Keep Safe All!!!

Typhoon season is upon us once more... And our first big one is happening right now...  Been on the weather watch all week long and as predicted, it hit us here in Taipei last nite...  And still raging on today....

Was awaken just a little after 6am by a loud breaking sound...  Got up to look and saw our first major casualty😢😢😢

All these photos I took this morning..  Braved the weather for a bit, stepped out in front of my home and took these snaps.. These are all on my block...

In less than a minute, I was soaking wet..  And forget the umbrella..  That's a goner...  Can only Imagine how everywhere else has fared...

Pray For The Philippines

By now am pretty sure all of us have heard of the most recent and most devastating disaster that has befallen the Visayas region of the Philippines.  As stated, Typhoon Yolanda or Typhoon Haiyan, as it more commonly known worldwide, proved to be the most ferocious typhoon to hit anywhere in the world for a very long time.  

Everywhere else in the world, it would have proven a disaster of major proportions.  With The Philippines being surrounded by bodies of water - the magnitude increased two folds.  Reports are now stating, it could even be worse than the Tsunami that hit South East Asia a few years back.  No confirmed number of deaths so far - as soooo many are still missing...  but with towns totally demolished with nothing left standing - initial estimates are well in the 10,000 lives lost.

5 days after the Haiyan wreck havoc in the Islands, so much chaos still ensues...  with lots of people still homeless and hungry...  even worse, CNN's Anderson Cooper, who is on hand reports that in one of the places hit the worst - no relief aids can be seen, nor government aids...  and this cause for more tensions - with local medias and government attacking Mr Cooper and company....  the lack or slow pace the government is taking in sending in help, or making way for the relief goods/help to reach the victims is truly deplorable, disheartening, and making people feel so much more hopelessness about the situation...  Couple this with the public concerns about the DONATION/FUNDS getting to the rightful people, and not the pocket of the politicians arises more concerns...  Totally warranted and understandable, due to the latest round of PORK BARREL SCANDAL, hovering over the Philippine government - with so many Political Figures involved.

 

It scares me to think/know that some of my friends in foreign countries - and even some fellow Kababayans (countrymen) - are apprehensive about donating...  this is a BAD THING as we all know - no mater how SMALL an amount our contributions are - they do go along way in helping out the victims.   My only advice is to: "Be Aware, Make Our Contributions Count."   Mainly it is all about getting the donations to the proper channels...  this we can do so by going through some of the most reputable relief aid institutions: Unicef, WHO, RED CROSS, & WFP - to name a few...  there are others so please be SMART and GIVE WISELY.  Make our CHANGE help CHANGE LIVES!!!

So sadly, due to these matters discussed above:  are the victims to suffer even more so?  Was it not enough that so many lives and livelihood were lost from Typhoon Haiyan?  I for one, am so frustrated and disgruntled over all the reports of late...  to a point that I try not to read anymore....   Who cares about the bitterness Ms Korinna Sanchez feels over Mr Cooper's statements?   At this point, who cares about how slow or uninformed the government was in preventing so much of what went on?  Instead, work together... focus on getting aids to all the needies....  making sure they have clean water, food and a place to sleep in....   Get the Donations and Reliefs goods to the right places....   Yes, this is all easier said than done, but if we do not work together... if we do not let go of our EGOs...  and more importantly, if we do not  focus on the more important matter: THE VICTIMS!!! - chaos will ensue and more lives will be lost...  Let us avoid escalating the chaos and disaster even more than necessary...

LET'S ALL UNITE & WORK TOGETHER!!!
 

 =========================

A Letter of Note that I wanted to share...  this one is from one of Philippine Cinemas\'s esteemed directors, Peque Gallaga...  what he wrote, am sure, is something most Filipinos have thought of (Rightly so!), but could not put into words...  well, here it is - well, written , honest and direct.... 

Peque Gallaga"s Letter

am not well versed in Philippine Cinema, not even sure if I have seen any of his movies, but will surely look them up, but I salute him for his letter and being brave enough to Go Against The Flow and Voice Out his feelings...  not be trapped in the "Don't Speak Out Showbiz policy, fearing backlashes from the Goverment and the Industry."

Storm's A Coming..

Yep that time of the year again where we have more Rain than we care to have..  Yes it is Summer time and way too hot - so we pray for some rain to cool off a bit - but typhoon???

