Weekend Hassles

The weekend has been pretty tough. Aside from the fact that "EGAY" did not leave without goodbye as he obviously made his presence felt around the metro (for the last time....) with all the rains and floods, family members have been falling ill.

For one I am still recuperating from cough and colds, and then my nephew (Nirro) had this toothache which led to having swollen gums and another nephew (cousin's son) having tonsilitis. Then my Mom's sugar count dropping so low it gave her chills and made her feel so sluggish... Then the unexpected fever of Nirro awhile ago which really turned things around...

We were at the supermarket doing groceries when he complained of feeling chilly... and then he was "hot"... we had to hurry up with the groceries and head home... stripped of details, things are under control at the moment, it does help that his mom (my sister) is a doctor but you know, when it's a member of the family getting sick, moreso her only child, she gets panicky.

In the final analysis, it maybe an exhausting day but it makes you feel good somehow... Makes you realize the value of having your "family" around for support...

Egay, etc...

It has been raining again even if "Egay", the storm's name, is leaving the country. Classes have been suspended last night to avoid the "delayed" announcement which the DepEd has been accused of, over and over as this leaves the students stranded, making things worse for them.

I still have "stuffy" nose and even if I am irritated by it, I can't do anything but bear with the "sneezing" and the "blowing" of my "red nose". Too early for Christmas. hehehe.

Anyway, I got this call to be consultant for the creation of a PHE (read as: Population, Health and Environment) compendium. But the budget's kinda low but it seems a worthwhile thing to do. So, we'll see. =)

Aaaachooo!!!!

Because of the bad weather the past days, where I got myself wet from the rain in excitement to meet old pals, I came down with, not necessarily the flu, just simple cough and colds this weekend. Was having fever Saturday morning at 38 degrees Celsius and a terrible headache! not to mention my sinus aching so bad!

Anyway, I logged in the net once in a while yesterday and went to bed early... skipped eating except breakfast and here I am now. Had "arroz caldo" my mom prepared for me last night, which I failed to eat then, and took my meds. Hopefully, I feel better later. =)

Nobody likes being sick. Aaachooo!!!

Last Day.

Today was the last day of their training (media friends) and so I had to see those coming from Sultan Kudarat. They were the ones I was supposed to meet last time (Monday evening...) but change of plans and I met with the others instead. I met Gina, Gary and Allan early morning for coffee at where else? Starbucks. =)

It was really good seeing them again, and as I posted the other day, these people have become my friends I couldn't help but care and look after their well being. It's just that they have worked so hard and dedicated much of their time doing RH/PopDev advocacy you couldn't help but be proud of these people and think of ways to sustain their initiatives and their group's existence.

These are good people working with good intentions, and the thought that they may get exploited breaks my heart. They deserve better. And damn, they deserve it now.

Bad Weather. Bad Timing.

Oh yeah, I know we need the rain and all that. But why does it have to happen now? Why this week when media friends are here in town? =(

It's not like they're here every so often and they come from all over the Philippines - Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This wet and cold weather is the kind that makes you want to stay indoors. ANd I don't want to stay indoors. I want to go out and meet these people and spend as much time with them as I could. You know, in the process of doing the project with the UNFPA, these people have become so close to me and friendship has been established. And it's one treasure I hold so dearly in my heart. Anyway, I did meet some of them last time and here are some snapshots. (posted this as well in the media blog...)

That's Me and Ed General from Radyo ng Bayan - Jolo, Sulu...

Now that's EV Espiritu of Inquirer North Luzon (Based in Baguio City) and Cecil Abuy of RPN 9 Zamboanga, and coordinator for Tawi-Tawi.

And that's Papa Roy Calvo of Radyo ng Bayan-Borongan, Eastern Samar and Frank Cimatu, also from Inquirer-North Luzon (Baguio City).

Hopefully, I will be meeting the media from Sultan Kudarat later. The storm is getting in the way that I failed to meet with them yesterday. Bad Weather. Bad Timing.

VisualDNA

See the new add-on in my sidebar? =) Stumbled upon this site where you get to choose froma variety of visual images to answer a question. At the end of that "test", you get that "visualDNA" whose code can be embedded in a post or as one of the page elements of your site. Pretty Neat huh? =)

World's Largest Countries (by land mass)

1. Russia 17,075,400 sq km, (6,592,812 sq miles)
2. Canada 9,330,970 sq km, (3,612,187 sq miles)
3. China 9,326,410 sq km, (3,600,927 sq miles)
4. United States 9.166,600 sq km, (3,539,224 sq miles)
5. Brazil 8,456,510 sq km, (3,265,059 sq miles)
6. Australia 7,617,930 sq km, (2,941,283 sq miles)
7. India 2,973,190 sq km, (1,147,949 sq miles)
8. Argentina 2,736,690 sq km, (1,056,636 sq miles)
9. Kazakhstan 2,717,300 sq km, (1,049,150 sq miles)
10. Sudan 2,376,000 sq km, (917,374 sq miles)
    

