When Did Malicious Gossip Become Justifiable News?

Reporter Jove Francisco recounts the behind-the-scenes event during one of a taped speech of PGMA, in his blog, together with some video footage. Of it, he had much to say as he enumerated his "points of view" on the matter.

According to Jove:

Sure, the outburst was borne out of frustration because of the inefficiency of her staff. (Pareho lang kapag pinapagalitan ang mga opisyales niya nuon di ba?)

BUT, it can’t be denied that this time, she looked like she was whining.

Jove also states:

That a lot of cameramen, despite all the effort of the Presidential Security Group to have them stop rolling their cameras and stop covering, never forgo the fact that they are answerable to their viewers and that they should be able to continue covering despite the obstacles because at the end of the day, the news should be delivered to the viewing public.

Moreover, he states:

And I must say, our decision to use the footage of the angry president is justifiable, because it is news. Debatable? No.

If you had been in her shoes, with over a hundred thousand problems to deal with each day, with over a million tasks to do each day, wouldn’t you react similarly? An ordinary man’s time is, as they say, gold, how much more for a president of a country? If the presidents and CEOs of multi-million corporations would find themselves raising their voices and walking out of meetings that go berserk, with their people having nothing to present, no preparations made, what more the president of a country? They’re paid to deal with problems and find solutions to national issues and not wait for some staff to set up a teleprompter. If local celebrities, who have no right to act bratty with the staff and crew can be blessed with "forgive and forget" by people, why can’t a president’s reasonable reaction to a very irritating situation be forgiven and forgotten as well?

Our president is by no means perfect, you may prefer to call it very far from perfect even. But who the heck is? Ordinary people that don’t have the same weight on their shoulders can even act brattier, so why can’t we take a moment to understand and empathize with, the very tired and stressed out mind of a president? People are already criticizing her ways of running the country, isn’t it a bit much to be too critical of even her human reactions?

Maybe we could try to give her a break once in a while. I wonder how her ears are not yet broken from all the harsh screams of criticisms. Granted, people are not satisfied with her work. Who can satisfy a whole country? Isn’t it that whoever you put in a powerful position will always be criticized by one sector of the community, if not another. Whining, as far as I know has more to do with how unreasonable our reactions are to certain situations than with the facial expressions or tone of voice. Her actions may be wrong, but understandable under the circumstances. Can’t we not make it forgivable as well? Do we need to broadcast to the whole world every negative thing she does? Must we add insult to injury?

How can someone, especially from the media, mistake pure gossip for news? One cannot deny the malicious angle taken on this, in a foul attempt to further have the president viewed in a worse light. As with all the criticisms and bad news related to the president, only the misinformed and gullible members of the Filipino nation can be swayed by what the one-sided media can offer.

A Brand New Mattress

We finally bought a brand new mattress after weeks of patiently trying to cover up the broken spring (read previous post to see why) with a thick towel to no avail. Apparently, the towel which we had stuck under the sheets seems to have a mind of its own and ends up on the other side of the bed by daybreak. Instead of an alarm clock, it's my hubby's "Yeow!" that wakes us up as his legs come in contact with the sharp end of the coil.

And so after carefully considering some feedback and reviews of the popular local mattresses (within our budget of course), we decided to go with Uratex. Salem was what we had, but seeing that springs can pose a danger especially to toddlers and kids who don't seem to comprehend the phrase, "Please stop jumping on the bed!", we thought it best to shift to the pure foam kind. There's a possibility that it may sag, but Uratex has at least a 5-year warranty on its mattresses, so that should be fine.

When I called up their warehouse/showroom, the sales people were nice enough to accomodate my every inquiry. Lucky for us, they had the perfect mattress on sale. It was already the last piece for the Queen sized ones which had a nice quilted cover. Early next morning, after dropping off my daughter in school, I hurriedly drove to the warehouse but I was caught up in a traffic jam. I tried calling up the warehouse and asked if they could reserve the last piece for me, that I was already on my way and I was sure to get it already. Thankfully, they heeded my request and when I arrived, I saw the mattress patiently tucked away, awaiting its new owner.

