My daughter receives threats and insults from internet bullies every now and then because of her “bombastic” blog entries. I recall the times she was bullied on her entries about speaking english over tagalog, the jologs, the conyos and lastly, her roomie rants. Sometimes I attribute it to jealousy. One day she asked me if [tag]blogger rights[/tag] exist. Her celebrity entry drew the ire of the stage mother that the latter even threatened to file a complaint to the college dean. Nothing materialized of it. Good thing she didn’t file. My husband-lawyer was ready for a countersuit. My daughter has learned to publish blog entries in private or public mode to prevent harassment from internet bullies. It’s one reason she keeps changing her blog domain name. Anyway I found this site that provides a Legal Guide for Bloggers, a collection of blogger-specific FAQs addressing everything from fair use to defamation law to workplace whistle-blowing. These FAQs are limited to the USA laws but remember, most of our websites are hosted in US servers. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) covers US servers. Some can be applicable to the Philippine blogosphere. A historical first in the [tag]Philippine blogosphere[/tag] was that time the PCIJ blog was slapped with a temporary restraining order. Nothing is FREE and dandy in the blogosphere.
Here’s an ABS-CBN Insider interview of J. Angelo, a stay-at-home dad and a professional blogger (Problogger) whom I met in the iBlog summit 2.
The blog is indeed a nifty tool for long lost friends who want to reconnect with you.
With the aid of google search, two friends I haven’t heard in years found me through my blog. One is Betty who is now based in Singapore. The last time we saw each other was in Sampaguita Residence Hall at the UP campus in 1978. Suddenly, my memories brought me back to those carefree years when we would gossip on our latest crush , search for dinner or just hang out in our rooms. I don’t know why I lost touch with Betty. It must have been because we left for the province after graduation or we were too caught up looking for jobs. Then there is Bing, my officemate at the UP Institute for Small Scale Industries. She is now in New York. Am I really that bad in communicating with friends whenever a milestone occurs in my life? Bing said that the last time she saw me was when Lauren was a few months old. How terrible I am.
I don’t think I meant to overlook or neglect friendships. I know that there are some friendships that wax and wane , going through cycles throughout the years. Some trail off when one person outgrows the other. I just didn’t know how to take care of myself during my early years of marriage. I thought family should come first. But I know better now. Friends are a joy. Adult friendships can be a good place for us to learn to have fun and to appreciate how much fun we can have with a friend. A friendship is a comfortable place to be ourselves. Bing and Betty are two friends that I want to reconnect. Hopefully I can visit Singapore or New York within the year.
I thought friendster was also another way to communicate with long lost friends until my techno-challenged hubby questioned me in a tone that sounded a wee suspicious. This conversation occured during our troubled marital years.
“Why are you at friendster?“.
“huh? How did you know that?” (sounding a bit defensive after hearing his suspicious tone)
“My fraternity brods saw your Friendster profile.”
“Let me explain. I am in [tag]Friendster[/tag] so that high school or college classmates know how to reach me. Ahhhah. you thought I placed that up because I want to date? Don’t you know friendster is also for social networking? Oh….and did your brods tell you that my photo is that of our son, Luijoe????.”
That shut him up.
My friendster photo has since been changed to our couple photo . And dear hubby is not so technically-chaellenged anymore.
Edit (November 27, 2007)- I bought a new Apple MacBook – black (Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard). View latest Macbook and their prices
Whenever I buy something expensive, I feel guilty . Never mind if I validate it by saying that it is an early birthday gift or a fixed cost for my online business. Excuses , excuses! I strolled Glorietta Mall this afternoon just to check out the BPI Express Credit Card Madness which runs from June 7 to 18. Note, I had no intention of buying anything today. *sigh* At the Power Mac Apple Center, I caught myself staring at the 1.83 GHz, 13-inch white Apple MacBook. The svelte 1.08 inches thin Macbook with the 13 inch widescreen and pretty icons caught my attention. Not to mention my face…haha..Clickety!
Edit (July 8, 2006)- This ad has been changed (see this entry). On our way from Makati to Quezon City, my daughter quickly took a photo of this BayanTel billboard on the Guadalupe MRT station. They were mortified to see this billboard which shows a semi-naked woman with a “pleased expression” , to put it mildly. SATISFACTION GUARANTEE (sic)? BayanTel is supposed to be a telecommunications company but nowhere in the ad does it show any sign of a phone or internet service.
Connie already blogged about responsible advertising. In her entry, the Hush Puppies billboard showed a woman with her Hush Puppies sandal but the picture portrayed more than that. The model exposed a plunging neckline with legs spread apart and exposed thighs. Irrelevant and irresponsible advertising. Now take a look at the Bayan Tel Billboard. What kind of [tag]advertising[/tag] is this?
