Happy Holidays Everyone!!!
The year 2013 started off with news that one of my closest friends died in a car accident and just two weeks after that, my dad passed away as well. I had to make an emergency trip to the Philippines for his funeral. We also had to give up our apartment and live in a motorhome, moving from town to town following the pipeline, for six months. We’ve had our fair share of rough patches and financial difficulties throughout the year. It would seem like this has been my worst years so far. That is if all you look at is the negative side of things.
I decided to look at all the positive things. Maybe it was my friend’s time to go, maybe he fulfilled his purpose in life already. My dad was finally freed from his battle with diabetes for 3 years. He’s finally free from suffering, hardships, pain, and all the hospital visits. He practically lived in the hospital during his last year. It was also a blessing in disguise as I haven’t been home to the Philippines for two years. Giving up my apartment and living in the motorhome freed us from having to pay rent and saving up for a down deposit for a house and in October 1st, we moved in to our very first house. The rough patches and financial difficulties we’ve had only made us stronger and much wiser.
This coming holiday, we wish to give thanks for the best year we’ve ever had. To celebrate that and to show Books and Bindings’ appreciation to all the followers and regular visitors, we are delighted to announce that we are giving away a Kindle Fire HDX 7″ 32GB tablet to one very lucky winner!
Share the Christmas Cheers to everyone! 
Note: We will verify each entry made and randomly choose a winner through Rafflecopter.
RECENT UPDATE: Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
We’ve all heard about the Typhoon Haiyan hitting the Philippines just recently and affecting over 11 million people in the country. This is the largest storm to ever hit the land or so I’ve heard. Growing up in the Philippines, I’ve been used to typhoons coming and going once or twice a year. It has never affected me or any of my relatives, family, or friends in a major way before and we’ve always been lucky. One of the cities the Typhoon Haiyan hit is Tacloban, Leyte where my uncle (mom’s brother) lives with his wife and my four cousins. Although their house was blown away and they lost everything they own, they are all alive and are currently being flown to Manila where most of my other relatives are. We are still very lucky.
In honor of all the families and friends we’ve lost from the Typhoon Haiyan that killed more than 3,500 people in the Philippines, we are raising money to help those who survived to recover from this devastating typhoon. Food, clean drinking water, blankets, shelter, medicine, and other supplies might not help them get their loved ones and houses back but it will help them get back on their feet and recover. We’ve added 10 points entry in the Rafflecopter for people who donated for this cause. This is definitely not mandatory and all proceeds will go to the victims of this typhoon.
