Happy New Year!

Myspace Happy New Year Graphics

For some people like me, Christmas and other holidays went by so fast that we hardly felt it. It is an indication that we are too busy with so many things, not necessarily important things. I guess it is also a sign that we need to slow things down a bit at this time of the year and in the coming year. Perhaps, it will be a lot better if we can spend more time with our family and love ones.

Tonight marks the New Year’s Eve. Yes, another year ends today and what a year it was! As one columnist wrote, Filipinos went through some exhilarating peaks and depressing valleys during this outgoing year.

I can only be hopeful for 2010. In fact, what was in store for Filipinos in 2010 is quite exciting as we get to enjoy our right of suffrage this coming May. We will have a chance to elect a new president that will hopefully steer the country in our continuing fight against poverty which is the country’s biggest problem.

Let us welcome the New Year with a positive outlook in life. I believe that this year will be a great year but it will depend on each and every one of us on how we will make the most out of it.

A Happy and a Prosperous New Year to us all!


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Merry Christmas 2009!

Merry Christmas to all!

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Miss Brazil is Miss Earth 2009

Brazil’s bet Larissa Ramos was crowned Miss Earth 2009 during the coronation night at The Boracay Ecovillage Resort and Convention Center on Boracay Island Sunday night. She bested 79 other beauties from around the world.

Philippines' entry Sandra Seifert was named Miss Air (1st Runner-up), Venezuela's Jessica Barboza was named Miss Water (2nd Runner-up), and Alejandra Echevarria of Spain got the Miss Fire title (3rd Runner-up).

For the final round, the final 8 candidates from Brazil, Philippines, Venezuela, Spain, Colombia (Alejandra Castillo Múnera), Martinique (Pascale Nelide), Poland (Izabela Wilczek) and Thailand (Rujinan Phanseethum) were asked to pick photos that represented international issues about the planet and each candidate was given 30 seconds to express her thoughts on the chosen environmental subject.

Ramos succeeded 2008 Miss Earth Karla Paula Henry from the Philippines.
Miss Earth is considered one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world. But what makes the competition unique is that the participants are involved in environmental causes.

The coronation night was hosted by television personality and host Marc Nelson, model Borgy Manotoc and former VJ Sarah Meier.


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Music Monday - MYX Daily Top 10 (November 23rd, 2009) Featuring Adam Lambert's "Time For Miracles"

Top Ten

10.Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
09.Sarah Geronimo - Your Christmas Girl
08.SpongeCola - Wala Kang Katulad
07.Adam Lambert - Time For Miracles
06.Owl City - Fireflies

05.Girls Generation - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)
04.Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
03.Tokio Hotel - Automatic
02.Taylor Swift - Fifteen
01.Justin Bieber - One Time

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



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Efren Peñaflorida is 2009 CNN Hero of the Year

Here’s something that will surely uplift Filipino spirits. Filipino pride Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.

Peñaflorida, who will receive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company, was selected after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com. Reportedly, more than 2.75 million votes were cast.

CNN's Anderson Cooper revealed Peñaflorida's selection at the conclusion of the third-annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday night.

The gala event, hich honors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009, features performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis.

The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 9,000 viewer nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Each of the top 10 Heroes receives $25,000.

Presenters included Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Neil Patrick Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Randy Jackson, Greg Kinnear, George Lopez and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Congratulations, Efren!

Source: CNN

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MYX Daily Top 10 (November 20, 2009)

Top Ten

10. Owl City - Fireflies
09. Adam Lambert - Time For Miracles
08. SpongeCola - Wala Kang Katulad
07. Sarah Geronimo - Your Christmas Girl
06. Taylor Swift - Fifteen

05. Girls Generation - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)
04. Super Junior - It's You
03. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
02. Tokio Hotel - Automatic
01. Justin Bieber - One Time


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All About Skiing

Have you ever tried skiing? I believe only people who are in countries where there are vast areas of snow are familiar with this activity. In fact, I only see people skiing on movies and during the Winter Olympics where the sport is being played.

For those who are not familiar with skiing, it is traveling over snow using skis or wooden runners. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding. It is a physically challenging sport so that makes it a great activity while providing cardiovascular workout. It can even help tone your entire body and strengthens your heart and muscles.

But since this is a physically demanding activity, it could also result in serious injury. It is imperative to seek proper training and to consult your doctor if this is intended as an exercise program. It is also recommended to use proper equipment before hitting the slopes. Actually, you’ll need a lot of equipment before you can start skiing. In fact, some people love the convenience of getting the services of a ski rental delivery service. They employ expert technicians who can custom fit your snowboard and other skiing needs in the comfort of your home.

I would love to try skiing. Who knows, I may visit Alaska or Utah in the near future? Although we don’t have snow in this tropical country, who would expect that we will now be able to play ice skating? In fact, we now have ice skating rinks and many people are now indulging in this sport.

One of the premier winter and summer vacation destination offering 3300 acres of varied ski terrain is Park City Mountain Resort in Utah. I heard that they also have Park City Ski Rentalsthere that you can contact in case you want to try hitting the slopes.



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Best Blog Award

I can no longer recall the last time this blog received an award. Was it 3 or 4 months ago? Admittedly, I wasn’t that active in my blogging activities in the last few months to merit an award or recognition from fellow bloggers. I only had time to write a few posts once in a while and reciprocate the drops in my Entrecard Inbox. I can’t even leave a comment on other blogs.

Anyway, Melissa of Melissas Homeschool Blog bestowed this Best Blog award to this humble blog and just like any other awards that we received before, this is richly appreciated. Thank you very much, Melissa!

