headers & designs

my wifey made me a couple of "nationalistic" blog headers. i loved them so much that i displayed/used one of them (2nd image below) here in my blog for a couple of days:

so, my blog looked like this:

later on i realized (and it was confirmed by ely) that i looked like a politician lobbying for votes on the upcoming 2010 elections. since my wifey is an expert on lay-outing, i'd be undergoing tutorials on this and until i find a header that'll suit my taste for my blog's over-all content theme, you'll be seeing changes in my header from time to time. i should have learned this earlier. i know i can be good at this but time has run away from me. btw, anyone who wants to see the other brilliant works of my wifey, here are some of them:

obviously she used to work (and lay out) for The SPA and i'm proud of her! anyone interested to hire her lay outing services, contact ME! yeah, ME! hmm... i could use the green header design for my blog. looks good, eh? for the meantime, let me use this very amateur-ish bahay kubo design (which I, myself, did... boo!). oh wait... when i say "amateur-ish", i mean the design and not the background (bahay kubo) photo. the photo is great and it was hooked somewhere...

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ok... since i'm in front of the computer for a little over 30 minutes after i arrived from a meeting (which finished late), i'm now threatened to sleep "outside the kulambo"... oh wait, we don't have that mosquito net now, i'm practically being thrown out of our room. puro na lang daw ako computer at blog, blog, blog... hmm... di kaya naglilihi na si wifey? ang sungit eh. eh sya nga mula kaninang hapon nagpo-photo shop na. oh well... i should be sleeping well tonight coz i'll be back to my original "hammock"--- the COUCH!

The Unending Debate: House Bill 5043

I've been amused lately about how people are so much into the debate going on in the (Philippines) House of Representatives, discussing about the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008. Principally authored by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the bill basically aims to promote information on the mode of family planning the couple wants to adopt based on their needs, personal convictions and religious beliefs. People opposing the bill, on the other hand, points out that HB 5043 will not serve its purpose (population control) and instead suggest a "morally incorrect" society.

There are some major points that may lead to separate topics to debate upon:

• Philippine population and its relation with the economy
• When is life formed in a woman's womb
• When should a child be informed about sex education and who is in the position to discuss it to him

with these in consideration, the discussion of house bill 5043 should still tread a long way before coming up with a resolution. it will be helpful for spectators to keep an open mind with the issues at hand, weigh the points of both sides and make an intelligent choice for themselves. at the end of the day, as long as you are not killing anyone, you are free to choose what will be beneficial to your family, as well as abide by the morals you have been taught since your childhood.

Ang Kaluwalhatian Ng Kabataan

Ang Kaluwalhatian Ng Kabataan ay ang kanyang kalakasan (Kaw. 20:29) kung kaya't siya'y nagsasanay ng katawan. Subali't sa pagsasanay ng katawan ay kakaunti ang pakinabang (1 Tim. 4:8), dahil dito, dapat na taglayin ang kalakasang makapagtatagumpay laban sa kasamaan at ito ay ang pagtataglay ng mga salita ng Diyos (1 Jn. 2:14). Ang ilang mga kabataang lingkod ng Dios ay nadadaig ng kasamaan bunga ng kalayawan (Luk. 8:14) kaya upang ito'y maiwasan, sila ay hinihikayat na magsumakit sa mga gawaing ukol sa Panginoon (1 Cor. 7:31). Kapag ang isang lingkod ay umibig sa sanlibutan, hindi mananahan ang Diyos sa kaniya--- ang sumusunod sa kalooban ng Diyos ay mabubuhay magpakailanman (1 Jn. 2:15-17), samantalang ituturing ng Diyos na patay ang nagpapakabuyo sa kasalanan, bagama't buhay (1 Tim. 5:6). Ang ganitong uri ng tao ay gaya ng punong pinutulan na ng ugat upang di makapagbunga at itatapon sa apoy (Mat. 3:10).

