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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

A Laugh a Day: Algorithm March with Ninjas!

Got this from Teacher Serra of Cabanatuan City. Found it quite amusing...



Thanks Teacher Serra for the laugh!

*Oh... and been quite busy to blog... so I got mega-blog backlog! Arggghhh...

Friday, July 27, 2007

Pinoy Ako and Some Important Pinoy Terms

In the past few weeks I've been mistaken so many times to be a Fil-Am - mostly by top executives and foreigners visiting our country. Me? Not homegrown? Noooooo!!! I am very much Pinoy. I love Pinoy food. Pinoy music. Pinoy movies. I love going to Divisoria and I know how to haggle! I was bred and born in the Philippines and I've been living in the same house since I was born. Plus! Plus! I'm a self-confessed dyologs. I'd rather eat at Jollibee and Max's Restaurant rather than those sowsi places at Greenbelt. Simple lang po ang lola niyo.

Anyway, in the past year I've managed to meet a lot of Filipinos born abroad. Most of them do not speak Filipino or any of our local dialects (save for one who managed to force me to string phrases in Bicol together through IM, the powers of the internet!). There are many local words we cannot translate accurately and sometimes you just really hit a wall when trying to explain certain words. Right? As Markku said once when we were entertaining a colleague, "Grabe dinudugo na ilong ko dito ah." That happens to me every single day LOL, but I guess I've managed to pull it off coz some people think I'm an alien, I mean, that I didn't grow up here.

So, I thought of making a list of words that I think our non-Filipino speaking friends should understand:

1. BOLERO (bolero ka!, mambobola, bola yan!) - I encountered this a few weeks ago with ummm, uh, a gentleman. I couldn't find the right words to say, so I said, "Bolero ka!" "Playboy" or "you're pulling my leg" doesn't really capture the essence of the term since bolero may be used negatively and affectionately at the same time. And Pinays never really accept compliments gracefully. Tayo pa, shy. Anyway, apparently he's good at searching for stuff in Google and found this great forum that explains what bolero means.

2. TAMPO (tampo ako, tampururot, nagtatampo) - "I feel bad" "I'm disappointed" "I'm upset". What is not captured in those translation though is the "pa-cute" factor because when you say you are "nagtatampo" you are usually saying this affectionately. So, sweetie, when that's on my status message you should know that something is wrong.

3. LAMBING (lambing tayo, labing-labing, naglalambing) - this word has nothing to do with lambs, sheep or goat heh. Lambing pronounced as lam-Bing, means being affectionate and a tad bit playful. And normally, for married couples they say "labing-labing muna kami"... I'm sure you'll get the drift.

4. DOON - "Doon" is normally said with lips pointed towards the general direction of where you are supposed to go to. Yup, "doon" means "there" and you'd normally get the gist of how far the place is based on the length the person stretches his lips out. Mr. Charlie Kemplin, President of EZ Maps told me an anecdote the other night during the Barangay.ph launch. He said that the first time he was here in the Philippines in the late 1960s he was so amazed by this phenomenon that he actually had shirts printed out with the word "Doon" and "lips" at the bottom of the word. LOL. May I have the rights to print that out again sir?

5. TEXT MO AKO HA - I think it's only in our country that we use "Text" instead of "SMS". I usually look at mobile phone ads whenever I travel and it was a heated debate prior to my launch of LUK4. Well, "Text mo ako ha" means "please SMS me" and, mind you, we should remember that it is considered rude to text or SMS when you're talking with someone in other countries and it's not accepted business practice as well with them. But, then, being the SMS capital of the world, we can trailblaze right? My colleagues were awed when I said that I send an average of 100 SMS' per day and they even took a photo of my old phone coz my keypad didn't have numbers/letters on it already.

Oh well, there are many, many more words I know, can you think of one? Please help me coz dinudugo na ilong ko. LOL. Leave a comment please!

*Photo by my stylist-friend Sasha Manuel.

Barangay.ph

There's a brand new website made specially for Pinoys overseas. Head over to Barangay.ph and see what they've got in store for Pinoys abroad.

My full kwento is at Stitching.

Here are some photos from the launch:



Sweetie... you better check this out!!!

Translation:
Kwento - story

I Love Bags

Ummm... it's my addiction, but I've managed to curb it in the past year because I don't have space anymore! I got crates (those huge plastic boxes) of bags in my closetS (in 3 rooms) much to my Mom's chagrin. Well, her fault since she made me into a bag lover and here's a photo of me as an "angel" when I was 5 (scanned this from our parish magazine)... notice the bag! LOL.


So, what's this with bags? Well, I got invited to a bag event - the launch of Timbuk2's Blogger Bag. And despite the fact that I was really exhausted (and about to dismantle), I went! Because it's a bag event!

Anyway, so the Blogger Bag was designed by a blogger, doesn't look like a laptop bag and there's quite a number of nooks and crannies in it (for all those gadgets). I especially like the fact that it has a special place for an Ipod (or any MP3 player) and that the bottom actually puts your laptop in a certain angle so that when the bag falls it doesn't hit the ground directly (something like that). And I also liked the Marina Computer Handbag (almost brought it home hehe).

I was in a daze already and wasn't able to take that many photos of blogger friends (and dragged along a best friend who was also invited) who were also there: Jay, Juned, Jayvee, Markku (who was our pretend birthday boy for the night), Sasha, Rico, The Macalua, Sharm, MarcVill, Gail, and Mike Abundo (I hope I didn't forget anyone).

But, here are some photos:



And I don't think I'm going to be able to sum up all the stuff that was said about Timbuk2 and the Blogger Bag, so check out their video:



And here's the TGIFriday's crew singing their birthday song for Markku:



Oh, and if you wanna get the bag, you can check it out at stores that sell Bratpacks.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

What Kind of Blogger are You?

