Hello,
friends and angels! It’s been quite a very long time
since my last blog… I really missed blogging BIG TIME! I am so glad to
be back
and hopefully to write blogs as much as I did in the past (fingers
tightly
crossed...) At this moment I am more than just proud and excited to
bring you another
extraordinary Filipino who makes me REALLY proud to be a Filipina. I am
honored
and so blessed to present to you a very hard working asset oat a high
government office, who manages to be extraordinary on the job,
but is able to be a good “mother figure” to her most loved friend and
baby,
“Peso” and at the same time having the heart to lend a helping hand and
promote
the beauty and excellence of our very own country with the use of her
talent in
writing.
An article writer contributor at “Animal Scene” – a magazine
published by the “Manila Bulletin”,a web content provider at HubPages and a Presidential Management Staff.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you a very talented and charming Filipina
and a very good friend, MISS MARIA CECILIA ARROGANTE.
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| Miss Macel during her free time |
Miss Macel, as her friends and love ones fondly call her has
been featured in “Imbestigador” on 2008, another time in
“Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” on 2010 and
has also been invited to be a guest speaker by Hobbes and Lobbes to talk about
her article about Dog Photography.
Here’s my little interview with this
wonderful Pinay, who has gained so much respect with her enthusiasm for life.
Me: You have so much responsibilities,
besides holding a position on a high government office, you manage to blog, take care of
your dogs like they are your kids and you even have time to write for Animal
Scene, how do you keep with it?
Miss Macel: I am trying to balance
everything. If I am at work, it's only work and as much as possible; I don't
bring work at home, or extend my time at work but never really bring work at
home. I always prioritize if there is too much work to do; I set aside Animal
Scene and Hubpages. My job is still my priority because it is my bread and butter
and it's the reason why I can provide for my hobbies (blogging and photography)
and my dogs. This year, I only had two articles published by Animal Scene,
January and April pa yun, when things are gettilng light at work I started with
my other articles. Actually I was working with two stories before I left for
Singapore, now I need to recall my momentum, medyo tapos na medyo improvement
na lang. When it comes to animal scene kasi, I really make it a point that I am
confident with the stories and arrangement ng sentences ko, matindi pa rin ang
editing sa print eh. I only write for Hubpages naman, whenever I have too much
spare time, it depends on my mood especially if I have no stories for Animal
Scene in mind. Basta ang rule ko ay prioritization - work first, then Animal
Scene, then Hubpages. I won't write for Hubpages until I submit one article for
Animal Scene. About my dogs naman before and after my work, it's definitely
about them already. I won't go to work without bringing them to walk in the
morning and then feed them before I leave. Then when I arrive home in the
evening, I make sure that we spend time to stroll again, then feed them then
kaunting play then sleep. Saturdays and Sundays is for them also. There are
some cases when I need to break the rules that is when one of the dogs is sick,
I may take a leave from work... ganun lang kasimple buhay ko, I don't go out
that much. I go out of town or out of the country pero madalang yun. But
whenever I have to take some time out or leave the country, I make sure someone
will take care of my dogs, and it's my rule na 2 to 3 days lang ako pwedeng
mawala (laughs)
My dog Peso has this attitude of refusing to eat whenever he senses that I will
be out for days.
Me: You have blogged so much about myriad
things on your site at Hubpages, what are your favorite topics that may somehow
help people especially the Filipinos?
Miss Macel: My favorite topic is always
about dogs, especially when it comes to Peso's ailment and that is Perineal
Hernia. I always make it a point to answer queries kasi it's a rare case for
dogs. When Peso was just starting to have it, except for the internet and veterinarian,
I had no other source of information. Deep within me I felt like I needed to
talk to someone who can talk to me and understand what I am feeling. So I
decided to document my dog's ailment so that I can answer queries for dog
owners like me, and it worked though there are some who never update me after
answering them, there are some who became my friends and we keep updating each
other. My next favorite is featuring the restaurants where I dined in. Obviously
I love to eat, and I wish that my hubs about resto's may help some people
decide where to go. And I love writing about my favorite Korean actress, and I
do this for her fans like me… actually some of her fans has already become my
friends! (laughs).Then my fourth favorite is featuring places where I have been
because I want to promote the best places in our country… although I really
don't consider myself nationalistic, I still wish to show to the world the
beauty of the Philippines by writing about it, kahit marami nang writers ang
gumagawa nito. (laughs)
Me: What
or who inspires you to write?
Miss Macel: My definition of who inspires
me to write is like who I like to write about always (laughs) - My dog Peso
always inspires me to write. I guess you know that story that my first break in
writing was my article about him which was entitled “My Dog Has Perineal Hernia”
which was published by Animal Scene in 2008. Then Korean Actress Hajiwon, I
like her beauty, parang may pagkapinay, and she's a good actress, family
oriented, and still single. Sila yung main inspiration ko for writing, though I
am thinking I should thank Someone above as my main inspiration, for HE is the
reason why I have this gift, tingin ko this is what He wants me to do but di ko
pa nagagamit in ways that he really wanted me to.
