Of life and an angel

Sharing the pain

2009-12-02T20:39:00.002+08:00

A father whose baby is diagnosed with spina bifida wrote me an email the other day. He sounded worried and sad for his child's predicament. I remembered the day when I learned that Anya has hydrocephalus. I pictured her as a baby with a very large head, sunset eyes, few hair -- someone who has been painted by our local media. When I went to the neuro surgeon, he discussed to me what to expect about Anya - she may have abnormal intelligence, a cripple -- in other words, she is not going to be normal. But for me, she is. She is just perfect.

I am attempting to complete a blog about Spina Bifida in the Philippines. My capacity is to research about it - qualitatively and quantitatively. I would want to do a census, go to every barangay health center and ask if there is one in their community. I might start in LB, then the nearby barangays. I really don't know how to start. But I know, one day, this will come -- create an about this congenital condition, eventually help our lawmakers create a law that requires milk and bread to have folate on it, have partnership with neuropediatricians and nurses on how to take care of kids with spina bifida.

As of now, this is still my dream. Create the social landscape of spina bifida in the country - get the numbers, have support groups, do a paper . . . I hope our dear Lord will guide me through.

This is for you Anya. What mommy does is for you.

Inspiring and delicious

2009-11-07T17:10:00.004+08:00

Les and I have movie dates almost everyday. Everyday, we choose movies which we will watch later in the evening, or more often, after 12am. Last night, we came across a movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams - who are my favorite actresses. The story is about Julia Child (played by Streep), an American cook who introduced French cuisine in America's households; and Julie Powell, a writer who claimed that she never finished anything. Powell, a natural foodie, attempted to cook all the recipes in Child's book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blogged about it.

I will not go further on some movie technicalities like the script or direction, but I am impressed with set design, costume and acting abilities of the actresses. Since the movie Doubt, these girls never failed me. And I love them both in their musical movies - Meryl's Mama Mia and Amy's Enchanted. Brilliant brilliant beauties!

This movie is very inspiring and sends the message of hope to women who do not know where to put themselves. Both Julie and Julia found themselves creating a career out of the things that they like doing most - eat and cook. Their passion to cooking gave way to making their mark on America's kitchens.

I always tell my girlfriends who think that they are lost and bewildered to find do the things that they are most passionate about. Now, I have a specific example that it is possible to earn and enjoy at the same time. Julie and Julia.

The winning design, which was submitted by Mr Achilleus Coronel of the Philippines, was chosen

2009-10-27T16:59:00.004+08:00

New logo for World Day for
Audiovisual Heritage
© UNESCO

After Anya's demise, her dad and I focused on things that we like doing - I teach and research, Les draws. To cope with grieving, Les drew and joined competitions. One day, I came across the Logo Competition of UNESCO for the World Audio Visual Heritage Day. As a former cultural officer and a self-claimed communication researcher, I encouraged Les to join this contest. Aside from the good prize pot, Les and I are for digitization of old files, music, entertainment and any other audio-visual and print resources. Les worked on this contest for quite awhile. He did this very seriously, thinking of the details of his logo thoroughly.

I am so glad he won. He deserves this.

I am so thankful to our Creator for this opportunity. We missed Anya so much today.

Thanks

2009-09-07T17:37:00.003+08:00

Last week, I went to PGH to settle Anya's bill and donate two pulse oximeters for the Pediatric wards. The pulse oximeters were donated by the UPLB community - as organized by the UPLB De Molay Fraternity and the band, Sugarfree. Sugarfree held a concert for Anya's benefit. But since Anya left us, we decided to donate the proceeds to the Philippine General Hospital Department of Pediatrics.

This blog post is dedicated to all those who have helped us financially during Anya's sickness. I was able to seek help from Senators and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Among the senators, I want to thank Sen. Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, Sen. Migs Zubiri, Sen. Loren Legarda, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Lito Lapid (who have written the endorsement letter for PCSO).

I sincerely thank my batchmate, Ebe Dancel and his bandmates, Sir Jal, Kaka and Ardee for their generous time and talent. Guys, you will help a lot of sick kids in PGH. You deserve your success. And of course the UPRHS Batch 93. Les and I are very grateful for all your prayers, support and concern. Ang galing talaga ng batch natin.

I still miss Anya everyday, but I am sure my little baby is happy in heaven. A lot of people have shown love recently - love to her and others.

Anya is in heaven

2009-08-12T07:53:00.001+08:00

This reading taken from the Bible assures me that Anya is definitely with Jesus. This goes out to all mothers who have lost a child. Let us not worry, but be thankful that God assures us that our children are with Him.

Picture taken from here

Gospel
Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
1 At this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?'

2 So he called a little child to him whom he set among them.

3 Then he said, 'In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.

4 And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.

5 'Anyone who welcomes one little child like this in my name welcomes me.

10 'See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.

12 'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray?

13 In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all.

14 Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

Pictures of me

2009-08-07T02:13:00.029+08:00

I picked this from another blog and found it fun. I thought I would not be able to finish tonight (or this am) but I did. Most of the pictures were taken within the onset of a digital camera. I did not have much pictures when I was younger. This digital age brought in wonders such as the digital camera. After surveying my pictures and the instructions of this "article", I just realized that Anya really had an impact in my life. Most of the pics relate to her and her dad. I love you Daddy Les and Baby Anya!

A picture of me in my room

A picture of me on my recent bday

The youngest picture I can find of yourself in digital form. This was taken in, if I am not mistaken, Summer of 2003.

A picture of me in one of my favorite outfits. I just love maternity clothes!

A picture of me making a goofy face at the camera.

A picture me which I might have edited. This is my first friendster pic. Hahaha.

A picture of me being truly myself

My most recent picture. Taken July 30 @ Sugarfree's benefit concert for Anya

A picture of me being absolutely ridiculous.

A picture of a time in my your life that's over, but I wish it wasn't

A picture of me that I had no idea was being taken

A picture of me when I was different person than I am now. THIN.

A picture of me with someone I love.

A picture of how I'd like the world to see me.

A picture that describes how I'd like to spend every day.

A picture of a time when everything was changing.

A picture that makes my heart hurt.

A picture that makes my heart smile

A picture of one of the best days / nights of your life

Here's the list.
Here is the list:
1. a picture of you in your room
2. a picture of your very drunk
3. a picture of you on your birthday, or your favorite holiday
4. the youngest picture you can find of yourself in digital form.
5. a picture of you in one of your favorite outfits.
6. a picture of you making a goofy face at the camera
7. a picture you might have edited to make yourself more attractive
8. a picture of a night you regret
9. a picture of you being truly yourself
10. your most recent picture.
11. a picture of you being absolutely ridiculous.
12. a picture of you showing off a new haircut / color
13. a picture of a time in your life that's over, but you wish it wasn't
14. a picture of a time in your life that's over, and you couldn't be more thankful that it is.
15. a picture of you when you were anything but happy
16. a picture of you that you had no idea was being taken
17. a picture of you when you were a different person than you are now.
18. a picture of you with someone you love.
19. a picture of how you'd like the world to see you.
20. a picture that describes how you'd like to spend every day.
21. a picture of a time when everything was changing.
22. a picture that makes your heart hurt.
23. a picture that makes your heart smile
24. a picture of one of your best days / nights of your life

Try it out :)

Anya and love

2009-08-06T14:27:00.002+08:00

Chichi did this drawing of Anya. Chichi tells me that Anya is now in heaven, smiling at us -- with big eyes. She always carries this bear angel and tell me that it was Anya. Chichi is a very bright, smart and talented girl. I am so thankful for having her around. She assures me everyday that Anya is doing well. Everytime Chichi sees me crying, she draws Anya - like this one.

As I reflected on losing Anya but loving her immensely, one message I got was:

Love is everlasting. When we feel love, God is with us. He wants us to know how much He loves us. He shares His love so we can share love too. His existence is proven with how we love and the fact that love exists. The love of a parent is the same with God's love. All love boils down to God. Difficulties are eased by love. If one is looking for love, just look for God and love is just right there. If we will love, accept, forgive, hope and trust in God, then the world will be peaceful.

God, through Jesus, came to this world to bring love and for people to realize that God cares for the sick, suffering and the children. We, who witnessed God's love should testify, write and share our everyday journey - no matter how ridiculous we may sound for others.

Life is not really a box of chocolates - because chocolates are good. But I move on everyday, trying to live normally despite of the grieving. Thank you for those who are continually praying for us. thanks so much.

UP Rural High school: Mighty as ever

2009-07-26T19:49:00.002+08:00

Last Friday, 24 July 2009, my husband, Arlene and I attended the 80th Founding Anniversary of our highschool alma mater. I went to the University of the Philippines Rural High School (UPRHS) or Rural. In my high school years in 1989-1993, Rural was still inside the UPLB campus. Its building is now the Math Building in UPLB. Now, UPRHS is at PAciano, Bay Laguna, enjoying its wide and lush campus.

UPRHS boasts of the best and the brightest highschool students in Laguna and probably of Region IV-A. I can also say that it is one of the best highschools in the country, as proven by its high UPCAT (sometimes 100%) passing rates; a rigid student selection process and graduates who have excelled in their own chosen fields. Among our respected alumni are UP President Emerlinda Roman, National Scientist Clare Baltazar, Theatre Actor and Director Tony Mabesa, Nobel Prize Laureate and TOYM Awardee Felino Lansigan, award winning indie film director/actor Jerrold Tarog among others.

On December 19, 2009, UPRHS will once again hold its Grand Alumni Homecoming, entitled Mighty at 80. It is a whole day affair to be held at the UPRHS grounds. One of the highlights of the event is the two-car prize grand raffle draw, wherein the proceeds will be for the UPRHS Alumni Association endowment fund. Each ticket costs P500.00 - which will be used for the UPRHS scholarship funds and infrastructure development.

Coping with grief

2009-07-16T15:37:00.004+08:00

In a scale of 1-10, 1 the lowest and 10 the highest, I can measure my grief of losing Anya, 10. I had been in pain for a bad break-up, a job lost, a friend's conflict, a fight with parents, losing a grandmother - but the extent of the pain with these are nothing compared to what I am feeling right now.

The break-up. My bad break-up happened in 2002, when I found out that my good for nothing ex beau has another girl who was 17 years old. He never loved me though, I hated to admit it then. The pain is not after the break-up but within the relationship itself. He was totally opposite of everything you would wish for a boyfriend to be - he gets drunk and makes a fool of himself, he is not pleasant looking, he lies constantly - not only to me. (I will not name him here). The pain I experienced then is sliced me up inside, that when I decided to break-up with him, I did not feel any remorse, resentment nor regret. I just felt relieved, that finally I got out. I somehow felt he used "gayuma" because I cannot seem to get out. But I did. Thankfully. However, this happened twice. Never learned but I did now.

