Are you a Miravite?

Miravite Family Crest



QUESTIONS ABOUT MY PROGENY

When I was still in college, I cross-enrolled in the University of the East in C.M.Recto. On the list of students taking Accountancy, was a girl named Zenaida Miravite. I wondered about it, but didn't seek her out. In my mind,she must be one of my uncles' children that we didn't know about.

When I joined the workforce, some friends told me that there were many Miravite's in Bicol. I did not mind it then, since I thought my cousins were spreading their genes and have reached the far-flung regions of the Bicolandia. But no one did.

As I got older, there were some groups from Zamboanga, whom my late dad, and some relatives acknowledged to be our blood relatives. How it came about, I really don't know. All we knew is that our grandfather was the only son of four siblings, and three of them were girls.

My cousin who is based in San Francisco, came up with a family tree that started with the old man, Zacarias Miravite and old woman, Consolacion Fajardo. Hundreds of twigs came out of that union and were all included in the Miravite.com website.

However, Facebook came about. We came to know about several groups and some of them became my students in college. My, that was real surprising! I inquired from the cousin, but I got no response. FB is now currently swamped with people surnamed Miravite. We don't know in particular, where the family links are, if there are any. Did my late grandpa's dad, have siblings that were also surnamed Miravite?

Did the Spaniards give the Miravite surname to unrelated groups in several parts of the country? How come there is no common denominator among all of us? There is no apparent traceable ties. either. My mom, Rosalina, often says that there is a Tanengco-Miravite group, that sprouted out since one of them happened to be an "anak sa binyag" of the late grandfather.

Hence, these are not really blood relatives, but are only related in name. It is the usual Chinese custom to adopt the surname of their "ninongs" so the group emanated from that line. Mom used to say that those are the richer Miravite's, since they are Chinese, and are business-minded.

In comparison, people from our group leans to being professionals, so not really as rich as the other group. The Tanengco-Miravite group are primarily based in Paco, Manila and the most notable members that I knew, were Julio and Simeon Miravite.

Since my cousin is no longer inclined to research on further links, I suggest that those with the same surname furnish him the links to include all blood relatives. There are so many of us around, that I get confuse on where the groups are all coming from. You can send the cousin, (Buyboy) an e-mail via miravite.com.

He didn't tell me to do this and might get surprised why I am doing the suggesting. Anyway, I love you Buyboy so don't get mad --- nalilito lang ako sa mga connect ei!

Have a good day everyone!

Photo credit: miravite.com


#miravite


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Onli in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal

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BLOGGER'S REVIEW: Amber Restaurant, Las Pinas, Alabang-Zapote Road

Amber Restaurant is one of those places that people go to when they have parties or get-together. It was their outlets in Muntinlupa and Paranaque where students (when I was still in the academe ) placed their orders whenever occasions call for feeding big groups of people . It was also where the faculty and staff orders their bilao of pancit malabon , spaghetti, or pancit bihon whenever there are birthdays or promotion. Its popularity spread like wildfire since you see the cuisine in every party or occasion.

When Amber Restaurant opened an outlet in front of Southmall-Las Pinas, placement of order became simplier and easier. It was right smacked in the middle of the city and ideally situated near middle-to upper middle class subdivisions. Splurging a few hundreds of  pesos for a bilao of pancit posed no problem to these families as they are  used to spending a tidy sum of money eating out and shopping in malls.  

My family is no exception as  we patronize the place whenever we have birthdays, celebrations, or unexpected guests in the house. We order either a bilao of pancit malabon or spaghetti. Pichi- pichi is a favorite that always comes with our order of pancit . 

I was there this morning to take out a bilao of Pancit Malabon. I paid P550 for a medium-sized bilao to a comely server named Nelsie. She was amiable and politely informed me that I have to wait for 20 minutes for my order. As there were few customers, I decided to wait it out. After taking a seat, I heard my name called over the microphone. It was Nelsie , and she informed me that I overpaid.