Upang magawa ng isang kabataan ang pagiging dapat sa Diyos, inaanyayahan siya ng Panginoon na maglinis sa pamamagitan pagsunod ng mga salita ng Diyos (Awit 119:9). Sa ganitong uri ng pagsunod magiging malinis ang isang lingkod ng Diyos (1 Ped. 1:22). Sa pagsunod sa mga salita ng Diyos, dapat ay nagagalak at ito ay iniingatan (Awit 119:14). Ang mga ito rin ay dapat na binubulay, iginagalang at higit sa lahat, ibinubuhay (Awit 119:15). Isang magandang tagubilin para magawa ang pagsunod ay ang pagpapasan ng pamatok (Panaghoy 3:27) o ang pagtanggap ng tungkulin sa Iglesia.

Kung nahulog sa kasalanan at pagkukulang, idalangin sa Panginoon na patawarin, linisin at alalahanin siya ng Diyos sa panahon ng pagsisisi (Awit 25:7,16-18). Pakikinggan ng Diyos ang may mapagpakumbabang puso at ang mga sumusunod sa Kaniyang kalooban (Awit 25:9, 14). Idalangin din sa Diyos na patnubayan Niya tayo at ilalayo sa paggawa ng kasamaan (Awit25:20) upang tayo ay hindi mapahiya, at tiyak na maligtas anumamang oras na muling dumating ang Panginoong JesuCristo upang tayo ay kunin (1 Jn. 2:28).

it's a date!

next saturday, mamsi, wifey & i are going to watch Ogie Alcasid's Triumphant Two Decades LIVE in Araneta Coliseum!

Twenty-Twenty

i'm excited, yay!

miss those saturdays

...when (wifey) ayah and i used to date after her saturday work or saturday off. it's been a long time since we both had that date and we broke that silence today. we started the day early at the dental appointment of papa johnny. uhmm, a bit slow start of day as his dentures didn't make it on the scheduled time so we spent a few minutes strolling around savemore supermarket in morong and ended up cooling inside tropical hut for a bowl of halo-halo before we finally went to the dentists place. then wifey and i decided to go out after the dental appointment and stroll somewhere just like the old days. and so we did. we first went to the bank to do some transactions then upon sitting inside Ford, we thought of going to the Ayala malls, particularly in Greenbelt. boy oh boy, both of us sure felt excited with our plan: leave Ford in Edsa Shangrila and take the MRT in reaching today's destination. since we were starving like poor kids, we passed by mcdonalds Mc Cafe, took our nuggets & rice, ordered two iced coffee and had our very late lunch. then off we went to greenbelt. we just strolled from store to store, passed by the chapel (where mass attendees were standing on the park grounds) to reach greenbelt 5 and went back to greenbelt 4. greenbelt 5 is new, ayt? well, not quite, i guess, for Makati/Ayala regulars but last time i set my foot in greenbelt, it was still missing. today's the only time i really devoted so much time in greenbelt. and wow. expensive stores! signature brands! and even if wifey and i didn't have the money to purchase anything, we enjoyed every minute of this day! we entered an appliance center and drooled over those LCD TVs and fingerprint-free refrigerators, we entered ayala museum and awed at the beautiful works of art, checked on those signature brand stores and act as if we have the money to purchase such as a pair of shoes worth thirty something thousand pesos. well, we were treated like we have the money but of course, we headed to the exit doors of each store empty-handed! hehehe... we went to the washroom of greenbelt 4 and i couldn't help but notice it's cleanliness (for a bundok-man like me) comparing it to the washrooms of other malls. so i grabbed my handy N6233 camphone and took a couple of shots:

ok, photos above are not hotel washrooms. they can be found in greenbelt 4. for someone like me who lives near the mountains, i can sleep in there for a night and yet still feel comfortable. i hope all public washrooms in Manila are like that!

lastly, before we tread the way going back to MRT, we found this nice giant public board reminder about the heroism of ninoy aquino, and since i was wearing his trademark color, i decided to have a souvenir photo with the martyr senator:

now, that leads me again to thinking about the 2010 dilemma. had ninoy not been assassinated and became the president of the philippines in 1986, are we what we are right now?

while driving home, i again felt my heart palpitating. too much caffeine perhaps? hmm.. i haven't done making a blog post about the benefits and downsides of caffeine. maybe some other time. for the meantime, i treat that with water. oh, coffee!