At least Hush Puppies showed their product inspite of the sexy model in the ad. When motorists pass by the Bayan Tel billboard, will they remember the word “Satisfaction Guarantee” and relate it with the model or the brand name, BayanTel? It clearly shows the desperate nature [tag]BayanTel[/tag] is doing to push their products and services. They use imagery to capture their target market. Sex in advertising creates controversy. Sex sells. BayanTel knows that this kind of ad might create some waves. Why does our government allow this kind of advertising to be posted where even children question it. At least my girls were disgusted at such irrelevant ad.
There is more in Pinoy Underground .
(View enlarged images) After attending mass at the St. Alphonsius Ligouri, we dropped by at “Ponzo’s” for lunch. “Ponzo’s” menu is fusion with a delectable array of pasta, meat , healthy vegetarian dishes. I dread dining out of the comfort of my home. Eating out can ruin my weight management plan however it can be a great bonding time with husband and the girls. My trick is to avoid or minimize the carbohydrates and just eat the protein. The Korean beef stew was quite delicious. I added 3 tablespoons of rice to it though. How can one eat beef stew alone? The kids ate pizza pie as appetizers and ate their chicken parmesano and Inasal Chicken dishes as their main course. The pizza crust was thin, crisp and tasty. Lunch ended at 2:00 PM. Fortunately , I didn’t overstuff myself so I was able to work out in the gym at 3:00 PM. My husband reminded me to be back home by 5:00 PM because of a birthday dinner for his mom at “The Banana Leaf”. OH NO!
Visit my shopping blog, Shopping Finds.
The last week of May and the first week of June are major shopping sprees because of school opening. Some of my shopping turned into useless expenses or “things that could have waited”.
Let me start with shopping bargains:
1. Shopping at 168 Mall at Sta. Elena, Divisoria
The last time I was in 168 Mall was last December 29, 2005 where I saw the former first Lady, Imelda Marcos with her bodyguards. I took a cellphone photo of her surrounded by avid onlookers. Hmm, she used to close down Tiffany’s in New York during her reigning days. She didn’t close 168 Mall just for her this time. Apparently, she toured the place, waved her hands as admirers called out her name . Charming as ever.
Update on Cheche Lazaro: (May 8, 2009) Cheche Lazaro and the Wire Tapping Case filed by GSIS
To be interviewd by Cheche Lazaro in “Straight Talk” is an honor. Her interview style is excellent. You know, I usually get a pre-interview by production assistants days before a show. This is normal procedure since hosts are usually busy. It surprised me that no one from ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) called me up. Hmm, I thought that maybe Cheche can handle it herself. The only call I received was from the production assistant of the executive producer. He was so touched after reading Luijoe’s memorial website and wanted to borrow Luijoe’s photos for a clear graphic shot. They went all the way to the house just to get the photo albums.
Before the live interview, I caught up with Cheche at the dressing room and we had a little chat as the makeup artists retouched our shiny faces. I am amazed at her preparation for this episode. She printed out research materials on grief and highlighted sentences in my story of the Fallen Cradle. She told me that this is a fairly new topic rarely discussed on TV. I know. I told her that grief education is quite new in our country and we’re just taking off with the introduction of grief pyschologists and grief support groups.
I told the girls I can’t be bothered to be their driver tomorrow because I have to appear as a guest at Cito Beltran’s Straight Talk at 1 to 2 PM. My daughter’s immediate reaction: “I won’t be surprised if you appear in Boy Abunda’s talk show“. I don’t really watch TV so I don’t know what kind of talk show it is. But why not? If it helps promote The Compassionate Friends, I’m all for it. I just found out today that Cito Beltran is on leave so Cheche Lazaro will take his place. That’s excellent! She is one of the country’s most respected broadcast journalists . As founding president of Probe Productions Inc. and host of The Probe Team, she started the first investigative newsmagazine for television in the Philippines. I hope I “talk straight” as it is my first ever live interview. The other guest is Agnes Prieto who edited the book on loss of a child, Fallen Cradle. She also initiated this book project.
If you don’t catch the live interview, the replay is at 11:00 PM, June 2 and at 6 PM on June 3, Saturday. I think it will also show simultcast at the The Filipino Channel or ABS CBN Global.
My husband is quite a character. I thought I knew him so well. After all, we were steadies for 7 years. Living together revealed an unknown facet of his personality. He likes to market in the palengke (wet market) and do the grocery. Not only that, he is very nurturing and more motherly than me. A fussy father er mother. He loves washing the dishes and even doing the laundry (when the laundrywoman is not available). This was quite a surprise revelation and a minor irritant at first. He can even iron clothes. I can cook, bake, organize and clean the house but I don’t relish the idea of laundry or ironing chores. When the kids were sick with asthma, he stays up all night and monitors their breathing, and give their medication. I grew up in a family where dad was the sole breadwinner and left household chores with the females. My 3 brothers were spoiled by their sisters and my mom.