February 2008

Filipina Bloggers in Their Wedding Gowns

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Tuesday, February 12, 2008Thursday, February 14, 2008
14 Comments

Love is in the air these days. What better way to feature love than through the eyes of a bride in her dream wedding gown. Every wedding gown has its own story to tell. If it could speak, it would be the guardian of memories for the night. It isn’t just proof of one’s most beautiful state; it is witness to the gamut of our emotions, from the moment it is put on to the time it is returned to the box. Instead of featuring socialites in their fancy wear, why not feature our lovely Filipina bloggers? Guess who is who in these photos!

The Bucket List

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Sunday, February 10, 2008Sunday, February 10, 2008
14 Comments

Imagine two terminally ill men, a billionaire and a mechanic, realizing that they both share a passion to accomplish unfulfilled dreams until they ““kick the bucket.” “The Bucket List” refers to a wish list that these two men try to fulfill before each kicks the bucket. After they break out of a cancer ward, they head off on the road trip of a lifetime with an itinerary that includes racing cars, eating giant plates of caviar and slinging poker chips in Monte Carlo, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest. Each goal that is accomplished is ticked off the “bucket list”, and they realize that this adventure is what defines them as human beings and gives them the joy that had been quite elusive in the past.

Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Saturday, February 09, 2008Saturday, February 09, 2008
20 Comments

I am trying to recall the lies that my yaya (caregiver/babysitter) often told me while at the book launch of RJ Ledesma’s Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me. The book Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me is not actually a listing of lies told by RJ’s yaya but rather, RJ Ledesma’s Imaginary Guide to Whine and Women. I can’t help but reminisce over these lies as told by my yaya:

1. if you don’t behave, the mumu (ghost) will get you.
2. there, there, the ghost is there…behave now.
3. Don’t sleep with your hair wet, you will get blind.
4. That old woman across the street is buang (crazy), and she will kidnap you if you cry.
5. Close your eyes now…Sleep… or else the ghost will appear. sige…sige

Jun Lozada’s Testimony

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Friday, February 08, 2008Saturday, February 23, 2008
64 Comments

Please support the Sanctuary Fund Drive: Protect Jun Lozada, Protect the Truth

““Sabi niya sa kin masyado ko na raw pinasisikip ang mundo ko,” says Lozada. ““I know I am taking a lot of risks but I took it.” At this point Lozada’s voice breaks anew. ““They reminded me that pinasisikip ko ang mundo ko.” Madrigal asks: ““So parang sa maliit na kabaong ka na lang mapupunta?” to which Lozada replies: ““Baka mas maliit pa po kung cri-nemate ako.”

Happy Slip Meet and Greet

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Thursday, February 07, 2008Saturday, February 09, 2008
22 Comments

I finally met [tag]Christine Gambito[/tag] aka Happy Slip. Not only that, I won a huge Happy Slip Teddy Bear at today’s Happy Slip’s Meet and Greet organized by Mag:net and Yehey.

If you missed the [tag]Happy Slip[/tag] Meet and Greet today, there’s another event tomorrow, Friday, February 8. Read details over Happy Slip Fans Day. Remember that’s on February 8.

Happy Slip Fans’ Day
February 8, 2008, Friday
Mag:net CafÃƒÂ©, Bonifacio High Street
1:00PM Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 4:00PM
Open to the Public

me and teddy bear

The President’s Sons are Spoiled Brats

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Wednesday, February 06, 2008Wednesday, February 06, 2008
11 Comments

I was watching Gina de Venecia interview on “Strictly Politics” where she called the President’s sons — Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel Arroyo and Camarines Sur Representative Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo as Spoiled Brats. Gina de Venecia said “the Arroyo children in the House are ““drunk with power,” and that the move to remove her husband was not done out of national interest.” They were instrumental in removing her husband, a vendetta for their son’s Senate testimony linking Jose Miguel ““Mike” Arroyo Ã¢â‚¬â€œ their father Ã¢â‚¬â€œ to the controversial national broadband deal with the Chinese firm ZTE Corp.

Were they acting as spoiled brats? or as loving sons to their mom and dad? Then I remembered my kids reaction the night of ex-speaker Jose de Venecia’s (JDV) impassioned speech.

Upon learning that the two sons played a part of the JDV’s exit, my girls pretended to have that the spoiled brat attitude , Oh daddy, can you buy me an island?

Blood is thicker than water, said my husband.

It may have been understood that JDV knew of his son’s plan to expose the ZTE broadband deal and didn’t stop his son.

The Victim Trap Part 2

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Tuesday, February 05, 2008Wednesday, February 06, 2008
5 Comments

I truly feel sorry for Tim, the British guy. I also feel sorry for the young Filipina, the hospital doctors and lawyer, the British Embassy staff, the real estate company and many others involved in the “group of scam artists”. They were all victims one way or the other. It has gotten to the point an accusation is hurled against one of the suspected scammer who Tim believes is using my name. Oh please, I am not part of this scam-internet-drama. I have better things to do. It’s not the alleged grand-scale scam that concerns me right now because my opinion does not matter. One thing that caught my attention in the moderated comment section was his claim to be the “innocent victim”. It’s true we can be victims in any situation but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

PMN FamPics: Straight

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Monday, February 04, 2008Monday, February 04, 2008
6 Comments

Once again, it’s the first Monday of February. Over at PinoyMomsNetwork, it is the day to publish FamPics. For February, the theme is STRAIGHT.

Creative Non-Fiction and The Blog

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Sunday, February 03, 2008Monday, February 04, 2008
10 Comments

Seriously since you seem to have the energy and inclination for such endeavors, perhaps you can start a campaign to promote not only Filipino women, but also writers who will write in excellent Pilipino, or at least use impeccable English as a substitute.

That’s part of a lengthy email from a FilipinaImages.com reader. Oh my. Seriously now, what a tall order for a mere blogger like me to start such an advocacy? Sorry, I am not the right person. I know my limitations. I have great ideas for blog topics but more often than not, I am often stumped on the opening hook for my entry. If I tortured myself about my imperfect English, I would not be pounding away on my keyboard and blogging for the past two years. In fact, that’s one reason I only blogged in 2006. I felt insecure about my writing. If I let my insecurities interfere with my goals, there would be no advocacy on grief support in the Philippines and Reshaping the Filipina Image Online. It does not mean I don’t want to hone my writing skills. The only way to improve on my writing skills is to write everyday and learn to be better.

Photo Hunt: Narrow

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Saturday, February 02, 2008Saturday, February 02, 2008
16 Comments

Photo Hunt theme is Narrow. This is the narrow path when one treks to the crater of Mount Pinatubo Volcano. Actually, this is a photo taken by Lauren, my daughter when she travelled with a few bloggers to the crater of Mount Pinatubo. Lauren was only four years old when the Pinatubo Volcano erupted so violently that more than 5 billion cubic meters of ash and pyroclastic debris were ejected from its fiery bowels. The volume of ash was enormous that it went as far as Manila. I wrapped a face mask on my kids’ noses and mouth to avoid dust inhalation whenever they frolicked around the neighborhood streets. And now she traversed that narrow path to swim on the crater’s lake.

According to my daughter, the photos of Mt.Pinatubo Volcano don’t do justice. One has to be there to bask in the beauty of Mt. Pinatubo. When she finally reached the crater, it was filled with deep blue waters: