The Eventful New York Vacation

The recent trip we had was quite the adventure! I still vividly remember feeling scared to a point of getting very terrified about Hurricane Sandy. I can still hear the howling of the wind, I can still feel the cold and moist air biting my face and I can certainly remember how it feels to be really scared stiff.

Images were running in my mind. What if we had to evacuate? What if the flood reaches where we were? What if the tree falls on the apartment? What if the water surge is so high that we would go down? Flashes of various images were running in my head like seeing many police patrols, ambulances, medics running around and carts pushed in the hospital just like the ones I see in the Howard-Medical.com hospital carts.

I know it was negative to think such thoughts but when you are in a situation where you and everyone else is at the mercy of Mother Nature, then you can only hope and pray that everyone will be safe and that everything will calm down.

Despite of the recent calamity and the exciting adventure we had gone through, I still want to visit New York. I will just have to make sure that no storm is brewing nearby.

Rehabilitation Center for Drug Abuse

I have seen the ugly side of dealing with substance addiction. It is very painful to witness the suffering of those involved, from the drug addict who is spiraling out of control to the family and friends who are there to help and feel the suffering as well. I have seen that. I have experienced all the pain and agony and I have been one of those who tried to pick up someone I love from the addiction that has befallen him. And going through the process is never easy. I have seen and felt it all. And I don't want to go through that process again.

My brother was a drug addict. We never knew it until he started acting weird and was always up all night. He barely sleeps. He lost weight and he became a recluse. His attitude towards us became volatile and lethargic which was not his nature. And then we found small pouches of white, powdery stuff stashed under his clothes. That was when we knew it was bad and ugly.

So, the arduous process of convincing him to go to rehab began and it was a lengthy one until he decided his life was wasting away. We had to search for suitable residential inpatient rehab center that would work alongside my brother's condition. We sent him to rehab for half a year and I vowed to my family and to himself that once he was clean and free from the evils that lured him into addiction, I would help him stand up on his two feet and would give him another chance in life.

I am thankful for rehabilitation centers around the world who help and support drug addicts to become normal again and free themselves from the bad vice. My brother was accepted in one of the rehab centers in the Philippines which helped him overcome his disorder the natural way without any help of medications. A similar rehabilitation center which allows addicts to cope with their withdrawal via natural methods is Morningside Recovery. The clients are offered with opportunities to enjoy life like having nature retreats, art classes, rock climbing, vocational training, and even attend university classes.  Just like my brother's rehab center which is situated on the foot of the mountain, Morningside Recovery is situated along the coast of Southern California, providing an idyllic view of nature, helping clients recover placidly and naturally.

I personally and strongly believe that helping drug addicts to recover is one way to achieve healing and regain their trust to themselves and the society.

Life is beautiful; they deserve to see and feel that.

Spooky Stories

Well, I have my fair share of spooky experience in my life and I think, Science cannot explain what I have seen so far.

I just thought of sharing this since few weeks from now is Halloween and all sorts of spooky stories will come up. And I have my own spooky segment here :)

When I was a lot younger, I saw my grandfather standing near our hallway at home smiling at me. I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me but when I rubbed my eyes and blinked couple of times, there he were - on the same spot, smiling at me and wearing the same clothes he wore when he was buried. That was my first brush with the "spirit."

Then, I had more brush up with the "unexplained" as I grew up. Sometimes, my closet door (my door has a "snap-like" lock so you really had to pull hard to open them) would suddenly open for no reason. Not just once, many times. When those moments happened, I prayed for them to stop. The weird thing was, when my closet doors open, it was as if it slides "off" the hook and not someone opening them. Like I mentioned earlier, my closet doors have snap-like hook. It would take a lot of effort to open my cabinet.

Our family friend who passed away would visit every now and then (probably to say "hi") and apart from that, I would see shadows passing by in the office at night. That is mainly the reason why I try to avoid staying late in the office. People said, it used to be a burial ground. Shocks!

I asked my college professor then who was into these paranormal activities about how and why I was experiencing and even seeing stuff other people didn't. He said, some people were given that "extra" sense to feel (and sometimes see and hear) the unseen. I told him I was not (and still am) not very happy about it because I am a scaredy-cat! I couldn't even stand watching horror movies. I hate sleeping without any night lamp on. Unfortunately, some people just had that.

Many years after, I can still see moving shadows in the office but the visions (as what I would term it) have not appeared for sometime and I do pray it stay that way. It scares the hell out of me and it's not really fun. My heart beats fast; my hands and legs shake and I can't move. That's a very frightening feeling. I wish I never had this sensitive "sense."

I am not a believer of spooky stuff but these I have seen and experienced so far are something I really cannot explain. I wish Science can inject some practical theories on that!

So, do you have similar experience as I have? Spill the beans and I'll listen :)