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wifey ayah and i are giving ourselves a treat... including my mom! details on my next blog entry. we are excited, yay!

the 2010 dilemma

yesterday during our lunch break, my office mates and i were discussing about the fate of the country in the hands of our supposed "public servants". it's terrifying to accept the fact that the Philippines is not going any nearer to its dream of being a progressive nation again. we were once a great nation. we were once a respected country in the whole of Asia. the world once gave high regards and respect to the Filipinos as they enjoy a simple, yet more worry-free life. after that gloomy martial law era, the country has gone under four different administrations: Aquino, Ramos, Estrada & presently, the Arroyo administration.


(FVR photo hooked from cache.daylife.com; FEM, CCA, JEE & GMA photos were hooked from philpoliticians.blogspot.com)

the after-effect of martial law may have affected the way Filipinos live, and even treat the so-called "democracy". the cancer of corruption has worsen. the trust of the masses to its public servants have gone. Filipinos migrated everywhere. young students took courses not of their own liking but considered them anyway just to fly away from the country after getting his/her diploma. they lost hope for the country and our present "public servants" aren't helping every Filipinos a bit in assuring its people a bright future in their mother country. news items on radio, tv and newspapers are all the same everyday, that we can consider them "old" already and may refrain from regarding them as "news".

now who among these presidential hopefuls, who as early as now are already lobbying their identities to the public, can deliver the change that the Filipinos are longing for?

Noli De Castro is currently the country's vice president & presidential adviser on Housing and HUDCC chairman, vice chairman-National Anti Poverty Commission and presidential assistant for OFW. before being elected as the country's vice president, he was elected no. 1 senator in 2001 elections with more than 16 million votes, highest in the history of Philippine elections-2001- 2004. his profile can be read here. De Castro is well-known because of his former profession as a broadcaster and once became very influential as a media practitioner. on its prime years, he hosted the public service tv show, Magandang Gabi, Bayan.

Loren Legarda is currently one of the country's senators, former colleague of Noli De Castro in ABS CBN, a journalist. Loren is the only woman in history who has topped the Senate race twice, once in 1998 with over 15 million votes and in 2007 with over 18 million votes. Loren made history when she was voted by her peers as majority leader the first woman to occupy the prestigious post. Loren’s dedication as a legislator brought forth the passage of many laws of national significance, including the Clean Air Act, the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act, the law increasing the base pay and benefits of AFP officers and enlisted personnel, the Overseas Absentee Voting Act, the Anti-Smoking Law, the Anti-Child Labor Law, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law, the Anti-Domestic Violence Act, the Tropical Fabric Law, and a law declaring Eid Ul Fitre (an Islamic celebration marking the end of Ramadan) a national holiday. more of her profile here.

Manny Villar is currently the senate president. aside from his political career positions which are mentioned here, as former speaker of the house of representatives, villar made history and became well-known when he immediately, without entertaining any interruption from the opposition, passed on to the senate the impeachment trial proceedings of former president joseph estrada. Manny Villar is the first post-war public official who became both Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President. aside from his political career, he also had a good number of tv advertisements, one of which was the popular "ST- sipag at tiyaga" which encourages the people to labor for their own good.

Panfilo Lacson is also one of the country's senators, former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief under the Estrada administration--- a critical post during that time since majority of the Filipinos have lost hope in the integrity of their policemen. Filipinos came to know him for his sterling and "no non-sense" leadership as Chief of the PNP. Lacson uplifted the image of the PNP through his various police programs and platforms. As chief policymaker of the police organization, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson was responsible for the serious reforms in the PNP that had won the confidence of businessmen and foreign investors and the cooperation of the general public when he initiated closer coordination with other law enforcement agencies, here and abroad, in the fight against narcotics trafficking through supply constriction and demand reduction. All of these were accomplished to bring back the old glory of the policeman. his bio data, which includes his current and past government positions, can be read here. Lacson's personal dictum states, thus: "What is right must be kept right. What is wrong must be set right." he is a blogger (its a surprise for me).

