly revitalised, fresh and hydrated. It provides an invigorating effect while soothing and moisturising the scalp. Dr Organic Tea Tree shampoo is ideal for both normal and oily hair and scalp types. - http://www.drorganic.co.uk/tea-tree-products.asp

This is the first pair of shampoo + conditioner I bought from Dr. Organic and these products surpassed my expectation. Straight after rinsing I could see the results; my hair went smooth and silky, as if I just got out from a hair salon.  I just put an ample amount on my palm and lather it on my hair, mostly on the tips. These products really leave my hair tangle-free with volume and shine. And it has a very pleasant scent! The 250ml shampoo and conditioner costs 7 euros each.

Try it and be organic! :)

Wealth without dineros

We are happy and wealthy! :)

Last Friday night when everybody was drinking and laughing, one of my Hungarian friends and I were sharing thoughts about the Filipinos' attitude of being blithe and carefree. Shee told me stories about working with Filipino people in Dubai and seeing them as happy people. We Filipinos do not take life seriously in a sense that we do not let our problems in life, no matter how serious it is, stand in our way to happiness. I was happy hearing positive things about Filipinos from a European point of view.  I don't know if she was just ingratiating or did not want to be tactless or just did not want me to be uncomfortable with her. However, there was something that she said that really struck me most.

Hu friend: In Dubai, I had a lot of Filipino colleagues who always laugh at things. They don't take life seriously, I don't mean the negative way, but even if they have big problems whether at work or at home, they still managed to smile or even laugh. When I asked them how are they, they always replied "I'm doing good" with a smile though I know that they were not really fine. 

Me: Yeah we just laugh out our problems. Life is too short to spend it on negativity and pessimism. Even though our country has never made its way to go out from poverty, we are still happy. 

Hu Friend: You know what, it really depends on how you define wealth and poverty. If you define wealth with money and earthly materials, then you are poor. But if you define wealth with natural resources and happiness in life then you are wealthy.

Most of us define wealth as a state of being rich in money, having a lot of luxurious properties, jewelries and other worldly things; while we define poverty as a state of having a little or no money at all or shall I say the exact opposite of wealth. I could not agree more with my colleague.Wealth can be achieved not solely by earning money but collecting happiness in life. Wealth and riches do not  necessarily appropriate great happiness, but the conscious decision to look forward to gratification and contentment. 

How about you? Who do you think is rich and poor? To which category do you belong? As I said, it really depends on you. Well for me, the Philippines is a rich country and the Filipinos are really wealthy! :-)