Skip to content

New Media

Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me

rj ledesmaI 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

Read More »Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me

Happy Slip Meet and Greet

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.

happy slipIf 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 Café, Bonifacio High Street
1:00PM – 4:00PM
Open to the Public

me and teddy bear

Read More »Happy Slip Meet and Greet

Boracay and The Dream

A dream about a late loved one is often a gift. “Don’t overanalyze it. Accept it with gratitude.” But what happens when a friend dreams about your blog entry? Here is a story which is one for the books.

I apologized to Cathy that I was unable to attend the Grief Share meeting last Saturday. Here are parts of our chat a few hours ago.

Cathy: okay lang. I read it in your blog.

Me: I haven’t blogged yet about boracay. Where did you read it? in my blog?

Cathy: yes. about my recovery

Me: No I haven’t blogged about it yet. The wi-fi was so slow in the hotel.

Feeling rather surprised, I checked my blog if I accidentally posted an entry. I knew that Abe blogged about it so maybe that’s where she found out.

Cathy insisted that she only reads my blog.

Cathy: I saw a photo of you in front of Microtel with Butch and Lauren.
microtelmcirotel

Me:: Only Lauren went with me.

Then Cathy narrated all the photos she saw in the entry I never posted (until now):

Cathy: There’s a nice shot of palm trees at dusk. You have a photo with Abe.

boracay duskabe_me__boracay.jpg

I pointed Anton Diaz Boracay Escape with Pinoy Travel Bloggers and Ivan Henares Microtel Boracay in Diniwid Beach entries but Cathy did not read those entries either.

Me:: Maybe you accidentally saw my Boracay Photo Gallery?

Cathy: Ah No. It was a collage of photos. (Cathy takes a look at my gallery) There is that picture in the boat and I thought the man in stripes beside you was Butch

boracay

Me: How did you know then? I have not shown my photos yet to my readers because I have 500 photos to upload. Besides I cannot make a collage because my macbook does not have Photoshop.

Cathy: If you didn’t post, then how else did I see it? Psychic powers?

Me: then no other way unless you read the 12 other bloggers’ entry.

Cathy insisted again that she only reads my blog from the the list of Pinoy Travel bloggers I mentioned.

Cathy: You even wrote thanks to SeAir and Microtel and there was one other sponsor I cannot remember. And you added that you were glad that Lauren was able to join you on the trip.

The sponsorship and Lauren were the clincher. One can conjure dream images of the beach and my travelling companions. But the sponsors? There are a gazillion hotels in Boracay. And airlines? There are around 5 airlines that fly to Boracay. Also, how would she know that Lauren nearly didn’t make it to Boracay? Her dream is almost accurate.

How can one explain my blog entry that Cathy read but which I have not posted yet (or still drafting as I write this)?

Read More »Boracay and The Dream

Batanes (and Batanes, the movie)

When it comes to local showbiz scenes and Who’s Who?, I am totally clueless. Local Filipino movies just don’t interest me at all…unless I get invited by a friend or I know the people involved in the production. There is the movie The White Lady which we watched only because the director was Butch’s classmate in Law School. Then the last movie I watched was I’ve Fallen For You directed by Lino Cayetano because he is a family friend. This afternoon was a bit different. Together with some bloggers, I attended a grand press conference for Batanes, a love story co-directed by Dave Hukon and internationally acclaimed young indie-director Adolf Alix Jr. Written by Arah Badayos, the film is a love story between a Filipina and a Taiwanese and circles around how the waters of Batanes test their love and individualities.

batanes_movie.jpgThe film stars Ken Zhu of the Taiwanese boy band F-4 fame and Iza Calzado. At the press conference, I felt really out of place amidst the showbiz reporters. Haha, I was laughing at myself as I embarked on this latest adventure as it is so out of character. But wait, I attended the Press Conference as my way of helping promote Batanes Islands. The fastest route to Batanes is through Asian Spirit which is the only airline that flies to Batanes and other remote islands in the Philippines. [tag]Asian Spirit[/tag] is also the major sponsor of Batanes which is really nice gesture on their part to support an indie film.

Read More »Batanes (and Batanes, the movie)

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.

Read More »Thank You for the Thank You Day Concert

Royal Elastics, David & Goliath, Sentosia and Philippine School of Interior Design Exhibit

Every time I am invited to a new media event, I seek M’s opinion. “Do you think so-and-so event is worth attending?”. And if M is really gung-ho over it, she’d go “mom, it’s an excuse to go out of the house”. See, I don’t want to waste my time in an event if the product/service won’t add intrinsic value to my blogs. I could make better use of my precious time by working on my passive income-generating sites. So far the new media events of the past week were all fun, hip but too expensive.