It is worrisome especially for family and friends in The Philippines...  News reports of so much flooding, even in the main cities filled the news on TV, in the papers, on the Net, and yes, Facebook too!  It really is quite scary..  Chest High flooding  in some cases!!!   One can only hope it will let up soon...

In Taiwan, it started pouring yesterday...  Not too heavy but non - stop..  All night long...  Today it shaped up to be a really Wet Wednesday...  Typhoon is supposed to intensify  in the afternoon hours that

Schools and some work places are close...  Even the Gate to Dajia Riverside is now carefully guarded - people are advised to get their vehicles out - then,the  gates will be closed, as they are during typhoon days...

Still manage to go for a dip at San Ming Pool with Juju last nite though...  Having it close by, we were able to make it there fine for a few hours...  Of course, it was not too crowded..  Only a few peeps braved the rain, and sadly for Juju, not too many kids to play with.

Wonder where we will make it to today???

storm's a coming....

Judging by the clouds this early afternoon something WICKED, definitely,  this way comes...  We went from Sunny Blues Skies this morning to fast moving clouds changing colors from powdery white to darkness....... Storm's a comin, indeed....  Was actually warned by a friend on Facebook about the 2 storms heading our way: "oh my it looks like a double whammy for Taiwan with Igme then to be follow swiftly by Bolaven and a possible Fujiwara effect looming ahead."  All this sounds too scary to me.....  huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu....

Still, since I have Juju today, we took advantage of the earlier, NO RAIN YET, weather and had her Papa drop us off at Mitsukoshi in the Warner Village Area....  We window shopped....  took in the Exhibition on A9-9th Flr - only one left till the 26th of this month.... 

We took an afternoon break by sharing a MANGO ICE TREAT.... sadly for me, she chose to eat all the Mangoes and I was left with mostly the ice...waaaaaah......  Then we headed back to A8-4th Floor Kiddyland for a bit of Playtime for Juju....

We would have stayed through the night to window shop some more and play but sadly the predicted storm is already starting to make it's presence known... as soon as the first drop of rain fell, I decided we hop on the bus at once so as we can get home safely not be caught in the eye of the storm...

2nd Day in Kaohsiung.., terrible gusty winds and heavy downpour all night long... Hardly any sleep... Decided to just get up by 6AM....

Just lounging about as everyone gets up one by one.... With a little break in the rain, Liya and I decided to go for a run..,, a bit scary seeing all the fallen trees, electrical wires, and just about everything flying here and there...

Then it was back at The Wus... Nothing to do but lounge about.. Hoping to fond an open place to hang out, even for just a bit... And not just stay in and eat, eat, and eat some more.... LOL..

One thing did come about from this boredom though, I got to learn about the APP Camera 360... More FUN for the photos... upper left is the original shot and below are a couple of treatment I like... :)

here's hoping UMBRELLAS will be enough....

Manila and the rest of the Philippines is bracing itself once again for another typhoon heading our way- this is from numerous TV NEWS report yesterday....... nothing new, as this is the Typhoon Season once again... Only warnings are already being given that it could or might be as INTENSE as the ONDOY one that DEVASTATED many areas nationwide... causing so much damages and losses - lives included....

This morning I woke up to Glorious Blues Skies.... so, So Far, So Good.... Hope it stays like so.....

So lets' cross our fingers, says prayers and send good vibes to the people of The Philippines and everywhere else being battered by heavy downpour this season.... remember, we are all in this world - TOGETHER!!!
====================

"When the sun shines, we'll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)"
-Umbrella by Rihanna

RELIEF FUND REMINDER

with this weekend coming to a close - I wanted to send a SHOUT OUT to you all and send another REMINDER about our XMAS TYPHOON RELIEF FUND DRIVE... the DEADLINE is coming up - the 15th of DEC - that leaves you all 8 More Days to help make the drive even more of a SUCCESS, as it was last time out.... after all, we all could use a bit of help - especailly during the Holidays...

Click Here For More Details

or FEEL FREE to email me (wtsrudi@yahoo.com) if you have any further questions!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Yep, it is that time of the year again to GIVE THANKS to all the BLESSINGS we get in life.... and as corny as the picture banner maybe - I TRULY am THANKFUL for Life, Love, Family & Friends!!!