I have been into conflicts with friends mostly due to female hormones, miscommunication and immaturity. Perhaps lasting relationships do go through conflicts to step up to a deeper level, and conflicts are portals to accept your friend more. Right now, I know I chose the right ones - no matter how many misunderstandings we have gone through. Unlike my exes, I am glad we are all friends until now. Coping with losing friends temporarily are easily remedied with having other friends. Only time is needed to mend the conflict and move on with our friendship. That is how simple it is, though still, there was pain.

But this. Losing Anya is really difficult to cope with. I have several ways of coping now:

1. Playing farm town - I am so engrossed in it. If I finish playing and see Anya's pic, I cry. So I guess, it is not a really good means of coping.
2. Playing with Chichi - This is probably the most effective means. Chichi gives me sincere happiness. She is very smart and I think she knows that I am in pain. She draws Anya as an angel or as a patient. Once, she drew Jesus holding the hands of Anya. Yesterday, she gave me a Winnie the Pooh baby, whose cheeks look like that of Anya's. When Anya was still in my tummy, Chichi hugs her everyday and learned to read the calendar to count the days of Anya's birthday. I know that she and Anya have a special bond. Before Anya died, Chichi laughed and said "Nakita ko si Goofy, may kasamang baby". Anya said goodbye to her first.
3. Bonding with girlfriends - One thing I noticed after Anya's demise is, my girlfriends are always around. They assure me that everything is going to be fine and we are going to have a healthy one. And more especially, that little Anya is watching over me and daddy.
4. And this blog. I want to share what I am going through. I want to share my prayers and how I am coping.
5. Family - My family is so nice to me now. They are always praying for Les and I.

I remember before, I find 5 ways to cope: pray, reflect, play with kids, keep a journal and have a hobby. My husband and I pray together, I reflect what I am going through with my friends, I keep this blog as a journal, I play with Chichi, and I am enjoying virtual farming - though I think I need to come up with something else.

So for those of you who are worried about us, please do not worry. Your prayers have kept us well. We understand that grieving is all a part of it. We really do miss Anya. And we do grieve. It is all a part of the plan, but we live, pray and hope. We know that Anya is very happy to be with Jesus in heaven. We are happy for her but we miss her. And we are very proud of her. Love you little Anya.

In times of sickness and death

2009-07-13T17:35:00.003+08:00

I am not a fan of politics, nor any specific political clan. But let me share with you this prayer sent to me by my mother. Right now, I can know and feel what the Aquinos are going through with Cory Aquino's condition. Cory Aquino is no ordinary Filipino. One thing I really like about her is, despite of being a former president, she does not carry any title to her name, but simply Cory Aquino, Tita Cory or Mrs. Aquino - not Madame Cory, President Cory whatsoever is appropriate.

Cory reminds of me of my aunt I call Inay Dot. Inay Dot is prayerful. Despite of having no highschool degree, she headed the Parish Pastoral Council for several years and was really good at it. She and Cory have the same aura of authority, and blissfulness. She, like Tita Cory, suffers from an illness - she endured breast cancer and now, is suffering from stroke complications. Despite of it, she remained alive, strong and faithful.

Anya, Inay Dot and Cory Aquino are testaments of prayers and faith in God. During times of suffering, they assure us that our God is strongest during these times.

The prayer for happy death written by Cory Aquino asks for positivity, strength and endurance, not only for the sick but for the family as well.

Prayer for a happy death

By Corazon C. Aquino
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:41:00 07/10/2009

Almighty God, most merciful Father
You alone know the time
You alone know the hour
You alone know the moment
When I shall breathe my last.

So, remind me each day,
most loving Father
To be the best that I can be.
To be humble, to be kind,
To be patient, to be true.
To embrace what is good,
To reject what is evil,
To adore only You.

When the final moment does come
Let not my loved ones grieve for long.
Let them comfort each other
And let them know
how much happiness
They brought into my life.
Let them pray for me,
As I will continue to pray for them,
Hoping that they will always pray
for each other.

Let them know that they made possible
Whatever good I offered to our world.
And let them realize that our separation
Is just for a short while
As we prepare for our reunion in eternity.

Our Father in heaven,
You alone are my hope.
You alone are my salvation.
Thank you for your unconditional love, Amen.

Anya anya

2009-07-09T18:20:00.002+08:00

It has been a month since Anya transcended. I miss her everyday, look at her pictures, and watch her videos; feel her and her scent. We went to her grave yesterday, we brought flowers and lighted a candle. When I saw in her grave "Anya D. Coronel, April 18, 2009 to June 08, 2009, I cried. I realized that she is definitely physically absent. Oh how a long for her to be with me physically. As I write this, I feel like crying.

Anya dear, my lovely Nye-Nye . . . I love you so much. Mommy thinks about you all the time. I am assured that you are healed and you are happy and my little angel. I realized that your spine is open because your wings were tucked inside it. And your head is a bit large because your halo was tucked inside it too. Daddy and Mommy are thankful for having you even for just a short time. Now I can say that you are the best person who has been with me. I love you baby.

A beautiful Anya

2009-06-27T19:17:00.004+08:00

This is my husband's definition of a beautiful woman. I found this on his blog which he wrote in 2003. This poem just reminds me of Anya. Of how she has suffered physically but still showed a great deal of strength and courage. I still miss her everyday, I think this missing will never cease.

You don't look at a beautiful woman but you will surely see her
dressed up in nothing but her worned down ancient principles.
You won't hear her voice; you listen when she speaks.
Her presence does not burst in fragrance;
it is when she's gone that her pleasance lingers.
You will love everything about her
but she will love for no reason at all.

Anya's favorite music

2009-06-27T15:17:00.002+08:00

Anya loved music, particularly Ennio Morricone’s Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso. After breast feeding, we put Anya to sleep. The only way that she can totally sleep is by listening to the Cinema Paradiso soundtrack. One time, we were near the piano. After her usual routine of catching sleep, I placed her in her crib then she cried. Her dad played the music in the piano. When we thought that she is sleeping already, Les stopped playing. Then she cried hard. And he resumed playing until she fell asleep.

When she was in the ICU, we made sure that Anya's music is played. Nurses observed that her vital signs are better if her music is being played.

A hopeful prayer

2009-06-24T18:32:00.001+08:00

I prayed and wrote this prayer when i was waiting for Anya's healing. My heart was filled of hope that she will be with us at home as soon as she heals. However, God has other plans, He chose Anya to be with Him. In heaven, Anya is free of illness. But she is still very much loved here on Earth.

Anya Coronel is the best person who I came across with. My baby Anya has shown resilience and triumph over her adversities.

Anya's prayer of hope

Lord, as I wait for my healing, my heart is filled with hope,
I will play with my family and friends
I will love and be loved
I will share my blessings
I will sing for Your glory
And I will praise Your name.

My hope for my healing is endless
And I know that this hope will soon be truth, for Your mercy is great and Your love is everlasting.

Amen.

I admit that I am grieving. I have crying spiels everyday. I miss Anya terribly.
Having said these, I know that she is happy with the company of our Creator. She will never be unhappy for she is one of those little angels watching over us. All I have to do is learn the lesson, take care of myself and my husband, pray for understanding and discernment and trust in God for He knows whats best. I may have a few questions, and I am assured that these will soon be answered.

2009-06-16T07:36:00.001+08:00

I wrote this prayer while reflecting on Anya’s situation. Anya, my brave little daughter is ever thankful to our dear Lord for giving her life.

Anya’s prayer of thanksgiving

Thank you for giving me life
Thank you for all the blessings
Give my doctors wisdom and knowledge to treat me
Give all those who have prayed for my healing blessings and love.
With all these, I am grateful. Amen.

A letter of thanks

2009-06-15T07:38:00.001+08:00

My little Anya is now an angel. God has given us an angel who passed by this world for 51 days.

After her ordeal with her hydrocephalus shunting and lumbosacral meningocele repair, we were able to bring Anya home. However, after a week of being a normal baby, she went back to the hospital. Since we went back home, Anya had short fever episodes, which turned out to be UTI. Our pedia advised us to have her admitted in a hospital. From May 8-13, she was in LBDH and was given antibiotics for her UTI. On May 13, Anya had a seizure which forced us to transfer to PGH. It turned out Anya had ventriculitis and probably sepsis. Anya became worse after that. Doctors suspected sepsis, wherein her blood and urine culture revealed infection caused by Enterobacter aerogenes. On May 19, Anya was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in PGH. Aside from sepsis, she had staphylococcus scalded skin syndrome, wherein her skin turned into large blisters. My baby was suffering from overwhelming infections - even overwhelming for an adult. For three weeks in intensive care, Anya fought her infections head on. Despite of blister filled skin, Anya cooperated well with her care givers. I cannot imagine the pain, and the discomfort that she has to endure, but Anya, stayed . . . fought hard.... and lived.

Les and I stayed with her all the way - running errands to buy medicine and supplies, process lab requests, request blood, go around soliciting funds from government institutions, asking around for blood donors. Having a patient in the ICU required us to be keep up 24/7. We were so positive that Anya will get well. She showed good vital signs and has been responding to medications on her first week in the ICU.

Family and friends were with us all throughout, offering prayers, support and even money. On average, we spent around 6,000 pesos per day for three weeks - but we never had no or lacked money. We were showered with financial help, making us able to help a few of our new found friends whose love ones are also in the ICU.

On her third week in the ICU, Anya's frail body was not able to take the blood transfusions and antibiotics anymore. On June 8 at 4:17pm, Anya freed herself from her physical suffering and joined our Creator. Les and I were there with her before she left her vessel. Everytime we leave the room during nurse or doctor endorsements, her heart stopped beating but was revived. Les and I decided to stay with her in the ICU because we felt that her spirit goes with us everytime we leave her. Before her last cardiac arrest episode, we spoke with her and gave her permission to leave this world and be with Jesus in heaven, were she can surely ride the bike, swim and run. Our little angel said her goodbye, making us assure her that we are not going to be lonely. We miss her terrible though.

We take this opportunity to thank you who have been with us for the past 51 days. We are very proud of our brave little daughter, who despite of her congenital birth defects, tried to fight the bigger disease - sepsis. Her doctors not only tried to treat her but prayed for her as well - they treated her well and were very generous with their time. The nurses believed in her fighting spirit. And we her parents, gave everything we can to assist her in her fight against infection. Our family have been with us, prayed for our new family, gave us company, helped out with securing blood donors and helped us out financially. Our friends (IRRI, from highschool and my brods and sisses at Kappa Epsilon and Theta Epsilon) have been with us all throughout, offering spiritual and financial support, blood donation, shelter (thank you Teny/Abet and Garry) and company. The sisters of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus, have been with us and Anya - brought les and i merienda, prayed hard for Anya and listened to us if we get sad. Our priests, friends and relatives also assured us of endless prayers. Our clients, who understood our situation and did not give us strict deadlines. My friends and cousins who helped me seek medical assistance from various individuals and institutions. We also thank the random strangers who assured us of hope of Anya's situation, our new found friends at the Bahay Antayan and everyone who have hoped, prayed, thought of Anya during her 51 days here in our world. Most especially, I thank our good Lord for choosing us, as Anya's parents. We are very proud of our dear Anya. . . no words can describe our gratitude for that opportunity. Hay, we miss Anya soooo much. Our little angel watches over us. Anya thought us precious lessons on love, hope, humanity and faith.