The rules and mechanics of the award are quite simple:

1. An awardee must pass this “BEST BLOG” Award to 15 fellow bloggers who he/she thinks have the best and great blogs.

2. For the new awardees:
• Copy and save the award
• Make a post in your blog (like this one and write in your own words)
• In your post, mention the name of the blogger who awarded you and his/her blog link/URL
• Leave a comment in this post
• Make sure to contact the 15 bloggers and notify them that they have been chosen for this award.

And now this is the tough part, I need to pass this award to 15 other blogs. Here are my BEST BLOG picks :

Trader's Hub
Eddie's Blog
Nomadic Vision
Ungkutan/
Stalking Minds
Xprosaic's World
Bahay Ni Badong
In This Side of Town
Gossip Junkie
The Sweet Life
The Paostin Deal
PolitEkon
Beyond Feron Dot Com
Chuchie's Hideaway
atenean101 @ Blogspot


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Reading a good book

I recently realized how I badly needed to catch up on my reading. Everyone is talking about the latest books from Dan Brown, Stephenie Meyer, Jonathan Kellerman and even the book of Andre Agassi. Well, the books may no longer be new to some but I just heard of them recently so they are new to me.

I have been meaning to catch up on my reading but poor planning doesn’t make that possible. The realization came when I was in my girlfriend’s house last weekend. I didn’t expect that the place doesn’t have an internet connection so I was left with nothing to do than to watch television and play with my celphone. My initial plan was to catch up on my blogging activities but without an internet connection, it is not achievable. Worst, I didn’t bring any book with me.

It made me realize the need to always bring a book so I will have something to read during down time. I think it’s a good idea to keep a book in your car, briefcase or backpack. I can tell you, reading is a lot more productive than chatting or texting on your mobile or even watching TV.

I even started to look for the latest books online and I’m planning to visit a major Book Shop to buy a good book. Luckily I found some online stores offering big discounts in their books with free delivery.

Just think of the many opportunities that we missed for catching up on reading because we failed to plan ahead. A book will come in handy when you’re in a line at the grocery store, at the bank or when you’re in a waiting area at your dentist/ doctor waiting for your appointment.

So from now on, I will always have a book in my backpack.



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Music Monday - MYX Daily Top 10 (November 9, 2009) Featuring Sarah Geronimo’s “Your Christmas Girl”

Top Ten

10. Jay Sean f/ Lil Wayne - Down
09. Sarah Geronimo - Your Christmas Girl
08. SpongeCola - Wala Kang Katulad
07. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Falling Down
06. Super Junior - It's You

05. Tokio Hotel - Automatic
04. Girls Generation - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)
03. Taylor Swift - Fifteen
02. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
01. Justin Bieber - One Time

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



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Pacquiao beats Cotto for 7th world title

Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao successfully captured the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt after he defeated Miguel Cotto with a 12th-round stoppage in their bout dubbed as “Firepower” Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Filipino pound-for-pound king knocked the Puerto Rican boxer down once in the third round and again in the fourth using his lightning hand speed until referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight 55 seconds into the final round to spare Cotto from more savage beating.

It was not an easy win for Manny Pacquiao as Cotto also came out strong and landed some hard punches early in the fight but Cotto couldn’t deal with the Filipino boxer’s speed. Pacquiao was connecting more punches while Cotto spent most of his time to fend off Pacquiao’s onslaught.

Pacquiao almost had the stoppage after the 11th round when Cotto’s trainer Joe Santiago walked onto the ring apron and waved his hand at Bayless but the referee spoke with the ringside physician who allowed the fight to continue until the 12th round when Pacquiao scored the technical knock out.

Pacquiao bowed in prayer at his corner before being embraced by Cotto whose left eyelid was still oozing with blood from a cut.

It was the Filipino boxer’s 11th straight win in 55 matches and his seventh world boxing title in seven weight divisions, a feat no other boxer has achieved in the history of the sport.

Photo credit: (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

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RP wins seat in UN international trade law body

The Philippines has secured a seat in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in elections that took place about 35 years after the country first served in the UN body. It will serve a six-year term in the core legal body of the UN system in the field of international trade law.

According to the Department of Foreign Affars website, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Hilario G. Davide, Jr. reported to Secretary Alberto Romulo that the country was elected by acclamation during the 35th plenary meeting of the 64th Session of the General Assembly.

Davide said that the Philippines will serve the body from 2010 to 2016 beginning on the 21st of June 2010. The country first served in the 60-member UN body from 1974 to 1986.

Other countries elected along with the Philippines were Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Gabon, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, the United States of America and Venezuela. Two seats representing Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean are still vacant.

Established in 1966, UNCITRAL is mandated to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, and insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development. It also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts.


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How to effectively manage your time

A few friends and colleagues have already called my attention. They kept on asking if I don’t have anything new on this blog, a subtle way of telling me that they are sick and tired of my usual posts. I can’t blame them. In fact, I admit that I have been neglecting this blog for some time.

If you have seen nothing more than a MYX countdown on this blog, it only means that I don’t have the time or the inspiration to write anything new. Mind you, I just found out that about half of this blog’s traffic is coming from those who are searching for the latest songs and music videos on MYX from search engines.

I know that it’s not good enough as I should be giving my readers what they deserve, that is, quality content. But sometimes, time is not making that possible. You see, I have a day job and I’m maintaining 2 blogs. Actually, you can make that 3 as I just bought a new domain for another blog, a call center blog.

I’m not making excuses, I’m stating facts. I confess that I need to learn more about time-management. All of us have only 24-hours a day but there are gifted people among us who can accomplish more than most of us can do for that same limited amount of time. I envy those people. But why do you think some people can accomplish more tasks that may take a week for some people like me to accomplish? Is it just their higher level of energy? Or some people are more motivated than others?

The most logical reason is some people are able to manage their time more effectively than some of us. It is not really that some people work harder, they are just working smarter.

