Blogging Got Me a Laptop

Wala lang. I just want to flaunt it (read:wake-up call for my friends). Fresh from the MBS2, I was amazed at the enormous sum of money that some bloggers are earning through their blogs. Stories like how blogging gave them the financial capacity to buy expensive things that one could only wish to have before or how blogging helped them build their dream house can be inspiring. But just like any business, blogging requires an investment. For one, it's the time that you devote to it. So just like any endeavor, with success comes hardwork. I must admit though that I slack off once in a while.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

It's Halloween and everyone is in the mood for spooky things. In our office, there was a Halloween Trick or Treat for kids yesterday afternoon where there were around 150 kids who participated in the event. They feasted on kiddie foods which adults like me also enjoyed with much gusto. In fact, I had three trips to the hotdog station not to mention the time I spent at the chocolate fountain.

Kids also received several loot bags from the different stations that they stopped by before finally heading to fairyland where much more fun begins. They were also treated to a magic show where kids were really amazed with each trick that they saw.

To make the mood even more attuned to the occasion, we also had our work areas designed to a particular spooky theme. The one in the picture above which depicted a scary cemetery won first place. Everyone had a spooktacular time yesterday, kids and adults alike. It's good that even for just one day, I can be like a little kid again.

The Lessons of Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2

Anyone who took part of the recently concluded 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit in General Santos will readily agree that it was a fun and memorable event. Apart from the event being free, sponsors as well as organizers were generous enough to give the participants the best experience possible.

The Summit was a feast, and I mean both literally and figuratively. Bloggers were treated to a sumptuous tuna cocktail and dinner that's truly a delight to one's appetite during the fellowship dinner where we were also entertained with an engaging dance presentation from Teatro Ambahanon. That surely left the audience with their eyes popping and jaws dropping. The day after the Summit, we were toured around some of General Santos City's attractions by our gracious hosts. It was indeed a plethora of good memories.

But hopefully, Mindanao bloggers will not forget the most significant lesson of this year's Summit. Like what Mr. Bobby Timonera said, we can help change how the world sees Mindanao. That Mindanao is a beautiful and peaceful place and not the War Zone that it is constantly depicted in the news.

The Forces Behind the 2nd MBS' Great Success

The Second Mindanao Bloggers Summit held at General Santos City last Oct. 25, 2008 was a big success and this would not be possible without these generous sponsors. Thank you.

CO-PRESENTERS:
City Mayor Pedro B. Acharon, Jr.
Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio
NOKIA
Department of Tourism XII
ABS-CBN Regional Network Group
Bariles Republic
Gen. Santos City Tourism Association
SOCCSKSARGEN Blogers

GOLD SPONSORS:
Friendster
Globe
AMA Computer Learning Center
Grab A Crab Restaurant and Coffee Club 101
Gregoria Printing Press

SILVER SPONSORS:
Nokiahost.Com
Asia United Bank
Family Country Hotel & Convention Center
East Asia Royale Hotel
Fine Pixel Advertising
IDEAS

BRONZE SPONSORS
GenSan Sale.Com
Blogging from Home Book
Pacific Seas Seafood Market
Generals Logimark Exponent
Prints and You
Writing Edge.Com
Forest Lake San Carlos Park
Rolee Bakery & Cafe
Jehzlau Concepts
Techykid.Com
Jaypee Online.Net
Blue Media Communications
International Container Terminal Services, Inc
Shalom Wizard Academy
Dreamworld Travel and Tours
Sta. Cruz Seafoods, Inc.
Dellosa Design Build Services
Kristan BookstoreDOLE Philippines
Husky Bus Lines
Shakey's Pizza
Family Brand Sardines
Gaisano Mall of GenSan
Chowking - KCC
Jollibee National HighwayProcter & Gamble Philis., Inc
Mega Sardinesc

A million thanks also to Kuya Avel Manansala for being such an excellent host. We definitely had a great time!

Here are some of the pictures I took.

The Lucky winners of free domain and hosting. Inggit ako!

Kuya Avel giving out a token to pretty Google Country
Manager, Ms. Aileen Apolo.
Gensan Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. having a chat with Blogie during the Sashimi Night.
Mindanao Bloggers danced the night away.



Will be sharing more of the adventure in my next posts.