She gave back the extra P500 that I had mistakenly folded together, when I withdrew the amount from the bank. I was bemused, P500 may not be a big sum of money, but that is worth a day's pay for this humble server. Returning the P500, shows trustworthiness that is a big plus for any establishment like Ambers. 

News spread fast. Most especially if the recipient of the good deed is a blogger, who would not think twice of spreading the good news as fast as she can. Thank you Nelsie and a thumbs-up for Amber's, Las Pinas for it's pool of competent and trustworthy staff!  

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Photo credit: ambers.com

Onli in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal

Copyright © csmiravite™. All Rights Reserved

  

A Query into a Person's State of Happiness

Happiness is a state of being. It is a feeling of contentment regardless of your state of affairs. Hence, there are some people who may not be rich, good-looking, or have perfect families, but you see the glow of fulfillment in their faces.

On the other hand, there are others who may have all the traits and material things  that anyone can envy, but still...they're unhappy. They have such low self-esteem that waking up in the morning is an ordeal. They get so engrossed with their own selves, that they define happiness as when something good only happens to them.

Alright, they tell me I don't understand. How right they are! I don't. I believe, that you can never be happy if you only think of yourself and that the universe revolves around you. Of feeling,  on  how people see you, equates to your state of well-being. How sad!

Nobody can dictate your terms. No creature can say that you are beneath them and don't deserve a space in this world. Nobody can affect you, if you don't let them. Happiness, therefore, depends entirely on how you see yourself. It's the whole gamut on how you love and accept your own strengths, weaknesses, triumphs and defeats.

It is how you rise up to every challenge, and face the winds of fortune even if it knocks you down. It is liking yourself, even if you get defeated and bloodied that your body aches all over. It is feeling cathartic after crying buckets of tears at seeing your broken dreams  and all the wrongs that have been done to you.

The world is not perfect, as you are not perfect and it can sometimes be a lonely place. This feeling of sadness can hurt horribly - where you make a query and no one answers, and; when terrified, there is no one to hold your hand firmly. How in some days, you just want to duck your head in the sand so you will feel no pain. You think that in so doing, you will find a place of contentment in a world bereft of all sadness. There is no such place. There will always be loneliness, pain, and sadness.

Go ahead, feel it! It is part of being alive. Feel the agonizing pain and scream for all it's worth. But such is the world. Surviving would mean acceptance of all its shams, pains, and tribulations. Happiness is acceptance of all experiences - whether good or bad. It is the knack of  staying happy and not let the dreadful things affect you. It is being kind to yourself  and  see it  as a work-in-progress --- still imperfect, but on the way to being a finished product.

I am often asked, if being  happy is an easy task. I say yes! I have learned to love each day and feel triumphant of all the little things  --- finishing an article, seeing a seed sprout, finding a plant robust after I care for it, blooming flowers, a sister's cooking, my mom's endless prattle, receiving my sibling's gifts, endless talks with a cousin, and having a daughter that I love dearly, among other things.

Happiness is also looking forward to new things that you can do each day. That every waking day is a gift from God and you must be thankful to be a recipient of it. It is also seeing God's little gifts in the most unusual places --- a cat softly purring after a good meal, a Samaritan helps you when you unintentionally dropped your groceries in the streets, a smile from a little child peeping from her mother's arms, a tete-a-tete with a long time neighbor, seeing the blue and clear skies after a typhoon, and hearing the twirping of birds atop the tree.

You ask me, if I am happy?  Oh, definitely YES! I have everything that God has thrown my way!


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Photo credit: Pixabay.com by OpenClips


Onli in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal
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What You Need to Know About Elderberries

What is Elderberry?

