Our Life as a Masterpiece

"Carpe Diem" - Seize the day!

Keating: "Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." Why does the writer 

use these lines?

Charlie: Because he's in a hurry.

Keating: No. Ding! Thank you for playing anyway. Because we are

 food for worms, lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in 

this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold and die.

Those were some of the inspiring lines from my favorite film, DEAD POETS SOCIETY. To this day, I still love watching and savoring the lines and the message of this movie, to always seize the day, to always strive to find our own voice and make our lives extraordinary before its too late. Inspiring words that mean let's make our lives our masterpiece.

Find our passion. Our life is our art. Our heart is our paintbrush and the entire universe is our canvas. It's not what you do that matters, it's how you do it and the difference that it makes.

Let's embrace the life that we had imagined and achieve the dreams we once thought were impossible. Don't sweat the small stuff  but instead always seize the day and work on making our lives our masterpiece.

Note to self :

"IMPOSSIBLE is one of God's favorite words”
― Max Lucado, Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions

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If You're Not The One

Just happened to get across today this once meaningful song that left me emotional then and surprisingly still affects me a bit now. Is it just the rainy weather? hehehe, whatever! The lyrics are beautifully written but depressing and moving at the same time. Just a word of advice, don't listen to it if you're nursing a broken heart and needed badly to move on .... ^_^

This acoustic version will surely hit the sore spot but you'll love it nonetheless .... :-))

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Just Updating ......

I can't seem to get my groove back in blogging. Is it a simple case of writer's block or just plain laziness??? There are plenty of subjects I can talk about like the last movie I've seen in 3D format, Avatar, which is visually stunning that literally took my breath away, the start of the national campaign period coz  I'm rooting for GIBO or the guys I've spent time with at night .... well its not what you think, you dirty minds! ^^ Since I've discovered the website AZNV.tv, my blogging and sleeping patterns have changed. The historical epic drama series, Queen Seon Deok started it all and right now having fun watching the movies of Kim Nam Gil and Kim Rae Won, my two most loved Korean actors. But going back to QSD, this excellent historical drama series from Korea is currently being shown at Kapuso station, GMA7 but each episodes left me hanging everyday so I have to find a way to watch it continuously and without commercials. It took me two weeks to finish the 62 episodes, spending an average of 4 hours everyday from 11pm to 3am. I usually fall asleep upon arriving from work and widely awake during those wee hours. Although I'm done watching the entire series at aznv.tv, I'm still catching it regularly at GMA7, the tagalog dubbing is more entertaining than the english subtitles. Girl power rules in Queen Seon Deok and the loyalty of the Hwarang boys are admirable aside from being eye candies. Watch out for the character of  BIDAM, it would probably take a month or more in GMA7 before making his first appearance, a complex persona, an  a**hole at first but would capture your heart in the end.... Watch it and be awed, excellent storyline, excellent cast and excellent production!!! ♥♥♥

Just updating.... maybe that will do for now. I'll be blog hopping and entrecard dropping  in the following days, I definitely miss my friends in the bloghosphere .....

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A Niche Blog

 These past 2 days, I've been spending sometime creating a niche blog that will focus on all travel related articles with emphasis on my actual travel experiences. I've lifted all my travel entries from here to my new blog, Shie Went To Town while Shie's Asylum will still be active but would concentrate on non travel related subjects, weekly memes and the likes.

 Here's a screen shot of  my new blog, just click on it to visit. I'm still halfway through the process though and needs more time to do a lot of tweaks and hacks to improve my layout and make its presence felt to search engines. This process is very challenging for a noob like me in the realm of  web designing and search engine optimization. In the meantime, I hope you can drop by my new space while I'm still working on my new entries, and if you happen to like it, following  Shie Went To Town would be great and you'll see me returning the favor! ..... SEE YOU THERE!!!

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Taiwan In A While

Yes, I'm finally going to Taipei, not alone but with a cousin in a while. Our flight today is scheduled late in the evening and will be arriving there past midnight. I prepared an itinerary to cover 2 whole days of fun and adventure, food tripping and a little of shopping, leaving so little time for rest.  It was my mistake to not scrutinize the time of our departure, what a bummer! But  instead of paying for the re-booking charges that is similar to buying another ticket, I just work around our schedule, with an itinerary comparable to an Amazing Race Challenge, geez! I really have to challenge myself if I have the energy to keep up with the schedule, but I'm sure it would be fun!
I'll be back on Thursday, hopefully bringing with me interesting stories and a wonderful experience. Till next, praying for a safe trip and a good weather while looking forward to this sight ....