To tell you the truth, I have read a lot of books about time management before and most of these books are giving different versions of these tips to effectively manage our time and accomplish more. Here are a few tips:

1. Set the time limits for your activities. If you want to accomplish more in a lesser amount of time then you need to be conscious of the time you spent on every activity. You have to allot a reasonable amount of time to accomplish a task. Once you are conscious of the time, you’ll be able to do things in the quickest possible time without compromising the quality of your job. But stick to your timetable. You’ll get used to it.

2. Learn to delegate some of your tasks. The problem with some of us is we love ourselves dearly, we really don’t think that other people’s job can match our efforts. We don’t want to entrust some task to other people for fear that they will not measure up to our standards. Understandably, no one else but you can do the job the way you want it done or how you want it done. But the truth is, you can save more time and energy and you can focus more on important things if you will let other people do the job. Who knows, the job may actually get done better.

3. Set goals and list your priorities. This is necessary so you will have a clear idea on what needs to be done urgently and those that can be done at a later time. By listing your priorities, you must decide on what jobs are most important and needs immediate attention. You must also put the date on when you expect to accomplish your goal.

4. Deal with interactions and learn to say “NO.” One of the major reasons why you are not being productive is because you’re letting small things get in the way while you’re doing your job. Every time someone asks you to do something for them, you feel obligated even if you don’t have time for it. Learn to say NO to less important things so you can focus your time and energy on more important jobs.

These are just some tips that you can take to effectively manage your time. I’ve been struggling to follow these steps for a couple of days now. They said that if you follow these steps for at least thirty days, it would eventually become habitual. I admit that it is difficult at first but over time it would become quite natural. To motivate me, I’m just thinking of the things that I will be able to achieve in less time. Ultimately, it all boils down to self-discipline. If you want to have more time to do what you want to do then learn to value your time. Indeed, every second count.

Photo credit
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MYX Daily Top 10 (November 9, 2009) Featuring SpongeCola's "Wala Kang Katulad"

Top Ten

10. Jay Sean f/ Lil Wayne - Down
09. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
08. SpongeCola - Wala Kang Katulad
07. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
06. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Falling Down

05. Tokio Hotel - Automatic
04. Super Junior - It's You
03. Girls Generation - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)
02. Justin Bieber - One Time
01. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



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National Geographic cited RP as a top tourist destination.

Here’s something that will uplift Filipino spirits in the midst of so many bad news in the country today. The popular magazine National Geographic, in its November 2009 adventure issue, said that the Philippines has “as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet.” According to the magazine article, a 12-day trip is being organized, costing $3,300 per traveler, from the highlands of the Cordilleras to the coral reefs of the Visayas. The country’s olden cultures, structures and biodiversity were mentioned as key tourist attractions in our country. It also cited the indigenous irrigation system used for the rice terraces in Ifugao, and the rich marine biodiversity in the Philippines.

This development should inspire the government and environmental advocates to strive harder in trying to save the country’s depleted coral reefs from the destruction wrought by illegal fishing, poaching and pollution.

Some of our tourist destinations have become victims of commercialism and are becoming over-developed while some are suffering from neglect and are deteriorating over the years. This honor should serve as an invitation to all Filipinos to become stakeholders and do our share in preserving our natural resources and maintaining the beauty of our tourist spots.

For the full news article in the Philippine Star, please click on this link.



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Fun Friday – F is for “Filipino”

It’s Fun Friday once again! First off, I apologize to my fellow members of our Blogging for Fun group if I missed participating in this activity for two consecutive weeks. Anyway, we are making an A-Z meme and we are now at letter F. Since I have long decided that I will blog about something Filipino for this activity, why not make letter “F” is for Filipino?

As you probably know, Filipino refers to citizens of the Philippines or even to a person having Filipino ancestry. The name was derived from Spain’s King Phillip II, when it was the name given to the country in the 16th century by Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos. If you hear Filipinos colloquially referring to themselves as Pinoy or Pinay (the feminine version) these came from the term Filipino formed by taking the last four letters of "Filipino" and adding the diminutive suffix "-y".

Filipino also refers to the national language of the Philippines. The 1987 Philippine Constitution designated Filipino and English as the official languages of the country. The language is based on various existing native languages in the country with a significant number of loanwords from Spanish or other foreign languages. There are about 180 languages spoken in the Philippines. Other major and minor languages include Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan, Bikol, Pangasinan, Tausug, Maguindanao, Maranao, Kinaray-a, Chavacano and Spanish.

The basis for the Philippine national language is Tagalog, which had primarily been spoken only in Manila and the surrounding provinces which is why some would refer to Tagalog as the national language. When the constitution provided for a national language, Tagalog has been the predominant candidate for this is the lingua Franca of those who lived in the government capital but because of objections from people living in other regions of the country where Tagalog is not their first language, it was decided to refer to Filipino as the national language.

Now you may ask, what is the difference between Tagalog and Filipino? "Filipino" incorporates more words borrowed from other major native languages including Visayan, Ilocano, Bicolano, Ilongo, Waray, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Maranao, and also from foreign languages. Filipino also prefers to use more hyphenated Tagalog-English combinations realizing that Filipinos usually combine English and Tagalog in their conversation most of the time anyway. Filipino also accepts transliteration which just spells the words according to how it was spoken by native speakers. Transliterations in Tagalog are done only when there is no exact equivalent or if the nuance of the word combinations demands it.

For non-Filipinos who want to learn a couple of Filipino words, you can watch the video below from YouTube.





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Remembering the dead... Celebrating Life.

In the Philippines, All Saint’s Day (including All Soul’s Day) is considered a very important holiday by many Filipinos, probably next to Christmas and Holy Week. Celebrated on the 1st of November, All Saint’s Day, “Undas” or “Todos Los Santos” in the vernacular, has become more of a family reunion to commemorate the dead.

