You will never win if you never begin. Robert Schuller
I strongly oppose to a Constituent Assembly that may practically extend the terms of our dear President and her allies in power. (read more in my entry Oppose the Constituent Assembly)
If you want to join the “Di Ako Papayag”, then you might want to contribute to the 100 ‘DI AKO PAPAYAG’ videos. Please make your own video & email [email protected]
I don’t consider myself a fashionista. I have never owned a single dress designed by a fashion designer, or designers slated to become the industry’s next big names. Probably the most expensive dresses I ever owned in my life was when I was single and I had a very generous father who doted on me and bought me trendy Ready-to-wear (RTW) clothes from Rustan’s Department store. The only fashion show I attended was in the UK when I was in my mid-twenties. I was struck with the cobalt-blue fashionable dresses that were presented before me and my sister. I am totally clueless when it comes to catwalk fashion though that doesn’t mean I don’t dress up in style.
So, what was I doing at Philippine Fashion Week Holiday Collection 2009? Well, maybe it was time to take that big leap of faith when it comes to choosing dress styles. Perhaps it was time to fantasize and imagine myself trying out unique creations. Secondly, I am in the lookout for fashion designers that use our local materials. There were just too many shows to cover but I narrowed myself down to Sunday’s show where I thought Premier Collection E might cover unique designs. I covered Premier Collection C but thought their designs were just too un-wearable for my taste.
Just as Premier Collection E started, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney took the vacant chair beside me in the “Reserved for Media” seats. Tessa Prieto seated across me motioned US Ambassador to move to her vacant chair but Kristie said she was fine seated beside me. The US ambassador turned to me, offered her hand and said “Hi, I am Kristie”. Oh wow, I found her so gracious and humble. I turned to the media man beside me and whispered “What’s her family name again?”. He was just as clueless as I was so I plurked and asked my plurk friends if they knew Kristie’s family name. Thanks plurk buddies.
The Buensalido PR provided me with a press kit before the show and it came in quite handy when I whispered some information to Kristie as the show unfolded. Like me, Kristie adored the designs that used native materials. Hmm, we seemed to have the same taste.
It’s a lazy sunday morning and as is my usual routine, I picked up the newspaper to go along with the steaming brewed coffee that my daughter bought from Guam. A paper ribbon with mysandbox.com printed on it is wrapped elegantly around the newspaper. Cute. Inside the lifestyle Section E of the Sunday Inquirer, a two page spread of Sandbox teaser campaign is displayed (see photo above). Finally… SMART Communications launched their latest endeavor, the Sandbox. I have been playing with their Sandbox before this launch. Like a children’s sandbox in a playground, it is both a toy and a tool for creativity, personal expression and interaction.
You know how it is…when children create castles, roads and bridges in the sand and play with their toy cars, dolls and blocks, they meet and interact with other children in a sandbox. That’s what I did when I registered as momblogger (Add me!) and hooked up with my other blogger-friends. I place so much faith in Sandbox not because it serves as the ultimate application for SMART mobile phones, but because it is a social networking site made by Filipinos for Filipinos. Like the real sandbox, I can imagine millions of Filipinos can enjoy and express themselves within the boundaries of this virtual playground. Theoretically, Sandbox sounds great!
Youtube Video Link of Charice’s Note To God or view a clearer and larger video at the oprah.com media player.
Take note: Charice’s first international debut single, “Note To God” is now #1 in Amazon MP3 downloads all in one day. That is some kind of a record , don’t you think? The song is also #5 in iTunes while Lady gaga in 6th and Beyonce in 9
What an awesome, beautiful voice from a small big singer with a very big heart and big dreams. When she sang this song, I had goosebumps all over. Charice is amazingly brilliant. Yes, Charice Pempengco now goes by one name Charice in her career in Hollywood, like Jojo and Beyonce. Note To God was written by bestselling songwriter Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. The song was originally recorded by pop singer JoJo in 2006. This time I am enamored by such amazing vocal control, The “birit” style is not so dominant now but I notice her low notes vastly improved in a span of two years … truly AMAZING! Charice’s performance is part of a special episode marking the finale of ““Oprah’s Search for the World’s Smartest and Most Talented Kids”.
There I was at the living room, a 9 year old girl totally absorbed as I sat on the floor, watching Spock with his pointy ears. Star Trek to a child’s mind seemed totally out of this world. Elfin-eared Spock never failed to delight me every week. Hooked and fascinated by all the trek adventure, I watched Star Trek without fail till 1969 but never became a “trekkie”. For some reason, I never went back to it until today when I watched the Star Trek prequel. Sequels don’t interest me most of the time but a prequel, why not? I was interested to know the early days of the “Star Trek” mythology when Spock and Kirk, and the rest of the Enterprise gang, came together. Mr. Spock, one of Star Trek’s most beloved characters, held many memorable moments in both the original series and the Star Trek movies not because of his pointy ears alone.
I never really understood the Spock character then. The “Star Trek” lore is that Vulcans have long suppressed emotions because they are not logical. But Spock has always had to deal with the added pressures of his human side. What did I know about emotions? (Besides, kids were meant to be seen not heard. I digress) In the movie, I realized there is an obvious duality in Spock, in him being half human and half Vulcan. He exhibits internal struggle between Vulcan logic and human passion which I think is quite an interesting aspect of him as a character. I think Spock feels emotion very deeply but he’s just restricted in the ways that he can express it.
You don`t have to be a “person of influence” to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me. Scott Adams
In 2007, I drew up my top 10 list of Influential Emerging blogs. Today, 8 out of 10 continue to be influential bloggers except for two blogs that are now gone. Not a bad forecast, right? This year, I continue to support the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009 Writing Project. Let me just tell you that my choice of the top 10 is based on blog-hopping from fellow bloggers’ suggestion in social media, friendships and my belief that these blogs will emerge as Influential blogs not just for 2009 but in the years to come.