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Traveling Solo

Still flip-flopping whether to travel solo or just cancel my plan to visit Taiwan. Originally there was a bigger plan but things happen for a reason and I'm really happy  for my friend because her wish just came in a little earlier and she's got to let go of the plan. But still she promised to pay for my air ticket if I push through, well of course I'd love to grab it since my visa has already been approved. My sister, cousins and some friends showed interest to join me but the hassle of applying for a visa turned them off plus considering the time constraints involved as my visa is expiring by Nov 25 and I need to leave before that date.

I haven't tried traveling alone for pleasure but I've done so on a business trip. I guess there's a big difference! When your on a pleasure trip alone, picture taking, getting lost in directions and in translation and eating by yourself would be the biggest challenge but the chances of meeting new friends are higher and the sense of accomplishment is bigger, so I guess it isn't bad at all. Actually, I admire those solo backpackers who can go on trips abroad, came back as a better person  and truly have a blast, that's really a feat worthy to be proud of, a challenge I would like to do anytime soon but would require a lot of preparation and I think I'm not yet equipped to go this soon. Well, there's still a chance that I won't be traveling by myself yet, my cousin is on her way to process her visa tomorrow after a week of gathering the required documents and hopefully she'll get the approval within this week so we can schedule the trip before my visa expires! Yey, there's still hope, crossing my fingers :D

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LIFEBOOK 2010

Got this from a friend's email that is worth publishing, read on and you might get inspired to use this as your guidelines for living, I will!!! ^_^

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king,lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants,and less of food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's-- Energy, Enthusiasm & Empathy!
5. Make time for prayer.
6. Play more games!
7. Read more books than you did in 2009

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for at least 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day----and while you walk,smile!

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't overdo ; keep to your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does!
15. Don't waste your precious energy on idle gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear & fade away like Algebra class,but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more!

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:

25. Call your family more often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day!
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right things.
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything...
35. However good or bad a situation is,it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up!
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your innermost self is always happy.So,be happy!

Last but not the least :

40. Do forward this to everyone you care about... .

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CNN Heroes 2009 Nominee : EFREN PENAFLORIDA

Finally, a good news about Filipinos! A selfless man with a good cause, Efren Penaflorida is making us proud by being considered as one of CNN's TOP 10 Heroes for 2009. I hope our country would be blessed by more EFRENS to help move our country forward! GOD BLESS YOU! To hear his story watch below ...




Let us show our support by voting for our HERO. We can cast our votes multiple times, so lets start now!!!

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STOP ERAP FROM RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

Last Wednesday, Ex President and convicted plunderer Erap Estrada declared his intention to run in 2010 presidential elections in front of thousands of followers in the slum district of Tondo amidst legal deterrents.

He can fool the slum settlers of Tondo with all his charms and promises but not us. Let us all join hands once again and show him that Filipinos are not stupid to elect to the highest office again a convicted plunderer and a morally inept person.



Let us STOP ERAP FROM RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!!! Join this group and make a statement! Just click the image to lead you to the Facebook group.

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What's going on at DSWD warehouses?

I'm reposting this from Gangbadoys blog to let DSWD explain their side on what's really happening to all those donations that were just found lying inside these warehouses. If they really need volunteers, I'm willing to donate my free time to help repack and distribute this goods to all typhoon victims who badly need them. Time is of the essence!!!

REPOSTING FROM: http://jenniepperson.com


According to Blog Ni Ella, these goods have not been distributed to the typhoon survivors. WHY?

Ella wrote on her (now blocked) blog: (her blog was ellaganda.com and it is now blocked)

Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a volunteer)

Oct 21st, 2009 by ella

Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.

Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.

For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.

Please read on and good luck to us.

Ella

(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)

Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:

Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.

This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya - “Walang volunteers”.

I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.

In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000

“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.




Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,





Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.




The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”

During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy. “Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.

kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?

From Stella Arnaldo’s blog:

“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.

At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.

They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!

Photos by Leah Navarro

GMA asked world for donations

Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.

But these donations must be coursed through DSWD

Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.

This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.

A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!

As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!

Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)

The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.

What “volunteers”? Nasaan?

Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?

I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?

Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international

Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.

The relief goods are not going anywhere

We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.

The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers.

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING

Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I wonder why.

“Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse.”





Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.

Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na kaldero

At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit





Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon





Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon





(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga “special victims” kaya ito? Ire-repack kaya ang mga “imported” camp pads na ito ever?

Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa “ordinary victims”. Ito ang kasama sa inimpake namin. Sayang ‘yung imported.

Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ‘yung mga kumot)

Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.

(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. “Imported” are not included, we have concluded.

Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa tabi ng sikyo.

PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you’d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans lang ‘to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,

Naaah! “Imported” pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin included

Now let’s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD

Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.

Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.

Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.

Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.

Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas

Do not delay

YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean “do not delay ang dati nang delayed”?? Shet.

Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse ang nasa loob ng compound na ‘yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga nasalanta. Halatang-halata.

Marami pang pabubulukin

Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.

“The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days ago for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”




The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.

Sige, ideretso ‘nyo ulit ‘yan sa DSWD warehouse. Para AMAG naman ang abutin ng biskwit… at sapot ng gagamba.

Conclusion

Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods. 150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ‘yon that day. At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and packed as the day they arrived.

Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina. Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.

Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din ng mga tao…sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods na ‘yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.

Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:

Alam ‘nyo palang walang mag-volunteer sa inyo, bakit hindi kayo mag-hire ng mga tao? Bayaran ‘nyo ng arawan para mag-repack. Ang daming walang trabaho, makakatulong pa kayo. Hindi naman malaking kabawasan ‘yon sa bilyong pisong donasyon na natanggap ninyo.

Isa pa, gaano ba karami ang mga sundalo natin? Hindi ba puwedeng ipagawa sa kanila ‘yan? Baka isang araw lang, tapos na ang problema ‘nyo

Bakit hindi ‘nyo ibigay ang trabaho sa mga NGO, churches, private charities, TV stations? I’m sure they are more than willing to help. Time is of the essence. Huwag kayong suwapang. Obvious ba, hindi ‘nyo naman kaya.

Kung talagang gugustuhin ninyong makarating agad sa mga kawawang biktima ang mga donasyong ‘yon, nagawa ‘nyo na ‘yan. Maraming paraan…kung talagang gusto ‘nyo lang.You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

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My Dream Workplace : GOOGLE

I really can't believe that such a workplace exists! Check this video and find out yourself! I'm amazed and jealous!Is this for real?

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Our Typhoon Ondoy Experience

Our place was not one of those hardly hit but still affected us in many ways like what most Metro Manila residents had gone through. The experience was worth noting for the lessons it brought to most of us. The wrath of Nature is calling our attention and everyone must cooperate to halt the effects of Global Warming

It was one lazy rainy Saturday morning, the bed weather is very inviting so I woke up later than the usual. Everything started normal, went down and drank a glass of water, went online, posted a 1 day late blog entry for my fix it friday meme, check my email, and updated my Facebook account with the status "Ondoy Ondoy Go Away!!!" and then went down again to make some coffee. Outside our house, the flood water was rising, and after a while, we felt that the water was slowly seeping inside the corners of our house. My sister then started removing things from the floor, then we lifted up some appliances and placed it on higher ground except for the huge refrigerator that obviously we can't lift. My father just had a cataract operation last Friday, so the work was left to my sister, me and my mom.

It was probably 10 years ago when flood water would normally enter our house during heavy rains, not since we had our flooring elevated and our street as well. The heavy rains brought by Ondoy was really unusual and alarming. After we had our lunch, the electricity then went out, after a while my cellphone was beeping a low batt sound but I was able to access my Facebook account via my mobile before it went dead totally, updating my status to "Terrible ONDOY and the rains keep pouring! First time after many years that flood entered our home!!!"

Without electricity, there's no water as well. Lucky for us we were able to stock up a drum of water the other day and have something to use to wash our dishes and to take a bath.The hard part was bringing the water upstairs, it was really energy consuming! By late afternoon, water inside reached almost knee deep and the rain hasn't stopped, each one of us were upstairs already including the dogs. We were praying and hoping that the rain would stop soon. We instructed our youngest sister to just stay put at her work and just go home the next day when water has already subsided. I was feeling restless, had no idea what's going on at the other parts of Metro Manila. We don't have batteries to power up our radio to get the latest news. So I was thankful to find out that my sister's mobile has an FM radio, soon enough I was trying to locate a station that would veer away from the regular FM programming and thank GOD there is JAM 88.3. The hosts Gang and Lambert proved to be very helpful to those who had no electricity and no access to AM radio. They were doing public service by taking calls of those who need assistance while updating its listeners of important information, numbers to call for assistance and providing comfort to those who feel helpless. I was tuned in until 3am, you can sense they were already tired but trying their best to be of service. I can't sleep as well, checking up downstairs because our front door was only partially closed since the wood expanded and wont fit the frame. Thank God for candles, amidst the darkness, we can sense some security by giving us some light, offering some prayers and reading the word of GOD for comfort and assurance.