It is the time of the year when tombs are cleaned and painted, candles lit and flowers are offered and families flocked in cemeteries to spend the day or night with their departed loved ones.



Donna and I were among the thousands of people who trooped to the cemetery last November 1. We went to her father’s tomb (her father, brother and grandparents are buried in the same tomb) at the Manila South Cemetery in Makati City. We initially planned to go to the cemetery on the 31st but because of the threat of a super typhoon hovering in the country, we decided to go the next day instead.

I haven’t seen so many deaths in my age. I have been to funerals of my grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, distant relatives and friends but never within my immediate family; which is something that I am thankful for. Although, I understand that death is a fact of life. We have to thank and relish every minute that we spend with our loved ones.


The last couple of days has afforded me the chance not just to remember the dead but to celebrate life and it also prompted me to reflect on what it means to live in this world. The truth is no one will live forever. The time will come when our friends and loved ones will remember us during All Soul’s Day or they will visit us in our tombs.

Although we avoid thinking about it, the fact that we know our time will come should teach us how to fully live our lives. Recognizing that we have limited time in this world, we should be prompted to care more for this world and for the people around us. We should start managing our lives and try to live a happy and meaningful life.


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Infant travel bed.

Since Christmas is fast-approaching, I am now thinking of gifts for my niece and nephews and even for my godchildren. This is the reason why children are eagerly awaiting for this season. It is this time of the year when they receive gifts from their parents and relatives. It is also the time when they see the world around them in festive mood with the Christmas trees and holiday decorations. We can never tell how much fun and joy this religious tradition brings to small children.

Included in my list are gifts for two infants. Since they will not be able to provide their wish list, it will be up to me to decide on what gifts to give for these cute little infants. I’ve already decided to give them something that will really be useful.

While browsing, I recently saw an infant travel bed that can be used for safe travelling babies. It can be very useful for babies to give them a comfortable and safe place to sleep while travelling. The infant travel bed has a collapsible frame that is perfect for a nap on the go with diaper changing comfort. It’s attractive and lightweight for a compact travel with a carry strap.

I think that this will be very useful to babies and it would give a lot of comfort to babies and parents. As my girlfriend Donna said about this infant travel bed, babies can now travel in style!



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Salamat.

Salamat. This seven-letter word is the Filipino equivalent of “Thanks” or “Thank You” in the English language. It was said that the word was derived from an Arabic word which is the plural of “salam” which roughly means hello, or “Shalom” which means “Peace.” It is commonly used as a greeting when people meet after a long time.

For Filipinos, the word is used to express appreciation for something that was given or an act of kindness. The word “Salamat” is only a three-syllable word but it really means a lot. How many times have you been given a gift or even just a word of encouragement and you failed to express your gratitude graciously? How many times have you given a gift or a favor to someone that wasn’t appreciated?

The impetus for writing this piece was a driver of an FX taxi that I rode this morning on my way to the office. He wasn’t the fastest or the smartest driver out there but what struck me and what made riding his taxi special was when he said “Salamat” when I went out of his vehicle. I smiled and muttered the same word to him. You see, giving thanks can be infectious. How many taxis or jeepney drivers are doing what this driver is doing? It may not be a big deal for some but at that time it also made me appreciate the blessings that are coming my way. The fact that I reached the office safely is something to be thankful for and the truth that I still have a job waiting for me is indeed worthy of appreciation. We also had a good sunny weather which is a welcome development after about 2 or 3 consecutive typhoons wreaking havoc in the country. Certainly, all of us have something to thank for. Not to mention that this simple act of appreciation, attracts good vibration. The taxi driver may not know it but he just made my day.

When people are going through tough times and we can see suffering around us we forget to appreciate our blessings, we are blinded by our own disappointments and difficulties that we start to focus and dwell on the negative things and our own misery. We forget to appreciate small good things that are happening in our lives and give thanks to these blessings.

We are often self-centered that we only see the big things in life and we tend to ignore small but very important things that we are enjoying. We complain of not being able to buy a new pair of shoes when there are people who can’t even walk because they don’t have feet. We complain that the temperature is too hot in our own rooms when there are people who have lost their houses because of the typhoon. We complain about a lot of things but we forgot to be thankful for all our blessings. We fret about how our friends have treated us unfairly but we fail to be thankful for the grace of friends with whom we can depend on in times of sorrow and grief.

It is not hard to say “thank you” or “Salamat.” In fact, I sometimes feel that these words are overused, like auto-programmed words that are just quickly and carelessly spoken by anyone without really meaning it. But no matter how shallow or empty our words, it feels good for the person giving to know that the gift or the favor was enjoyed by the person receiving it. It is in itself a gift to be able to say a genuine “thank you” to God and to others who have touched our lives.

Let me borrow a verse from the Bible: “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

“Maraming Salamat!” (Thank you very much!)

Photo credit.

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Top EC Droppers for the month of October 2009

Here are the top Entrecard droppers for October. I also would like to thank those who are not on the list but kept on dropping their EC’s here. If you have a minute, please visit each of these blogs.

Thank you very much!



Bible Examples

Ungkutan

Fledgling Blogger

Pure Natural Diva

atenean101 @ Blogspot

Melissas Homeschool

easy

Jean sQuared

The Cooling Stream

My Meme Mania



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Buying gifts for kids.

Christmas is just around the corner with only about 50 days before the Christmas Eve. No wonder why my nieces and nephews are now wearing glowing smiles whenever I see them. They are unusually caring and thoughtful knowing that their behaviors will have a big impact on the amount of gifts that they will receive for Christmas. Well, let’s give it to them. Christmas is for kids, anyway. Beyond the religious tradition is the joy and fun that this season brings to children. It is this time of the year when they receive gifts from their parents and relatives. It is also the time when they see the world around them in festive mood with the Christmas trees and holiday decorations.

