click.gifMy husband is in the mood for movies lately. Maybe he’s making up for last week’s emotional crisis. Comedy was our choice just because we wanted to laugh. After all, watching a funny movie can offset symptoms of chronic stress, which can suppress various components of the immune responses. The choice? “Click” or “My Super Ex-Girlfriend”. Butch wanted My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

Aha. I knew it. You get a kick out of watching bitchy women“.

I preferred “Click” and Butch just sort of went along with me.

“Click” is a hilarious comedy. Imagine being able to own a remote control that controls the world around you. One can fast forward events that bore or stress you out, pause an obnoxious person so you could kick his butt, and lastly rewind to see your life in the past!

If I had that kind of universal remote control, I will skip the part where I am watching my dying son just so I wouldn’t feel the pain. That is not reality of course. Amnesia or short term memory loss is possible. What would you choose to skip?

super.jpgWe watched “Click” on a monday night. Yesterday night, my husband calls from his cellphone and asks me to check the schedule for “My Super Ex-Girlfriend”. I tease him again ” Can’t get enough of bitching women, huh?” This superhero spoof/romantic comedy is kind of stupid really but my husband was laughing his head off. I’m thinking, “Wow he’s enjoying the bitching scenes

One of the funniest scene is during Jenny and Matt’s first night of lovemaking… (Spoiler and Too much Information Alert)
If you want to take the risk, highlight the text in between the brackets with your mouse

[Our bed collpased too, remember?…that’s nothing new! ]

That romantic memory made him laugh even more.

G Girl (played by Uma Thurman) alternates between crazy, controlling, angry , and sexy. That’s too much for a man to take. No wonder Matt left her. I don’t think I am controlling or angry. Maybe crazy and sexy. hehe

Next movie this week :”Little Man”

bluskies.jpgA few days ago, I was at my aunt’s neighborhood to check for possible houses for sale. One of the most important considerations for moving in a new neighborhood is a fast internet connection. I visited an internet cafe inside the neighborhood, just a few meters from the vilage church. It was 8:00 PM and the internet cafe brimmed with high school and even grade school students playing some kind of war game, possibly Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) , an expanded version of Warcraft. I was horrified to see these kids. Shouldn’t they be studying? It upset me that the parents are not monitoring their children’s whereabouts.

Then I read today’s article in Manila Bulletin . “Computer ‘Addicts’ Rise in Defense of their hobby”

Better Games than drugs. Who would disagree with this reasoning esecially when cited by teenagers hooked on computer games? This is the reason why computer game afionados should not be restricted in pursuing their hobby, said Gladys, a self-confessed computer game addict

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innovemeetup.jpg
(image by Kevin)
I am up and about at this time (2:00 AM) because I had to pick up my daughters at Eastwood. Now I can’t sleep. *yawn* Everyone is still awake. With nothing better to do, I checked my site stats and discovered a link from Jayvee’s site. As I landed on the site, I laughed when I saw that I was one of the The 12 Apostles of Globe Innove . I hope I am not Judas.

The occasion?

When: August 31 2006 (it is not on the 30th anymore)
Where: Temple Bar, Greenbelt 2 | 8:00PM
What to expect: It’s a surprise party (shhh!)

I heard that there were limited slots for this Globe Innove sponsored bloggers meet. According to Abe Olandres, ” they prefer bloggers with a fairly good reach in readership”. I don’t think I have that many readers but I’m sure this blog has a Google presence in a few important keywords. Hmm, I wonder what Globe Innove has to say during the Bloggers Meet. Will it be their unlimited dial up internet, the Broadband internet or the VOIP webphone? The last time I visited their booth at the Rockwell center, the guys remembered me. Hehe, it must be because I was bugging another subsidiary , the Globe Visibility if my Macbook is compatible with their mobile wireless internet. (Visibility works on a GPRS/EDGE platform)

Anyway, the rest of the 12 Apostles

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virtual3.jpgWhen I started my online business, Globalized E-commerce Online Solutions (GEOS) I didn’t think a business address was necessary. My focus was on building a reputation on being a reliable service provider in the Philippines which can only be tested through time and referrals. Now that I have established some reputation , the thought of a business address was still not a priority. First, a physical office was not necessary when everything is done remotely. Hosting activation, domain registration and other services are done using the web browser. My sys admin is located in Los Angeles together with the support staff. Secondly, my market niche are the small and medium enterprises. Just like them, some of our businesses are based in the place of residence. Third, renting an office raises overhead cost. Usually, when a customer calls me up and inquires about the offices of Pinoy Webhosting, I usually say that it is located in my home. Doesn’t sound professional right? Maybe I should consider a virtual office such as this:

A Regus Virtual Office provides your business with all the benefits of a prime office, without the need to be there! Simply use a business address in one or more of our 750 locations worldwide, ensuring the best impression for your business.