For Women 30 yrs and over, Pls. Read

I found this from my friendster bulletin that's worth a few minutes of your precious time. Please read along..

For those who are not 30 yet, (OR THINK YOU'RE NOT)- you've got something to look forward to.

THIS HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY A MAN.

This is for all you girls 30 years and over.... and for those who are turning 30, and for those who are scared of moving into their 30's...AND for guys who are scared of girls over 30!!!!...

This was written by Andy Rooney from CBS 60 Minutes.

Andy Rooney says:

As I grow in age, I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 30 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, "What are you thinking?"
She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 30 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it.
She does something she wants to do. And, it's usually something more interesting.

A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom.
Few women past the age of 30 give a d**n what you might think about her or what she's doing.

Women over 30 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant.
Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

A woman over 30 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends.
A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn't trust the guy with other women.
Women over 30 couldn't care less if you're attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won't betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 30. They always know.

A woman over 30 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one!
You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 30 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal.
For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of
30+, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of
himself with some 22-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free". Here's an update for you.

Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage, why?

Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire Pig, just to get a little sausage.

Hehehe... Peace Men!

Clean Up for this Blog's Links

For a month or so, I have observed that there's a lot of missing backlinks here. True enough, there were a lot of blogs that are in my list who did not add me up to their links. There are actually some bloggers who ask for link exchange with you but don't even bother to add you up in their links. That is just so unfair, right? In my case, I have taken note of those bloggers. After doing my clean-up, I have deleted have of the links on my list. I'm so happy to have gotten rid of them. It's probably one of the reasons why I lost my PR here.

As for those who have linked to me but I haven't linked them here, please leave me a note here so I can add your blog here. I will do the update as soon as I can.

Davao Bloggers Networking Night

After a few months of being around the blogosphere, I am so happy that I finally have the chance to be part of not only one bloggers eyeball event but two. I have already posted here last month that I was one of the lucky 100 participants to get a slot to the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit in General Santos City next weekend. The other good news that I received from Ms. Janette Toral the other night is an invitation to the Davao Bloggers Networking Night this coming October 21, 2008 at the Grand Regal Hotel here in Davao. Me and my blogger friends are surely giddy with excitement as this is going to be a first time for all of us.

Great Confections

Great cakes I stumbled upon at Brides.com's cake gallery.

Admit it, your mouths got watery just right when you caught a glimpse of these sinfully inviting, beautiful pieces of artistic confections.

Mine did! But honestly, I like looking at them more than taking a piece of them. These cakes are equally delightful to the eyes as they are to our palates.
Cake making and decorating is a hobby that I would love to try my hands on. Being a person who has a great passion for beautiful things, I like doing crafts for my own personal satisfaction. I like seeing and making beautiful things. And beautiful cakes are one of them. Someday, I would love to make a masterfully decorated cake of my own. When I was still in High School, I have already tried baking a cake but that was just for a beginner which means it is a basic and simple cake. I am also thinking that it could also be a good way to earn some extra cash.