1. Ukay Manila
I know I am biased because the blog owner is my daughter. Disclosure now in the open, let me move on. See, in the light of the current economic situation, one should find means to diversify income and become prudent in consumer spending. Lauren hits both objectives when she launched this blog on December 2008.
I believe ukay shopping is a way of resisting the consumerist logic of today. People don’t really need a top that costs P800 or a pair of jeans that cost P3,000, but we buy them anyway. Why? Because we are all advertising targets who are led to think that filling up our wardrobes with overpriced (but mass-produced!) clothes is the only way we can feel good and go about ““expressing our individuality and style”.
Carlo Ople struck a nerve when he classified bloggers for PR practitioners. I believe he became influential because, his name crops up when mentioned in blog conferences or round table discussions. It spurred discussion on encouraging bloggers to create quality content. Other blog topics bore fruit that contradict Carlo’s classification of bloggers.
Read More »Top 10 Influential Emerging Blogs for 2009 Writing Project
The bottom line is that blogging is like sex. You can’t fake it. You can’t fake passion. You can’t fake wanting to engage with the public. If you do, it will ultimately be an unsatisfying experience for both the blogger and their readers., Kevin Anderson
Behind me are Cebu Bloggers wearing T-shirts with “Blogger ko Bai”
As a newbie blogger in 2006, I dared volunteer for iBlog 2 as a moderator for speakers. I wanted to network with bloggers and also meet my idol bloggers. I am the type of person who is not easily star struck with celebrities or Hollywood stars. But that was the feeling I got when I met blogging idols like Abe “Yuga” Olandres and Manolo Quezon in the 2006 summit. The following year, I talked in iBlog 3 and my topic was “Personal Blogging Success”. *Gasps* I don’t want to minimize myself because success is very relative but there I was… The star-struck me in 2006 was now a speaker in 2007. The same thing happened in iBlog 4 in 2008.
This year…my role is a bit stress-free, well sort of . I was the The Time Keeper. You know the one that holds a piece of paper that notifies the speaker that they have 5 minutes or 2 minutes or Let’s wrap it up. I enjoyed it just as much as the previous iBlog summits. Every role or task counts to make the iBlog a success.
I’ve known Cheche Lazaro through two live interviews (here and here). It is such an honor to be interviewed by her. I am aware that most TV hosts get their research materials from their assistants but in all those interviews, she personally wrote down notes about me before airing live. She verified all the materials given to her and didn’t just take her assistants’ word for it.
So when Ricky Lim (Associate Dean of AIM who I met in a Bloggers’ Roundtable) sent me an email about her sister, I was just appalled. Cheche has been charged for wiretapping by GSIS, when her Probe Team tried to do a story on unfair compensation practices. Cheche had explicitly told GSIS that she was recording their conversation beforehand. She had offered them all the airtime to present their side of the story. In the end, because the story was negative, GSIS is now charging her with criminal offenses.
Cheche is the only one facing the wiretapping case at the moment. ““They have made it a point to singularly point me out as the person who wiretapped the whole conversation that they alleged was wiretapping. That is not true,” she said.
““I think this is intimidation of the press. They are trying to send a message to the press and using me as a sample for this kind of a message.”
Cheche Lazaro’s Statement on the wire-tapping case filed by the GSIS against her
May 8, 2009
Read More »Cheche Lazaro, PROBE and The Wire-tapping Case filed by GSIS
Ako mismo ang magbablog para sa ikabubuti ng bayan sounds better than Ako Mismo hindi magbablog ng makasasama sa bayan.
I now support Ako Mismo. Let me Explain.
Ako Mismo finally gave some answers. I decided to write a new entry on this because my Ako Mismo Campaign and My Conditional Support is cluttered with too many updates.
Four new links are now up but the problem is I needed to click twice to get to these pages. From the Home Page, I had to click “skip Intro” because I was not yet a member then click “already a member?” before reaching these 4 pages. (Update – May 8: Links are now in the main landing page)
1. Who is Behind Ako Mismo?
2. FAQ
3. Contact Page
If already a member, you need to click “already a member” to view those pages. Unsolicited Advice: Please place Who is Behind Ako Mismo? , FAQ, Wall of Commitment and Contact Page on the main landing page. (Update – May 8: Links are now in the main landing page)
Update (May 7)
I now support Ako Mismo. Read my updated entry on Ako Mismo.
Update on May 6
There is Who is Behind Ako Mismo? and an FAQ but it is not easily spotted in the main page unless you click two links “Skip intro” and “already a member?”. It is still silent on the use of the database they collected.
What a wonderful idea! I like it. AKO (I, me) mismo (myself or me, personally) is a very rough translation. Me, myself, and I… am doing my part in making the world a better place to live and work in.
I am not helpless. I can solve most of my problems. I have the power to solve the problems that is mine to solve. In my own little way, I contribute to the society through my children. Self-reliance begins in our homes. I hope to instill self-reliance in my children even if they have to inherit this crappy economy. That was what I wrote in my reaction to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo State of the Nation Address (SONA 2008).
It is good to hope. It is better to hope than despair. Declaring one’s commitment in writing is the first step in making your good intentions manifest into reality. What you perceive becomes your reality. Imagine what it would be like to have millions of Filipinos  and those who advocate our Filipino causes  share their altruistic acts to all of us.
But wait… I visit the site at akomismo.org and I am faced with a log-in . I cannot view anything else except the HOME page with the links to the Privacy Page and Terms and Conditions because I have to register first. Fishy! If they were truly sincere in their AKO MISMO campaign, they won’t limit access to the site. They’d give us the freedom to frolic in their virtual playground or plaza before declaring our commitment in writing.