I went up to the counter, told the lady that I will be getting it and waited for my number to be called on. I went around the showroom looking through beddings, pillows, plastic containers and other stuff that they had for sale. When it was my turn to pay, I asked the lady when the mattress will be delivered, she replied that it will take about 2 days. My heart sank as I imagined putting up for another 2 nights of the poking nightmare.

As I was walking back to my car, I saw the vehicle parked next to mine being shoved with a similar mattress in the back seat. I went back inside and asked if my mattress could fit too inside my car. They looked at the size of my car and replied yes, they can definitely squeeze the mattress inside since it had no springs. Hallelujah!

When I got home that day, my hubby and I replaced the old mattress with the new one, put in a new set of sheets and plopped right on the bed. My darling daughter hopped up and before she could even bend her knees, getting ready to jump, we shouted "No jumping on the bed!". Everyone was silent for about 2 seconds, then we all started laughing. That night, we all had a very good and restful sleep. No one wanted to get up when the alarm clock sounded. There's nothing like a new mattress to revive an aching back. Now, if only we can find a way to dispose of our old mattress that is now standing in front of the living room couch.

Craving for Edo Japan

It's the middle of the night, I am supposed to be sleeping as I've yet to wake up very early tomorrow to bring my daughter to school. Then I hear the old familiar rumble, my tummy is getting hungry. My thoughts began to suddenly drift to my favorite meal whenever I'm at a mall during my Canadian trips, more particularly in Calgary. There's a fast food stall in malls called Edo Japan, which makes a similar meal as that of the Mongolian Stop here in the Philippines, but with the sauce way, way better tasting. You get to choose your viand, whether it be pork, beef or mixed seafood, then they put in rice, mushroom and veggies together with your viand, and top it off with a special yummy sauce.
Here's a picture of it, courtesy of my brother who sent me this photo when I was complaining about being hungry while chatting with my mom over web cam in the middle of the night, while they were in Canada and I'm here in the Philippines. Thanks a lot for making my tummy grumble even louder and for shoving the fact that I can't eat one at the moment.

Russia Wins Gold in Synchronized Swimming in 2008 Beijing Olympics

My favorite sport to watch during Olympics is the synchronized swimming. I am just amazed at all the graceful and seamless moves the swimmers do. I believe all the creative and acrobatic moves they do is hardly easy much less when you have to be in tune with several other swimmers. Team Russia had really shown a tremendous performance garnering an almost perfect score from the judges. Unfortunately I couldn't find a video of their performance on YouTube. All of them were deleted, I'm not sure why.

Google Page Rank

I tried requesting for my Google Page Rank today. Yup, still no luck, still 0. Can't complain though because admittedly, I'm not familiar with all the SEO stuff or how to improve your page rank still. I can't afford to research on it at the moment, and sometimes I feel it will take away my free flowing thoughts that I am to write if I had to consider what will improve my rankings.

Hopefully though, someday I can give much more attention to improving my ranks when I have more time for blogging. Right now, I'll have to be content, and thankful, with the increase in my Alexa rankings, from more than a million a few weeks ago to currently 797,717.

You're My Number One

I really love the new commercial of Sharon Cuneta with Frankie and Miel for Nido Fortified, the one where they're singing "You're My Number One". It kinda touches the heart if you're a mom.



You're My Number One
Lyrics by: Sandy Sulit
Music by: Caloy Agawa
Performed by: Sharon Cuneta, with Frankie and Miel Pangilinan

Look at me mom
Shining like the sun
Bright as the day
You're my number one

And there's no treasure
That i will cherish like you

And when i smile
They all see you glow
And they all know
You're my number one

My one and only joy
Is to give you my love

(bridge)
My one love for you
I give through and through
I see you and the signs that bring joy
That all the world can see so clearly

Look at me mom
Shining like the sun
Bright as the day
You're my number one

When A Little Girl Makes Mommy Proud

The other day I was busy washing the dishes, I hadn't really been paying attention to what my daughter was asking for. I was in a hurry because I still have to finish a lot of things, and slowly, my daughter's request to eat some doughnuts were ranging in a little closer to my flying mind. Still, it wasn't loud enough as the random thoughts of tasks clouding over my head was trying to drone away the nagging little voice coming from my right ear. I was stressing out, my mind was trying to run over the things I had to accomplish before the day ends, and in extension, the things that I must remember to do by next morning.