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| Miss Macel with her adorble dog "Peso" |
Me: You seem to be passionate about
writing, photography and of course, dogs... tell us anything about them.
Miss Macel: Writing, dogs and photography, are
passions that originated since I was very young. I started writing poems in
grade school, I already love dogs then. Same thing with photography, I started
with 110 sizes of exposure (laughs)... I have lots of pictures with friends and
they all thank me now because it made them really smile to see how they looked
like during our younger years. I gave the whole album to my friend in
Singapore, I told her to repackage it and have it scanned (laughs), I have done
my job already so it's their turn.
Me: You have been featured in several
television shows, tell us something about them.
Miss Macel: Sa “Imbestigador” on 2008 yata
yun, after my dog Peso’s first surgery yun. The topic had nothing to do with
his ailment, but more on showing someone who treats her dog very well and those
who butchered dogs to sell the meat sa Baguio. The secondnd time I went out on
TV last 2010 sa “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” was about Manila Zoo naman yun, they
found me through Hubpages where I wrote about Manila Zoo and even posted photos
there when I was younger. Di na nakasama si Peso dun kasi parang it was too
tasking na, na after Manila Zoo babalik pa to Marikina to shoot Peso. Ok
lang... (smiles) The third time I begged off na but instead I recommended my
bestfriend's mom, sa ABS CBN naman ito kay “Matanglawin”, again they found me
through Hubpages , where I wrote about cremation of the my dog Pissy. Medyo not
so comfortable going out on screen (laughs) by the way yung sa Imbestigador,
they found me thru my celar.blogspot.com so yung mga TV exposures because of my
hubs and blogs ko lang ako natutunton and most of the time iyan yung mga di ko
matanggihan because it has something to do with my writing. Because of Animal
Scene too, Hobbes and Lobbes invited me to be a guest speaker and talked about
my article na Dog Photography kaya I can say that writing did a lot for me-
things that I did not expect to do.
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| Miss Macel's article featured at "Animal Scene" Magazine about Peso. |
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| Miss Madel's article about Manila Zoo was also featured in "Animal Scene" Magazine. |
Me: As a successful Filipina, what do you think
is the foremost responsibility of each Filipina woman to herself and fellow
Filipinos?
Miss Macel: Parang I don't consider myself
successful yet... you think I am? Measure din ba ng success ang financial
stability? If yes, in that case I don't
think I am successful (laughs). Siguro in a way I am successful though I
consider myself still struggling with my present job. I guess I am successful
because I am happy with what I am doing. I am happy that I can write and there
are people that I really do not know and yet approached me and told me that
they have read my articles. Those things are making me feel high and forget my
inadequacies in life. To me, it's my responsibility to make my life better and
happier always. I should pamper myself always and should take care of my
health, eat healthy food and right diet. I am dieting right now. I guess I
could help my fellow Filipinos with my own little ways like showing them good
example as tohow to be a good dog owner. I wish I could show people how to
follow rules but I know I am not perfect and in fact disobey some rules
sometimes, pero sa akin lang as long as you are happy and comfortable and you
don't hurt or bother anyone, then you are always on a right track.
Me: Lastly, what is your advice for the
Filipina women who would love to enjoy life better?
Miss Macel: Always do things that can make
you happy, because when you are happy with what you do, you don't get bored
waiting for financial advances or incentives. Always focus also in everything
you do, in my case I really did well whenever I chose to keep quiet and
concentrate in my job whenever I am in my office. And lastly Jen, words of
wisdom, don't get a pet just because you are sad, or in case you think a pet
can make you happy at least be responsible.
Me:
Thank you so much Miss Macel for spending some time with this interview.
I salute you and it is really an honor to have you featured at Ripples of Koi. Thanks
for the blessing of knowing you and for the friendship you unselfishly share. See
you around!
After that talk with this extraordinary
Filipina, I have learned things that I would love to impart with my readers.
These are:
- With our daily struggle to be responsible with the things and responsibilities that we have to face every day, we really need the courage to keep up and prioritize.
- We should never rely on others, even to our pets to give us happiness- because happiness lies within us, and we only realize that when we know how to show how much we love others.
- Humility is always a vital ingredient to success. Miss Macel is really a very humble Filipina, some Filipina women who somehow manage to climb a little step towards success act as if they own the world, yet this successful Filipina remains so down to earth despite her achievements.
- One of the greatest gifts that we can give not only to others but especially to ourselves is the ability to share our talents in ways that we can also lend a hand to the people that get by and spend some time with what we create. Miss Macel’s articles have not made her happier just because it has taken her on the screen, but it has actually made her feel so blessed that her talent in writing have given some vital information to others and even some form of realization that animals need the kind of loving care that some fail to give them.
Now, isn’t Miss Macel an epitome of a Filipina that we all
should look upon? Be proud of who you are, make your hobbies be a worthwhile
thing that can help others… because simple ways may give big helpful results.
Yan ang Pinay!
* Read Miss
Macel’s articles at http://maria-cecilia.hubpages.com/
*ALL IMAGES ARE CREDITED TO MISS MACEL ARROGANTE.