SOURCE: http://www.cylist.com/List/400300113/

Blogs and websites

Why do I blog? This question will be addressed as I try to explain what is a blog and what is its difference to a website, which most people are familiar with. Most of the info. I will post are information I likewise gathered from other bloggers. Since they are many, allow me to just credit them generically. This entry also intends to encourage blogging, like the rest of those I got to pick info from... trust me, it can be really addictive... =)

What is a blog?

From blogger.com, the host (For FREE!!!) of the blogs I create, comes this definition:

A blog is an easy to use website where:

1. you could post your thoughts;

2. share information;

3. provide updates;

4. interact with other people;

5. and more...

A lot of blogs out there help inform and educate the public, from reporting on changes and attempts to change the laws of government to reporting upon the impact of government decisions. One of the first blogs I created was for a project with the media which I managed, intended primarily for advocacy purposes. I got the idea of creating that blog when a friend set-up a blog to sustain our advocacy on the issues of religion, gender and sexuality. Media practitioners have also started their blogs in order to publish their articles, some of which are those not published by their media outfits or simply to air out their views. Around the world, people who are once repressed with a lack of free speech are risking their lives to blog about the continued repression and political unrest. "Blogs are giving people a voice they had never had before".

Teachers, artists, writers, doctors, lawyers, advocates and many other professionals are now blogging about their experiences and lessons learned to help others learn from them. As such, there are more educational material than ever before available in the world wide web because of this eagerness to share through blogging.

Many people believe that blogs are the changing face of public relations and advertising today. Just a few months ago, a report was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer as to how blogging is becoming an effective advertising strategy.

When do you blog?

If you have "static" information and articles and just want to put it out there and let it sit, then putting up a website will meet your needs. But if you carve interaction and you want to update on a regular basis, then consider blogging.

TIPS

These I gathered from another blog I couldn't remember. They were very good I saved it in a word file, neglecting to save the source. My apologies...

1. Make a plan

Here are guide questions to help you through:

• What are you going to write about?
• Or do you only want to show off photographs (photoblog)?
• Or do you want to post them and talk about them?
• Do you want to write about a lot of topics or just a specific topic or genre?

With a specific topic/subject in mind, plan how you will deliver that information. For example, will you post links and a few comments or will you actually write and explain topics, like articles, or a combination?

2. Choose a theme or style for the site that will represent the "tone" of your subject.

Remember that the look of the blog will give the people the impression of the contents in your blog. It is the first thing that they will see when they walk through your so-called "virtual door".

Website vs. Blog

A website is a collection of web pages on a server. It is a form of static billboard on the Internet that showcases information. There is more to the definition, but for this purposes, that is good enough. A website can be a collection of articles, news, links, information, photographs and anything you want. And a website can even host a blog! =)

On the otherhand, a blog is a website or part of a website that usually features one or more of the following criteria:

• Editorial Commentary
• Links to external sites often seen as recommendations or features
• Tells stories
• Usually about a specific topic, subject, or genre
• Tends to be personal
• Could be considered "newsy" rather than "news"
• Comments and interaction with the audience
• Photographs of you and your activities

For a considerable period of time, a blog would have been a diary, journal, scrapbook or storytelling medium. But it has evolved depending on who blogs and what he blogs about.

Fact of the matter is, a blog is a website; but the varying termonilogy is used to distinguish a static medium from an interactive site, where magic that brings forth interaction and compels thought takes place. =)

Keeping in Touch

I had a "text conversation" with an old friend, and we havn't kept in touch for awhile. The one thing I miss about us though was the way we discuss, from the ordinary stuff to the weirdest idea or philosophy we could think about. And today, our topic was heaven and hell. Stripped of details, there were a lot of exchanges, logic applied and conclusions reached, which both parties neither succumbed to. Underneath all that was actually just two friends keeping in touch. Glad to know that the other was still alive, still full of surprises and stubborness, but a lot wiser in terms of life.

But I do sense my friend was not happy, or at least trying to be happy now. We never really discussed it, but in between heaven and hell, I just know. Believe me when I say that in every person's heart are sorrows which the rest of the world does not know. Oftentimes, they appear cold and distant when the reality is, they're simply sad.

Symptoms of INNER PEACE

Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:

*A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
*An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
*A loss of interest in judging other people.
*A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
*A loss of interest in conflict.
*A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom).
*Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
*Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
*Frequent attacks of smiling.
*An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
*An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.