I Got Interrogated

1.WHAT DATE IS IT?:: October 12, 2008
2. WHAT TIME DID U WAKE UP?:: 7:00 am.
3. DID U GO SOMEWHERE YESTERDAY?:: Nope.
4. WHAT DID U DO THERE?:: Nada.
5. HOW OLD ARE U?:: 31 years old.
6. ARE U MATURE OR IMMATURE?:: Somewhere in Between!
7. WHAT DO U CALL UR MOM & DAD?:: Mama and Papa.
8. ARE U AN ONLY CHILD?:: Nope.
9. WHERE DO U GO SHOPPING?:: Victoria Plaza, Gaisano Mall or SM.
10. DO U LIKE SCHOOL?:: Yes.
11. DO U LIKE BOOKS?:: yes
12. DO U WANT TO GET MARRIED?:: I don't know..
13. WITH WHOM?:: I am not sure too.
14. ARE U SPOILED?:: No.
15. WHATS THE MOST FLATTERING COMPLIMENT U EVER GOT?:: I look like Claudine Barretto (imagine daw!).
16. ONLY GIRL/BOY IN THE FAMILY?:: Nope.
17. IF U WERE TO MARRY A CELEBRITY, WHO WOULD IT BE?:: Hmmm... Ay oi, this is so difficult, I can't make up my mind.. Uhmm..Cge si Wentworth Miller na lang.
18. WOULD U LIKE TO MEET Josh Hartnett?:: But of Course!
19. Where do u think ur bestfriend is?:: Home.
20. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME U TALKED TO UR BESTFRIEND?:: this morning!
21. U THINK SHE/HE NEEDS U NOW?:: Maybe.
23. WHAT DO U WANT FOR UR BIRTHDAY?:: Pampering.
25. IF U WERE TO BUY A CAR , WHICH CAR WOULD IT BE?:: A Honda CRV.
26. A DUET WITH HEART EVANGELISTA?:: Nope.
27. DO U WEAR MAKE-UP?:: Sometimes.
28. WHAT LIP BALM DO U USE?:: Maybelline.
29. WOULD U GET A TATTOO?:: Yup but only henna.
30. BELLY PIERCE?:: Nope.
31. HOW MANY KIDS DO U WANT?:: 4.
32. DO U HAVE ANY HOMEWORK?:: Homework for my blog
33. ANY SONG THAT YOU’RE LISTENING?:: Nothing in particular.
34. DO U BELIEVE IN SPELLS?:: NOT SURE..
35. WHERE DO U WANT TO GO NOW?:: Singapore.

<>

Players: Vannie kathycot buhaymisis whenmomspeaks kathycotcooks my precious niche just me.. eds edsmommylife Me and Mine Creative in Me For the LOVE of Food Little Peanut Pea in a Pod Sugar Magnolias When Silence Speaks Etc Atbp Deranged Insanity Blessings and Beyond Kikay Corner LAINY'S MUSINGS OUR JOURNEY TO FOREVER Twerlermz Reveiling Oneself Briggs Time for Escapades Moments of My Life Race Corner Me, the Islands and the World Pinay heart wanderings and musings Watchamacallit!,Nellypie's Chatterbox YOUR BLOG

I'm passing this on to everyone who wants to join.

Cool Blog Award

Got this cool award from my ûber bubbly blogger-friend Shieryl. Thanks a lot Shei!

Once accepted, the rules would be as follows:

1. Put the logo on your blog;

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you;

3. Nominate 10 other blogs;

4. Add links to those blogs on yours;

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs;

Here are my coolest blogs:

Abby's Corner
Marie's Journal
Race's Corner
Asawa's Love Book
Felicity's Visions and Premonitions
Bing G's Blog
Poray's World
Shieryl's Candid Thoughts and Moments
Nellypie's Chatterbox
Me, the islands and the world

Cheap but Delicious Donuts

While waiting for my mom to arrive here in our favorite meeting place, yes, it's Mister Donuts in Victoria Plaza, I was bitten by the shutterbug and decided to take snaps of the food counter. This must be the umpteenth time that I have taken a picture of those donuts. I don't know, but I just love looking at them.

I have just discovered recently that Mister Donuts has been founded since 1950's in North America and was the biggest competitor to Dunkin Donuts. Here in the Philippines, there has been quite a few names in the Donut business who are slowly building their own niche in the market. Krispy Kreme and Go Nuts! Donuts are some to name a few. But we, from Davao City only get to taste it as a pasalubong from friends or loved ones who have been to Cebu or Manila.

I doubt that those names will flourish in Davao though, at this point in time, knowing that being a Davaoeño myself, we are used to having affordable prices for our food. This is why food chains like Mister Donut will survive here because for a price starting at Php3.oo, you can buy a donut (it's just a smidget though).

A Valuable Gift from my Dentists

For several years, I have been wearing braces and so every saturday is a date with my dentists since there were two of them. The other one is my orthodontist who makes sure that my teeth were making progress and the other one is where I go to for oral prophylaxis and dental filling. My dentists have a good number of patients that it would take me several hours waiting for my turn to take the dental chair even if I am scheduled for an appointment. This has always been the scenario everytime I go to the clinic.

This observation made me realize the burden of professional liability on their shoulders or on any of those professional practitioners for that matter. Medical and dental practitioners, more particularly, have greater responsibilities because they hold a patient's life in their hands. Since these people are not God, they are prone to commiting mistakes and these mistakes can be very costly because it puts their reputation and the patient's welfare at stake.