However, my yearly dilemma especially when the season approaches is on what gifts to buy for my nephews, nieces and my godchildren. With new toys and gadgets being released everyday, buying the best gifts for kids is not an easy task for me.

It’s a good thing that I now have the internet to assist me on this arduous task of shopping. If you know where to look for, you can now find anything and everything for sale online. With a click of a mouse, I can search for toys and games available online. There are also activity sets that the kids will surely love. I also found children’s books that can be enjoyed by my nieces. What I like about this revolutionary shopping website is it also provides guides for buying products for kids and even for babies and toddlers.

As fun as Christmas is for kids, it’s equally important for the grown-ups to be in the spirit. Besides, this holiday is meant not only for children but for the entire family.



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No November 27 and 28 holidays in Metro Manila.

Last month, I posted on this blog that Filipinos will have more time to spend with their families for the month of November after President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo declared five days as national holidays for this month.

Well, that was last month. It turns out that the President has signed another proclamation, Proclamation No. 1808-A on October 26, amending the earlier Proclamation No. 1808 which was issued on April 21, 2009, which declared November 27 and 28 as national holidays in celebration of Eid'l Adha, which is one of the two great feasts of Islam.

Based on the proclamation, the holidays will still be observed but only in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). This means that the pay rules for regular holidays during the said dates will only apply in the ARMM region.

This decision is in response to appeals from the country’s business and manufacturing sectors who are still recovering after their production has been severely affected by the recent storms.

By virtue of this proclamation, there will only be three holidays nationwide this November which was declared under earlier Proclamation No. 1699. These are: All Saints Day, which is a special non-working day on November 1; the additional special non-working day on November 2, and the regular holiday in celebration of Bonifacio Day on November 30, 2009.


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Music Monday - MYX Daily Top 10 (November 2, 2009) Featuring Rico Blanco’s “Bangon”

Top Ten

10. Rico Blanco - Bangon
09. Jay Sean f/ Lil Wayne - Down
08. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Falling Down
07. Tokio Hotel - Automatic
06. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan

05. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
04. Super Junior - It's You
03. Girls Generation - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)
02. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
01. Justin Bieber - One Time

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



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Filipina actress plays lead role in "Fame The Musical"

A Filipina actress will play the lead role in “Fame, The Musical” which will open on April of next year in Australia. Rowena Vilar will play the role of Carmen in the musical which is actually returning to the country. It already ran for a decade in London and has been seen by 10 million worldwide.

Vilar is not new to acting. She already played the role of Anita in West Side Story at the Meralco Theather in the Philippines and she has worked with big names like Hugh Jackman in “Boy from Oz.” She was also part of the ensemble of the Miss Saigon Australia touring company.

Another prominent Australian-Filipina actress will be joining the Fame cast. Rebecca Mendoza, who was part of the Miss Saigon cast with Joanna Ampil playing Kim and The Lord of the Rings Musical, will play as the ballet teacher.

Fame The Musical is a tale of kids from New York’s School for the Performing Arts who inspired a generation and sparked sales of untold millions of leg-warmers. The film, released in 1980, won an Academy Award and the TV show edition ran for six seasons, won numerous Emmy Awards and was broadcast in over 70 countries. The musical is produced by John Frost and directed/choreographed by Kelley Abbey.

The Musical will kick off a national tour at Melbourne’s Regent Theater on April 18. It will open in Brisbane at the Lyric Theatre QPAC on June 20 and in Sydney in early September 2010.



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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 28, 2009)

Top Ten

10.Jay Sean f/ Lil Wayne - Down
09.Tokio Hotel - Automatic
08.Francis Magalona & Ely Buendia - Higante
07.ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
06.6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan

05.Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
04.Super Junior - It's You
03.Girls Generation - Genie
02.Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
01.Justin Bieber - One Time


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Music Monday - MYX Daily Top 10 (October 26, 2009) Featuring "Kasalanan" by 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia

Top Ten

10.Francis Magalona & Ely Buendia - Higante
09.Jay Sean f/ Lil Wayne - Down
08.Tokio Hotel - Automatic
07.6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
06.ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun

05.Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
04.Girls Generation - Genie
03.Super Junior - It's You
02.Justin Bieber - One Time
01.Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



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MYX Hit Chart (Oct. 18-Oct. 24, 2009)

Top 20


1. One Time – Justin Bieber
2. Diamond Shotgun - Chicosci
3. Kasalanan - 6cyclemind & Gloc9
4. It's You - Super Junior
5. You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
6. Simulan Mo Na - Pedicab
7. I Don't Care - 2NE1
8. Fly With Me - Jonas Brothers
9. Tell Me Your Name - Christian Bautista
10. Ignorance - Paramore

11. Bahay Kubo - Hale
12. Higante - Francis M. & Ely Buendia
13. Dahil Minahal Mo Ako - Sarah Geronimo
14. Party In the USA - Miley Cyrus
15. Love Drunk - Boys Like Girls
16. Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship and Leighton Meester
17. You Make Me Feel - Kyla
18. Celebration - Madonna
19. Down - Jay Sean & Li'l Wayne
20. Genie - Girl's Generation


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Pinoy movie wins in Chile Filmfest

The movie ``Independencia” won the Special Jury and Critics’ Prize in the 16th Valdivia International Film Festival in Chile held last Oct. 15 to 20. Directed by Raya Martin, the movie is a "77-minute masterpiece that uses newsreels and early 20th century studio films with false backdrops to illustrate the destructive effects of the American colonization.