Thank you everyone. Our love goes out to you.

When an angel was born

2009-06-14T10:10:00.004+08:00

I lost my dear baby Anya to sepsis on 8 June 2009. Let me tell you her story through this blog. This is my letter to my family and friends who were with us during her first 12 days.

I delivered Anya through ceasarian section on 18 April 2009 at Los Banos, Laguna. Before I gave birth, we knew that Anya has congenital hydrocephalus (more popularly known as having water in the brain). I was quite prepped about what hydrocephalus is. I have spoken with a neurosurgeon who told us that to treat hydrocephalus, he will place a shunt on Anya two weeks after her birth. We were very excited with her birthday. My husband Les and I have prayed hard to have her delivered safely.

Unfortunately, Anya did not suffer from hydrocephalus alone. Her spine did not develop before birth (lumbosacral meningocele). My OB-Gyne was quite surprised with it since Anya did not show any spine trouble at her ultrasound. I was informed that my newborn daughter has to be rushed to the Philippine General Hospital for the immediate treatment of her spine. My husband and my mom went with her in PGH, while I was recovering from my c-section. After three days of rest, I immediately went to PGH to be with my new family.

Anya underwent her spine operation a day after her birth. The neurosurgeon did the procedure because her spine started to leak. After a week, Anya was subjected to another neurosurgical procedure to treat her hydrocephalus. Her pediatrician discovered that Anya suffered from blood infection. The water found in her head was also infected. Her temperature dropped to 35 celcius, she suffered from jaundice. She was never fed with milk for the first three days of her life. It was a difficult scenario for a first-time parent.

We saw how Anya took everything in a stride - responding very well to her antibiotics which lessened her infections making her suitable for her operations (and lessening the days we have to endure in the hospital). The non-stop blood tests, the tubes connected to her, the series of lab tests and most especially, two neurosurgical operations in nine days are things we have dealt with. Thankfully, Anya coped well and is now recovering at home. Our 12 day ordeal is now sealed with positive hope and gratefulness.

There are still a lot of things about Anya that we need to observe. Her legs are quite weak and she might be having bladder problems. And all those stuff that I have read about about her condition. All I have this time is the testament of prayers, concern, support and encouragement from friends and family. I thank those who have prayed hard for her recovery, for those who have expressed encouragement and support, for those who have contributed financially and for those who hoped for the best for my baby. Thank you everyone. Les, Anya and I are very grateful for everything. Please continue praying for our new family, especially for the complete recovery of our baby.

Sincerely,
Kaye -

Plato Rodizia: the great Los Banos, Laguna dining experience

2008-10-13T16:49:00.003+08:00

Gary, Les and Manoy opened Plato Rodizia, Garden Barbecue. The guys have been pretty much on this for the past two to three months. Thankfully, we have been blessed to open restaurant on the latter days of September.

Plato Rodizia or Plato was conceptualized to give Los Banos, Laguna residents and visitors are different kind of dining experience. The boys worked so hard to achieve a good and relaxing ambiance and great food. What would a restaurant be without good food? Plato focused on grilled menu such as baby back ribs, lamb chops, pork and chicken kebab and liempo (which is a classic best seller). Apart from this, we kept vegetables and fruits within our menu to comply with health buffs, senior citizens and those who just love safe and nutritious food.

We offer German and local beer, kapeng barako -hot or cold, and eventually, Pinoy hot chocolate and more coffee flavors. There is so much to do, but one thing is for sure, Plato will keep on improving it's products and services. We want to give Los Banos, Laguna a dining pleasure and restaurant it truly deserves. So, when you travel to LB or in Laguna, make sure you put Plato Rodizia in your itinerary.

deadlines, angioplasty atbp

2008-09-02T09:26:00.003+08:00

I have out in awhile. Too busy with work and married things to think about my own blogging. I blog for other blogs (http://www.manaygina.blogspot.com, http://www.brainbang-mindbullet.com) but just about contemporary things. I have been too focused on my papers, which I have been doing for the past 6 months or something. I am almost done - thank goodnes..

I missed the e-heads concert. Aw. My ely collapsed towards the end of the first set, which makes me sadder. Not too many know that I am an Ely Buendia fan. Well I am and I worship him like a matinee idol. It is not his boy-next-door charming face, or his witty but deep lyrics, or maybe his not so impressive singing voice - I just love him all together. I hope Ely will get well the soonest, and rest well. He has been through a lot lately. And of course, us fans, hope that if he has completely recovered, he will be in another eraserheads reunion concert and i will not miss that, ever. My husband, who is a non-eheads listener (how can i get someone like this - no regrets there) has no choice but to come with me.

The sun worshipper

2008-06-02T13:41:00.002+08:00

The sun sets with its scorching warmth at Cuttack, India. I bid goodbye to a long tiring day, and felt its touch as it sits down for the day. I look forward to saying hello to the sun tomorrow - as I start a new day.

Meeting blues: Why impact is critical in rice breeding experiments

2008-05-30T09:33:00.002+08:00

Our team in the office had the "wet season" meeting. Every rice planting season, we have a meeting to prepare for the next one. Usually, it goes by wet and dry season since rice is dependent on rain and water. Sitting in the meeting for about one hour and a half is weird - I cannot understand a word. The breeders talk in jargons which are abstract concepts on my understanding - nematodes, OYTs, transplanting.

Rice breeding, is a complex system with its own language and culture. I learned that rice breeding is dependent on rains, should manage pests and other stresses - floods, drought, cyclones/storms, pest attacks, snails, rats, birds. The only tool that humans have against these stresses are proper management which in turn require money. We spend millions in doing these experiments. Investments are just staggering - rice breeding management entails - fertilizers, pesticides, net bags, weedicides, rat fences, pipe lines and labor. Drainage and irrigation are other expenses. That is when my work comes in. If farmers are unable to understand and apply the management requirements of a new rice variety - which promises tolerance to any natural stress, then all the experiments - and the amount spent on the experiment are useless.

Impact is critical to everyone - the donor, the scientists, the farmers.

http://www.oppositeofapathy.wordpress.com

2008-05-10T12:31:00.000+08:00

Converse, raise issues, ask questions, with the Young Turks - Atty. Adel Tamano, Prof. Danton Remoto, Mayor JV Ejercito, Mr. Gilbert Remulla and TG Guingona at their blog, Opposite of Apathy.

Laugh trip

2008-04-30T11:22:00.001+08:00

I received this email from our Kappa Epsilon e-groups. This is really funny and worth sharing. enjoy!

In Philippine gameshows -

Host: Ano sa Ingles ang hinlalaki?
Contestant: Thumbmark

Host: Ano ang ginagamit ng mga swimmers para bumilis ang kanilang
paglanggoy?
Contestant: Fast Shoes

Host: Kung si Superman ay may Lois Lane , ano naman ang kay Robinhood?
contestant: Pana.

Host: Anong ang inuupuan pag nakasakay sa kabayo?
contestant: Silya

Host: Ano ang karaniwang hugis ng manibela?
contestant: Triangular

Host: Hindi ito boob, hindi ito tube, pero tinatawag ng iba na boob
tube. Ano ito?
contestant: Bra

Host: Kelan ang Pasko sa Davao ?
contestant: PASS

Host: Anong tawag sa isdang hindi bilasa?
contestant: tuyo

Host: Ilan ang legs ng cartoon character na si Spiderman?
contestant: Eight

Host: Ano ang nationality ng sanggol na may amang Filipino Catholic at
Protestanteng Ina?
Contestant: American

Host: Merong four seasons: winter, spring, summer, at fall. kelan
nahuhulog ang mga dahon?
contestant: sa storm

Host: Anong bukol ang makikita sa leeg ng mga lalaki?
contestant: Kiss mark

Host: ano ang kulay ng orange juice kapag nilagay sa blue na baso?
contestant: Violet
Host: anong malambot na bahagi sa ulo ng sanggol?
contestant: batok

Host: magbigay ng bagay na ipini-pin sa damit?
contestant: Hairpin

Host: Ano ang nagpapaalat sa itlog na maalat?
contestant: Puti

Host: ano ang tawag sa mga needle-like projections na nakasabit sa
ceiling ng mga caves?
contestant: Ice pick

Host: ano ang tawag sa plastic bag na lalagyan ng basura?
contestant: plastic bag na nilalagyan ng basura.

Host: anong C ang paboritong kainin ng mga rabbit?
contestant: Cacamber

Host: ang urine ay liquid: TRUE OR FALSE
contestant: False

Host: anong ang system ng Math na gumagamit ng symbols instead of numbers?
contestant: China ?

Host: anong ginawa ni Moses sa Red Sea ?
contestant: Stop

Host: what is the capital of the Philippines?
contestant: P

Host: anong klaseng sapatos ang ginagamit ng mga basketbolista?
contestant: adidas

Host: sino ang pumatay kay David?
contestant: Goliath

host: ano ang tawag sa taong walang suot sa paa?
contestant: Slipperless

Host: kung ang bulag ay blind ano naman ang english ng pipi?
contestant: Walang salita

Host: anong sea creature ang kalahating kabayo at kalahating isda?
contestant: syokoy
Host: ano ang nasa gitna ng donut?
contestant: palaman

Host: ang salad dressing ba ay damit
contestant: (sandaling nagisip) YES!