Got this from Blogthings.com... I hope I'll be more lucid after an hour's more worth of sleep.

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary.
If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.


Well, I blog mainly for my amusement anyway and my pet peeve are people with huge, huge egos (online and offline). Sniff.

Zzzzzzzz....

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

A Laugh a Day...

There's the Pinoy version of Thriller gracing a number of blogs, mailing lists and IMs (a must see!)...

And there's the Indian version -



Isker! Isker!!!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Why I Didn't End Up in the Ad Industry Like My Friends

It's no easy feat to create advertising campaigns. I don't envy the work being done by advertising agencies. What I'm jealous though of is their talent! I can be creative at times, but I can definitely not cal it up anytime to create campaigns, much less ad copy. And that's why I never worked in an advertising agency, but most of my friends (even my best friend!) are now either creative directors or fun, fab copywriters. I fumble a lot with words that's why.

I remember my boss used to lock me up in my room just to create copy (we did a lot of in-house ads before) and I basically abhorred it coz my muse isn't up to the pressure and she usually runs away whenever that happens. I'd say then that I certainly enjoyed being the client and getting cared for during shoots (even though sometimes I got dragged to be an extra!). Creating a tri-media and below-the-line advertising campaign is no mean feat and life is definitely easier when you have a really great ad agency working with you. And the icing on the cake would be winning in the Araw Awards held during the Advertising Congress.

Quite a number of companies are doing online advertising campaigns already. There are quite a number of interesting ones - like the Shrek Youtube videos that HP did to push their laptops (it's somewhere here in my blog) or even Happyslip's video on her love for Mac can be considered an online advertising campaign (I'm not sure if she was paid for it though). It's a good thing that we now have the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) catering to this side of media. A really great and good sign that times are changing.

Have you seen an interesting online or mobile ad campaign? Submit an entry to the Boomerang Awards: the 1st Internet and Mobile Marketing Awards.

I have Found Happiness

A few months ago I watched the big-hit Cinemalaya film "Saan Nagtatago si Happiness" which was co-produced by the person behind the title of this blog (it's a loooong story) - Rica Arevalo with her twin Raquel. Theme song of the movie was also done by my blockmate and good friend, Chi (also known as "Ces") Datu. I can still hear the thumpa-thumpa of the theme song at the back of my mind. I should remember to get copies of the films so I can share it with my colleagues. (Calling Raquel... calling Raquel.)

I've missed a lot of the Cinemalaya films, even got a free pass before (since my event agency handled it previously), but... but... Anyway! It's Cinemalaya time once again and my dear friend and former colleague, Gibbs Cadiz, is holding a contest for the best Cinemalaya blogger!

What to do... what to do... Head on over to Gibbs' blog and check out the contest details. I read that the prize involves shopping money! Woohoo! Thank God I'm not a judge and I can actually join the contest! Erp... I'll be traveling too Gibbs, uh-oh. Anyways, go ahead! Watch and join the contest at tangkilikin ang pelikulang Pilipino!

P.S. And, yes, I am very happy :)

Translation
*at tangkilikin ang pelikulang Pilipino - watch Philippine movies

An Update on my Globe Visibility Rant

Last Thursday I was fuming... mad... I had gone mad. The Aileen Patience scale was tipped over the top. So I ranted about what was bothering me. It was about my not-so-happy purchase of the Globe Visibility service.

I had actually planned to fax my post to them, the same way I did when I ranted a few months back about some computer shops. I got a call from one of the shops (Silicon Valley), but I have not dared step in the shop eversince (trauma ito!). Anyway, back to Globe, I didn't get a chance to fax it over the weekend since I was quite busy preparing for my trip.

Last night, I got a call from a friend, someone from Globe was looking for my number and I got a call from, no less than, the head of customer service! I had calmed down since, but was quite irked that as of yesterday morning the service was not activated yet. Tsktsktsk. Anyway, the kind gentleman apologized for the atrocities that I went through and agreed to my request - refund the PhP11,700 I was forced to pay (anak! we can buy your aircon this weekend!) and he promised to get the service activated immediately.

I received a message this morning that the service has been activated, but maybe it's me or the OS I'm using in my laptop it's not working. Well, anyway, the kind gentleman said that he'd send someone to help me set it up when I'm back in Manila. Yey!

Anyway, in fairness, I could say that they have identified the problems that caused the awful service I got and methinks they're going to do something about it (I am forever hopeful and optimistic with things). They've noted the comments posted in the entry I made the other day as well. I am hoping that they'd be like this to ALL the customers and not just me (I'm just like everybody else, it's just that I have a blog hehe).

Just get me up and running Sir and I'll be your happy customer again.

Monday, July 23, 2007

The 305

Argh... too busy to blog...

Here's a video shared by my best friend, made me laugh so hard:



So great to be with my best friend here in Cebu! :)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Just this for Today

Just chillin' today... nah I'm kinda harassed... workin', so I'm too swamped to blog.

And I'm just listenin' to this song in the background:



Happy Sunday!

100 on Twitter and the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2007

I just noticed that I now have 100 followers on Twitter!


Eeeps! I hope I'm keeping them entertained coz there are things I twit about that wouldn't be found here on my blog. If ya know what I mean... wink wink.

Read Janette's update on her Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs project. There's one more week to go!

Well, I just wanna thank you (since you're reading this) for the patience in going through all these content that I keep putting online. Huwag magsawa!

And don't forget these -

Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs Writing Project
SM Hypermarket Blog Writing Contest
Wika 2007 Blog Writing Contest
Bayanihan SEO Contest

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Kidnapped by Enderun

I failed to answer Jayvee's ?????????? last night coz I was in a meeting.

