"Every child, woman and man should possess licence to speak or sing in his or her true voice."- Joyce Maynard, At Home in the World (Picador USA) Today is my 10th Anniversary as a blogger. And that quote is the one I shared from my first blog post. Here's a screen capture: and here's the link. And here's the full resolution copy of the screen capture: LINK. Then and now, blogging has been a fulfillment of my dream to write... attempts at getting my thoughts, feelings, and ideas out into the world. Not because I think people can learn from me or that I have something profound to share but because I really just want to write, to speak, to share. In the 10 years I have been blogging, I have published a lot of posts, started a lot of blogs, met a lot of new people, started a lot of projects, and had countless experiences. One thing remains constant, though, I blog because I want to blog. Yes, I do blog for causes, partners, clients, and sponsors. I blog when people invite me to events or when companies ask me to but only when I like what I am…
Category: Headline
Pablo’s Effects Still Felt by Survivors
It has been one year since Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) hit the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, and Davao del Norte but its effects are still greatly felt by survivors. Classified as a Category 5 Typhoon, Typhoon Pablo struck on December 4, 2013. It affected over 6 million Filipinos and over 2,000 were left dead or are still missing. Kinablangan, Baganga, Davao OrientalImage by Anj Nacorda of AnjNacorda.com. Save the Children is an organization focused on giving children "what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm." They have been on site for many months now and they assert that there has to be an increase in support to help families fully recover the impact of Typhoon Pablo on their livelihood. Below is an excerpt from their press release regarding the Typhoon Bopha anniversary: The storm caused widespread damage to agriculture, which account for the livelihoods of 80 per cent of the residents in the affected area. The Filipino government’s disaster agency estimates a loss of over US$700 million in agricultural damage, including bananas, coconuts, rice and maize. “The job that aid agencies need to fulfil shouldn’t stop at immediate relief,” said Tom…
Project Hygiene Kits for Relief PH
Bloggers for Relief PH is spearheading a campaign to assemble 1,000 hygiene kits for the survivors of Yolanda. Each kit will contain toiletries and other essentials good for one week's use by one person. Each kit will cost around P100 or $2.50. Project Hygiene Kits by #BlogersforReliefPH, Click on There are two kinds of kits. One for males, and one for females. For those who want to assemble their own kits, here are the contents of the kits. For MALES - Total Cost: PhP95.60 60g Soap Weekly pack Shampoo - 8 sachets x 4 mL each 3 packs of 30 g Toothpaste Toothbrush 40 Pulls Pop Up Tissue 10 g Cotton 75 mL Alcohol 2 x 3 mL Deolotion 12 mL Insect repellant Resealable Zip Bag For FEMALES - Total Cost: PhP100.00 60g Soap Weekly pack Shampoo - 8 sachets x 4 mL each 3 packs of 30 g Toothpaste Toothbrush 40 Pulls Pop Up Tissue 10 g Cotton 75 mL Alcohol 2 x 3 mL Deolotion 12 mL Insect repellant 2 pcs Sanitary Napkins Resealable Zip Bag Donations may be in cash or in kind. We hope to gather cash donations amounting to PhP100,000 by December 7, 2013. Donation…
BPI 24/7 Banking Services
Nowadays, it's imperative to have online and mobile services. No matter what your business is. What will set you apart from your competitors is how convenient and helpful your online and mobile services actually are. I have several bank accounts and I have tried various online and mobile banking services. I love the BPI 24/7 services the best. BPI Express Online Site BPI Account owners may do their online banking, leisurely and hassle-free, at www.bpiexpressonline.com. One of the things I really like about this banking site, is how it allows me to choose my own username and password. Other banking sites have pre assigned usernames or require you to enter your ATM PIN or other information before you can even log in. Inconvenient, right? Meanwhile, BPI gives me the convenience of using my choice username and password, without having to look at my bank passbook or bank card every time I log in. I used to just check my account balance and pay some bills on BPI Express Online, but now I know I can do so much more. BPI 24/7 Banking Services At the BPI 24/7 Express Online site, you can enroll, edit, or remove your accounts. You can…
Just a Rant and Some Links Concerning Zamboanga
*This was supposed to be a Facebook status message but ran too long so I decided to make a blog post instead.* I think it's incredulous that people are focusing on how the Zamboanga conflict could be a conspiracy to cover up the pork barrel scam. Magsaliksik, magbasa, umintindi ng mabuti bago magbigay ng opinyon o ng haka-haka. Dahil ba maraming nagsasabi, maniniwala ka agad at ipagkakalat mo ang teoryang ito? Instead of speculating about this and that, why don't people just share HELPFUL information? If you can't say anything helpful, truthful, informative, or logical, shut up na lang please. Don't add unnecessary garbage into the discussion. Maayo pa mag selfie na lang ka kaysa mag emote emote ka hatag opinyon, wala diay ka nabal-an. I know we each own our own timeline and newsfeed spaces. And yes, I have no business telling people what to say or publish. Ang sa akin lang, let us not forget that the numbers we read or hear about are not just numbers. When the headline says 4 people died, 4 people actually died. IRL. This is not some pretend world we're talking about. Sana maging responsableng mamamayan po tayo. Kung wala man tayong…
Make-A-Wish Foundation Philippines
Over the years, I have realized that the best kind of happiness is one that comes from making others happy. It is pure, unadulterated, and lasting. And there's nothing better than making the most unfortunate among us smile. Make A Wish Philippines Grants 1000th Wish, photo from http://www.makeawish.org.ph/page-wish-stories.html The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation "to create hope and happiness for children with life threatening illnesses around the world." In the Philippines, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children in the country, whatever the economic status, gender and religion of the child may be. Children between three to eighteen years old who have been diagnosed as having an illness that is life-threatening, not necessarily terminal are eligible to have a wish granted. The goal of the foundation is to uplift the morale of children with life-threatening illnesses. Wishes may be simple or grand. Whatever it is, the Make-A-Wish Foundation makes it happen, through the generosity of their sponsors, donors, and volunteers. Erica Lei dela Cruz, on the photo up there, got the chance to work as a fashion designer with Filipino designer Rajo Laurel. She worked on her own fashion line and witnessed it modeled on the runway. It was definitely…