Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category
Missed the American Idol Finale? Thank goodness there’s YouTube!
You must have heard it or seen the show itself but I couldn’t help but echo what millions of people around the world are now talking about — the American Idol Season Finale 2010 which proclaimed Lee Dewyze, a former paint salesman from Illinois, as the winner over early favorite Crystal Bowersox.
But honestly it wasn’t the contestants that glued me to the finale but the bevy of music legends that performed especially the BeeGees. I was lying in bed, ready to sleep because I was dead tired from that night’s shift when I heard Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly singing “How Deep Is Your Love.” I didn’t bother to move a muscle but then I started hearing familiar voices — the BeeGees! Could it really be them? I turned around to see the TV which was over my head and all I could mutter was “Whoah!”
You might think I’m that old, LOL, but I’m a huge fan of great artists from the past and that includes the BeeGees. If you happened to miss that part of the show, here’s the video courtesy of YouTube:
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The difference between a man’s brain and a woman’s brain
You’ve surely heard it a gazillion times over that men are from Mars, women are from Venus. They just can’t think along the same wavelength sometimes and that often results to misunderstanding and friction in the relationship. I myself, in my desperate effort to understand men’s psyche, end up throwing this cosmic question out into the void: “Can we ever fully understand why men behave the way they do and why women detest a lot of it?”
In my persistent quest for a believable answer, I found this very engaging, very funny yet sensible video on YouTube by Mark Gungor. This video is part of a 4 DVD seminar called “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage.” Gungor, a Sr. Pastor of Celebration Church, infuses both truth and humor in conducting his marriage seminars.
Watch this hilarious video and laugh your heart out but in the end, you’ll be surprised you’re enlightened.
Chillin’ on a weekend
Saturdays and Sundays are my favorite days of the week. It’s when I get to chill out and listen to my favorite tunes in YouTube like this one from Chris Rice - When Did You Fall. Enjoy your weekend, peeps!
When the going gets tough, unwind! Play bingo online
We’re all equipped to handle stress in our own different ways like scrapbooking, listening to music, power napping, shopping, watching videos on youtube, reading a good book, or just spending time alone or with our family. Whatever makes us happy depends on our mood and personal preferences. Mine is either sleeping, listening to my favorite songs, shopping or going online. I may get sucked out of energy to update my blogs sometimes, but I never get tired of looking for online games to perk me up whenever I’m all stressed out.
Lately I’ve been hooked to bingo, particularly this online bingo that incorporates the fun and excitement of basketball. I got curious seeing that the bingo players in this site are women.
Playing Bingo (offline) has always been the highlight of our annual family reunion back in Mindanao because of the interactive fun it brings, not to mention the huge prizes involved. I’m pleased to know that I can also play bingo online for free but then have the possibility of pocketing real money. How cool is that?
Though I’m not really after the monetary reward per se but more on the stress relief, I can’t help but get curious too. Well, I find it enticing to see fellow ladies brandishing their online bingo winnings and I like reading their awesome stories. But with the time I spend for myself, just going through the motions and enjoying online bingo like nobody cares, I’m good. After all, I just play for fun. And fun I truly get!
After 7 long years, justice is served to my ex-journalist hubby
Our family feels relieved and blessed. Justice, after all, still prevails in this country. It may have taken a long time to hear this much-awaited decision from the Supreme Court but at least we didn’t wait in vain.
My hubby was a hard-hitting journalist many years ago. He was so good at his job that he even won a sought-after Catholic Mass Media Award for Best Investigative Reporting during his stint as an associate editor of a local paper in our hometown, Davao. But along the way, as he exposed some anomalies in the government, he found enemies too - including his own employer who’s politician-friendly. In other words, my hubby lost his job while doing what he was supposed to do as a member of the media - to be a watchdog of society.
Let me publish here the gist of the story as written by my hubby after the Supreme Court decision came out:
“In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a former newspaper editor who filed an illegal dismissal case against his publisher almost seven years earlier, after being relieved over the publication of articles that involved anomalies in the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) and high officials from the Davao region, including the current Speaker of the House of Representatives and an incumbent governor who was then a member of the Lower House of Congress.