The historical drama was the lone Philippine entry at the Main Competition section of the 11th Cinemanila International Film Festival. It also won top prize in the SEAsian section of the Bangkok int’l film festival.


The movie features Sid Lucero, Tetchie Agbayani and Alessandra de Rossi.


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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 23, 2009)

Top Ten

10. Francis Magalona & Ely Buendia - Higante
09. Paramore - Ignorance
08. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
07. Girls Generation - Genie
06. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan

05. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
04. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
03. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
02. Justin Bieber - One Time
01. Super Junior - It's You



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November 2009 Holidays.

Filipinos have more time for their family this November as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared five more days this month as national holidays.

Under Proclamation No. 1699, November 1, All Saints' Day, and November 2, All Souls' Day were declared as special non-working holidays and November 30, Bonifacio, Day as regular holiday.

At the same time, November 27 and 28 were declared as national holidays in celebration of Eid'l Adha, which is one of the two great feasts of Islam. The President signed Proclamation No. 1808 last April 12 to declare Eid'l Adha as a national holiday.

In earlier proclamations, December 25, Christmas Day, and December 30, Rizal Day, were already declared as regular holidays while, December 24 and December 31 are special non-working holidays.
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Pinoy Students bag top awards in Australian Math Competition.

Fourteen students from 10 schools in the Philippines bagged the highest honors in the 2009 Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC). According to the DOST (Dept. of Science and Technology) website, four Filipino students received AMC medals for their outstanding performance.

The four students who got AMC medals for their outstanding performance are Seanne Ng of Saint Jude Catholic School, Justrin Edric Yturzaeta of Jubilee Christian Academy, Julius Vincent Sy of St. Stephen’s High School and Amiel Sy of PSHS-Main Campus. Sy even got a perfect score in the AMC.

Sisters Audrey Celine and Czarina Lao, both from Saint Jude Catholic School, bagged the AMC Prize Award, the highest award given to AMC competitors for being at the top 1 percent of the competitors.

Other students who got the Prize Award are Lormes Pedeglorio of Butuan City Special Education Center, Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa of Parents for Education (PAREF)-Westbridge School, Adrian Sy of Saint Jude Catholic School, Aldric Cristoval Reyes of Chiang Kai Shek College, John Russel Virata of Gideon Academy, Alvin Uy Lim of Quezon City Science High School, Emiliano Tan of Philippine Science High School (PSHS) -Main Campus, and Jake Gacuan of University of the Philippines.

In addition to the 14 students who got top awards, 43 other students from different schools in the Philippines received High Distinction honors for being at the top 2 percent of examinees in their year level. Eleven students also achieved a Prudence Award for garnering the most number of correct answers from question 1 of the AMC.

The AMC is a correspondence type exam, administered by the Australian Mathematics Trust, designed to highlight the importance of mathematics as part of the curriculum and discovering talents in mathematics. It is conducted jointly by the Mathematics Trainers’s Guild and the Australian Mathematics Trust.

All the winners of the AMC were presented their awards last October 19 at the Sofitel Hotel, Pasay City.

Photo and report from DOST-SEI

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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 20-21, 2009) Featuring "Higante" by Francis M and Ely Buendia

MYX Daily Top 10 (October 21, 2009)

Top Ten

10. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
09. Francis Magalona & Ely Buendia - Higante
08. Girls Generation - Genie
07. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
06. Paramore - Ignorance

05. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
04. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
03. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
02. Super Junior - It's You
01. Justin Bieber - One Time


MYX Daily Top 10 (October 20, 2009)

Top Ten

10. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
09. Girls Generation - Genie
08. 2NE1 - I Don't Care
07. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
06. Paramore - Ignorance
05. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
04. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
03. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
02. Justin Bieber - One Time
01. Super Junior - It's You




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A Fun Run for the Pasig River.

The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that connects the Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay . It divides Metro Manila into two with its major tributaries, the Marikina River and San Juan River .

The Pasig River or Ilog Pasig in Filipino used to be an important transport route when Manila was under the Spanish rule. It served as an important means of transport and the center of economic activity. They even built the walled city of Intramuros near the mouth of Pasig River when Manila was established as Spain’s center of colonial properties in the Far East . Earlier in history, kingdoms sprang up along the river banks, drawing their life and source of wealth from the river.

However, due to industrial development and negligence, the river has become polluted and is considered by ecologists as dead. The river banks became home to informal settlers and their wastes as well as those of nearby factories dumped into the river made it a huge sewer system.




There have been many failed attempts to revive the river, most of the time the proponents just gave up on the gargantuan task. But I have high hopes when Gina Lopez of the ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. has taken the almost impossible mission of cleaning the Pasig River and she has scored initial successes after she resettled informal settlers from Estero de Paco to a resettlement site in Calauan, Laguna. With her leadership, 300 families have been relocated and their target is to relocate 40 families per week. They intend to complete the relocation of 1000 families by the end of December 2009. The next phase of the cleanup target was the San Juan tributary river with about 4,000 families to be relocated in 2010.



Obviously, the task is expensive. Even if they will use all the government resources and foreign aids, it will not suffice to sustain the progress that they are making. Gina Lopez understands that just like the other ABS-CBN Foundation projects that they’ve successfully established in the past, they need strong support from various sectors to accomplish this huge task. “Bantay Bata” has been instrumental in helping abused children while “Bantay Kalikasan” has been successful in rehabilitating the La Mesa Watershed and conserving some of the ecotourism sites in the country.

Thus, the Kapit Bisig Paras sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP) project thought of sponsoring a fun run to raise funds for cleaning the Pasig river and to resettle squatters. The marathon dubbed as “A Run for the River” will be held on November 8 and the foundation is targeting 20, 000 participants in this event.

