"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: life
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…
Gionee Smartphones arrive in the Philippines
Do you need a versatile smartphone with easy to use functions and features minus the unnecessary frills? Here's the smartphone brand for you. Gionee ELIFE6 Gionee designs and produces smartphones with all the features that you need minus all the unnecessary frills you don't understand or never use. The Gionee ELife E6 is the world's first smartphone with White OGS technology. It has a 2.54-millimeter edge and is only 7.7 mm thin. It can easily fit into your pocket. The E6 is powered with a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor with a 5-inch display. The big display screen makes reading SMS, surfing, or checking emails easy. Gionee Mobile Head Katrin Salanga-Gregorio shares "ELIFE E6 is designed to enhance the lifestyles of smartphone users across the world. “Regardless of whether you are an intense gamer or a multi-tasking working executive, the ELIFE E6 can be customized specifically for your way of life." If you're a multitasker, you will surely love The ELIFE E6's sensors that will allow you to answer calls even with the cover still on your phone. Or you can check photos without even touching the screen of your unit. When typing or entering text for SMS, email, or notes,…
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…
An Introspection on the Past Three Years
It has only been three years but so much has happened. So much has changed. So many friends gained. And so many "friends" lost. It has been a long and winding road. In my 31 years of life full of drama, twists and turns, this last journey I have been taking for over 3 years has been an interesting one. Once again, I am at a crossroad. There are days when I still look back at the painful memories. And yes, there are still nights when I cry in frustration. Times when I'd get sad over the most trivial things. Moments when I feel jealous of others. I feel like I tried and worked so hard but I don't really have anything to show for it. There's always one thing I tell myself and others, that no matter how great or small, every experience is an opportunity to learn. And there are lots that I've learned through the past three years. At the very least, I can say I have learned many valuable lessons I would have never learned if this journey had been a successful one. I've learned that the world is full of people willing to screw you…
On Pride and Loyalty
Some people may call me proud. I burn bridges when necessary. Turn my back on people who have betrayed me. And I'm unforgiving to those who don't ask for forgiveness. It's not pride, I tell you. It's self-respect. I'd rather have few people around me than plenty of "friends" who choose to betray me, hurt me, and malign me. I know my worth and I'm uncompromising. You piss me off, disrespect me, become disloyal to me, you'd have to practically kneel before me so I can forgive you. I may forgive you, but I will never trust you again. So stop pretending like things are ok and we're ok. We're not. And pretending like we are will definitely win points with me. You might think I don't know the things you say about me. I know perfectly well how much crap shit and lies you say about me so you better shut your mouth. I'm the kind of person who does not deny my mistakes and wrongdoings. So when I say something is a lie, something is definitely a lie. Stop telling me things or warning me about other people. Stop thinking we'll ever be ok. Stop hoping you can…