Mar Roxas, known as "Mr. Palengke", one of the country's senators who earned his title as such during his term as a congressman, he espoused consumer protection, underscoring the right of every Filipino to affordable medicines, as his personal advocacy. he has his own website--- a page where people can get a good glimpse and get to know him better. marroxas dot com states that For Roxas, the exercise of public leadership entails accountability and transparency which should bring about people empowerment. He has called for a paradigm shift in policy-making, rejecting incrementalism, or the tingi mentality, which has resulted to ‘doing a little bit of everything to please a little bit of everyone.

Bayani Fernando is currently the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman. his achievements go way back his mayor years in the city of Marikina--- one of the most outstanding cities in the metro today. as MMDA chairman, he has gained a lot of praises and criticisms as well. author of the "Metro Gwapo" slogan, which aims to give the whole of Metro Manila a "good look" by "cleaning" it up through seamless traffic flow, unobstructed pedestrian lanes, sidewalks and foot bridges, graffiti-free public walls, plants-enriched street islands, etc...

so far, these people mentioned above are the ones likely to be the candidates for the 2010 philippine national elections. are we seeing something new?

lastly, did Chiz Escudero and Richard Gordon also express their intent to run for the post?

envious of todays kids?

think again! read this:

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE
1950's, 60' s, 70's and early 80's !! (uy... swak ako dito!)

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer while they carried us. While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, ate isaw, and didn't worry about diabetes.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, pati na yung walker natin, matigas na kahoy din at wala pang gulong. We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no knee pads , sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in hot ordinary (no aircon, of course) buses with wooden seats (yung JD bus na pula), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (ngayon lahat may aircon na). Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (ngayon hindi na nakakakita ng kalabaw ang mga bata)

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle purchased from 711 ( minsan straight from the faucet or poso). We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this, or contacted hepatitis. We ate rice with star margarine, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank sofdrinks with real sugar in it (hindi coke light, pepsi max o coke zero), but we weren't sick or overweight kasi nga......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso , habulan at taguan. No one was able to reach us all day ( di uso ang cellphone , walang beepers ) . And yes, we were O.K (kasi walang adik at holdaper noon yata). We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (yung bearing ang gulong) or plywood slides out of scraps and then ride down the street , only to find out we forgot the brakes! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (sewage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters. .......... WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words.....masakit ba ? pero kapag galit yung kalaro mo,ang sasabihin sa iyo.... "beh.. buti nga !" We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate dirty ice cream & fish balls. we were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs. We had to live with homemade guns, yung gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband, sumpit, tirador at kung ano ano pa na pwedeng makasakitan. . pero masaya pa rin ang lahat.

We made up games with sticks (syato), and cans (tumbang preso) and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman tayong binulag o napatay. Paminsan minsan may nabubukulan lang. We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to jump out the window! Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala yang mga childhood depression at damaged self esteem ek-ek na yan. Ang pikon, talo.

Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tignan kung ayos lang ang mga bata, hindi para maki-alam at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.

You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed. (yes, proud to be... a martial law baby!) :P

And if you like, let your kids read this too, so they will know how brave their parents were! ;)

It kind of makes you wanna go out and climb a tree, doesn't it?!

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so i'd ask again, "envious of todays kids?" nah...! :P

(above photo is credited to fadedmilkyway's flickr photo upload)

9-1-1-2-0-0-8

it's my most makulit na pamangkin's birthday today. sa tatlo kong pamangkin, hindi siya ang paborito ko. hehehe... salbahe, may pinapaborito! :P well, ang batang ito ay uber masayahin, pilyo, kulet, madiskarte, cute at nakakatuwa... sana ganun sya hanggang paglaki. ay. sana pala bumait. hehe.. bago sila umuwi pabalik sa Mississauga, ipinagdiwang namin ang kanyang kaarawan dito. sabi nga ng kanyang mga magulang, never pa raw syang ipinag-celebrate ng birthday. o sige na nga, tutal, ikatlong kaarawan nya.. pagbigyan! nagkaroon ng palaro silang magpipinsan, at kaunting (este, marami pala) kainan sa bahay ng kanyang lola sa Taytay... eto ang ilan sa mga ala-ala nang araw na iyon:

RJ: "my 3rd year birthday cake! thanks tita ayah and uncle... jun?? who's that??"

"i wish i have many more spiderman cakes to come!"

ang "kaunting" pinagsalu-saluhan namin

"i want that gun!"