Yes, I got kidnapped by Maui to meet Doy, MIS Manager of Enderun Colleges Inc. She knew that my schedule's pretty hectic and since I was free last night (actually I had 2 other standing invitations hehe), I consented since Manong Ephraim just had to drop us off at Emerald Avenue.

I was really exhausted from our trip to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, but I don't regret agreeing to get kidnapped. Why?

1. I found a great place where my nephew, Gabby, can study HRM. My really gwapo nephew (see photo below - Eat your heart out girls!!!), expressed to his Dad (my Kuya) that he wanted to put up a restaurant someday and he's been doing some service time at a fine dining restaurant (sorry not here in the Philippines!).

My talented nephew and niece, Gabby and Patricia.

2. They say the highest compliment for a server is to ask for his/her badge. Our server for the night was Rachel, a froshie who's just been serving for 4 weeks. I'd like to say that she was very warm, entertaining, charming and showed genuine passion for service. It reminded me of the chefs in Google who'd go around the cafeteria asking if we found the food okay. Precisely why I don't like eating at hotels and fine dining restaurants. Too stiff! I'm sure Enderun would churn out a whole new breed of passionate people who would change the industry altogether.



3. And Rachel gave us a little song from Broadway. Too bad I wasn't able to record her version of Narda. Such a great kid! I'm sure she will go places.



And, yup, I asked for her badge :)

Harry Potter Dragged Me Out of Bed

It was not my idea.

Jaja, my neighbor, dragged me out of bed to accompany her get her reserved Harry Potter book. I only did it coz she's leaving for Singapore in a few weeks.

Well, I'm happy I have it and I'll probably be busy reading the whole weekend instead of being glued to my PC. I reserved mine last February 25 and was one of the early comers at National Bookstore Glorietta which was a better choice coz the line at Powerbooks was really bad.

To all ye Harry Potter fans! Happy reading!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Invisible Globe Visibility

I am known to be a very patient person, but this afternoon I blew my top at the Globe Wireless Center at Park Square in Makati. Why?

Because I feel like I had been duped.

Before I start ranting let me tell you why I decided to get Globe Visibility.

I NEED IT for many reasons, but primarily for work.

And I thought since I have been a Globe user for 8 years already and it's more convenient to go to their wireless centers, then I might as well tie-up the services I've been using under one roof.

So, even though I've been given the round-around in the past:
1. "Oh we don't have it here in SM Bicutan, go to Glorietta."
2. "Oh we don't have a demo unit here, go upstairs at the Hub near Red Lane."
3. "Oh we'll send someone to do a demo on your laptop since we don't have a unit available anymore."

I just shrugged it all off. Didn't get mad, coz, I needed it and I have a higher objective so I didn't mind the hassle.

BUT!

BUT!!!

Yesterday afternoon I called the customer service hotline number to find out where exactly I could get one. Got the list of requirements and all other info to make sure that it was going to be hassle free.

I was gravely disappointed. Mistreated. Upset.

I was told by the customer service person I just need to pay PhP5,000 upfront and provide some requirements. Okay, so I had no problems about that.

And then, surprise, suprise, they said that that promo ended already and it wasn't available. WTF?!?! It's an existing product, how could it not have a basic offering.

Breathe in, breathe out. So I told Gilbert (in fairness, he really kept his composure) that I just checked the day before with customer service the available plans etc. for Globe Visibility. So, he said he had to check with training the newest plan since they were not informed about it yet. I waited patiently, got the same answer, pushed around for a better answer and then...

"Ma'am you have to purchase this plan so you could get the Globe Visibility." They wanted me to purchase a N95, so I could get it. I had to pay upfront PhP25,000+ just to get it.

WTF?!?!?

At this point, I was trying very hard to be diplomatic and patient. I then called a friend to ask if he and she could help me. They were flabbergasted about the treatment I was getting. Anyway, they gave me feedback from their friends in Globe that I didn't need to purchase a phone just to get a Globe Visibility.

Anyway, yada yada yada. I thought it was quite unforgivable that:
1. Globe's internal communication program seemed to be messed up. I AM THE CUSTOMER and I was told that I just had to pay PhP5,000 upfront. Why should I care that your promo is apparently over? You gave me that commitment, so DELIVER!
2. Globe Visibility's product manager seemed to have let their promo plans pass. The last one apparently ended last July 15... it's already July 19!
3. I had to pay an additional PhP11,700 just to get the @#$%$ thing even though I was told I was only supposed to pay PhP5,000 upfront.

If I had the luxury of time and energy, I would've headed over to PLDT to get a WeRoam instead. BUT! I'm busy and I can't afford to just while away my time to get the proper service I should be accorded as a consumer.

I don't complain much and when I do complain, it really means I have been MISTREATED badly.

And to make matters worse, I was told it's going to take about 5 days before they can activate it. They only told me this after I signed the contract and the payment slips.

Oh my. Can I just throw this thingy in the trash can?

===================
UPDATE

I will definitely send this post to Globe's top management and demand for a refund for the
E220 Huawei USB modem I paid for. And here are some more posts I found about Globe Visibility:

Mobility Philippines
TipidPC.com
Random Insanity
Mobile Junkie
Istik Online
Blogalicious
Gloss Mania
Tell Me Lies, Sweet Lies
Vince1

BTNFelipe
Zimmbodilion
Macalua.com

Well... just a couple... head over to Technorati or Google Blogseach and search for "Globe Visibility". There's a lot and I mean a loooooot.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Enter the Bubble

"Enter the bubble," the voice-over said.

The curtains had opened and showed a huge "bubble" on the other side of the room. We all just sat there, transfixed with the lights and music.