To prepare for situations like that, getting a professional liability insurance would seem to be the

best option. There are several professional groups that are sensitive enough to provide protection if ever one is charged with malpractice. A good example of these professional groups is a Dental Society Risk Retention Group called Eastern Dental Insurance Company. It is a company which is put up by dentists themselves that likewise caters to the insurance needs of dentists only. As such, EDIC knows very well the needs that a malpracticing dentist may have and thus the insurance that they provide are designed to address these needs. Who knows a dentist's needs anyway but a dentist himself.

Going back to my dentists, I have so much to thank them for because I have finally overcome my fear of going to the dentist for a huge majority of my life. But that one decision to have braces was my first step to overcoming that fear.

My Favorite Food: Veggies

Our foods today are mostly laden with fats and preservatives and we know that it's not good for the body. As much as possible, it is always best to stay away from preserved and processed foods like noodles and hotdogs and start eating real food that are rich with nutrients and the ultimate source for it would be vegetables.

Personally, I have always preferred to eat vegetable dishes than fast food. From my personal observation, there's a big difference from getting satisfied out of eating fast food and out of eating real foods. Try to compare eating burgers and french fries against eating vegetables for lunch or dinner and observe the feelings of satisfaction you derive from the two. After eating from a fast food chain, one feels full but bloated and sluggish compared to eating veggies where one feels full but light. This is only based on my personal observation. Others may not agree with this but one thing I am sure, vegetables are the best food for detoxification.

I know quite a number of people who doesn't like to eat vegetables but mind you, it's best for your health. This is not a myth but a fact.

A Tag of 30 Questions

It's been awhile since I got tagged, thanks to Tes for this nice one. I really enjoy answering get-to know you questions. The last time I did it was with my sisters when we bought a book entitled Kokology which is a series of questions that one has to answer by choosing from a set of answers. The answers then has equal analysis of one's personality. It's truly a nice game of self-discovery and a nice bonding activity with friends and family too. Anyway, here's the tag and for those who want to do this too, you know the drill.

Players: buhaymisis kathycot whenmomspeaks kathycotcooks Quicker8 Me and Mine Creative in Me For the LOVE of Food Little Peanut Pea in a Pod La Place de Cherie Chez Francine Le bric à brac de Cherie Happymomiam Wonderful Things A Message Love Is Fountain Of Happiness My Life's Adventure A Place of Being Geng's Journal Moments of My Life My Crossroads Race Corner A Beautiful Life Me, the Islands and the World Pinay Heart Wanderings and Musings, Watchamacallit!, Nellypie's Chatterbox, your site here!

1. what’s your latest addiction? - Blogging.

2. What are you listening to? - The sound of our washing machine.(nanglaba ko karon).

3. How late did you stay up last night and why? – Past 10pm, catched some opps
4. Who were you with last Friday night? - Family

5. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now?- What?.
6. When is the next time you’ll see your close friends?- Nah! ewan ko sa kanila.

7. What were you doing this morning at 7am? - Like you, I'm blogging again.
8. What radio station do you listen to the most? - Crossover
9. What was the reason you last cried? – Had a fight that stemmed from some childish and useless exchange of jokes. Pikon kasi. hehehe...
10. Have you ever talked to someone when they were high? - Yes.

11. What’s the fifth text in your inbox say? - I got money.

12.Where was the last coffee shop u go to? Al Firenzo with Gue and Angie.
13. What’s ur outfit right now? - Shorts and tank top

16. What were you doing at 11pm last night? - Zzzzzz…
17. Who was the last person you talked to last night before bed? - My sister Amy

18. Will you be driving in a year? - Oh yeah!

19. Is there anything that you are craving right now? - It's exercise not Food!
20. When did your last hug take place? - Last night I hugged our naughty black cat.

22. Have you ever started a sentence with “No offense, but…”? – Yeah I did.

23. Do you drink tea? - A lot.
24. Have you ever been arrested? - by someone's charm, yes!

25. Have you rode in someone else’s car today? – No.

26. Have you made a mistake this past week? - Yeah and it stressed me out big time.
27. Who was the last person you texted? - Tes, my blogger friend and boss.