You choose the location and length of term and your new virtual office can be open tomorrow with:

-Phone answering in your company name
-Mail forwarding
-Taking and delivering your messages
-Access to offices, meeting rooms and videoconferencing on a pay-as-you-use basis

From just PHP 2,850 per month.

macbookYesterday at the Rockwell Center , I met up with a potential customer, a Hongkong Trader who didn’t seem put off that I didn’t have an office address. My office is contained in here, as I removed the immaculate white Apple Macbook from my handbag. Haha. Why do I have to pretend it’s something more sophisticated when online transactions are just a a few keystrokes and clicks? My customer revealed that he had a virtual office in Hongkong and in the Philippines but he didn’t have a website. He felt it was time to have a website because the young professionals often ask him for it. A @yahoo or @gmail email address is not impressive.

We were both amused. He had a virtual office without a website and I had no virtual office but had dozen of websites. It was fun exchanging online business tips. Perhaps a virtual office with a conference room is wonderful interaction with customers since it gives a more personal touch. So yes, a virtual office is my next plan.

The 2850 pesos a month seems reasonable. I wonder if there is a catch. The virtual office is a great idea for the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) or Home Office Business Office (HOBO) type of business. There are a lot of stay-at-home working moms that have micro-enterprises in their place of residence. I guess it’s a stereotype to associate professionalism with an office address.

I haven’t read that many books for a long time now. So when dear Cathy invited me to her meme on Books that Changed my Life, I wasn’t sure if I can come up with a list. I told her these books encompass the 40 plus years of reading books.

Here goes:

One book that changed your life:

The Purpose-driven Life:  What on Earth Am I Here For?
The Purpose-driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren
The book inspired me to move beyond the pain of losing a son . Because the book talks about starting a service, I initiated the formation of The Compassionate Friends Philippines with the help of Cathy and Alma.

One book you have read more than once:

Green Eggs and Ham (I Can Read It All by Myself Beginner Books)
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seus
I’ve read this over a hundred times that I have memorized it by heart, haha. This is one of my favorite children’s book and often read it to the kids at bedtime. I also read it to nurtture my inner child. I know …I know it shows I don’t read much.

One book you would want on a desert island:

The Holy Bible because it is the time to re-read it in a quiet place.

One book that made you laugh:

The Everything Cat Book, Features Expanded Information on Cat Breeds!: All You Need to Know About Caring for Your Favorite Feline Friend (Everything: Pets)
The Everything Cat Book by Steve Duno

This book made me laugh because my husband (who isn’t a cat lover) bought it for me. I think it’s such a loving gesture. It shows how much he cares about my love for cats.

One book that made you cry:

Lament for a Son
Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff

I read this book to understand a father’s grief and the pain my husband had to go through.

One book you wish had been written:

How (NOT) to live with your in-laws” or perhaps “How to please your mother-in-law without losing yourself

One book you wish had never been written:

How to Make War (Fourth Edition): A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Warfare in the Twenty-first Century
How to Make War (Fourth Edition): A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Warfare in the Twenty-first Century

We should make love not war.

One book you are currently reading:

Make your Words Work– by Gary Provost
I want to learn how to write but my sluggish brain can only take in new concepts one day at a time.

One book you have been meaning to read:

The Power to Change Your Life (Living with Purpose)
The Power to Change Your Life by Rick Warren

A newly bereaved mother who lost 2 children( and no surviving child) in one year gave me this book . She said that this book helped her move towards a positive resolution of her grief. Oh my god, her pain is double. I cannot imagine her pain at all.

Now it’s your turn… Happy week-end to everyone!