"Enter the bubble," the voice-over said again. I knew the first time that she wanted us to go in the bubble... umm but the entrance was kinda missing. It took a while, but people finally realized we had to head over to the other room to enter the bubble. Hehehe. The bubble revealed a stage, exactly like those you'd see on TV for fashion shows. Wow, I thought, this is a different event altogether.

It was the launch of "Clear", Unilever's newest anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner. It was a fashion show/event that my friends invited me to attend. Since it was for lunch and I was in the area, I went. Thought it was kinda cool to see people I'd only see in magazines. And, I'd say it was a totally different lunch for me.

So, here's a glimpse of the fashion show:



And photos:



The shampoo has a nice smell, so I guess I'll try it sometime.

Monday, July 16, 2007

The "We" T-Shirt

Last night a friend of mine dropped a bombshell on us. She and her long-time boyfriend are splitting up. After fighting so hard for each other, they were calling it quits... well save for a last ditch effort they're going to do soon. Sigh, I do get stressed a lot over these things - it's easier to make a business plan!

After getting over the shock (coz we all thought everything was okay and lovey-dovey), she told a story about a friend who got proposed to at the Eiffel Tower. What was interesting about it was the guy came up with a customized shirt for the two of them with this:

Will You Marry Me? (in all the languages of the countries they toured in Europe)
Yes (also in all the languages of the countries they visited)


Egads. Ain't that really, really sweet? I wonder if my friends who are planning to get married would top that proposal?

Going back to my friend, she asked me to come up with some "We" t-shirt tags and this is for her:

He's got the hots for me.
She's got the hots for me.

He's sexy for me. (or use your TOE "My baby's sexy for me.)
She's sexy for me.

He makes me miss him.
She makes me miss her.

Will you be mine?
Yes, I'll be yours.

He's mine.
She's mine.

My lover boy.
My lover girl.

He loves me.
She loves me.

Can't live without him.
Can't live without her.

He lives for me.
She lives for me.

Forever is with him.
Forever is with her.


Argh! How'd I become so cheesy? Oh well... what do you think? Any ideas?

*Photo by my stylist-friend Sasha Manuel.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Secret! Sikreto! Sikwet! Lihim!

Sikwet... is what I always say when I get asked questions I don't want to answer. So, do I keep a lot of secrets?

Sikwet!

My best friend Tappy who's based in Singapore, tagged me for this meme. I have to reveal 8 secrets about myself. And here are the rules:

-Each player must post these rules first.
-Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
-People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
-At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
-Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So, as requested by Tappy, here are 8 things about me unknown to many people (Tappy, of course, knows a LOT, and I mean, A WHOLE LOT!):

1. I'm moody. A lot of people think I'm forever perky, bubbly and happy. But my moods change a lot and only a handful of people can actually detect it. I guess I'm just good at controlling my emotions.

2. I get cranky when you wake me up the wrong way. Don't ever wake me up by surprising me or using a loud commanding voice. I'd be cranky the whole day when that happens.

3. I hate waiting. I was trained by my parents to always be on time for things. I've been known to leave people when they're late coz I end up getting cranky. And with my busy schedule, I get tired of course.

4. I have almost bottomless patience. I rarely get angry, but when I do, umm I think you should try moving to another country for a while. LOL.

5. I absolutely abhor looking for things. My stuff, it's what you call organized chaos. Don't move it about coz if I lose track on where something is, I lose my head. Good thing I have Miguel and he's really, really patient about this thing.

6. I am a hopeless romantic. Did I just say that? Much as I love scaring off guys (and I'm very effective at that), I do appreciate surprises and sweet gestures. I may get overwhelmed, but hey, that's me being appreciative.

7. I love scaring off guys. If you get scared, then it just means you're no match for me. Kidding. Bait ako ha, it's just that guys, for some insane reason, are intimidated with me. Duh!

8. I have 4 best friends who maintain my sanity. Darwin, who's been around for more than half of my life. Tappy, since our groovy college days. Anne, an unexpected angel from the YP. And, Jay, who completed the circle of four.

Reveal your secrets! Darwin, Anne, Jay, Harry, Honey, Blogie, Andrew, and AJ.

Is Green my New Pink?

Animo LA SALLE!

You might have noticed I did a bit of housecleaning on An Apple a Day. Do you like the new color? I thought the last theme I used was a tad bit too dark. The online housecleaning (true as well for some of my other blogs) is in conjunction with messing with the furniture here in my basement. Miguel moved out of my room a week ago, so I decided to move his bed out of my room as well. Of course, I had to move around a lot of stuff to accommodate the bed in my study room.


I've had a busy weekend despite being stuck at home. I missed out on the BOB G last night coz I thought I'd be a good daughter and stay home (Dad was a bit cranky last night hehe). Friday night's gimmick at Taste Asia was more than enough excitement for me and I picked up a lot of stuff from the indomitable Mr. Herbert Sy (Director, SM Group of Companies). And these are some things I learned from another great mind:

1. Don't break discipline.
2. If it doesn't work the first time, go at it again. (On relationships and marriage.)
3. Don't ever change your lifestyle especially when you are moving up.
4. Take care of others even if you don't have to. Don't look at it as an obligation.
5. Love you country.


And one thing he made me ponder on the whole weekend is,

"Everyone wants to have power. To become leaders. Not everyone can and not everyone can handle it well. To be an effective leader you have to know what is that one thing that you have that others don't. Something that they cannot ever get."