Next thing I know, after I've finished washing the last of the dinner plates, I saw my daughter sitting in front of the living room tv, watching her usual dose of Playhouse Disney channel. In her right hand, she was holding a doughnut which she probably have gotten on her own from wherever the doughnut was. And what surprised me more was what she held on her left hand. Let me tell you, our dish rack is seated at the top shelf, way higher than what my daughter can reach. But in her hand, she was holding a pink plastic plate, serving as a catchall for crumbs. I asked her where she had gotten it. Her answer touched my heart, "I got it from my toy shelf mommy, so I won't leave a mess when I eat my doughnut, so you won't get tired from cleaning."

Here I am, worrying about work, not minding my daughter, and there she was, instead of feeling neglected, she was thinking about my welfare. We kind of flipped roles there, I think. Her answer made me stop and look at her, and after a feeling of awe, I smiled, kissed her face a hundred times, and whispered "thank you" and "I love you" in her ear, to which she replied "I love you mommy, you want some doughnut?". I thank God for these kinds of moments which make me stop and reflect on some of the more important things in life. I thank God for these reminders which make me stop rushing and thrive in the warmth and comfort of the moment.

My Wishful Birthday Cakes

Since I didn't get a birthday cake (I did get a cake, a couple of days after my birthday, so I don't think that counts), I decided to find myself a few very nice looking, extra ordinary cakes, ones that I would love to receive on my birthday or any other personal occasion for that matter. So far, I've found very nice ones from Pink Cake Box. My favorite colors are pink and brown, hence the color motif of the cakes I've chosen. Now if only I have candles so I can make my wish...

Not Finding Time for Scrapbooking

Whenever I do some blog hopping, I occasionally stumble upon some digital scrapping blogs, and how I wish I could do some scrap booking too. When my daughter was a year old, I made a scrapbook of her 1st birthday. I put most pictures from her party, placed lots of small accessories and added some captions and quotes. I even included her invitation, some small banners which fit the scrapbook and even her party hat which I flattened out so it wouldn't be bulky.

Now my daughter is almost 5 years old and sadly I haven't been able to make another scrapbook since then. Last year my mom bought me lots of scrap booking papers, little decorations and accessories, and some tools and books for scrap booking when she went to Canada. She says she wants me to create again another scrapbook of her apo's everyday highlights and milestones. It's been gathering dust from the last 10 months. Even if I wanted to do some creative work for it, I simply cannot find enough time to do it.

For me, personally, the hard thing about making a scrapbook is that you first have to overcome the inertia with knowing that you have to set aside time for it as against the thought that you don't have enough time for it with all the tasks, errands and chores you have to do. Just thinking about the mountainous jobs you have to tackle each day stops you from starting doing something new. And then there's my daughter, who definitely with her curious soul, would not let me work in peace especially if she sees the tiny adorable accessories and designs. I can see her constantly hammering me with questions, "Mommy what's that?", "Mom can I have this?", "Mommy can I see the pictures?", "Mommy can I help?", "Mommy can I write on it?", "Mommy can I put this here?".

I've contemplated making a digital scrapbook instead, seeing as I spend a lot of time in front of the computer anyway, maybe I could squeeze in an extra 30 minutes or so everyday to design my digiscraps, but unfortunately, still no such luck. I could not find somthing that would make me gain momentum and push me to take that first step. I could only look through digital scrapbooking sites, admiring the designs from afar, wishing I could do some before my daughter hits the teenage years, leaving me with no decorated imprints of her childhood.