The fun run will also allow runners to get close to the river through a nontraditional route that crossed nine of the 13 bridges of Pasig River with portions of the race will be run alongside the river itself. They are appealing to concerned citizens to make a statement and run for the river.

Registration forms are available online for marathon and relay or register at the following outlets: KBPIP office in 3/F ELJ Building, Mother Ignacia QC, ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. Head office, IZOD boutiques, Vanheusen Boutiques, Gold’s Gym, ROX Running Store, Second Wind, Race Inc. For more info, call 415-2272 loc. 3797 or email ilogpasig@abs-cbn.com. You can also visit their official website at http://www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/kapitbisig.php.

Photo credits:
abs-cbnfoundation.com
flickr.com/photos/

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Music Monday - MYX Daily Top 10 (October 19, 2009) Featuring Christian Bautista's "Tell Me Your Name"

Top Ten

10. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA
09. Girls Generation - Genie
08. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
07. 2NE1 - I Don't Care
06. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan


05. Paramore - Ignorance
04. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
03. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
02. Super Junior - It's You
01. Justin Bieber - One Time

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



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Fun Friday - C is for Carabao

It’s Fun Friday once again and this week’s topic is the letter C. For last week’s letter B topic, I incidentally choose an indomitable Filipino trait we called “Bayanihan.” So it would be apt to select a topic related to that: something Filipino.

Topics that came to mind were coconut, since the Philippines is one of the top producers of coconut in the world. Virtually every part of the coconut palm has some human uses and some Filipinos make a living by making and selling coconut-based products like tender coconut water, copra, coconut oil, coconut cake, coconut toddy, coconut shell-based products, coconut wood-based products.

But then another C that is actually a Philippine national symbol is the Carabao. It is a domesticated type of the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis), which is considered as the country’s national animal. It is the farmer’s best friend as it does all the hard work in the fields being used for plowing and for pulling the cart to haul farm produce to the market. No wonder, the carabao is one of the most important animals in the country, especially in agriculture. This animal’s life span is 18 to 20 years and the female carabao can deliver one calf each year.



Another C that is a source of pride for Filipinos is the Calbiga Caves. The spectacular Calbiga caves in Samar, which is considered the biggest karst formation in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia, have been featured in different travel shows. It is a system of 12 caves that covers an area of about 2,968 hectares. This is probably the largest cave in Southeast Asia, to think that most of it is still unexplored. There are numerous endangered species of bats living in the cave.














Photos courtesy of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabao and www.neda8.evis.net.ph and
wwww.samar.lgu-ph.com

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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 16, 2009)

Top Ten

10. Francis Magalona & Ely Buendia - Higante
09. Paramore - Ignorance
08. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
07. 2NE1 - I Don't Care
06. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name

05. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me
04. Super Junior - It's You
03. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
02. Justin Bieber - One Time
01. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun



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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 15, 2009)

Top Ten

10. Paramore - Ignorance
09. 2NE1 - I Don't Care
08. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
07. Super Junior - It's You
06. Pedicab - Simulan Mo Na

05. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
04. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me
03. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
02. Justin Bieber - One Time
01. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun



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Senseless

Killjoys, crackpots, mean-spirited and unhappy people are just everywhere. That’s one of the things that I’ve learned from my everyday exposure to the internet and other technological medium. Some people can not wait to make other people’s lives as miserable as theirs. No wonder why you would come across blogs that full of anger, frustration and hate. And there are some who would even employ propagandas to demolish a person or institution. They would sow seeds of doubts on other people’s minds no matter how far-fetched their stories are to perpetuate their own selfish motives.

One clear example of this is the text messages proliferating in the Philippines about what a giant TV network is doing with the million peso donations that the public has entrusted them in light of the recent devastation of two consecutive typhoons in the country. I will not write the exact text messages here as it came in many forms and versions but the messages were insinuating that the TV station has received millions of pesos worth of donations in cash and in kind but they only released about a hundred thousands relief bags amounting to not even half of what they’ve received. It even adds that they are waiting for their stars to distribute the relief goods.

Before I give my two cents on this, let me just make it clear that I don’t work for ABS-CBN and I don’t even know anyone who works there although I have to admit that I’m a regular follower of their news and TV programs. Obviously, this is a cheap shot from whoever is behind all of this. And the timing is very bad. Not at a time when people are devastated and focused on getting help from whatever source. These are all suspicions without basis since the foundation has been very transparent with the amount of donations that they were receiving and the number of families that they’ve served. I don’t know where this is coming from. What will be achieved in putting down an institution which is taking a leading role in the relief efforts for the victims of the typhoons and flooding?

ABS-CBN has a proven track record in helping the Filipino people. It accomplished feats that the government has failed to do. It established the Bantay Bata Foundation to ensure child protection. It also espoused the Bantay Kalikasan program which spearheaded the campaign to save the La Mesa watershed in Quezon City . The foundation has also taken the impossible task of cleaning the Pasig River and its efforts look promising as to date they have resettled squatters from Estero de Paco to a site in Calauan, Laguna.

Certainly, this is not the right time to entertain suspicions and speculations. Let us use our energy in helping the victims and not on fueling more frustration and anger of the people. Sowing seeds of doubts will not make things better. It does not inspire nor give hope.

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The Big Fat Duck Cookbook

Everybody loves to eat. So this makes us all interested in cooking and new cuisine. All of us may not have the gift in cooking but we can certainly appreciate good food. However, there are people who are real genius when it comes to cooking. One of them is Heston Blumenthal who is the restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, England. He was self-taught and it was said that the success of his restaurant has broken every rule in the book. Borne out of endless invention and curiosity coupled with pure obsession, he had stirred the restaurant to great success and it was even voted twice as the Best Restaurant in the world by a peer group of top chefs. The restaurant is famous for its menu of unusual dishes, created following the principles of molecular gastronomy: examples include "snail porridge", "sardine on toast sorbet", "bacon and egg ice cream", and "salmon poached with liquorice".