Host: Anong klaseng sasakyan ang inaayos sa hangar?
contestant: sirang sasakyan

host: ano ang nilalagay sa sewing machine?
contestant: lagari?

host: ilan taon meron sa leap year?
contestant: 365

host: anong hayop ang di-nakakakita sa sa araw ngunit nakakakita sa dilim?
contestant: flashlight

host: Ano ang tawag sa laro kung saan ang dalawang team ang
naghihilahan sa isang lubid?
contestant: tumbang-preso

host: kung manicure sa kamay, ano ang sa paa?
contestant: kuko

host: ano ang isunusuot ng mg boksingero sa ulo nila bilang proteksyon?
contestant: Sumbrero

host: ano ang tawag sa laman sa loob ng buto: marrow or muscle?
contestant: karne

host: para saa ang anti-dandruff shampoo?
contestant: kuto

host: anong englis ng ampalaya?
contestant: asparagus

host: ilang metro mayroon sa 300 meters?
contestant: 3000

host: anong sasakyan ang gamit sa tour de france?
contestant: Kalesa
Host: ano ang kasunod ng kidlat?
contestant: sunog

host: saan matatagpuan ang Quebec ?
contestant: afghanistan

host: tinuturo ang G-clef sa anong subject?
contestant: Mathematics

host: ano ang halaman na tumitiklop kapag ito nahawakan?
contestant: Hiya-hiya

host: ano ang itlog na ayon sa iba, nakakapagpatigas ng tuhod?
contestant: TAMA!

host: ano ang isinusuot ng taong walang buhok?
contestant: Kalbo

host: anong zip ang ginagamit sa pagbukas ng pantalon?
contestant: pagbukas ng bag

host: anong ang first word sa stanza ng JIngle bells?
contestant: dyingel?

host: anong ang tawag sa taong nagiisa?
contestant: home alone

host: Sa anong bansa nakatira ang mga Hindu?
contestant: hindunesia

host: kung ang ubo ay sa bibig, ano naman ang sa ilong?
contestant: Vicks

host: ano ang kulay ng strawberry?
contestant: ube

host: anong klaseng animal ang Afghan Hound?
contestant: Afghanistan

host: sinong American president ang nagkapolyo noong 1920s?
contestant: Apolinario Mabini..

photo ops

2008-04-16T10:55:00.003+08:00

Happy birthday Les!

I am sorry I cannot be with you on your birthday.

But I will only be gone for five days. I know you will be waiting.

Kaye

Wonder Woman

2008-04-14T09:13:00.001+08:00

I got this quiz from Joffin. I think it's cute.

Your results:
You are Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman		85%
Green Lantern		85%
Supergirl		70%
Hulk		65%
Spider-Man		60%
The Flash		60%
Robin		55%
Iron Man		55%
Superman		50%
Catwoman		50%
Batman		45%

You are a beautiful princess
with great strength of character.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Survey says

2008-04-07T10:27:00.002+08:00

I used to answer a lot of surveys from friendster before. I have not done this for a very long time. Here is one I think is good enough.

[01] Do you ever wonder what your ex
is up to?
= no. ex who?

[02] Have u ever been given roses?
= yes, a very very long time ago

[03] What is your all-time favorite
romance movie?
= pretty in pink, cutting edge, then lately, the holiday

[04] How many times have you honestly
fallen deeply in love:
= 5 siguro

[05] Do you believe that everyone has
a soul-mate?
= yes

[06] What's your current problem?
= backlog at work

[07] Have you ever had your heart
broken?
= yes

[09] Do you believe in this saying-
What goes around comes around?
= yup

[10] Do you want to get married?
= I am! and i like married

[11]how many kids do u want to have?
= 2

[12] Whats your favorite color(s)?
= fenk

[14] Do you believe in love at first
sight?
= no

[15.]would u kiss the last person u
kissed?
= yes - my husband

[16] At what age did you start
noticing the gender of your choice?
= 9 or 10

[17] Do you still love your ex?
= no

[18] Do you know someone who likes you?
= wala

The tales of a celebrating Incognito fan in Manila: after-concert blog post

2008-03-15T12:56:00.005+08:00

Picture: Les and I at the Incognito concert in Manila, 14 March 2008 at Sofitel Tent

"One nation under one groove" - Bluey (I swear I will name my first kid BLUEY!)

Les and I never had a honeymoon after our wedding. The demands of our jobs cannot fit anything to our schedule, though we rarely do anything on weekends. Rather, we wanted to see Incognito, Swing Out sister or Brand New Heavies live, regardless of price. So, after the wedding, I searched on the internet to see where these guys will be playing -- we expected that it would be in Kuala Lumpur, Hongkong or Singapore. But nooooo!!!!

Incognito was here on March 14 for the Philippine Jazz and Arts Festival. (And of course Swing out sister is on April 7). I quickly booked for tickets and texted our co-jazz fan, Moi to see and party in the superior sound of Incognito.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hubby, our friend Moi and I watched Incognito - a UK-based acid jazz band, which I heart. I love their upbeat, funky and groovy songs, especially "Beneath the Surface". Les introduced me to incognito last year through their Bees and things and flowers album. Since then, I got super hooked and was converted from an eraserheads fan to an acid jazz fan. I am still a 90s rock loyalist -*bow, but Incognito and other jazz bands like Brand New Heavies widened my music taste.

I want to thank the organizers of this concert. Really. thank you thank you thank you. You may never know how much joy you have given me and my husband for bringing Incognito here. I hope to see them again.

movie crybaby

2008-03-12T13:44:00.005+08:00

Watching the movie The Kite Runner spilled out deep seated emotions of different kinds. I am not the type who cries when watching movies - except on this one. This two-hour masterpiece left me hooked with tears and laughter at the same time. I was so happy with the casting of this film and the child who played Hassan - who looks like my nephew, Adrian. Sadly, Hassan suffered a lot but remained loyal to his friend.

I will not elaborate on the story. It is quite simple in the beginning of the movie -- it was about a childhood friendship of Hassan and Amir and the game of playing kites. Hassan, who is a son of Amir's household servant, was perfectly casted as cute, smart, and brave. Amir, the son of the rich businessman is weak and jealous of Hassan's bravery. Their relationship changed as the movie progressed. Alarming scenes came in, weaving the lives of the Hassan and Amir, their country Afghanistan, their families -- and eventually, revelations which further brought me tears.

I never blog about movies, but this one is a must-see. When the movie ended, all I said was "shit, ang ganda" then I cried again.

Only Batagueno/a can understand

2008-03-10T09:42:00.002+08:00

I am a true blue Batanguena. Though I lived in Los Banos, Laguna most of my life, I can say that I am a Batanguena in my heart and soul. My parents are both raised in Batangas, and lived there when I was younger. My batangas accent never left me, and my conservative nature always comes in handy in times of need.

I love the batangueno accent. It is soulful, passionate and unique. You can feel the meaning of the words, when batanguenos talk. These are two anecdotes on how a batangueno describes two accidents. Feel the accent. enjoy.

Airplane Crashes in Batangas

An airplane crashed at a town in Batangas.

MEDIA: Manong, pakilarawan po ang nangyari.

LOLO: Ala eh, nakow, garne ga utoy... Kakaalmusal ko laang, gayak ako'y sisinsay sa kahanggan, ay natan-awan ko yaan sa alapaap ay nagsisilab. Bago sumirok ng papagay-on na kala mo'y papatak. Ginagaling na laang at sa sukalang are sumugba, ay kung sa kabayanan ga, ay di panay mga utas!

MEDIA: Ho?

Vehicular Accident in Batangas

MEDIA: 'Lo, kayo daw po'ng saksi?

LOLO: Ay uwo! Ika'y pumarne dine sa silong. Kung ako pa naman ang dadais sa iyo para magsalaysay ay sulong!

MEDIA: 'Sensya na po sa abala.

LOLO: Ako'y naka-ungkot laang dine at karakaraka'y ako'y nagitla sa busina. May mag-inang hasing-hasi pa ng paghihikap ay gab-eng gab-e na! Bakingga aring dyip ay saksakan ng tulin? Ay di ako'y palakat na sa mag-inang di naiingli! Aba'y maiipit na'y naka-umis pa! Kainaman! Hayown! Sa pag-iwas ng dyip ay sumalya sa tarangka, tiklap ang tapaludung lasa ko'y kawangki ng nilamukos na kiche. Pagkakabugnot ng
drayber! Ngalngal e!

MEDIA: Ano raw?

Another Lesson:

Do not do unto others, what you don't want others to do unto you"

Batangenyo Translation:

"Huwag kayong gay-an.. kung maggagay-an kayo, huwag gay-on"

kainaman naman talaga.. Ay siya have a good day na laang.

thoughtless taughts

2008-03-03T16:30:00.003+08:00

bliss comes from divine blessings, which assures you not to be confined with earthly goals. achieving bliss is not blissful.

soft science tells truths. hard science, on hindsight, chooses truths. but everywhere, soft science gets the thumbs down.

when sick our bodies calls for an opportunity to get in touch with our spirit.

back on track

2008-02-19T08:35:00.002+08:00

The wedding brouhaha is finally over! Now, I am back on track. Back to my job, back to my back pains, back to sleepy mornings. No more preparations, no more thinking of catering . . . back to my old life.

Nothing changed, so it seems. Except for some details:
1. I now live with Les, in Bayan. If I wake up a little late and commute at 730, I will definitely be late from work.
2. I do not live with my parents anymore -- no car for me.

I am still adjusting. I can see some changes coming by.

We are married!!!

2008-02-14T16:59:00.010+08:00

Coronel-Domingo Nuptials
9 February 2008, Los Banos Laguna Philippines

On a sunny Saturday morning, on the 9th of February 2008, Achilleus Coronel, a freelance design specialist, and Kaye Domingo, a researcher at the International Rice Research Institute tied the knot at Sancti Dei Chapel, Los Banos Laguna.

About 200 people witnessed this spectacular event. Most of those present were kaye's relatives from Sto. Tomas Batangas and as far as Dumaguete City in NEgros Island and Cagayan de Oro City. Other guests were friends since high school, officemates (Social Sciences Division and Plant Breeding of IRRI), personal colleagues from Kappa Epsilon and Theta Epsilon, and Kaye's classmates from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Garbed in a personally designed barong and his trademark hat, Les was a confident, dashing groom. Kaye, the bride was radiant in her make-up by Lawrence of Dionne's and a simple white gown made by a local seamstress. The mother of the bride and groom were both clad in pomelo/pink dresses. The bridesmaids Dianne and Casey and flower girls, Chichi and Viella, wore simple pink dresses.

Music was provided by Rody and Connie Toledo. Fr. Diwane Cacao led the celebration. He advised the couple to stay wise in their decisions.

Photography was by Imagine Nation Photography, the best and number one wedding photographer in the Philippines. Les, has a keen eye for design and colors, and he declared that Imagine Nation has the best photographers -- in terms of precision, style and colors -- very professional too. Arlene, Don G and Jonathan really captured the wedding moments.

More to follow

Rule the World

2008-01-29T14:32:00.001+08:00

this is my favorite song of all time - included on the soundtrack of the best movie I have seen this year - Stardust.

How I wish this can be sang in my wedding -- by no less than Mark Owen and the Take That oldies. Rule the world!

2008-01-17T11:21:00.000+08:00

i am freaking out

freaking out

freaking out

out freaking

freaking out

The Invite

2008-01-15T08:27:00.000+08:00

This is the wedding invitation Les did for the wedding. 25 days to go. The invite is not done yet.