Thank God again, it was no longer raining the next morning and water subsided fully inside the house although outside it was still a foot high. We settled eating canned goods for 2 days, but that's ok, others had nothing to eat. Cleaning the house was the biggest challenge, but that's nothing compared to those who lost their house and their loved ones.

We are still blessed and thankful that GOD is there to listen to our prayers. I've proven many times that prayers can really make a big difference. When people unite in prayers, miracles can happen. Super Typhoon Pepeng, predicted to directly hit Metro Manila after the wrath of Ondoy shifted its direction affecting only a smaller part of the archipelago. I believe that's the power of prayers!!!

Let's keep on Praying!

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Lessons From Ondoy

The floods have subsided and reality sinks in. The death toll is climbing by the day and the damage to properties and crops have reached to almost 5 billion pesos. Despite all this, the Filipinos remain hopeful, MABUHAY TAYO! Let's get back on our feet and start to rehabilitate our nation. Things can only get better!


Let's keep the Pinoy spirit that despite the adversities, we can still manage to put a smile just like the photo above.

What have I learn from ONDOY?

• To be more aware of our environment and take care of our trash
• In the event of heavy rains, cancel all your appointments and remain at home
• Have a disaster plan ready
  
• Keep a stock of ready to eat foods and bottles of mineral water
  
• Have a ready flashlight, fresh batteries and transistor radio
• Keep my cellphone fully charged
• Invest on life jackets for every member of the family
• Keep a list of important numbers to call in case of emergency
• In choosing a place to build your home, stay away from low areas and river banks
• Material things can perished in a blink of an eye, let us instead invest on things that money cant buy like meaningful relationship with our fellowmen and with GOD
  

I'm sure everyone has learned a lesson or two. Let's all be prepared as another storm is approaching our shore according to PAGASA.

To Help the victims of ONDOY, you can make online donations by clicking on these links:

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Free Photoshop and Lightroom Courses

It's really flattering to be receiving questions like, "are you a professional photographer?" For me it's some sort of validation that I'm doing something interesting, enough to capture their attention. But really, I'm no pro, not even near it. It's a hobby that I find so therapeutic just like blogging. It's one way of squeezing out my creative juices and sharing it to my friends.

Actually there are no secrets, a lot of helpful resources are available on the web guiding us how to come up with meaningful photos. Of course, familiarization with your camera, be it dslr or point and shoot, and knowing its functions are the initial steps followed by creativity, instinct and practice and ultimately a knowledge in photo editing will definitely create a big difference.

I've been introduced to Photoshop7 along with Illustrator since 1997, took a short course required for my work and since then had been very useful for me in many ways. Now there's Photoshop CS4, packed with more features but I'm still using my older version since I'm more familiar with it. Just recently, the in thing among photographers is LIGHTROOM.

What's the difference between Lightroom and Photoshop? Lightroom is where I manage my photos, from importing it from my camera to processing it and then showcasing from there all my images. It makes the life of any photographer more organized and more polished. While Photoshop is my major editing tool where I have the freedom to do anything I want to my subject.

Interested to know more about this and learn, you can sign up to this free webinar course for Photoshop and Lightroom. I've already enrolled for these two courses as I'm interested to bring my knowledge to a higher level. Just clicked on the image to direct you to their webpage. All the details are enumerated from there.

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How OLD is OLD?

YAMI tagged me to answer this question, How old is old?

I will quote Mark Twain to establish my idea.

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you dont mind it doesn't matter."

We can't deny the fact that everything goes south when we get older. Wrinkles showing up, joints cracking up and memory gaps occur more often. The physical eyesight declines but the spiritual eyesight improves and for me that is more essential. On this note, getting old is a phase that everyone should go through but not all has the privilege to experience. So when we do, we should embrace it fully by living healthy physically and spiritually while getting there, and when we've done a good job, we can be assured that it will be better than our youth.

"The face you have at age 25 is the face God gave you, but the face you have after 50 is the face you earned" - Cindy Crawford

So how old is old? It doesn't matter and I'd like to keep it that way :)

This is a contest created by Cathara Main. Visit her site for the mechanics.

I'm tagging this friends to find out their points of view; Acrylique , Rors, Chicpinay, OhMyGums and U. Pink.