1. Philippine School of Interior Design Graduation Exhibit dubbed as ““Forty, Filipino, and Fabulous”
interior_design 076.jpgLast Friday was the press preview of the Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) Advanced Class of 2007 graduation exhibit dubbed as ““Forty, Filipino, and Fabulous” which is mounted in cooperation with the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP). You can watch this exhibit starting September 29- October 31 , at the Paseo Center, Paseo de Roxas cor. Sedeno st., Salcedo Village, Makati City. If you’re in the lookout for an interior designer, you might be able to choose from among the graduating students exhibiting their work from the 19 booths. My favorite was this bathroom called “Salapid” which is a representation of the modern Filipino couple’s sanctuary. See, the problem with a His and Hers bathroom is that if your hubby takes too long to use the bath, you end up waiting for hours on end. The solution is to get inside the bathroom with him, lounge on this “modern interpretation of the sulihiya” chair and relax. View the 19 booths through the Photos of the ““Forty, Filipino, and Fabulous” Exhibit

Read More »Royal Elastics, David & Goliath, Sentosia and Philippine School of Interior Design Exhibit

Lessons Learned From Malu Fernandez

malu fernandez
(Via Annalyn.net)
Tonight at 6:00 PM, Benj with other bloggers and journalists and possibly [tag]Malu Fernandez[/tag] will appear in Media In Focus at the ABS-CBN News Channel Studios. (Media in Focus replays: 11 PM tonight, SAT 6 AM and 5 PM ) I talked to Anton de Leon , a fellow blogger based in Dubai and he admits that:

The reactions from people from all over the globe have been going strong. To this day, i have had reactions come from bloggers and readers who speak vehemently of Miss Malu and the acerbic wit she has pushed. It really has become an angry mob, but who is to blame here. Aside from Malu, i think part of it should be shifted to the people who allowed the commentary to be published. This is why, in this circle of work that i revolve in. we have these things called editors. Editors are supposed to make the call and check for content.

Over 2000 angry comments expressed to date! I can understand their feelings. Feelings are just feelings; there is no morality in the feeling, only in our behavior. We can feel angry without hurting or abusing others or ourselves. The thing is not a lot of people can express their anger appropriately. I too have been guilty in the past of name-calling but I have learned. Anger is an emotion we’re all prone to experience. Yes, it’s okay to feel angry , I agree. It points to a problem. In this case, it signals a problem that needs to be solved. Sometimes , it points to boundaries we need to set. Sometimes , it’s the final burst of energy before letting go, or acceptance settles in.

I would like to believe that this anger should now have a positive resolution. A few bloggers point out the lessons learned from the Malu Fernandez article:

Read More »Lessons Learned From Malu Fernandez

Lauren meets Loren

laurenmeetsloren.jpg
Senator Loren, this is Lauren, the first Pinoy blogger, Mike Abundo pulls the reluctant Lauren towards Senator Loren Legarda.

Finally my Lauren meets the Loren, that people often mispell her name for. Lauren gets really annoyed whenever the Starbucks’ barista label her coffee cup as LOREN! Lauren being Lauren spells it out to these baristas. It just shows how popular Loren Legarda’s name is, huh?

I had no idea why I was invited to an event in Manila Peninsula . All I knew was that Mike Abundo was going to be inducted as Vice President of something which Lauren couldn’t recall. The little I know of Mike Abundo is that he is often in cosplay , gaming or anime thing.

Upon reaching the Manila Peninsula banquet hall, I was surprised to see a signage of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society ([tag]PICS07[/tag]) plastered by the door. What a relief that it wasn’t some cosplay event. To add to my pleasant surprise, Aileen Apolo, the birthday girl , Juned, Jayvee were also there to give support to Mike. Aww…

aileen.jpg
Read More »Lauren meets Loren

13 Bonding Moments at the Taste Asia Bloggers Party

A list of 13 bonding moments seems more interesting to read and at the same time serves as my contribution to the 107th Edition of Thursday Thirteen Meme. (I know, I know, it’s a bit late for Thursday Thirteen but I fell asleep. ) Thanks to SM Hypermarket and Aileen Apolo, the bloggers party brought about this wonderful opportunity to get to know the bloggers we only read in our Google Reader or during blog-hopping.

Here are a few of the bonding moments:

1. Lauren showing off an all original and gorgeous WordPress- Tshirt and myself.
lauren

2. Chats, Cookie. Julie, Annmanila, Rowena and I finally meet and having photos taken in a clique booth
cliquebooth1.jpg

Read More »13 Bonding Moments at the Taste Asia Bloggers Party

Sommelier Selection, Mrs. Fields, WikiPilipinas

Do you want to know the top 5 reasons why I attend New Media Events?

Someone mentioned that the easiest way to a blogger’s heart is through their stomach. What a condescending remark! It’s not even the freebies. I can very well afford to buy the products or services, thank you. Not the TV appearances. Been there even before I became a blogger. Not the photo ops either. The primary reason I attend new media events is to get fresh new content for my Shopping Finds, Pinoy Food Blog and my other techie blogs. Being one of the first to post this breaking news on my blogs give me an edge. Isn’t that part of publishing too? Aside from content, here are a few of my silly reasons.

1. It’s an excuse to have a date with my husband. Hehe, actually I just need him to drive me home from the Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe Press Launch since it was held at the Manila Pavilion.
Mrs Fields
View Photos or read Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe Launch (August 21, 2007)

Read More »Sommelier Selection, Mrs. Fields, WikiPilipinas