Mommy Layouts

Mommy Myspace Layouts

Myspace Layouts and Livejournal Layouts by Lauren

I was checking out my daughter’s Myspace and Livejournal Layouts and was surprised to see that Naruto topped the list. I don’t see anything beautiful with the Naruto art. The page views says it all

  • Anime Layouts: Naruto [Kakashi] – 7,769 Views
  • Skinny Layout: Colorful Stripes – 4,414 Views
  • Skinny Layouts: Pink Stripes – 2,963 Views
  • Anime Layouts: Advent Children [Cloud] – 2,806 Views
  • Skinny Layout: Burberry Plaid – 2,694 Views
  • Simple Layouts: Louis Vuitton – 2,574 Views
  • Skinny Layouts: iPod – 2,493 Views
  • Skinny Layout: Pink Skulls – 2,030 Views
  • Skinny Layout: Tare Panda – 1,964 Views
  • Skinny Layout: Gray – 1,675 Views
  • voip conA week ago, I received a call from Miriam, the chairperson of the VoIPCon Philippines Event Management Company thanking me for the wonderful photos and the VOIP convention entry I blogged about the event. I attended that convention in search for a [tag]VoIP[/tag] reseller in conjunction with future expansion plans for my online business. Miriam wanted to meet up with me because she wanted to have some sort of exchange deal for the upcoming [tag]VoIP Philippines convention[/tag] in March 2007. Right away, I explained that I have limited financial resources but I can help with the logistics.

    voip conYesterday I met up with Miriam and Mar, her Operations manager. Mar expressed gratitude for the great photos of the VOIP event. I was surprised. “really? Why?

    Mar explained “We hired an expensive professional photgrapher who gave us 1000 photos but most of it were heads. We liked your angles!

    I laughed “That’s because I was a participant and blended very well with the crowd. I mean Speaker Jose de Venecia’s bodyguard probably thinks I am harmless

    I was thinking, maybe amateur photobloggers see the event in another perspective. They shoot to capture the human emotions, that certain “moment”. Like in this photo below, I could not get inside the hall so instead I took a shot of the photographers.

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    sukob071406-2.jpgNo I haven’t watched Sukob but my daughter thinks it’s a more horrific film than The White Lady. Notice how the Philippine Movie industry is spewing Filipino film [tag]horror[/tag] genre like its Asian counterparts? As the movie’s title (““Sukob“) states, the movie is about all the horrible things that happen when two siblings are married within the same year.

    Well fellow bloggers, my sister B and I married on the same year, 1985. Another sister , M got hitched in 1986 and another sister, L in 1987. And guess what? We all encountered marital problems like most marriages. But how would I know it back then? The year 1985 was originally reserved for me. Oh yes, we had to book our wedding dates in advance as my father is overly superstitious. Dad was a typical traditional Filipino father. Also, we wanted to play it safe. M wanted to get married in 1985 as well but gave in to me because I was the older sister. Besides , Butch and I were already steadies for 7 years. M and her fiancee just met that year. M thought we should get the wedding date of May 1985. I had seniority and first priority. One day in October 1985, B suddenly announced her [tag]wedding plans[/tag] for November 1985. M and I were furious.

    How could you? Don’t you know one of us will have bad luck? I cried.

    M protested “ I gave in to Noemi because I didn’t want both of us to be married the same year

    B argued “That’s just a superstition!

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    ericaI didn’t expect much of the Philippine Idol last sunday night . I thought our Filipino contestants were subdued compared to their American Idol counterparts. If you followed the past American Idol seasons, the audition is the wackiest part of the show. The [tag]Philippine Idol[/tag] Season 1 proved to be just as funny and entertaining with certain quirks that is peculiar to the Filipino culture.

    stage motherThat [tag]stage mother[/tag] in the photo must be so proud of [tag]Erika Jill Bautista[/tag] . As Erika sang, the mom engaged in small talk with Ryan Agoncillo. Sometimes, she listened through the walls. Erica has an hearing impairment (35 decibels) in one ear that she has to wear a hearing aid. Inspite of her hearing impairment, she sings pretty well.

    That’s why the judges called the mother inside so she could hear the good news. The look in her face is magical just like any proud mother would react to a daughter’s achievement.

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