"now i got what i want... to whom do i wanna use this?"

sige kayo naman magkagulo dyan!

"a-ha! shooting uncle jon!"

hep-hep-hooray naman!

Ria: "i don't wanna close my eyes... lalalala..."
RJ: wow, legs ate jofel.."

happy, happy, joy, joy! :D

tired

yes i am. just got home from work... well, actually i dropped by Shopwise-Libis to buy some stuffs for our fridge (yes, fridge at hindi ref, hehe) before driving home. i was able to get an expensive 5-kg Thai Jasmine rice (was looking for a philippine-made jasmine rice pero mukhang wala yatang ganun), a pack of choice-cut chicken (syempre pwet part, uhmmm yum yum!) a kilo of small-cut hotdog and a half loaf of bread. and oh, i also got two packs of boneless milkfish, yung isa eh belly part lang. saraaaap! my grocery items cost me a few pesos short of 1,000. wow. it's ok. that's life.

i thought i won't be able to go home again right away tonight as the rain continues to pour since this morning. i was stranded last monday because of heavy downpour that caused flood to our poor low-lying town and made most streets unpassable. on another note, it's nice to have our roofing undergo renovation just in time for this rainy season. downside is, the workers hardly finish the day working due to heavy rain that usually pour on the afternoons. nonetheless, the new roofing should secure us, at least, from rain leaks and from fear of loosing our house top on typhoon season. shifting again to the flood issue, i'm beginning to hate more our place. flood rises faster than before. flood waters get "dirtier" each time. i suspect that the garbage from the balding mountains of Antipolo comes down to its nearby lower towns whenever the rain falls. i really want the people who are responsible for damaging the mountains of Rizal punished. if not by the country's law (since i recently heard from the news that law in the Philippines already has a money value), i hope their conscience pound them to death! just look at what they did to the poor, and helpless mountains ---> picture #1, picture #2, picture #3. if you've noticed, the date of the photos reads 2007. imagine how they look like now. 0_o

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my mom was again acting like a child earlier and it doesn't help me a bit in easing my tiredness from a days work. some petty problems do arise from anywhere and i just wish of not thinking about them. i want my sanity intact as i wake up every morning, report to work five times a day, go to church (at least) four times a week, and call it a day each night. i guess normal married life will start when wifey and i get to "own" the house by ourselves. and that'd be 3 months from now (wow, tagal). *sigh*

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on a completely different note and for the lighter side of (my) life, thanks to google dot com i have come to know that my blog was recognized as Pin@y Blog of the Day by tatang REtong. When? January 20th, 2004! haha! thanks, thanks anyway! :P

sa mga naghihintay ng aming baby

...sa mga nagtatanong, nae-excite, nage-expect, naga-anticipate, nasasabik, nag-aabang, at naghihintay ng aming baby ni wifey ayah... 'ika nga sa mga hindi pinalad sa mga patimpalak:




"better luck next time!"





..."meron" si ayah ngayon. :(

stories around...

haven't been updated on news and stories here and around the world, so tuning in to the late night news yesterday, here are some stories that caught my interest to blog-post:

TORONTO - A chunk of ice shelf nearly the size of Manhattan has broken away from Ellesmere Island in Canada's northern Arctic, another dramatic indication of how warmer temperatures are changing the polar frontier, scientists said Wednesday.

read more here:
19-square-mile ice sheet breaks loose in Canada (image above is not the actual photo in the news article)

personally, i don't know until when mother earth can sustain it's normal condition but the way things are going, it's sad to note that in spite of man's technology advancement and knowledge expansion, they continue to destruct our only home in this galaxy.