Now I don't wonder anymore why SM has been very successful in their endeavors. At Taste Asia you would notice that the meat, poultry and seafood they sell are all in special refrigerators. Why? "Because I will not sell something I won't eat," said Mr. Sy. Would you buy food that has flies all over it? See? Even those tiny details, they take care of at SM Hypermarket and the Taste Asia crew are definitely great servers. Did you know you can close off spaces there for parties? All you need to pay for is the food, you get the venue and videoke free! (See what I ate at Lakwatsera Ako).

Bottomless food and drinks at Taste Asia. Here are some
new friends from San Miguel Corp., Unilever and SM.

Sorry, I cannot help but gush over it.

Saturday passed and I had soot all over me. Sunday was our usual Miguel and Mom day, and good thing I remembered to bring the SM Cares-Unilever recyclable bag. Get one for every PhP500 purchase of Unilever products. Here's my Mom modeling it:

I wish we had more SM Care bags!

So, is green my new pink? Nah. It was just inspired by the fact that I wanted a green apple on my header and my green study room (it looks a whole lot like a Greenwich store, my best friend's fault). Who knows, I might get fickle and change it to red next week? LOL.

Miguel and I goofing off for a photo.

I have a New Space!

Well, not my own pad or flat... just a bit of space on Myspace. Not another social networking account! But, oh yes, I signed up coz I got curious after watching the Happyslip Boypren video.

My friends from abroad have warned me that it's pretty wild on Myspace, very unlike Friendster and Multiply. They thought that I might get a bit rattled with aggressive members. But, I thought, well it's just online and I have simply been ignoring them. I get a lot of scraps and invites from people I don't know on Orkut (mostly from the other side of the earth, but some of the scraps are endearing!) and I have an account as well on Facebook, Tagged and I don't remember where else anymore. LOL.

Well, bottomline is, I got stuck at home tonight and was kinda lazy to blog. I finished tweaking my sidebar and was kinda bored coz my best friend, as usual, tinulugan ako! So, I thought I'd head over and check out Myspace. Hehe.

Be my friend! Add me up!

*And if you wanna be my friend in Orkut, just leave a comment with your email addy (and I guess you can figure out what my email addy is)!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Chatting Chatter and Finding Love Online

I bet you have an account on Gtalk, Chikka, YM, Skype, AOL, MSN and you also access Meebo, ILoveIM or Trillian in the office. I'm right, right?

I was in college the first time encountered chatting online. In school we were all given email addresses (composed of our ID numbers) and we used that as well to log on to ICQ. I was thrilled to talk with classmates electronically (I'd be at the SPS building and they'd be in the library) and sometimes I'd giggle when I see my crush online. Eventually things progressed and we had YM, Chikka, then Gtalk and now there's even the Philippines Chat Room, a chat community.

So, are ya addicted to chatting? I can't imagine my life now without this platform. I have been using it for more than 10 years now and I could say that it has been useful for me both in my personal and professional life. I can just imagine my phone bill skyrocket if instant messenging wasn't invented. Gulp!

What I'm quite curious about now actually is hearing success stories about finding love online. My seatmate in the plane when I was on my way to San Francisco last year actually met and fell in love with his wife (a Filipina) online. I met up with them last April when he came here to marry her. Imagine that.

Come on now... share me some stories. I need something to make me kilig.

Wika 2007 Blog Writing Contest

Magaling ka ba magsulat sa wikang Filipino? O mas sanay ka magsulat sa wikang Ingles?

Naalala niyo ba yung Fita commercial na "Fairy"? Yung kalahating pulang sports car? O yung Fita commercial na "Bespren"? Ang tanyag na manunulat nun, si Bryan Supan Siy, ay ang aking punong patnugot at matalik na kaibigan noon sa DLSU. At siya ang nagturo, pumilit, sa akin matutong magsulat sa wikang Filipino.



At naalala niyo ba yung commercial ni Piolo Pascual at Tony Gonzaga? Yung, "Magpakatotoo ka sister. I love you Piolooooooo!" Best friend ko po, si Tappy, ang lumikha noon.

Hindi man ako nagsusulat na sa wikang Filipino - dahil mas gamay ko magsulat sa Ingles at pansinin, nagsusulat ako kung paano ako magsalita - isa itong bagay na gusto kong pagpraktisan paminsan-minsan. Abangan na lang lamang sa mga susunod na linggo kung ano ang tinutukoy ko. Hehe.

So! Hoy Pinoy! Pinay! Mga kapatiiiid!!! Sumali na sa Wika 2007 Blog Writing Contest!

At siyempre, huwag kalimutan sumali sa contest din ng SM Hypermarket.

Manalo man o hindi, gamitin ang pagkakataong ito upang ipagmalaki na isa kang Pinoy!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Boyfriend! Boypren! Jowa! Kasintahan!

Uh... I think someone can relate to this... Hilarious!

From HappySlip



And I loved the song!

Rockin' Girl Blogger!

I giggled when I saw Apple's post that tagged me as a "Rockin' Girl Blogger", not because I thought it was funny, but because I thought "Rockin" doesn't really describe the simple nerdy me. Haha. Anyways, I am thrilled though and here's the badge that Roberta Ferguson started (I followed the trail to find out where it came from). Thanks Apples!






I think it's cute and I think the following are Rockin Girl Bloggers as well -

1. Sasha Manuel, I can't believe how she manages to maintain all the blogs she's doing. And the content! Oh! A whole looooot!
2. Lauren, head on over to her blog and you'll know. So far, one of the best word weavers on the web.
3. Janette Toral, for being the ever vigilant IT resource person. What a mover.
4. Tappy, my best friend who's now a mom. I have always admired her writing even before she began blogging.
5. Honey Caragos, definitely rockin' CDO being CEO of one of the premiere IT companies there.

What is My Voldemort? And the Three Things Meme

Uhuh! It's Harry Potter season again! The movie's already showing, but Miguel and I will watch it probably over the weekend (we haven't watched Transformers yet! Acckkk!!!).