Venting Anger over details
Wedding preps will take you around 2 months the least. With all the paper processing that you have to do, and the seminars that you have to attend, the government and the church are totally clueless that all these are off.

The four hour pre-cana seminar - i think this can be a good seminar if the speaker is effective. nuff said. I think it is too long - three Saturdays, four hours each session with no break. WTF? Anyway, we only have one more to go and we are going to be free.

Marriage license application - this, will be taken cared of after the last call at the church. Most important requirement, the last thing to do. What good will the wedding be if the license is not procesed yet?

The process sucks, really. Though people say that "it is like that, and it is workable", I think it is bureaucratic and very detailed. This blog is the only venue where I can vent my frustrations over the preparations. Maybe I am overreacting. But I think of couples who are not as educated as I am or those who are financially challenged. They have to go through this budget breakdown:

Certificate of No Marriage P180 x 2 = 360
Baptismal for the purpose of marriage - 50 to 100 x 2 = 200
Confirmation for marriage 50 to 100 x 2 = 200
Church fees 1000

And these are just basic requirements.

My wedding has to be fun. My marriage has to be great. So, I can forget all the gory details that I have to go through.

Photo shoot with Arlene from Imagine-nation -the number one wedding photographer in the Philippines

2008-01-14T15:29:00.000+08:00

Here are just three of the sample photos done by my dear friend Arlene Averion of Imagine-nation photography - the number one wedding photographer in the Philippines. I can definitely claim this!

The shoot was done in City of Springs lakeside, and at Les's house.

Without make-up, I think I look ok with these photos. Good work Arlene!

Wedding Blog for the Moment

2008-01-11T18:37:00.000+08:00

I honestly do not know how to begin. Les and I will tie the knot on 9 February 2008.
It was a surprise to many, even to my parents and friends. So, as of this time, mushy or cheesy it may sound, I will devote this blog on the details of my wedding. This is for the people who cannot be with us because of distance - like Kuya Janjan, Les's brother who is in Dubai; Kuya Dennis - Les's cousin in the states; my cousins in Canada - EJ, Kaye, Ate Eden, Ate ellen, Sarah and Patric; my friends in the States - Joffin, Erin, Candy, Ven, Lubs, Aileen, PJ, Jofelle, Dino; in Japan - guinevere, sherry, manoy and those in the Philippines who cannot join us as well.

People asked me how I am feeling. It is a surreal experience - the pressure is immense , the waiting - impossible but the joy is indescribable.

The Gory requirements

Preparing wedding sucks. this is the only thing I can tell you now. It all started with the lists of requirements:

One requirement that was quite a surprise was the Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR). It is an assurance that either of the couple has never been married. There are two options to get the CENOMAR: you go to NSO (for our case, we went to Lipa City, Batangas since it is the nearest) or you request for it online. Les and I decided to go to Lipa. It turned out that you can claim the certificate after a week. CENOMAR, costs 180 Php per person. Online, it was for P400.00 per person.
Other requirements
Church Requirements
Baptismal certificate - to be requested specifically for marriage
Confirmation certificate - to be requested specifically for marriage too
costs around P50.00 to P100.00 depending on the Parish
Birth certificate - has to be NSO authenticated

Pre-cana seminar - a 15 hour seminar on the "teachings" of the Catholic church on how to build a christian family. This is a truly gruelling experience - sitting for five hours every Saturday - instead of being able to finish some other requirements, we were forced to stay and listen. Oh well, it is a requirement.

Wedding Banns/Permission - the church also requires "tawag sa kasal". for three sundays, the names of those who wants to get marriage are announced during the Sunday masses. One more Sunday to go and this is done.

Canonical Interview - some priests will ask you questions. Probably just to assess if the couple is fit for marriage.

Confession

Wedding License Requirements
- this, we will take care after the stuff required from Church
Family planning seminar
Wedding bann approval
Birth Certificate

That is it for today. will post pics of the church and reception area.

For presidential candidates

2008-01-08T12:55:00.000+08:00

This article is written by Eero Brillantes, President and CEO of Mind Bullet Inc. - a market positioning and direct-to-consumer communications public relations agency based in Makati City, Philippines.

Mind Bullet Briefing Paper: Communicating the Philippine Water Crisis as a Defining National Issue for Candidates Running for the 2010 Presidential elections.
(Eero Brillantes, CEO, Mind Bullet. Inc.)

I. Rationale
Defining moments are very important in capturing the imagination, hearts, minds of the people to genuinely entrust leadership. Through conscious efforts and expected historical milestones, defining moments can be laid out as a story line leading to a positive perception or conclusion. Defining moments establish how the market (electorate) will perceive and decide what to do with the product (politician). Simply put, defining moments in history will determine the market positioning of candidates running for President in 2010.

Continue

i am trying to think of a title title

2008-01-03T22:47:00.000+08:00

I have been in a rut for a long time. Now, I think I am somehow still in a rut. But, I am better this time - with a better job, a lifetime partner, a budding business. Is it all there is? How lucky are those who can recover quickly, and believe that they never regretted anything.

However, this phase of contentment is a consequence of my long-suffering. Now, I think I am reaping rewards. Probably I have learned the lessons that I ought to learn - since things are a lot better. Another phase is yet to come, with another challenge that can lead me to rut, not rot. Lessons learned are the most valuable.

Humility is a challenge that I am coursing through now. It is being peppered with a lot of tests of self-confidence. Complacency is my recent enemy. I cannot see the specifics of my experience, but only the details that I need to deal with. Meanings do not come in certain circumstance, but in thoughts and feelings. I cannot boast, nor share anything nice, for these niceties are all temporal. The value of the lessons learned are the once to be kept, not what makes you feel good. and not the rewards for suffering.

My chio-yo

2007-12-21T23:40:00.001+08:00

Chichi is my favorite playmate of all. she sings the sound of music and plays the piano at the age of 2.

Mind bubblings

2007-12-20T17:47:00.000+08:00

Temptation lurks around - sweet and inviting. . .self-destructive but willing. I can quench you, on my mind. But not in my weakness. Oh how lovely it can be to fall and self-destruct. I am still sane though. You can lurk. We can play. Only there we can stay with no consequences.

Collaborative Research: a challenging ordeal

2007-12-11T15:26:00.000+08:00

One of the prime learning that I go about is, "sometimes, the task assigned to you is the task you hate most". My journey in research involved a lot of collaborating. Since I started as a researcher for the National Youth Commission (NYC), my first task was to gather government agencies working for the youth sector. I was a naive, 21 year old from the secure place called Los Banos, Laguna. Suddenly, I found myself talking to high level ranking government officials. i hated collaborative work. I hated meetings, organizing meetings, confirming attendance, writing minutes, etc. etc. I hated them all.

Over the years, I accepted that my job will always be collaborative. I wanted to be a researcher because I always thought that I will be left alone writing and organizing data. I was dead wrong. One success story of my developing collaborating skills was the revitalization of the Network of Calabarzon Educational Institutions (NOCEI). That is when I loved collaboration.

Now, I can say that I have developed the skills. My current assignments is doing research with social scientists from South Asia. I have a lot of cultural learning to learn and of course have to master scientific writing and social research.

This journey of learning and doing, and commiting to excellence is not a simple task. It is fun, yet intoxicating.

Mind Bullet - a market position PR agency in the Philippines

2007-12-07T15:12:00.000+08:00

I started dabbling in the web development business in 2006. When I resigned from my job in De La Salle Lipa, my only alternative was a short research stint at the Conflict Resolution Group Foundation. After three months, I was left with nothing but create my own source of income.

Les, my very talented boyfriend, advised to get clients for research or writing. I complied. But still, the more stable, regular job was more desirable for me. And so, I met people with website needs. Until I found the Promoting English Proficiency Project, Dr.Mahabub Hossain, Prime Technology Specialists Inc., among others. This new endeavor, talking with clients and having a small income from web development gave me new perspectives that Les and I can perfectly go by.

At present, we are joining Mind Bullet Inc.. Mind Bullet basically aims at "helping individuals and organizations focus on what they want to say. Utilizing market positioning and public relations, Mind Bullet counsels clients on how to stand-out by emphasizing uniqueness and real value, and identifying the exact communication models for human interaction". taken from

This new venture is a new learning. Les and I are very excited about it. Watch out for more Mind bulleting from us.

birthday bash

2007-12-06T10:38:00.000+08:00

I will celebrate my last birthday of being single. Together with Gary (who is a day younger than me), we will have the ultimate birthday bash on the 15th of December. Above is the invite for our soiree. My Les designed this -- using Photoshop and pastel colors. I really think this invite is even more elaborate the tickets of Hed Kandi event.

A TRIBUTE TO ANDRES BONIFACIO AS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST

2007-12-04T15:16:00.000+08:00

Written By Eero P. Brillantes, Ella Kristina D. Domingo, Les dM. Coronel, Geraldine T. Brillantes as their contribution to the greatness of Andres Bonifacio as the father of the Philippine Revolution

Andres Bonifacio, the supremo, a self-taught revolutionary, a national hero. Today, we celebrate Bonifacio Day. For other national heroes, their â€œdayâ€ is celebrated on the day of their death, while for Andres Bonifacio, we celebrate his â€œdayâ€ on his birthday because he was killed and betrayed be a fellow Filipino named Makapagal (Seasite, no date).

Bonifacioâ€™s masterful use of his communication skills triggered the downfall of the three and a half century Spanish rule over the Philippines. Knowledgeable of spoken Spanish and English languages, Andres was able to conceptualize and apply in the Philippine setting, the tenets culled from the French Revolution, as well as from literature which elaborated on brotherhood, equality and freedom.

The website www.bakbakan.com dedicates a whole web page on Andres Bonifacio and how communication has molded his principles. Other websites such as Wikipedia, and South East Asean site of the Northern Illinois University) made similar claims.

Lack of formal education never stopped Andres Bonifacio to continue learning and practicing his knowledge. He capitalized on his spoken languages â€“ English and Spanish; and his reading skills to learn the principles of rights and freedom. He read about history, politics, law and religion. Ambeth Ocampo, a historian, mentioned that among Andres Bonifacioâ€™s reading list were: Lives of the Presidents of the United States"; "History of the French Revolution" (two volumes); "La Solidaridad" (three volumes); "Noli Me Tangere"; "El Filibusterismo"; "International Law"; "Civil Code"; "Penal Code"; "Ruins of Palmyra"; "Religion within the Reach of All"; "The Bible" (five volumes); "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo; and "The Wandering Jew" by Eugene Sue (taken from SEAsite, no date).

Aside from being a voracious reader, Bonifacio wrote poetry, and was a moro-moro actor - very typical of great communicators.

Based on www.bakbakan.com, Bonifacio was probably one of the greatest motivational writers and speakers of his generation, along with Dr. Jose Rizal. Using his native language, Bonifacio wrote with full passion and compassion.