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MANILA, Philippines – Finish his studies. Enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Those were on Manny Pacquiao’s mind when he came to the decision to hang up his gloves next year, stressing that politics has nothing to do with his retirement plans.

hearing that the country's prime boxer is again lobbying into politics come 2010, i can't help but get irritated with the thought. surely, the people behind him are those trapos (traditional politicians) who ambitiously want to stay in the limelight but are not capable of winning another 3-year or 6-year term seat. while i don't want to misjudge mr. pacquiao on his intention to run for public office, his heart may be into serving his constituents and fellowmen but his being an amateur in the political arena will just stain his reputation as a good man. his so-called "advisers" will rule over him and may just make him a puppet to serve their own good. manny wants to serve the public. but sadly, the profession of the public officials here in the country are politicians and not public servants. not all but many of them. i just wish mr. pacquiao will reconsider his decision and just stick with his plan as he stated:

Ang [aking pag-retire] ay dahil sa gusto kong matapos ang aking pag-aaral, ma-enjoy ang aking pinaghirapan sa itaas ng ring at makasama ko ng lubos ang aking pamilya at mga anak kong lumalaki na

complete story here: Politics not reason for retirement, Pacquiao

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The recall petition against Panlilio is being pushed by the Kapanalig at Kambilan Ning Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan), which is gathering 100,000 signatures from registered voters in the province.

story here: Group backs Panlilio (photo below was taken during Governor Panlilio's blog launch, an event made possible by the governors supporters and by the Bloggers Kapihan (BK) Crew. copyright 03.03.03 stories...)

since Ed Panlilio seated as the governor of Pampanga, i've been hearing positive feedback from people who seem to have found "light" for the province. and also, i've been hearing a lot of noises from "trapos" (again, the term) ganging up on the poor governor. the opposition of the governor clearly are after one thing: collection, illegal. for years they have been the rulers of the province and now that the people got back their "home province" thru the good governance effort of the governor, these trapos want the governor out of the provincial capitol. oh... i haven't heard from the president of the philippines yet regarding this issue. it's her dad's home province. she has to stand up for something.

:/

03.03.03 stories... and the Philippine Blog Awards 2

"CONGRATULATIONS!

Your blog, 03.03.03 Stories..., has been nominated for Best Blog under the Personal Category.

In order complete the nomination process, please submit your FIVE (5) BEST BLOG POSTS written between April 2007 and April 2008 only using the form in the URL below:

http://www.philippineblogawards.com.ph/blog-posts-submission-forms/personal-blog-posts-submission-form

These five posts should embody and represent the category the blog was nominated for.

Please submit the five blog posts on or before Tuesday, 26 August 2008.

Thank you very much and good luck!


Regards,

The 2008 Philippine Blog Awards Organizing Committee"

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i have opened my email late that i wasn't able to make it to the deadline of nominating my FIVE BEST BLOG POSTS. i emailed back the coordinators asking if i was disqualified but haven't heard from them yet.

anyhoo, i've been a blogger (in blogspot) since March 3rd, 2003. That makes me blogging for five years and six months (tomorrow) to be exact. way back, i have a good number of friends who blog. this time, i have a good number of blogger friends. see the difference? blogging used to be a simple outlet of inner thoughts, expressed in writing online. most blogs during the time i started are personal in nature and readership statistics is not really a big deal. some people even opt not to give out their blog url addresses for the simple reason that it exposes their "life" outside to the cyberworld. but now, blogging has gone a long way. from personal, to commentary, to political in nature, some even blog to earn. whatever the reason is for blogging, it surely opened up to many people who knows how to go online. as young as high school kids or as old as your grandparents, online people knows how to blog. add the fact that social networking sites, which are more popular among the youngsters (and some oldies alike), offer in their feature a BLOG section where registered members can update their "lives" and at least their contacts will be able to read them.

having been nominated in the 2nd Philippine Blog Awards (PBA 2) is already an honor on my part. winning will be another thing, LOL. seriously, i really don't get many honors in my online life and i'm ok just "watching from the sideline". for me, being recognized as one of the best blogs in the personal category is like winning a swimming medal in an olympics. yeah, i don't know how to swim but PBA 2's recognition to be nominated gave me this feeling already. thanks, *sniff sniff*

The Philippine Blog Awards night will be held on September 21st at One Esplanade. For those who do not know where it is, just go to the Mall Of Asia or better yet, click this link: http://www.philippineblogawards.com.ph/2008/07/30/philippine-blog-awards-sept-21-2008-at-one-esplanade

Last year, blogger friend Shari Cruz of Misteryosa dot com bagged the first ever Best Blog Award in the country. Who's next in line?