Anyway, Harry tagged me for the Voldemort question and Jehzeel tagged me for this really long meme. Well... since I'm kinda bored and want to do something mundane before I sleep...

My Voldemort. Of course, it goes without saying that I am absolutely terrified of losing my loved ones. Everybody is scared of that. Hmm... I guess one thing that scares me is making a wrong decision, especially if it will greatly affect other people and my son's future.

3 People Who Make Me Laugh. Darwin, Jay, Raymond.

3 Things I Love. Happy (my laptop). Blogging. My work.

3 Things on My Desk. PC. R2D2 walkie-talkie. A calculator.

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now. Listening to some music. Blogging. Thinking of someone.

3 Things I Want to Do Before I Die. See Miguel become successful. Have a baby girl. Complete my mission.

3 Things I Can Do. Conduct really nerdy research studies. Bead. Cook spaghetti.

3 Things I Can't Do. Bungee jump. Surf (dunno how). Pilot an airplane.

3 People You Should Listen To. Parents. Best friends. Elders.

3 Things I'd Like to Learn. Speak Spanish. Program. Cook more types of food.

3 Favorite Foods. Pasta. Grilled food. McChicken Sandwich.

3 Shows I Watched as a Kid. Care Bears. He-Man. Sesame Street.

Now I'm tagging the following: Anne, Harry, Ting, Darwin, Migs.

Tales from a Cluttered Mind

I have a lot of things on my mind right now and it's basically mush! Mush! Mush! Mush!

And normally, to clear out the cobwebs in my mind I usually:
(1) move furniture around (I'll do that later, I need some muscle power!);
(2) buy curtains (scratch that, I'm kinda broke); or
(3) I write things down.

Okay, so let's go for number 3 since it doesn't cost anything. And it just takes me about 5 to 10 minutes to do a post anyway.

And these are the things I wanna unload:

(1) Work

... Secret! I got that figured out, so no worries.

(2) Life

If things were that easy. Then it's me, ME ME ME!!! Teach me how to jump then.

(3) Dieting - my diet regime

- no soda
- less rice
- fastfood, once a week only
- no ice cream, no cake - well maybe just a teeny bitty bit once a week
- afternoon tea
- stay at home!

I know, I should go and work-out or something, but I wanna go swimming! It's the only thing that works for me.

(4) 5 Songs I Listened to in my iTunes Today

Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang
Together in Electric Dreams
My Boo
We Could Be in Love
Lalala Means I Love You

Now... don't ask me why. LOL.

So, anything cluttering your mind?

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Searching...

Once upon a time, I was just a simple girl, with simple dreams.

I was known to be the "company nerd" because I wasn't known to shimmey up with people to get the latest tsismis, but they knew I wasn't a snob. I was just always busy. Buried in hordes of projects, meetings, campaigns, shoots, events, research studies, marketing plans, projections and sometimes they'd lock me in my little corner office to write copy. Thank God for the beautiful Manila Bay sunsets I'd get from my window.

I thought I had found the perfect job there, but deep down I felt I didn't fit. I had many friends. My staff loved me. But I knew, I was still searching for the perfect job.


One silly day, the simple nerdy girl got the job of her dreams. No, no scratch that. She didn't even dream about it. Not even in her wildest dreams. She just thought it'd be great to work there because it's a company that deals with data.


Yeah, nerdy. I know.

Anyway, eventually I had to find a way to get a feel of how people would "accept" me. So I tapped SEO Philippines founder Marc Macalua to test the waters. Little did they know, I was already lurking in their mailing list and then eventually Marc revealed who I was and the rest was history.

The SEOs are really quiet people I think and not all blog. I have many blogger friends, but I have quite a number of SEO friends as well. I also get to bug the SEO World Champion Benj Arriola once in a while and I found out that he could've been my chem professor back in college. I wonder, will Singapore's top SEO be better than Pinoy SEOs?

And so ends the little story about the simple nerdy girl who was searching for THE job and found it in the place where everyone finds what they are looking for.

And the next thing to search for...

Sunday, July 8, 2007

My Top 10 Favorite Pinoy Chocolates and Biscuits

I love listening to OPM, watching Filipino movies and I am very, very Pinoy! And while working I eat Pinoy food. A couple of months ago I brought lots of Pinoy delicacies for my colleagues to sample, who would've thought that Chocnut would be such a big hit that they brought it back to the US?

Here's my top 10 all-time favorite Pinoy snacks (though some aren't available anymore):

1. Chocnut! I noticed today at the SM Hypermarket that there are more than one copy cats of Chocnut already and Hany changed their packaging, but I still love Chocnut. Chocnut!

2. Serg Chocolate! I've been craving for this since two weeks ago. I don't think they make any anymore sniff sniff. So I tried out the new Goya chocolate. It's good! Try it.

3. Chocolate Mallows. Oooohhh yummy.

4. Hi-Ro. My Mom used to buy me a lot of these when I was a kid. I have not seen any at the SM Hypermarket lately.

5. Happy. Remember that biscuit? I think it was replaced by Jolly. But there wasn't any Jolly either.

6. That Animal Biscuits thingy. I don't remember the brand name, but it was one of my favorite baons too.

7. Marie! Did you know that a pack is just PhP9.25? It may not be filling, but it's something to munch on.

8. Skyflakes. Even with the onslaught of competitors, I have been brand loyal to Skyflakes. It's yummy with anything.

9. Nissin Eggnog. Sometimes nakakasuya, but Miguel used to love this as well when he was a toddler. I remember when Rico (Yan) was my classmate, he would grab some from me. I think he used to endorse it.

