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Photo Hunt: Classic (1940s Photo)

The [tag]Photo Hunt[/tag] theme for this saturday is anything on Classic. What does “classic” mean?

“of or characteristic of a form or system felt to be of first significance before modern times” As an adjective, classic means ““belonging to the highest rank or class” as well as ““having lasting significance or worth.” As a noun, classic means ““a superior or unusual example of its kind”

momasateenagerthumb.jpgMine is a classic [tag]1940s photo[/tag] of my mom as a teenager. She must have been sixteen here in this photo, roughly taken sometime in 1947. I found this photo as my sister Belen (who happens to look like my mom) and I packed up our things from our ancestral home in Cebu. Though a bit worn, we were able to capture the photo with our digital camera.

I like gazing at [tag]retro photos[/tag]. A glimpse of the past is captured forever. I get to see the fashion trends during the good old days. One thing I notice about this old photo is the way she positioned their upper torso. It’s like mom is leaning to one side and her eyes aren’t focused on the camera as if gazing to someone behind the photographer. It’s great that she beamed a stunning smile though.

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Thank You for the Thank You Day Concert

Thank You Day
I had no plans to attend the Thank You Day concert not because I feared a repeat of the Glorietta 2 Explosion but because I felt too old for a live “rock” concert. The last time I attended a concert, my heartbeat was racing like crazy but I’ve been supporting the National Thank You Day since day 1 so I just had to be there. I told  my daughters to go ahead to the concert as I was still busy with a grief support meeting. My meeting ended earlier than usual and fortunately, I was still able to catch up with the Toblerone Press Conference with my two daughters at the Highlands Restaurant together with JM Tuazon, Karla, Anton with Rach and Aidan and Juned, Annalyn with her adorable twins.

Unlike Annalyn, I wasn’t starstruck. I barely knew the bands, celebrities and even the hosts. Sure I knew who Lucky Manzano, Mo Twister, Francis M and Jay-R but the rest? I had to tap on Juned’s shoulder and ask “Who is he/she?”. haha.

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Recycled Old-look Home Furniture – Blog Action Day

action_125x125.jpgToday is Blog Action Day. On October 15, bloggers around the web unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind – the environment. Every blogger will post about the [tag]environment[/tag] in their own way and relating to their own topic. I chose to talk about my recycled old home furniture in our environmentally friendly home. Building an [tag]Environmentally-Friendly[/tag] Home meant discussing big ideas behind even the smallest details.

When my husband and I discussed the theme of our furnishings, we decided on eclectic design so we had a reason to utilize our antique furniture which have been passed on to us by our great grandparents. Butch said “wood adds warmth to a home. How would I know? I am not an interior designer. Butch had been researching for the past year on the look of our new home. I wanted contemporary furniture because well, I wanted something new. We compromised by blending old and new furniture in our cozy home.

carabao_cart.jpgAllow me to show 2 furniture pieces crafted by using old discarded wood for new “old-look” furniture. These pieces of wood were taken from the junk yard. So anyway, let’s start with the this lowly carabao cart used by farmers in the rice fields.

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Photo Hunt – Smelly

shoe cabinetPhoto Hunters theme this week is Smelly. I chose our family’s Shoe Cabinet which is nestled in the far corner of the second floor. Some of the shoes in there are smelly whenever I pass by. It’s one reason I place a deodorizer inside the cabinet. I know when it’s time to replace the deodorizer when I smell the stink again. The solution really is to eliminate the shoe odor from the source. Other than deodorizer, there are other ways of eliminating shoe odors:

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How To Manage Your Online Reputation

online_reputation.jpgDo you need help monitoring your reputation? Want to know what bloggers think about you? Fear no more…Just have a photo taken with the Master Abe “Yuga” Olandres dressed for the first time ever in business suit and you’re all good. Haha. Kidding aside, you should have been at the recently concluded Search Engine Marketing Conference 2007 (SEMCON) and listened to Abe talk about Tracking Buzz: How to Manage Your Online Reputation– Do you need help monitoring your reputation? Want to know what bloggers think about your business and your products? When you undertake a search for your company name or brand is negative information relating to your company showing up in the search results? Is your company and brand reputation being adversely affected by these negative high ranking results? Protect and enhance your business by controlling how your name and brand appear online and in search results.