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The Glorious Past of the Old Philippines

If you're in Facebook, you've probably came across the FB account of Old Philippines and now a fan. Can't help but feel nostalgic going thru the old pictures and videos of the Old Philippines. If I could only travel in time, the pre war era would be on the top of my list. The simple life, the uncluttered streets, the outfits, the transport system, the structures and the unpolluted environment ... oh what an ideal period to live in.

Whoever created that account in FB, kudos to you for giving us easy access to the glorious past of the Old Philippines. These are some of the photos that really captured my attention .....
I practically grew up in this area, attending sunday masses regularly at Sta Cruz Church with my family and doing our shopping in the Escolta area and to have a glimpse of how these places looked like decades before I was born just amazes me, especially the existence of tramvia as a means of transportation, wow!

Tramways and Calesas crossing what we call now Jones Bridge and Pasig River that looks clean is unimaginable nowadays.

We usually frequent Luneta Park after hearing Sunday mass when I was still a kid and this is how it was in 1900's.

Gloria Romero, the Queen of Philippine Movies during the 1950's in a Coke Advertisement. She's really beautiful....

If your still not a fan of Old Philippines Facebook account, what are you waiting for, check them out here and have a walk down memory lane.

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My Thoughts on PGMA's Last SONA

The truth is, I'm one of those who applauded when I heard her speech, not because everything she said was accurate and true but because it was well delivered and fierce. She may not be popular but no one can discount her intelligence and the dedication she puts into her job. And she looked pretty in that pink terno made by Inno Sotto.

To highlight the main points of her speech ...

1. "I didn't become a president to be popular"
2. "Better health care, more roads, education system"
3. "Kilalanin ang mga magsasaka bilang backbone ng bansa"
4. "Paid the political price to do the right thing"
5. "For standing up with me to do the right thing, thank you Congress"
6. "We have built more and better infrastructure"
7. "Subic Tarlac expressway is an example of building better roads"
8. "We have built airports of international standards"
9. "We are developing wealth through PPO and tourism"
10. "Tourism doubled. It is now a 2B dollar industry"
11. "Cash handouts produced the most effective immediate relief"
12. "Sa pamamahagi ng milyon milyong hectariyang lupa"
13. "Hinihiling ko sa congreso ang pagpapalawi ng CARP"
14. "165 Million Pesos for MicroFinance Loans"
15. "Nakinabang ang isang milyong pamilya sa pabahay"
16. "Our highest rate of inflation is the lowest since 1966"
17. "We increased indigenous electricity"
18. "There is decreased use of fossil fuels"
19. "Taxes should come from tobacco and alcohol, and not from books"
20. "We have provided 8M jobs"
21. "We have decreased the number of poor by 2M people"
22. "My term does not end until next year"
23. "I will fight for the ordinary Filipino"
24. "We cannot be complacent"
25. "Thank God, we did not let our critics stop us"
26. "To the candidates for the next election, build a nation rather than tear down their opponents"
27. "My critics called it dictatorship. I call it determination"
28. "Mabuhay ang Pilipinas"

I'm not going to check the accuracy of those numbers but I've felt developments despite the worldwide crisis and I'll give her credit for that. There's just too many critics out there, that if only words can kill, GMA must be long gone by now. That's why I really enjoyed the part when she finally lashed back at Mar Roxas, Erap, JDV , etc... and to quote her ...

"Those who live in glass houses should cast no stones, if you really want something done, just do it. Do it hard, do it well. Don't pussyfoot, don't pander and don't say bad words in public."

“They, who so vehemently oppose Charter Change today, pursued it vigorously when they thought they were going to benefit from it. Now that they won’t, they rally against it.”


I really cringed at the sight of these politicians like they are all pure and clean and have honest intentions to serve the country. C'mon, give me a break!

And to Mr Palengke, everytime I see you driving the padyak makes me want to shut the TV down. That is so pretentious!

Its just unfortunate that a lot of people are being mislead by speculations, like on one paper the headline reads "GMA, hindi bababa!"This is obviously a blatant attempt to mislead the public and poor Juan dela Cruz would readily believe when in fact GMA said she will step down in 2010.

I will take her word that she will step down when her term expires, no more analyzing what she didn't say, leave it to those negative thinkers!

I'm hopeful that next year, real change will happen. Let's get rid of the same trapos we hate. Let's analyze who among those presidentiables can offer real solutions to the problems of our country other than kicking out a president. Let us not equate eloquence with good leadership, gaining popularity because they can charm everyone with their good vocabulary. Good leadership means action and progress, and I have someone in mind who qualifies.

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