In his essay "What the Filipinos Should Know," Bonifacio wrote in Tagalog:

"Reason tells us that we cannot expect anything but more sufferings, more treachery, more insults, and more slavery. Reason tells us not to fritter away time for the promised prosperity that will never comeâ€¦.Reason teaches us to rely on ourselves and not to depend on others for our living. Reason tells us to be unitedâ€¦that we may have the strength to combat the evils in our country."

Bonifacio also wrote about how the Filipinos were tortured by the Spaniards. They were bound, kicked, and hit with gun butts. They were electrocuted and hung upside down like cattle. He said that Filipino prisoners were "thrown into the seaâ€¦shot, poisonedâ€¦."

To further illucidate his mastery of verbal and non-verbal communication as a way to agitate for social upheaval, Bonifacio intricately organized an underground movement patterned after the "triangle organizing" concept.

In contemporary times, the "triangle" took on many permutations including cell organizing for activists, and multi-level marketing as product distribution channels for scams and legitimate businesses. Bonifacio and his disciples couched his organizing work in millenarian revolutionary language and rituals. Conceptual combinations of pagan mysticism, folk Christianity, and symbols/rituals culled from the freemasonry movement provided the organizational culture. The blood compact ritual and the tearing up of the cedula provided heavy drama to the whole effort. It can be deduced that Bonifacio's organizational communication acumen as applied to revolution was indeed effective. A whole book entitled Pasyon at Rebolusyon by Renato Lleto was dedicated to the subject matter of conjuncture and national consciousness from the point of view of the critical mass during the Spanish occupation. It theorized on folk culture, folk Christianity, and revolutionary fervor against colonial rule as defining ingredients in the Philippine revolution.

The Beginning
On the night of July 7, 1892 “ the same day he heard that Rizal had been exiled to Dapitan" Bonifacio met his friends secretly, at a house on Azcarraga Street (now Claro M. Recto) in Tondo. Together with his two friends Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Plata, he formed the first triangle of a secret society which bore the initials K.K.K. The three letters stood for Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan nang manga Anak nang Bayan, or Katipunan.

Instead of using the old Spanish spelling of the letter "c," Bonifacio used the Tagalog spelling of "k." Rizal had suggested the change in an article published two years earlier in the newspaper La Solidaridad. The "k," pronouched ka, was based on the ancient Tagalog script (I). The letter â€œKâ€ symbolizes revolt by bringing forth into attention that the Filipino culture existed before Spanish hegemony.

Katipuneros : Symbologists
The Katipunan thrived as an underground society through the use of secret codes and passwords. Keeping secrets from the Spaniards during those times was very difficult. To keep the whole organization from being discovered, Katipunan employed the triangle method: a system of enlistment wherein a recruiter would ask only two members to join. Only the recruiter would know the names of both recruits while the recruits would not each other. Thus, the organization is encapsulated into three-man units and a direct command chain resulting to a very efficient personnel management.

Though some members were middle class, the Katipunan membership is dominantly from the poor and working classes, thus its membership grew to the thousands.

The Katipunan had three aims:

First, it wanted to free the Philippines from Spain, by force of arms if necessary. Its members, called Katipuneros, were taught to make and use weapons.

Second is the the moral, or spiritual, aim. The Katipunan saw all men, rich or poor, as equals.

Third, the Katipuneros were taught to care for one another in times of sickness and need. The society took care of its sick. If a member died, the Katipunan helped to pay the cost of a simple funeral.

After October 1892, all Katipuneros could recruit as many members as they could.

To prove courage and sincerity, any man who wanted to join the Katipunan had to pass a number of tests. One of them is answering these questions:

In what condition did the Spaniards find the Filipino people when they came?
In what condition do they find themselves now?
What hope do the Filipino people have for the future?
The final test was the "sandugo" (blood compact). The recruit was asked to make a small cut on his left forearm with a sharp knife, then sign the Katipunan oath in his own blood. Afterwards, the new member chose a symbolic name for himself. For example, Bonifacio was called "May pag-asa" (Hopeful).

Women and Revolution
About thirty women, limited to wives, daughters and close relatives of the Katipuneros, joined the Katipunan. The womenâ€™s chapter of the Katipunan was formed in July 1893. However, the women did not have to seal their membership with a blood compact. During Katipunan meetings, they wore green masks, and white sashes with green borders. Sometimes they carried revolvers or daggers. They usually served as look-outs in the outer sala (living room) while the men held their secret meetings in the backroom.

The Discovery
The Katipunan was discovered before they were ready for a full-armed struggle. Father Mariano Gil, the Augustinian parish priest of Tondo, learned it from Teodoro Patino, an unhappy member of the Katipunan. The Spanish police moved quickly to stop the revolution. Many Filipinos were arrested, jailed, and shot. But Bonifacio knew that the die had been cast. There was no turning back. The time had come for the Filipino people to engage the enemy in battle.

Bonifacio met with other Katipunan leaders in a place called Pugadlawin, on August 23, 1896. They tore up their cedulas (residence tax papers) and cried "Long Live the Philippines!" They vowed to fight the Spaniards down to the last man.

Synthesis
Following these stories are insights that make Andres Bonifacio, one heck of a communicator. The organization of Katipunan is filled with symbols and communication models that are actually perfect means in delivering messages and understanding among its members. His target members, the poor and Filipinos, showed that a strong critical mass against Filipino oppression was more than felt during that time.

Interactions, tactics and strategies are highly based on communication patterns and symbols. Employing the triangle method, asking patriotic questions, The Sandugo and the Cry of Pugadlawin are symbolic actions of freedom and revolt. The role of women in the revolution was never neglected. More importantly, Bonifacio started all these with the communication skills basics: spoken language, reading, and writing. Though Jose Rizal and his cohorts had formal education, Bonifacio, a natural genius, did well very well through self-study. Bonifacio, was able to listen to the cries of the oppressed Filipinos.

Connecting meanings among the members of an organized society is essential to its potential success. Bonifacio, an idealist, was able to apply his readings into a historic revolution. Having tangible focus, his faith on the Filipinos was so immense - that he was somehow thought of as a fool by the formally educated. Bonifacio knew what Filipinos wanted that time. And through his strategic plans, innate communication skills, he was able to organize the poor, the uneducated, the masses and together, they fought for freedom. Without the Katipunan, did you ever ask where will we be now?

References:
Heroes of the Revolution: Andres Bonifacio (2007)Bakbakan International.
http://www.bakbakan.com

South East Asian site (no date). Northern Illinois University, USA
(Seasite, Andres Bonifacio)

This article is done for Mind Bullet, Inc.

Mind Bullet is a public relations company, focusing on market positioning and direct-to-consumer communications methodologies. Located in Makati City Philippines, Mind Bullet assures clients of precise delivery of their messages to their target markets.

Everything is pointless

2007-10-26T11:47:00.000+08:00

I am neither happy nor sad. I am in love. What's love if personal goals are inhibited? Are love and goals inconsequential?

After achieving love and clarity of my purpose, sewing them together is an extremely difficult path. I chose a partner who is the opposite of my free spirit. My passion for travel and independent character challenges his secure, lonesome but exquisite complex. I, the more active one pursues tasks of mobility and flexbility, while him, the solitary seeks of inward evolution and rest. The pain caused by the possibility of me journeying without his company is ceaseless. My heart's injury is worse than the discovery of a partner having an affair. What is the use of the relationship if neither can pursue one's goal together?

Pointless. I am pointless.

continuation

2007-10-16T09:35:00.001+08:00

I spoke with a friend from Myanmar yesterday. I asked him how is his country doing? He told me that the news, the cameras and the internet are blocked. Furthermore, I asked him if, he is there, will he join the protest? he said yes.

Free Burma!

Free Burma

2007-10-05T08:48:00.000+08:00

Spread the word! Get involved.

Brooding over Office

2007-09-14T16:19:00.000+08:00

This is my office desk. That is how it looks almost everyday. Right now, I am amazed with how lazy I can get at work. I surf and surf, until I cannot finish anything. Since, there are no set deadlines, I play at work. Next week will be a different story though, I have a presentation set on the next Monday, a meeting with the communication manager and finish editing stuff from somewhere else. Here is a portion of the research paper I am editing.

Poor condition of farming households was more in village Sinhani due to distance from the local market and marginal holding. Due to more number of largeholding farmers, of upper castes, demand of agriculture labors were more. And, most of the marginal holding farmers rented in lands from upper caste households therefore they have to spent more time in agriculture. On the other hand wages are lesser and non farm opportunities are lesser therefore economic condition of low caste households were not good in comparison to other castes across the villages (Table 22)."

My brod, Leo told me that this does not need any editing, but more of a rewriting.

I hope next week I will be more diligent at work.

IPB burns!

2007-08-10T11:41:00.000+08:00

Another building in UPLB burned. On Wednesday, around 6pm and while typhoon Dodong was slashing rains in Los Baños, Laguna one of the buildings of the Institute of Plant Breeding burned. IPB is quite far from the UPLB main campus. Someone sent me pictures of the burning building.

2007-08-09T10:10:00.000+08:00

I cannot seem to figure out a title for this entry. Now, my blog is an escape from the reality called work. My demanding work is highly intellectual, that makes me review my statistics and technical writing. I also tried doing web design, making it an additional skill to my ever growing resume. So far, I am doing fine, with small glitches. But new employees are entitled to a few misdemeanors, right?

As observed, I am more active blogging if I am in a serious project. I wonder?

There is so much to write about, but my mind is a bit cluttered right now.

mind work

2007-08-01T17:55:00.000+08:00

I had a mind workout today. I am not used to working my brains out anymore until I stumbled on this assistant scientist cum social scientist. This job is no joke -- probably the hardest one I had -- except for the call center stint of course.

2007-07-18T15:35:00.001+08:00

You Are 26 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Fictitious Dreams

2007-06-26T13:45:00.000+08:00

You were in my dream again last night. You were an actor, I never saw that side of you. ANd then the enemies came wanting: foolish, violent -- wanting to beat you down. I was afraid for you. They beat you hard, until you had this would on your face. Your ex-lover was there but you did not want to be with her. I am confused.

I dream about you so often, that I know your soul yearns for freedom. I want to help you figure out but I think, it is best not to speak. Talk to me, once I am asleep and I assure you, we, your friends will be there.

Summer summer fun fun

2007-05-09T21:56:00.000+08:00

finally! a beach gimmick with Les. It took 15 friends to make Les go out and frolick with me in a beach this summer. My beau has this thing against travel and leisure. He always tells me that he does not need to go anywhere since he can virtually go there through thoughts and imagination. Until, one time, his high school buddies and business partners thought of a beach party. At last, now he succumbed.