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Nintendo Wii Games are Fun

wii_and_bloggers.jpgIf I didn’t know what the Nintendo Wii Games Console was all about, I’d think Jayvee, AJ, Juned including my daughter are loonies waving their “wands” about in front of my TV set. Jayvee brought along his Nintendo Wii and lots of party games to amuse the bloggers. The gathering was intended to be a podcast event which included the guys behind The Man Blog. The Man bloggers took forever to arrive so the interactive Wii games filled the gap.

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Desperate Housewives Episode on Some Med School in the Philippines

UPDATE: ‘Desperate Housewives’ apology over Philippines slur

[tag]Desperate Housewives[/tag]’ latest episode (the first episode of the 4th season) had Teri Hatcher’s character saying this: ““Okay, before going further, can I check these diplomas cause I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.”


(This is the complete video of that scene)

I wonder if the writer meant it to be funny or what. Considering there are a large number of US-based doctors and nurses who are graduates of Philippine Medical Schools, then I think not. These Philippine Medical School graduates took up further training in the States. Before they can even practice in the US, our Filipino doctors called Foreign Medical Graduates have to take a USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exams) which consist of 3 parts to get into residency:

Part 1- Basic Subjects (can be taken in Philippines)
Part 2 CK – Clinical Knowledge (can be taken in Philippines)
Part 2 CS – Clinical Skills (to be taken in the US)

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Fam Pics: Luijoe’s Meadow

luijoe's MeadowFor the month of October, the Pinoy Moms Network Fam Pics Theme is Green. I’d like to share this green meadow called “Luijoe’s Meadow” located at my husband’s family vacation spot in Benguet. Butch’s parents own a lovely mountain retreat 5 hours away from Baguio City. You can imagine the distance it takes to get there. But whoa, the long travel time is worth it. Once you arrive at their hamlet (the girls call it hamlet), you are greeted with a super cool mountain breeze, lovely pine scent from the dense Benguet pine trees and lots of space to romp around. There’s nothing like clean mountain fresh air. It doesn’t feel like you live in the tropics.

Luijoe’s grandparents named this spot “Luijoe’s meadow” just like they named the town’s spring waters “Lamar Spring” after Lauren and M. Fortunately, Luijoe got to enjoy his meadow before he died. The girls and Luijoe played badminton and kickball without having to worry about heat stroke.

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Bringing Up A Mom (Blogger)

momandme.jpgThe day Lauren wrote her essay on “Generation Next, Generation Net” 11 years ago, I had no idea I’d end up being a blogger just like her. During those days, diarist or online journallers were relegated to the twenty something and below. Moms did not blog. Our kids must have been so influential in inspiring moms like me to blog. I am not alone. Take a look at JAngelo and his mom, Dine or Aaron Roselo and his mom blogging at AMomandMore.

Having read Lauren’s blog for many years sublimally prepared me for the launch of my blog 10 years later after she started in 1996. Let me count the ways:

1. Content (Good and Original) is King.

Good content shows the blogger’s own personality and flavor. Her story-telling style made it very interesting for her readers of all ages. Good content built a strong readership which she continues to enjoy until the present time. The power of stories to connect, captivate and persuade, creates a great way to grab hold of a reader.

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Nuvali, A Future Country Home

country homeThe green landscape just took my breath away as we drove on to the countryside. The gust of wind sent a shiver down my spine. I love this place, I thought as we inspected the Sta. Rosa property in Laguna. The fresh countryside air is the best gift that I can ever give my family. Three family members are asthma prone and this is the ideal family home for us, as I hugged my husband. The year was January 2000. While my husband and I poured over the layout of the house, Luijoe was a bit distressed to see that he had his own room which I labeled “Luijoe”. He took my pencil and wrote Luijoe in OUR bedroom. “That’s where I am going to sleep”, he showed an impish grin.

Oh well, he is not ready to move to his own room. I looked at my husband.

Luijoe ran to the cul-de sac and romped on the greenery beside the house as it was slowly being constructed. The move to our country home was scheduled for April 2001.

The plan was simple enough. Lauren and M will finish high school somewhere in the south of Manila while Luijoe would study in Don Bosco at Sta. Rosa. When the girls are in college, they will live in dormitories and drive home for a weekend stay in our country home.

Destiny had other plans for us.

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a mom blogger who advocates constructive engagement in issues on family & society.
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