10. Chocolate Crunch. It would break my heart if they took this off the shelf. Can't live without. LOL.

Addendum... from Paul... FlatTops! Oh how could I forget! I was like eating some just a few hours ago.

What about you? What's your favorite Pinoy snack?

How MMs Cured my Fever

Warning: this is a silly post

So I was cranky on my post earlier. I've been feeling under the weather the past few days and have not been my usual sun-shiney, perky, bubbly self. In short, I've been boring!

The paracetamol Miguel gave me this afternoon put me to sleep, but I was still feverish. It was only after dinner and after a couple of these -


that my fever let up! I never knew M&Ms (Shrek ogre size!) would take all the blues away. Hihihi.

And because of the M&Ms, check out my M&M character below. I created this from the Become an M&M website -


And my dear friend Harry tagged me on what kind of finger I am... here it is!

You Are the Index Finger

You are ambitious, driven, and capable.
You aren't afraid to take responsibility for your actions - or place the blame on whoever deserves it.
You are honest, free thinking, and objective. You see things in your own way - and you aren't afraid to let everyone know about it.

You get along well with: The Thumb

Stay away from: The Ring Finger


See, I warned you, it's a silly post... don't forget to vote in my poll!

Changing Posts

Uh, I don't mean revising or taking down posts as two of my friends were arguing about. That's their business and I'm not one to waste my time arguing things. I believe in responsible posting (ya know, doing research before making such sweeping statements... Dr. Ned would give me a crack on my head if I did such a thing). `Nuff said.

So I'm cranky today. I have a fever and that's my grand excuse. Just bug off. :)

And back to my post...

Our street's usually empty. Everyday. I live in a village where people usually keep to themselves and I just usually bump into Mang Ben and Aling Inday who seem to be always all over the place anytime of the day (ergo, they love walking and walking).

But today was different. When I went out I was surprised to see quite a number of people outside looking up. A Meralco team was changing the post and this is how it looked before and after (notice the old one was cut in half). Too bad I didn't capture them on my cam turning the electricity on again (there's a huge switch there somewhere!).

This photo was done using Picasa.

So that was what I meant about changing posts. Hehehe.

And there's a big change happening too as well in the Apolo household. Miguel's finally moving to his room tonight! My Dad noticed that Miguel and I weren't doing anything about it and forced the issue over lunch. He did it for two reasons: (1) Miguel's a teenager already, and (2) My Dad said over lunch, "Wala na ata tayo pag-asa pang madagdagan ng apo dito kay Aileen." Egads!

Now you know why I suddenly had a fever. Hyperventilating...

Don't worry Dad, I'm introducing you to someone just a bit after my birthday. Winkwink.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Rain, Rain Go Away

I'm experiencing bloggers block (writers, schwriters block, whatever). Too inspired I guess, heh. Nah.

I've been wanting to blog for the past few days, but I've just been updating my post on Taste Asia - over 70 posts as of now! Wow!

Anyway, so much stuff on my mind right now and just let me ramble on...

1. SM Hypermarket Blog Writing Contest

I have to admit, I'm a SM kid. I'm also "Laking National Bookstore". And if I were to join the contest I have a lot of great experiences I'd share about SM Hypermarket and how it has absolutely provided for all the birthday parties I've held for Miguel in the last five years or so. Sigh, so much for winning that trip to Kuala Lumpur! I could've visited my colleague, Hanson, there. Oh well, you should join!

2. SM Hypermarket Cares

Before I left the event last Tuesday evening, Ms. Julie gave me this bag -


She said it's from Mr. Herbert Sy and asked if I knew about the recycling project called "SM Hypermarket Cares". I did notice the bag when I did some grocery shopping for Miguel's snacks and I did wonder what it was for. Anyway, it's basically where you get a free recyclable bag for every PhP500 worth of purchases and then whenever you use it when you go grocery shopping, you'll get extra points in your SM Advantage card. I think this project's very helpful! I just hope my Mom remembers to bring the bag whenever she does her groceries.

3. Cafe Las Paellas, BF Homes

My second Mom, Titay (my Mom's sister) insisted that we eat out today. I've been hibernating since Taste Asia and they've been pushing me out the door the past few days. Uh, Mom? Titay? I'm like swamped with work and I was like out of town for a week! I don't think they missed me, heh.

So, after picking up Miguel from school, and my Dad still had a vise-like grip on the door-handle coz I was driving, we proceeded to the resto row in BF Homes and found this charming cafe - Cafe Las Paellas. We were greeted at the door by the waiter in Spanish and since my parents and Tita came from that era where everyone had to know how to speak Spanish, they conversed with the waiter in Spanish. What was funny though, even if you spoke to him in Filipino, he'd answer back in Spanish. I thought it was cute though that he'd answer me with "Si senorita."

The place was cozy. I wasn't that hungry (I'm on auto-diet!), so I just had a few bits and pieces of stuff. Food was okay, nothing great and my Dad's cooking is still waaaay better.



I still have bloggers block and have so much blog backlog... it took me more than 4 hours just to finish this post! Gah!

... mahirap talaga masyadong inspired. Hihihihi.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Taste Asia Blogger Food Fest: a Smashing Success

What else can I say? The title says it all. I think about 200 were present in the Taste Asia Blogger Food Fest - 150+ bloggers plus SM Hypermarket guests.

I also was happy to chat with Herbert Sy, Director of the SM Group of Companies who oversees SMs 33 supermarkets and hypermarkets, and Donald Lim, CEO of Yehey.com.



My favorite photos from Cliquebooth! Thanks so Karl for setting it up for free!



I'd like to thank Mr. Robert Kwee, Executive Vice President and Beth Funelas, Ad & Promo of SM Hypermarket for initiating and making this event a smashing success (and with only 2 weeks preparation time!).