28. Are you happy with your life right now? - Relatively, yes.

29. In the past 72 hours have you been under the influence? - of what?

30. What’s the connection between you and the last person you texted? - Tes, about our hotel booking for the MBS2 in Gensan, yipey! we made it!

Some Things Come Handy

I realized the value of a Phone Book earlier today when I needed to make an urgent call to a client who called me the other day. But unfortunately, I wasn't able to jot down his name but only have his number registered in my received calls inbox. Thank heavens, my reliable online phonebook saved me from an embarassing predicament. All I needed to do was search the owner information of that number.

The Price of Beauty

Even with today's economy, it's pretty amazing how people would still spend a grand amount for pampering. As of this writing, I am in a salon making good use of my time while waiting for my mom's pedicure to be done.

A while ago, I was bored until I saw a woman whose having a semi-rebonding treatment done on her hair. I can't help but be envious of her newly restored shiny and beautiful black hair which used to be dull and lifeless a couple of hours back. As if trying to consider having the same thing done to my hair, I stood up to take a peek at their price list. In almost an instant, I came to my senses when I saw the figures. My Gosh! there's no way I am going to spend that much for a little dab of hair wax. But honestly, it was so tempting that I am trying so hard not to give in. Thankfully, I was able to heave a good sigh of relief because my mom's finally done. So 'til here for now.

Say Goodbye to Bulky Phone Books

Talking about phone books, I am so relieved that these days, we never have to scour through the pages of those bulky telephone books anymore just to look for a telephone number in those tiny texts that one can hardly see with the naked eye. One of the wonders found in the internet gives us the capability to perfom Phone Book Search through National Online Phone Book. This greatly reduces the time one spends looking through thick telephone books.

This is my Blog of Choice Today

I am neglecting my other blogs today as I am focused on this one. I am thinking about another make-over here since this template does not cater to the plans that I have laid for this one. But I am wary as this might compromise some important features here. I am getting tired of this color too. Hopefully, I'll be able to find another good one. I am reluctant to look for sites that offer free templates because I tried doing some search yesterday when I got this warning from yahoo that there are flagged sites which sends unsolicited emails. I didn't click those sites but still I got some spam mails when I checked my inbox today. Better be careful next time.

Report Unwanted Calls

I bet everyone will agree that it's so frustrating to get calls that you thought were important business calls but only to find out that it's just one of those nuisance calls from someone who apparently has nothing to do but harrass other people.

Thankfully, there's a project called Phone Lookup Investigator that's been launched recently which aims to give users a venue to share their experiences with unwanted phone calls. If you are one of these people, report those numbers right now.

View from the Top

Another afternoon of food trip at the Picobello which is located in the 5/F of Gaisano South Mall. While waiting for our orders to be served, I took a shot of the building across GSouth. I remember several years before, this street used to be the center of gimmicks and nigh life happenings until Venue and other bars came into the picture. Now this place seems to be an unlikely place for someone to hang out at night.

Online Phone Book

I found another useful site where users can get information about a phone number in 50 states through a Reverse Phone Book. All that a user needs to do is to enter the phone number he or she wishes to get information about and he or she will instantly get results for it by providing the last name, address and the state of the owner. This will surely be bad news for prank callers.

I Love Durian - but not this one!

My sister went home last September and without prior notice, her flight was delayed for about an hour. So while waiting for the plane to arrive, my parents and I decided to go for a stroll around the airp0rt and take some photos.

One of the more prominent edifice in the premises of Davao International Airport is this huge surreal piece of art depicting a huge durian fruit with heads of people popping out. I have always borne the mark of a true taga-davao because I am a hard-core durian addict. But I would surely pass on this one, I find this one creepy. No offense meant for this artwork and its creator but people who know me knows that I have a peeve for anything that comes in swarms. Eww... like the heads of these people. They know it reminds me of...well, they know it. hehehe.

Find People with Locator Services

As we grow up, we tend to become too engrossed with so many things in our own lives that sometimes we lose touch of family members or good old friends. Only then when we realize that they can no longer be found. This is how things used to be when finding a loved one or an old friend would mean starting from scratch without no clue to help us. However, there is now a higher probability of finding people through People Locator Services. All that one needs to do is type the name of the person being searched for into the search field and one will get results in an instant because they can locate people around the world.