Confesor, who was Mindanao TIMES associate editor from November 1998 to June 2003 after being promoted as a 22-year-old staff writer when he was first hired in May 1998, also wrote a separate news article in June 2003 regarding “questionable deals” involving the SPDA. During that time, the SPDA was being deactivated by virtue of Executive Order No. 149 dated 18 November 2002, but it was later reactivated by virtue of E.O. No. 560 dated 29 August 2006.
In a decision (posted in the SC website as G.R. No. 183417) promulgated on 5 February 2010 and penned by Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, the SC denied the petition for certiorari of Mindanao Times Corp. to reverse the CA’s November 2007 amended decision and May 2008 resolution which both ruled in Confesor’s favor.
The news articles cited anomalies in the SPDA deactivation task force under Atty. Dominador “Boy” Zuño, a former Davao City vice mayor. The articles also cited the latter’s connections and close friendships with Davao City first-district Rep. Prospero “Boy” Nograles, now a last-term congressman and House Speaker who is running again as Davao City mayor in the coming elections, and erstwhile Davao Oriental congresswoman and incumbent provincial governor Corazon Malanyaon.
After the articles were published on 14 June 2003, Confesor was relieved three days later as associate editor, who before June 17 that year had also been writing editorials and publishing a weekly column every Monday in the paper’s editorial section, as well as writing investigative reports such as the SPDA anomalies.
“I am humbled yet at the same time honored, and thankful that the High Court has ensured that justice can be dispensed also in favor of the disempowered, and not only in favor of the powers-that-be,” Confesor said in a press statement. “With utmost humility, this supreme ruling has made me a better individual and a prouder citizen of this freedom-loving republic, where stewards of law and order strive to put premium on truth, fairness, and equality.”
Martial Arts, UFC, and me
I’ve always wanted to learn any form of Martial Arts for self defense but I’ve never mustered enough confidence to enroll in one. This frustration crawls back at me whenever I walk home late at night after work (especially when I get to a dimly-lit area). If and when some sicko tries to mess with me, how I wish I could defend myself easily with a few flying kicks, puches, armlocks, and headbutts. But without training, I don’t have other options now but to run with all my might. Or scream for help as loud as a fireman’s siren.
Fragile as I may be during unwanted situations like these, I know I can choose not to be helpless. But hmm, what are my options? Maybe I can choose to learn a few tricks by watching Manny Paquiao’s ring fights, or watch my husband’s favorite ufc fighters on TV like B.J. Penn and Randy Couture. Hehe.
But while I’m afraid to put my TV-generated-combat-skills to test, let me just buy myself a pepper spray and keep it handy, just in case.
Fun Friday - “P” is for Pleasure
Yay! I barely noticed that it took me quite a few days to update this blog. I’ve been too preoccupied with work and home responsibilities that I hardly had any spare time for my blogging pleasures. Speaking of pleasure, let me share with you this pleasurable yet inexpensive activity we had as a family just recently.
This is my entry for this week’s Fun Friday in our Blogging For Fun Group. If you want to join, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll introduce you to our group of supportive bloggers.
Have you ever seen a kalesa? A kalesa is a horse-driven carriage popular in the Philippines. It was introduced by the Spaniards back in the 18th century as one of the modes of transportation here in the Philippines but only nobles and high ranked officials could afford it back then. Rich Filipinos known as the ilustrados used the kalesa for business and personal travel. Fortunately today, the kalesa still exists in some tourist spots and rural areas plus riding it is not that pricey anymore for ordinary people. So last week, our family had the pleasure of touring the river park using the kalesa!
My hubby took us to Marikina Riverbanks where there were two kalesas waiting for patrons. I didn’t expect to see any of them in our city so I was pleasantly surprised. And since it was our first time to ride it, we had a blast. And we only paid P50 each ($1.11). It was awesome! I hope more people will patronize the kalesa so that they’ll continue to exist for our children to see and experience.
As usual, I’m not in the picture because I was the frustrated photographer, lol! But that’s my pleasure. *hugs*