Please don't forget about the SM Hypermarket Blog Writing Contest!

And, of course, to the tireless coordinators who helped in bringing in the bloggers: Sasha Rico Janette Jedi Jay Abe Ely Marc Jayvee Shari Noemi Sexymom Jonas Pierre Jomar and AJ

Wanna read up about the event? Check out these posts (if you have one I haven't included kindly leave a comment):

An Apple a Day
Pinoycentric
Zoul1380's The Daily Me!
Misteryosa
Project Manila
Ramblings of a Princess
Sexy Mom
Ceskypooh's World
Keysinunez.com

Bambastic
Single Brown Mommy
Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?
Touched by an Angel
Teacher Julie
Bababa ba?
Ultradust
The Thumbsucker
Mimi and Karl (Cliquebooth owners)
Jerico
You Will Be Forever
Tom
Mr. Kwee for SM Hypermarket
Paul's Blog
Pinoyblogero
Biyahilo
Baratillo.net
Rockersworld.com
Techievangelism
Vignettes
The Chef at Chez Panda
Brian's Blog
Sharmskee
Rain Contreras
Prudence and Madness
Lamonster Traveler
Pinoy Photo Blog
Brian for IAMD
Brian on Taste Asia 1
Brian on Taste Asia 2
Janette Toral
SM Hypermarket
Paradise Philippines
Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything
Ala Eh, the Batangas Blog
Jedianalyst
Half the World Away
Alan Racoma Jr.
Kutitots
Mistervader
In the Brink of the Mental Warzone
Pinoyblogero
Guitarchic.net
Cliquebooth Blog
The Parody
Vaes9
Random Pieces of my Mind
Mike Villar
Vanidosa
Ganns Deen
Mind, Heart & Mysteries
Life's a Beach... (sorry AJ with the ... wholesome po blog ko eh eheheh)
This Week on Pinoycentric
Style Manila
Ade Magnaye
Mister Vader
Ederic
Juicelog
Magikel
Marc Villanueva
Traveljournal
Aloha Penny
Idioxinecrasies
Rebelpixel.com
Byahilo.com
Projectmanila.com (part 2)
Alleba Blog
L.A.
Jester in Exile
That Girl Was Me


Photos! Photos! Photos!

An Apple a Day
Ultradust
Jerico
Karla Redor
Noemi Dado
BA Racoma
Rain Contreras
Brian
Bayanihan Blog Network
Juned
Project Manila
Juned's Multiply
Vanidosa
Shutterhappy
Ann
Eugene
Ganns
Rebelpixel.com
Byahilo's Photos
Sexy Lady
Karla Redor's Multiply

Monday, July 2, 2007

My Name is Aileen, I'm a Blog Addict

Egads!

90%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

The score says it all! My score is even higher than Abe's (where I got the exam from).

Oh noes! Is there a cure for this?

So, all ye fellow blog addicts! Tomorrow's THE TASTE ASIA NIGHT! Please don't forget to bring blogger calling cards!

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Why I Want to Live in Davao

I fell in love with Davao on my first visit. That was in August 2005 when I went on a business trip.

I said then, "I want to live in Davao."

And I've said that in each visit I've made (November 2006 and March 2007). And I would if I wasn't tied by commitments and family in Manila.

So, why do I want to live in Davao?

1. It's peaceful. I know there are a lot of bad news associated with the region and I always end up arguing with friends abroad about it, but I believe any place or city has it's own dangers. Mind you, locals here follow the law.

2. The people. I noticed that it is easy to deal with and befriend people from the South. I've always been treated well here and I've made a number of friends already.



3. The food. Need I say that food here is very, very cheap? Where else can you get 3 sticks of barbecue with unlimited cups of rice for only PhP20? Plus! Everything's fresh and you have the choice of eating by the sea, in the jungle or just take a walk anywhere and you'll find food.



4. Recreational facilities. Samal Island is just 20 minutes away from the city. Want a mountain adventure? Just head up towards the mountains and you'll find Eden, a real heaven 2,000 feet above sea level. Or go white water rafting. Or just head over to the crocodile farm or wherever. The slow pace doesn't bother me at all coz there are more things I could actually do.



5. And just because I want to live simply. I guess I'm just a very private person and outside of my work I just want to have fun with my family and friends. And I believe Davao can provide that.

Plus! Wi-fi is free everywhere! Even in Jollibee! That's what I call life. :)

I must've been born in the wrong region. Hehehe.

Taste Asia Blogger Food Fest Update

Maayong Gabii!!! (That’s how you say good evening here in Davao). I know, I know I’ve been quite amiss and the coordinators have been following-up about this event.

The first 168 bloggers are in! SM Hypermarket has promised we’ll have another event for those who did not make it to the first 150 (but you know about the Pareto principle right? If you know what I mean…).

This is sure to be a fun, fun night!!! Jayvee and Sorsi have volunteered to be the night’s host. Please don’t forget to bring your blogger cards! It will surely bring lots of link-love and traffic! And aside from hooking up with new friends, who knows you just might win in the raffle!

See you guys on July 3, 2007, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.,at Taste Asia (beside SM Hypermarket) at the Mall of Asia. Taste Asia is located at the ground floor beside the SM Hypermarket (at the right side when you are the globe).

How to Get to Mall of Asia:

(1) Commuting? Take the MRT and get off at the farthest point at the South (EDSA/Taft). There are jeepneys there that would take you to the Mall of Asia. You can also take the bus going towards Pasay/MOA.

(2) Bringing a car? Just go straight Southbound on EDSA. Straight, straight and then just straight, you’ll then see the Mall of Asia globe and that’s where it is!