Elderberry, with the scientific name of  Sambucus Nigra, is known by many names --- sweet elder, common elder, or Sambucol. It is a shrub that is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, but has grown abundantly in the United States, particularly  North America. The US elder grows to 4 meters as compared to its European cousin, that grows up to 10 meters. The tree with a light brown to grayish bark, have deciduous leaves that grow opposite each other. It has clusters of white fragrant flowers that turn into berries. The berries change in color from green to black/dark purple when ripe and ready for picking.

Elderberry has been used since ancient times as traditional medicine and food additive. Folk medicine claims that various parts of the plant can cure certain ailments. The flowers are said to have diuretic and laxative properties. Other parts of the plant are used for the treatment of a number of disorders, including cancer. The flower, when placed in distilled water, can help cure skin ailments. It can also be used as food enhancer - to flavor alcoholic drinks and as a fruit wine.

Sambucus nigra is edible when cooked properly and picked ripe. The entire fruit can be eaten raw when ripe. The other parts of the plant, however, are poisonous. Though non-toxic, it is still advisable to cook the Elderberries to make it more palatable and edible.

How to take Elderberry?

Elderberry can be taken in several forms: as tea drink, syrup, tincture, capsule and in lozenge form, The dosage is standardized to 0.8 percent for dried elder flower used as flavonoids, 38 percent and 19 percent for elderberry extract used by adults and children, respectively. The use of elderberry in treating body ailments began in ancient times. However, unsupervised ingestion may have contra-indications and proved harmful if the advice of a health care professional is not sought. There are few known side effects if taken for short periods of time, like five days or less. Nonetheless, it is not recommended for lactating or pregnant women; and people with autoimmune disorders without first seeking medical advice.

Health Benefits of Elderberries

The 1985 CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs listed Elderberries in the 2000 Mosby's Nursing Drug Journal as a cure for various respiratory ailments, flu, and Hay Fever. The Hasassah Oncology Laboratory in Israel came out with researches that Elderberries can be used in the treatment of cancer and AIDS since it enhances the body's immune system. In Israel's Hasassah's Oncology Lab, have the same finding and are using the berries in treating cancer and AIDS patient. This outcome has also been replicated in research centers in Germany and in Austria,  where they found out that Elderberries can also be used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.


Photo credits:  Pixabay.com

References:

Elderberry: Supplement Information from WebMD
Elderberru: Uses, Side Effects and Warnings from WebMD
Elderberry Benefits and Information by herbwisdom


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Onli in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal
Copyright © csmiravite™. All Rights Reserved

Date Rape Detectors: Avoiding GHB-Spiked Drinks in Parties

We now see a new addition inside women's purses when they attend parties --- Date Rape Drug Detectors. It is a test kit, 3 1/2" by 2 1/2" or the size of an ordinary business card, weighs 4 ounces, and comes with 10 test cards. The cards  are used  to detect  if your drink is spiked with drugs like GHB, or not. It is easy to use. You just put a small drop of your drink on the strip and wait for it to dry. If it changes in color, to  dark blue, you are in grave danger. That drink is spiked! Throw it away and get out of there fast!


GHB is a colorless, odorless, and salty liquid that is mixed in drinks whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic. It leads to dizziness, paralysis, and memory loss that takes effect in 15 minutes or less. When that happens, sexual assault may take place. Hence, you need to have a Date Rape Drug Detector, to prevent this incident from happening.

Attending parties to have  fun and drinks, can be an exhilarating experience for any woman on the go. The blasting music, the happy chatter, and the unlimited flow of beverages can give any girl a false sense of complacency. But in these crowds often lie the most dangerous thing --- the ugly truth about spiked drinks and date rape.

Women now have a way of protecting themselves through the use of these strips. However, it is not always reliable since it has its own limitations. It is observed that it doesn't work with blue or green tinged drinks. Nor does it work with ordinary drinking water. It is advisable to always read the markings in a well-lit corner of the room and be always on the guard of never trusting anybody with your drink;  nor leaving it unattended, even for a second.


Photo credit: Pixabay.com


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Onli in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal
Copyright © csmiravite™. All Rights Reserved