The story of Heston Blumenthal and The Fat duck can be read on a beautiful cookbook that is currently available. In the first section of the big fat duck cookbook , it featured the history of the restaurant, from its humble beginnings to its third Michelin star . It will also introduce 50 of Heston Blumenthal’s signature recipes - sardine on toast sorbet, salmon poached with liquorice, hot and iced tea, chocolate wine - which, while challenging for anyone not equipped with ice baths, dehydrators, vacuum pumps and nitrogen on tap, will inspire home cooks and chefs alike. Finally, we will also hear from the experts whose scientific know-how has contributed to Heston's topsy-turvy world, on subjects as diverse as synaesthesia, creaminess and flavour expectation.

This cookbook is a must-have for those who are interested in cooking. It even has incredible colour photographs throughout, illustrations, multiple ribbons, real cloth binding and a gorgeous slip case. The Big Fat Duck Cookbook is not only an autobiography from the world's most fascinating chef, but also a beautiful work of art.



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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 14th, 2009)

Top Ten

10.Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
09.Paramore - Ignorance
08.Hale - Bahay Kubo
07.2NE1 - I Don't Care
06.Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me


05.Pedicab - Simulan Mo Na
04.Super Junior - It's You
03.6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
02.ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
01.Justin Bieber - One Time



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'Kinatay' won 2 awards in Spain filmfest.

After winning the Best Director plum in the recent Cannes Film Festival, Filipino director Brillante Mendoza’s film “Kinatay” (The Execution of P) again bagged 2 awards at the recently-concluded 42nd Sitges International Film Festival held in Spain.

Mendoza won Best Director, while Teresa Barrozo, also for "Kinatay" was awarded the Best Original Soundtrack award.

The festival, which prides itself as "the number one fantasy film festival in the world, is held at the Spanish region of Catalonia, in the city of Sitges.

"With a solid experience, the Sitges Festival is a stimulating universe of encounters, exhibitions, presentations and screenings of fantasy films from all over the world," the festival web site (sitgesfilmfestival.com) said.

According to the festival website (sitgesfilmfestival.com): "Born in 1968 as the 1st International Week of Fantasy and Horror Movies, today the Festival is an essential rendezvous for movie lovers and audiences eager to come into contact with new tendencies and technologies applied to film and the audiovisual world."



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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 13, 2009)

Top Ten

10. Christian Bautista - Tell Me Your Name
09. Paramore - Ignorance
08. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
07. 2NE1 - I Don't Care
06. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me


05. Super Junior - It's You
04. Pedicab - Simulan Mo Na
03. 6Cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
02. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
01. Justin Bieber - One Time




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MYX Daily Top 10 (October 12, 2009)

Top Ten

10.Hale - Bahay Kubo
09. Paramore - Ignorance
08. Jonas Brothers - Fly With Me
07. 2NE1 - I Don't Care
06. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me

05. Pedicab - Simulan Mo Na
04. 6cyclemind f/ Gloc-9 & Wendell Garcia - Kasalanan
03. ChicoSci - Diamond Shotgun
02.Super Junior - It's You
01. Justin Bieber - One Time



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Fun Friday – B is for "Bayanihan"

Bayanihan is a Filipino word derived from the word “bayan” which means town, nation or community. In general, Bayanihan refers to a spirit of communal unity and cooperation to achieve a common objective. Its origin can be traced from the old Filipino tradition of neighbors and community folks volunteering to help a family move to a new location. What they were doing was literally carrying the house by placing long bamboo poles forming a strong frame so they can lift the stilts from the ground using the frame with each man positioned at the ends of the bamboo poles. All this is done on a jolly and festive mood. After which the moving family will host a small fiesta to thank the volunteers.

We now rarely see this old tradition being practiced but Bayanihan has evolved and can now manifest in many forms. One recent display of this indomitable Filipino trait was during the onslaught of tropical depression Ondoy, typhoon Pepeng and subsequent flooding in some areas in the country. Like everyone else, I have been touched by the amazing tales of heroism and bravery in the face of disaster that are being told. There’s the story of a teenager who braved rampaging floods to save more than 30 people, but ended up sacrificing his life in another rescue attempt. There’s the story of a father who drowned after ensuring his family’s safety and the stories of other nameless soldiers and civilians who charge into flood waters to rescue civilians. The remarkable thing is, these stories of bravery have become ordinary in these trying times. People from all walks of life are generously lending a helping hand to the less fortunate victims of this calamity. Those who lived in higher areas opened their doors to their neighbors whose homes were flooded. There are even those who offered their roofs as temporary shelter for their neighbors as floodwaters devoured their houses. Those who were on safer grounds helped by sending text messages and calling media networks to report stranded people requiring immediate rescue. Foods were offered to neighbors and even complete strangers, sharing whatever little they had.

Even big business corporations and ordinary citizens have joined the bayahihan spirit. Filipinos continue to help their fellowmen in whatever way they can. These are hard times for everyone but they expressed support, donate money and whatever services that they can offer. Yes, there’s always something to give although there’s very little that they’ve got.

I never doubted the Bayanihan spirit of the Filipino. We may be divided as a nation but in the midst of disaster, we band together to help each other. Indeed, this is a time for us to put aside whatever differences we have and work towards helping those in need.

Indeed, crisis brings out the best in people. For Filipinos, it showed our best qualities. Generosity, courageous empathy, selflessness and heroism all these can be summed up in one word: Bayanihan. I have never been prouder to be a Filipino.

Photo credit.
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