Wishing You and Yours a Wonderful Thanksgiving!!!


MyNiceSpace.com

JUST A REMINDER: Our TYPHOON RELIEF DRIVE II STARTS TODAY!!!!

For More Info Pls Click Here

UNITY: Help Us Help Them

Our first TYPHOON FUND (done in OCTOBER) was a success - we were able to Raise & Donate 25,000Pesos through the Generosity of many people. You can read more about it here:
http://baxter-ramblings.blogspot.com/search/label/ONDOY

With the Holidays coming up, and after reading reports that so many people are still displaced, we have decided to run the same TYPHOON FUND DRIVE once again - DETAILS BELOW:
Starting THANKSGIVING DAY and thru the 15th of DEC -- I will allocate a certain amount of SALES to be DONATED to Philippine Red Cross as part of the Typhoon Relief Funds. With the RAINY SEASON still upon the Philippines, more Typhoons are sure to cause more troubles. This is the BEST I can come up with to help, even just a bit -- to help give the victims a better Holiday Season. So I do hope you will take advantage of the offer and we can all have a SHARE in doing a bit of what we can to help.

The Particulars:
-$5.00 for each DG POP SUSIE or ANY OTHER SUSIE DOLLS SOLD

-$1.00 for each of any other dolls we have IN STOCK SOLD OR

-$10.00 for any Sales Over $100.00; $20 for $200 or more; $30 for $300 or more; etc...

NOTE: SHIPPING COSTS Not Included.
*Pre Ordered Dolls are not Included.

**You can see all our PRODUCTS, INCLUDING INTEGRITY DOLLS, HERE:
R&D DOLLS

***Total Donation AMOUNT will be CONVERTED TO Philippine Pesos and I will WRITE a check for it and PERSONALLY DELIVER to the Philippine Red Cross.****will GET a RECEIPT, PHOTOGRAPH and POST.
==============================
NOTE: No amount is ever to small or too large when it comes to helping out.... Sadly, I know that the economy has not been great for quite some time now -- so do not feel bad if you cannot contribute now... but if ABLE, pls do CONTACT US.... If NOT for yourself, maybe an XMAS GIFT for a friend, or two, or more.

I know that there were a few of you who wanted to DONATE the last time but was a bit late as it was past the DEADLINE - so here's your chance once more - hope to hear from you soon.

love,

Rudi
http://www.rnddolls.com/

UNI+Y

As this is the mponth for the THANKSGIVING Holiday, I decided to atart off with the word UNITY and it's DEFINITION - as we all need a little reminder now and again that, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!!! Am accompanying it with a photo of these UNI+Y cuties I picked up from FnH - who produced these items in collaboration with the Philippine National Red Cross, proceeds from the SALE goes to help out the TYPHOON VICTIMS.
unity (yo̵̅o̅′nə tē)

noun pl. unities -·ties

the state of being one, or united; oneness; singleness
something complete in itself; single, separate thing
the quality of being one in spirit, sentiment, purpose, etc.; harmony; agreement; concord; uniformity

unification
a unified group or body
the quality or fact of being a totality or whole, esp. a complex that is a union of related parts

an arrangement of parts or material in a work of art or literature, that will produce a single, harmonious effect
a design or effect so produced
constancy, continuity, or fixity of purpose, action, etc.

ONDOY FUND: A BIIIG THANK YOU to you all!!!

Because of your GENEROUS HELP during my ONDOY RELIEF FUND DRIVE, we were able to DONATE a total of 25,000.00Pesos to the Philippine National Red Cross to help the ONDOY Victims.I could not thank you all enough in contributing to the drive... am sure that our efforts and contributions will be put to good use and help out many who are less fortunate.
To date, am told that 5 more TYPHOONS are slated to come through... not sure of their intensities - so let us now all help and pray that it will not be as sever/strong/bad as the previous ones... in the Philippines, and in the rest of the world.

FnH X Phil. National Red Cross

One of my favorite clothing boutique in Manila, Folded and Hung (TRULY Pinoy with a Modern Flair and Fashionable) or FnH for short, and in collaboration with the Philippine National Red Cross, have produced some really cute. and I DO MEAN CUTE, cloth dolls/toys available now for purchase... and the BEST part is that portions of the sales from each UNITY RED CROSS DOLLS (see left photo) will go towards the Typhoon Ondoy Victims.