Good friends, affordable getaways, great company and a loving companion . . . these are the ingredients of a gorgeous summer!

for more photos of our beach party, just click this:

Lost in LB

2007-04-25T08:02:00.000+08:00

Wandering were life will lead me has been what I have been doing for the past n years. I am tired of sitting and waiting, of choosing and trying, while questioning myself whether it's what I am supposed to do or not. At 30, my life has been more than a roller coaster ride, it is more of a bungy jump - i jumped and i fell fast, but felt secured enough since I was tied on a rope that will not let me fall hard. Hopeful.

Sometimes the internal bliss fleets because of the fear that I am not doing enough. What holds for me and my future? Since last year, my career and finances have been dwindling and sliding down -- now, I still cannot seem to get the job that fits me. Though i am busy with a small business venture, I would still need something permanent and securing. Not that I am complaining, but I am afraid, very afraid.

Now I realize that one of the most difficult learning in this lifetime is not following the values set by parents or anyone influential. This is what makes me very afraid. I was trained and molded to be financially secured - studied in a good school, has a master's degree and have significant job experience. But now, where am I? I am unemployed, but over-educated. I cannot pray harder, since I have been praying enough -- maybe my prayers are wrong. The expectations of me, to be employed and have a secured source of income are non-existent. Until when? That, I do not know.

This unemployment really bites hard. Depression creeps in since I do not have what is expected. It is frustrating. I am not ok. But I have to be.

I am a believer of having TO WAIT FOR the BIG BREAK, WHILE DOING EXTRAORDINARILY THE TASK AT HAND.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

2007-03-08T19:06:00.001+08:00

http://www.myheritage.com

Clients and clients

2007-02-14T11:04:00.000+08:00

These are our newest creations online:

http://www.primetechnology.ph

http://www.promote-english.org

COOOOOLLLLLLLDDDDD BBBBBBRRRRRR

2007-02-03T19:42:00.000+08:00

Recently, the humid LB is now a haven of low temperature and chapping lips. For almost two weeks now, temperature has been dropping. My sinus drips everytime I wake up (which is not necessarily in the morning, but rather before lunch time), then my lips chap in the evenings. I wear a jacket everyday, even inside the house and never used an electric fan. Worse is the temperature in Batangas. I would not want to go there while this disturbing temperature drop is happening. My fats don't seem to wake up when I'm there. All I wanted to do was sleep, watch TV and snore. It is not a good place for someone trying to shed off some calories. It is not that bad in Manila though. I loved the polluted breeze of cold and moisture in the evenings.

Culturally, people believed that this cold will only last until the 10th of February, after the feast of St. Sebastian, if I'm not mistaken. Oh well, might as well enjoy the cold breeze while its here. If it is this cold after the holidays, I would not want to know how warm it will be in the summer.

New Year

2007-02-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

Happy? Not Practical

2006 was quite a catharsis of my financial well-being. it is a year that sprouted my disgust over work, my mishap with a drug-crazed criminal, my encounters with job rejections and my ability to endure without any form of monetary support from my parents, from a job or from anyone else. In the course of my impoverish, centavo-less living, I can say that I am happy.

Things that I never dreamed possible came along my way: a deeply, loving, generous, enigmatic, artistic boyfriend, a company that we are little by little building, a potential business, very supportive parents, loyal friends, fantastic relatives . . . etc. What's the consequence? the lack of cash.

Ironically, I was able to franchise unimaginable luxuries or business-items. Experienced lunches and breakfasts at glamorous hotels and restaurants, gorged in countless Starbucks peppermint mocha . . .

I thought, I never had these luxuries when I was working. I never had the luxury of rest, or never had the opportunity to have someone else pay for my expensive coffee. Before, I never had the chance to encounter big business people and have them mentor me. I never had a "prince charming" boyfriend before, and I never realized who my friends were before . . .. until now.

Now, I am still on a conquest to grab the financial break that I am looking. However, i am not gonna do it in the popular way -- have work, work like hell, convince oneself that work is what i want to do for the rest of my lifetime, then grab that much needed rest when I am able to save the money i need . . . when I have arthritis, high blood or whatever age related disease. I will dedicate this blog to advocate impractical living. I am happier. Blessings come, when you least expect it ;-)

i realize

2006-12-16T11:56:00.001+08:00

talked with clients and how did their business start . . they were impoverished too in the beginning. im getting a lot of encouragement from important circles. and i learned not to be blinded by the appearance of the appearance of luxury no matter how others flaunt their "luxuries". been reading enlightening fictions again . . . i can say im happy

thoughts

2006-12-03T00:13:00.001+08:00

- I will create.
I conjure myself to do and not to ask what to do
To improvise . . .
To summon energies and let me build what I can my own
Not to expect from others, but rather contribute to many.
To be prosperous from my own production
To be secured through my creations,
And may these creations let me be, and give a foundation for my material needs,
Sustain my emotions and strengthen my path to prosperity, purpose, wisdom, serenity and love.

http://www.planetgimik.com

2006-11-24T15:50:00.000+08:00

Two people, who I consider very successful (and lucky) in the businesses that they chose, suggested and imposed that I do not need to be employed, and instead, develop and build planet gimik. I got a boyfriend who can magically design impressive websites and analyze programming systems that are usually done by a group of programmers. We got a partner who has visions of grandeur and is the field of IT, which is one of the growing industries in the coutry today. And I, the impoverished over-educated unemployed girl, who seeks the career path the universe offers can cook up project proposals anywhere, anytime and with anyone.

Planet Gimik is a website les and i are currently putting our hearts and sweat into. This is the product of my months of brooding over what to do for the rest of my lifetime. Aside from its avant-garde aesthetics, we decide to put up articles and feature stories that are not usually taken up in magazines. Over time, we are planning to do feature cities and towns with directories of its local businesses. It will definitely be a challenge since we do not have money to pay writers. We need to exhaust our imagination on how we can have free writers.

Aside from the website, Planetgimik does web development, web content management and webhosting. We also offer corporate identity templates and designs, corporate profile writing and a customized research. It was my dream to go into this kind of business but I planned to enter it when I am forty or something. I think my plan backfired and instead saw myself trying to fulfill this dream at 29.

I hope to get out of the financial rut. Planet gimik still has a looonnngg way to go. So far, I am happy. I decided not to make the lack of finance a blunder to my existence. It is good to learn to live without money. But I recognize that its a need and am needing it right now.

Search Engine Optimization

2006-11-22T18:23:00.000+08:00

I will publish this so i will never forget where to find clues on how to do search engine optimization.

November 9, Issue #144

Top Ten SEO Factors
By Scott Hendison - Editor, SearchCommander.com

These are what I believe to be the top 10 most important things (not necessarily in order) that you need, in order to get your website found in the search engines.
There are many other factors as well, but if you follow these guidelines, you'll stand a much better chance, and you'll be off to a good start.

1. Title Meta Tag

The title tag is what displays as the headline in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). It's also what displays in the top blue band of Internet Explorer when your site is displayed.

Your title tag of your website should be easy to read and designed to bring in traffic. By that, I mean that your main keyword phrase should be used toward the beginning of the tag. True, there are websites being found now that do not use the phrase in the title, but the vast majority still do as of this writing.

Don't make the mistake of putting your company name first, unless you are already a household name, like Nascar or HBO. People are likely searching for what you have to offer, not your name.

Your title tag should be written with a capital letter starting the tag, and followed by all lowercase letters, unless you're using proper nouns. Some people prefer to capitalize every word, too.

2. Description Meta Tag

The description tag is the paragraph that people will see when your page comes up in the search results.

Your description tag should be captivating and designed to attract business. It should be easy to read, and compel the reader to act right now and follow your link. Without a description tag, search engines will frequently display thefirst text on your page. Is yours appropriate as a description of the page?

A proper description tag is what people will see below your title. You should make proper use of punctuation, and with readability, use your subject and geographical references.

3. Keywords Meta Tag

The importance of Meta keyword tags fluctuates from month to month among different search engines. There is a debate in the SEO community as to whether or not they help at all on certain search engines. In fact, in the summer of 2004 it appeared as if they were losing importance altogether.

However, you'll NEVER be penalized on any search engines for using relevant targeted keywords in moderation, and they can only help you with most, especially Yahoo.

Avoid stuffing your keyword metatags with too many keywords. Just use relevant tags that apply directly to the content of that particular page, and don't overdo it.

4. ALT Tags

The small yellow box that comes up when your mouse cursor is placed over an image is called the ALT tag. Every relevant image should have an alt tag with your keywords or phrases mentioned in the tag.

A proper ALT tag goes after the file name, and before the Align indicator.

* - The ALT tag is no longer being considered for ranking purposes by some search engines. That said, it still cannot HURT you, and will still help you with some engines. My recommendation is to continue to use them, but be sure to avoid keyword stuffing. Besides, who knows when the pendulum will swing back the other way?

5. Header Tags

The text of each page is given more weight by the search engines if you make use of header tags and then use descriptive body text below those headers. Bullet points work well too. It is not enough to merely BOLD or enlarge your text headlines.

6. Link Text

Search engine spiders cannot follow image links. In addition to having image links or buttons on your web pages, you should have text links at the bottom or elsewhere. The text that the user sees when looking at the link is called the link text. A link that displays products does not carry as much weight to the search engines as a link called oregon widgets. Link text is very important and is actually one of the most frequently overlooked aspects of web design that I've seen.

7. Site Map

Using a site map not only makes it easy for your users to see the entire structure of your website, but it also makes it easier for the search engines to spider your site. When the search engine spiders come to visit, they will follow all of the text links from your main index page. If one of those links is to a site map, then the spiders will go right to the sitemap, and consequently visit every page you have text linked to from that site map. On the site map page, try to have a sentence or two describing each page, and not just a page of links.

8. Relevant Inbound Links

By relevant, I mean similar industry or subject related sites. Right now, no single strategy can get your site ranked higher faster than being linked to by dozens of other relevant websites. It used to be that the quantity of incoming links mattered most, but today, it's much better to have three highly relevant links to you from other popular related websites than 30 links from unrelated low ranked sites. If there are other businesses in your industry that you can trade links with, it will help your site enormously. Link to others, and have them link to you. It's proven, and it works. To see who's linking to you, in Google type the following...links: yourdomain.com

9. Your Content

Not to be forgotten of course, is the actual content of your webpage. It must be relevant helpful information that people want to read. These days, each webpage should be laser focused on one specific product or subject in order to rank highly for that search phrase. The days of writing one webpage to appeal to dozens of search terms are long gone. Ideally, each page should have between 400 to 650 words on it. Too few, and the search engines won't consider it to be relevant enough. Too many words and the search engine spiders may have a hard time determining the actual subject or focus of the page.

