Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

Fellow blogger Era handed me the following awards (Thanks, Era!) :

Aww.... I am especially touched by the sexy blogger award because of the new body that I have since giving birth to Erin. Haha! :D

I am passing this on to all the beautiful and sexy blogger mommies out there who frequent this blog. You know who you are. You all deserve it! :)

Summer is here and for many people, it is camping season as well. If you are going sight-seeing anytime soon, then make sure to get a pair of binoculars so you won't miss out on anything important and worth seeing in bush.

I haven't done my bit of camping ever since I could remember. Neither is it J's favorite activity. We're not the outdoors kind of people you see because we still want the comforts that a home could give, like a decent bathroom and toilet. It's just not our cup of tea. Don't get me wrong though. I like nature trekking, just not camping overnight.

On  December 1st.

Take the Lead.

Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.

Building on from last year’s theme of accountability, the 2007 and 2008 World AIDS Day theme is “leadership”.  This theme will continue to be promoted with the campaigning slogan, “Stop AIDS.  Keep the Promise.” The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) is encouraging everyone to  show leadership – as an individual, in our families, communities or in our place of work.

STOP AIDS Leadership Pledge

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In collaboration with national, regional, global and constituent partners, this initiative asks people from all over the world to pledge their leadership to help stop AIDS. These pledges collected online, by mail and at events, will be used to create exhibitions, banners and other visibility actions during major events in 2008. With a goal of 100,000 signees, these pledges serve as a persuasive tool for leveraging greater political leadership on universal access to AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support and act as a visual example for key national and international decision-makers to follow.

Read more…

Test your knowledge
Take the World AIDS Day Quiz by AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity based in UK.

1. Roughly how many children were living with HIV/ AIDS at the end of 2006?
a. 2.3 million
b. 200,000
c. 1.1 million

2. How do most people become infected with HIV?
a. Unsafe sex
b. Injecting drugs
c. Blood transfusions

For the rest of the quiz, click here.

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Lastly, don’t forget to wear the World AIDS Day Red Ribbon.

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By the way, there are lots of recent employment opportunities found in our forum. Make sure to check it out. Who knows you might end up with a really cool job in one of those bay area nursing homes.

Got this from Nol. It's a pretty long tag so please bear with me. :)

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

My birth month

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.


The Twelve Months

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Feel free to tag yourself! :)

I am trying to draw up my wishlist for this year’s family gift exchange. I still have not completed it yet because I do not have the slightest idea what to get at $25, except for a book perhaps, which I had already jotted down on my list.

I still don’t know who my partner is because we have yet to draw lots soon. I hope it’s going to be one of the females who love cooking as it will be very easy to get them stuff for the kitchen like chef’s aprons. Cozy Homewares would be a nice shop to browse around but it’s too bad that they deliver for free only to their US customers.

The arrests of journalists and other media practitioners who were covering the Makati incident is not only unprecedented but an outrage. Worse, it is a telling indication of the authoritarian tendencies of this administration, which has fallen in its obsession with political dominance.

That is what the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said in a statement it issued just now in the light of arrests made on journalists covering the Peninsula Hotel takeover. CMFR also calls on all media, free expression and journalists’ groups in this country as well as abroad to "denounce this atrocity as a willful act to inflict collateral damage on the Philippine press for doing its mandated responsibility of providing the sovereign public the information it needs."

Read here for the statement.

Any moment now, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) is issuing a statement on the arrests made on journalists covering the Makati incident.

From Freedom Watch

Journalists and media organizations condemn the arrest of journalists

Maria Ressa, head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, condemned the arrests of not only members of the ABS-CBN 2 technical team but also other journalists and media practitioners covering the Makati incident.

"We in ABS CBN News strongly condemn the illegal arrests of our ABS CBN reporters and our colleagues in the media and decry the atrocious treatment we are being subjected to in the hands of the police. Our reporters were in the Manila Peninsula purely to fulfill their duties as journalists," she said.

Read here for more.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines issues this statement minutes before Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said on-air that Malacañang is issuing a curfew from 12 mn to 5 am tomorrow. The curfew might be extended tomorrow if the Palace has not "achieved its objectives," Puno added.

Media not the enemy - NUJP
November 29, 2007
Source: GMANews.TV

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Thursday called on the National Police to stop treating journalists who covered the Makati standoff as enemies of the state.

"We protest in strongest terms the PNP's move to forcibly bring some journalists to the National Capital Region Police Office in Bicutan and condemn the confiscation of video footage of the day-long stand-off at the Manila Peninsula Hotel," the NUJP said in a statement.

Read more here.

I love long weekends!!! (who doesn’t)… Tomorrow is a non-working holiday and I used one of my few remaining vacation leaves so I can have a 4-day vacation. This time I will be in Negros Oriental and the beautiful island province of Siquijor. I’m saving the best for last so this will be my last trip for the year. Never been to Dumaguete City and Siquijor so I have no pictures yet to show you here in this post.