So if you happen to be in Manila - be sure to check out FnH, located in just about every MALL in Manila, and outlying provinces... COOL CLOTHES and now a CHANCE to HELP ONDOY victims...

Typhoon Donation Fund Update

As of today, Oct 1st, we have raised $212.00US (10,070Pesos in todays' exchange rate) for the ONDOY Typhoon Relief Drive we are doing.... PLS CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

It was put to my ATTENTION a GREAT POINT - as some of you ahve just recently purchased dolls, or really have no more BUDGET for a doll, but still woukld love to help out. So YES, we can take straight out CONTRIBUTIONS through PAYPAL, as well..
SO email me for details.

NOTE: 8 Days to go for this DONATION DRIVE.... Thanks In Advance!

doing what I can... pls help........

Been following the NEWS (VIA BBC NEWS, YAHOO PHILIPPINES, CHINA POST, Taiwan) of TYPHOON ONDOY's aftermath in Manila and all the outlying affected areas...went to bed thinking what could I do... woke up with actually a though of how I, how we all, could help.... As I will be going to Manila on the 9th I will RUN this by you all:
======================
Starting TODAY and thru the 8th of OCT -- I will allocate a certain amount of SALES to be DONATED to Philippine Red Cross as part of the Typhoon Relief Funds. This is the BEST I can come up with - so I hope you will take advantage of the offer and we can all have a SHARE in doing a bit of what we can do to help.

-$5.00 for each DG POP SUSIE or ANY OTHER SUSIE DOLLS SOLD
-$1.00 for each of any other dolls we have IN STOCK SOLD

OR

-$10.00 for any Sales Over $100.00; $20 for $200 or more; $30 for $300 or more; etc... NOTE: SHIPPING COSTS Not Included.

*will NOTE all SALES and TOTAL DONATION AMOUNT will be CALCULATED and POSTED.
**Total Donation AMOUNT will be CONVERTED TO Philippine Pesos and I will WRITE a check for it and PERSONALLY DELIVER to the Philippine Red Cross, once am in MANILA....
***will GET a RECEIPT, PHOTOGRAPH and POST.
****You can see all our PRODUCTS HERE: R&D DOLLS

==============================NOTE: No amount is ever to small or too large when it comes to helping out.... Sadly, I know that the economy has not been great for quite some time now -- so do not feel bad if you cannot contribute now... but if ABLE, pls do CONTACT US....

If NOT for yourself, maybe you can but that XMAS GIFT early for a friend.

love,
Rudi
TODAY"S CHINA POST HEADLINE

Typhoon ONDOY ravages LUZON

My HEART & PRAYERS go out to all the the victims of Typhoon Ondoy, as well as their families & friends... Ondoy passed through the Philippines and caused so much havoc and deaths over the weekend... here's bits & pieces of news I have read so far from Yahoo Philippines.
==========================
About 34.1 centimeters of rain fell on Metro Manila in just six hours, close to the 39.2-centimeter average for the entire month of September. The previous record was 33.4 centimeters recorded during a 24-hour period in June 1967, according to chief government weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz. “However good your drainage system is, it will be overwhelmed by that amount of rainfall,” he said.

All 3 Airports in Manila were forced to closed, cancel flights and divert flights, as flooding affected the electrical system. Even sea travels were cancelled leaving thousands of commuters stranded in outlying provinces. All schools were closed down. In Metro Manila, many vehicles were stalled due to flooding of the car engines which, according to the Philippine Red Cross, caused difficulties in the relief efforts as many stalled vehicles are blocking the already flooded streets.

The Philippine government declared a "state of calamity" in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces. Army troops, police and civilian volunteers have rescued more than 5,100 people.============================
If interested in HELPING OUT or SENDING on Donations - Pls Click on this LINK for a LISTING OF VERIFIED RELIEF CENTERS... or contact your local RED CROSS.

Typhoon Lai La!!! (Typhoon is coming!!!)

And yet once again, we are bracing for another TYPHOON... it is being reported as having such HIGH INTENSITY that Monday is already being declared as a NO WORK, NO SCHOOL Day!!! And that is something that does not happen quite often here... so it must really be BIIIG!!!

Hope the weather is much better in your parts of the world....