Use your keywords or phrases often, and use them at the beginning of your paragraphs wherever possible. Don't overuse them and make the page sound phony, but don't write a page about a certain subject, and not mention that subject repeatedly either. Reading it out loud to yourself is a great way to judge how natural your text sounds.

Concentrate on writing quality pages that actually appeal to the human reader. Write pages that provide the reader with exactly what they are looking for; that is, information about the exact search phrase they've entered.

10. Avoid Cheating

With all of these tidbits of information, it's tempting to think that you can stuff 100 keywords into your title, or create a page with the phrase oregon widget company being used 100 times in headers, text links, ALT tags, bullet points etc. but that cannot help you. In fact, it can penalize you, and get your website banned from certain search engines.

About The Author
Scott Hendison is an internet consultant who specializes in search engine optimization and internet marketing. He has written over 100 articles that are available on his website. He has also developed a tutorial area for beginning search engine optimization, at 'SEO101'.

options and choices

2006-11-15T22:09:00.000+08:00

we have been socialized to work and earn after years of education.

we assume that the key to a good quality life is having a good education, having a well-paying job in a stable and large company and having security such as insurance, retirement fund, medical insurance etc.

if one has all these, does it follow that a good life is being lived for?

Great deal come true

2006-10-25T20:18:00.000+08:00

I have a new baby. Bought it from the states at a very good price. Thanks to Kuya Dennis, who helped me purchase it.

I have been dreaming to own a laptop, and now, I have it. Its fast, its updated -- duo core, 1G RAM, 60 Gig hard drive, 2 kilos. . .

Will have to play and work a lot now.

A text message

2006-10-23T01:09:00.000+08:00

Do all people who try to be serious with the spiritual path have to go through worse material hardship? Why?

This is not a Miss Universe contest. A friend asked me this through a text message.

I pondered on the question: it seemed that there is an answer but my mind was not sure whether my answer right, wrong or simply acceptable. I may answer "yes" -- people who are serious with the spiritual path have to go through the worse material hardship. Jesus Christ and Buddha are the main advocates of this premise as I can remember. Famous saints like St. Francis of Assisi and St. John Baptist de La Salle also left the comforts of material abundance to pursue their spiritual journey. But as far as we know, they chose material deprivation to experience their purposes. Unlike us, ordinary beings would rather choose "not". Unfortunately, we are just materially and financially impoverished.

I still do not have a source of monthly income. I got numerous job rejections and I felt bad for a while. After crying and moping, my dear Les taught me the wisdom of not needing a job, but rather create my own company. I simply cannot comprehend why I am comfortable with it, and have seen the possibility of creating my own - my own projects, own clients rather than being at the mercy of the oligarchs. However, money is really little.

For my friend, here are the answers:
Maybe the universe conspires for us to learn that material hardship is the path towards spirituality. Maybe, it is teaching us to learn not to depend on anything material and earth-bound, and let us be secured with nothingness. As Jesus Christ have said,

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

It can be frustrating to think of it this way, for our physical beings have material needs. But we must have an understanding that our needs (as we perceive it), are not really our needs but are plainly illusions of conforming to a materialistic and corporate culture. One thing I learned recently, is, we are trapped in a material culture and it seemed that our happiness may be dependend on how much we earn and what we can buy. Admittedly, we can hardly live without money . . . Though, money is a means, we should not be a slave of its existence (or non-existence), but instead live with life and spirit. Then, material blessings will come, as we need it . . not as we wish it.

Though impractical, maybe, this is the way to be spiritual. And this is definitely very difficult to accept. I hope you find what you are looking for my friend. Look at the other directions and convert your frustrations and disappointments into wisdom.

Live life!

Reality TV Fad

2006-10-14T23:29:00.000+08:00

I am a Philippine Idol fan. I religiously watch it every Saturday, 9:00PM at ABC 5. I love Ken Dingle. I hope he wins. I got addicted to Pinoy Big Brother. I am such a reality TV fan.

As a sociology and communication major, reality tv has been a source of "research" in the everyday TV activity. The thought of watching people living their lives under the camera lens have been a personal interest or on the other hand, have satisfied my curiousity. Admittedly, Philippine reality tv is much more appealing than the US shows, though I watched the Amazing Race and Survivor Africa a lot.

Watching these shows have made me realize that I, can actually join them. Though they come in competitions and usually accept "artista" looking contestants or those who actually have managers, these have been around in the Filipino TV leisure culture and has quite proven a large following. The more popular ones were Extra Challenge from GMA 7 and Pinoy Big Brother while the others were Star Circle Quest, Star Struck (GMA 7), Shall We Dance (ABC 5), Philippine Idol (ABC 5) and Pinoy Dream Academy (ABS-CBN). Most of them are contests that promise the winners their lifelong dreams of becoming showbiz stars. Whether its an artista search, a singing contest, or just a reality tv of everyday drama, in the long run, it is still a ticket to sure stardom. Unfortunately, only those who actually look like artistas themselves get accepted in these shows. Those who were ordinary looking have less chances of getting in. This makes it not so reality tv at all.

However, no one from these reality shows have proven longevity in the fickle Philippine showbiz. Filipino fans have so many idols to choose from, and very often popularity is short-lived. Thus, reality tv shows are merely trends of TV and later will diminish its popularity.

I have imagined joining a reality tv show, but only in the Amazing Race. I will never be an artista.

who were you in highschool? a quiz . . .

2006-09-27T14:59:00.000+08:00

All American Kid

Popular but not plastic. Athletic but not a jock. Smart but not a brain.

You were well rounded and well liked in high school.

Who Were You In High School?

This quiz that I took and my readers can take kinda talked about what I was in highschool. Though this was highly americanized, I can somehow relate to it. In my highschool batch, we can never deny that there were stereotypes like there were jocks, cheerleader types (those girls who hang-out with jocks), music buffs, nerds, artists, pretty girls, popular girls, bitches, rockers, bad boys, journalists, mathusiasts, etc.

I think I was pretty much a rocker but did not dress like one. i kinda love and miss highschool. luckily, i am surrounded with friends from highschool. Recently, I discovered that we have 22 medical doctors and we are still counting.

this is a picture with my highschool bestfriends and guy buddies!

another game from miniclip

2006-09-27T03:43:00.000+08:00

Wild Wild Words

Find as many words as you can in the letter grid.

Play this free game now!!

the first time i witnessed faith

2006-09-27T02:33:00.000+08:00

my aunt, gloria is suffering from stage III breast cancer. She is now undergoing chemotheraphy, and it has been a painful and gruelling process for her. To make things worse, she had a stroke attack early this year which made her eyesight blurry, until she became blind. Even the doctors cannot do a concise diagnostics of why she became blind. Now, my aunt, has cancer and is blind.

One time, she realized that she is not suffering too much pain, and she said "salamat sa diyos". That was the first time I witnessed faith.

crisis

2006-09-12T14:54:00.000+08:00

i am sick and tired of crisis, crossroads, saturn return, karma . . . whatever you call it. Right now, what I know is I am resting -- resting from the pressures of the world. I quit my job to experience the pleasures of being irresponsible and being free. I was wrong. I wanted to get away from any form of responsibility, but I realized that I can not get away from it. And it is not about having work.

This four-month chapter of my life is basically a mental exercise of what I can take, what I want, what I love to do and what I was basically looking for. I was judged as someone who is confused of what to do in ones life. And I get ridiculed or even insulted for not having a clear perspective of what I want to do-- they never asked me, how I want to live. I am clear that I have no clear idea of what I want to do - but I am clear on how I want to live. These are two different things: what I want to do speaks of doing roles and having jobs; how I want to live is doing what life is all about -- its not about a job or being a good girlfriend or even a good parent. No one has a measure on how these things will be.

Eventhough that I dont have a job right now, I still have pressures around me. My mom pressuring me to go home in Batangas to be with my aunts, my boss pressuring me to write our report, my boyfriend pressuring me to do his lifestyle (which I made it clear to him that it seems that I cannot), my dad pressuring me to earn, myself pressuring myself to lose weight.

HOW I WANT MY LIFE TO BE -- WITHOUT PRESSURE.

come and play

2006-08-28T16:47:00.000+08:00

Hangaroo

Guess the hidden phrase to complete a level.

Play this free game now!!

The De-hegemonization of Ella Kristina Domingo

2006-08-20T19:17:00.000+08:00

So much has happened within the past few months. So many things to think about, and so many events to give meaning to. I am undergoing a process (which is unending and totally annoying at times, but I guess I just have to go through and finish the goddamn business of process). I am de-hegemonizing. Hegemony is a concept advocated by critical social theorists like Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci. Basically, it pertains to a state where people are trapped in a society that is dictated by corporations or those who handle the factors of production. What do I mean by, me being de-hegemonized: I applied to my dream companies -- I would not mention it. I was pretty confident that I am qualified since I took the degree which fits. I went out of my former job because the work environment gave me stress and I was physically degrading.

After resigning, I tried applying to jobs which I thought fit me well, and at the same time can accommodate less working hours with a pretty good salary. Unfortunately, there never was a callback and my credentials did not seem to satisfy their requirements. So, I accepted a research project which paid me, oh well, very little and can hardly suffice my needs. In the course of my struggle of meager salary and job rejections, I got held up and stabbed. That was the start of my de-hegemonization.

They say that in pain, there is enlightenment. These are somethings that I realized:
1. When a job did not accept you, it does not mean that you are not smart and are not capable.
2. I study and get educated not to be on the mercy of employers and corporations.
3. A job is different from a career. A job is something that can give you money only, while a career is a lifestyle that will not only give you money, but will make you mentor, teach and share knowledge on the chosen field.
4. A job rejection oftentimes lead to a better decision -- like creating your own business or building your own company perhaps or doing another hobby. It can be a venue for self study.

We typical middle class Filipinos were socialized to be a part of the oligarchy. Our parents work for our education for us to get jobs and then will work for multinationals and business tycoons. We were blinded that jobs are our destiny paths and can define what we were intended for. How can we think that way? Why did the business leaders made ordinary people think that way? So they can be guaranteed of a very efficient human resources for their businesses which paid very little. I may sound communist but I am not. I am just an individual purely bitter about my job rejections. I do not owe those companies anything, they owe me something now.

This part of my lifetime tells me to create my own source of income and resources. This is highly challenging, and it seemed that this task is very hard to accept. I am still in denial now, because the convenience of being applyng and being hired is very tempting: its easy and accessible.

I hope I can still earn and be financially productive.

Welcome Me!

2006-03-15T12:47:00.000+08:00

Welcome Me!

I decided to bring back my musings and get back to writing stuff online. Life has been slow and dull at times, but extremely difficult too.

My former blog contained my curiousity and questions on my journey to finding my niche in my lovelife and career. Until now, I'm still curious with my career. I wanna jump ship and go to nowhere.

I will write, I promise myself.