Top EntreCard Droppers

I would just like to thank my top EntreCard droppers. I want to say that I appreciate the visits. Hope you guys come back for more.

More Hours In A Day

Do you sometimes feel that you're going through life with all the stress slowly making an imprint on your supposedly youthful face. More than the important and large tasks that we need to accomplish for the day, it's those little minute details, those seemingly small but urgent tasks that eat about 80% of your to-do list, that makes you want to run for the dark cave up the hill and hibernate for 6 months.

Though technically easy to carry out, the fact that they nag you the whole day, jumping out of your diary or organizer, shouting URGENT! PAY NOW! LAST DAY! DEADLINE TODAY! makes you feel like your mind is being chased by the bullet train, leaving you exhausted more than necessary. They come in little packages giving the illusion of simple, effortless jobs or errands or chores, you'll just be surprised to be looking at the clock and realizing that the day is almost over, but your tasks are nowhere even half done.

You know those business diaries you can get from the local bookstores, I have one of those. I don't buy those that have two or three days allotted for each page. I look for the ones that have just one day per page, all to itself. Heck, I wish they would make 2 pages for each day, so that I could fit in all the little tasks, without having to attach more post-it notes for mid-day additional errands.

But sometimes, the list seems to go on forever. At the end of the day, you find yourself listing the undone tasks once more for the next day. 24 hours would hardly suffice the exaggerated number of minuscule chores, and you wonder how something so little and easy can eat up your whole day. I do know, though, that I have to allot some time for myself for me to be renewed and thus be more efficient to take on all the tasks. It's finding the time for me that posts more of a challenge.
Let's see, there's the bills I have to pay, the checks I have to issue, the deposits and withdrawals I have to make, the papers I have to file, the letter envelopes I have to open and segregate, the accounting and payroll reports I have to review, the clients I have to call, the business prospects I have to meet, the meetings I have to attend, the rental inquiries I have to answer, the ads I have to post and update, the demand and collection letters I have to sign, the delinquent lessees I have to talk to, the production inventory I have to follow up, the purchase orders I have to approve. Ok, this will probably take all night, and that's not even mentioning the big important tasks.

Let's go on to the homemaker part. I have to go to the supermarket for household supplies, order food to be delivered (did I mention I don't cook?), wash the dishes, clean up the house (damn, I hate those ants), do the laundry, fold and put away the washed clothes, return my daughter's toys on the shelves, wash and bathe my daughter, help her with her homework, feed her, prepare her school things for the next day (my husband's household task is to play with her, hmmm... mind trading places, dear?), check my e-mails, update my blog, drop some EC, read some posts, visit those nice enough to leave comments, look up ways to earn online, dare I go on? I fear not, I am about to succumb to my beckoning bed, with its springs about to be sprung, the culprit of which, my lady toddler jumping away to the beat of whatever theme song is playing on the Playhouse Disney channel (remind me to buy a new mattress, and fast, lest I plan to visit my orthopedic doctor for my aching back).

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining of these tasks which help me create business, which means income, and the time I spend being a wife and mother, I just feel there aren't enough hours in a day to accomplish all these, much more give you some breathing room within the day to relax and collect yourself. With all these in tow, I definitely need my reading time, it's the one thing that keeps me sane (and shopping of course, that does the job too!).

Project Runway Philippines

I love, love, love watching Project Runway. I love Heidi Klum as she maintains a down-to-earth vibe even with several feathers on her cap. I get fascinated by the different designs and sometimes outrageous ideas of the designers and I look forward to the outcome as worn by the models down the runway.

And so when I found out that the a cable-turned-local channel ETC is hosting the local version of the program, I got really excited, wondering how it will turn out. After a few month's wait, it's now being shown every Wednesday night at 10pm. Kind of late for me though, so I usually catch it on Sundays at 2:30 pm.

So far, I have no favorite designer yet, I'm still getting a feel of what their own styles are. I missed the previous Sunday's episode, it was the second one I think. These are the times when you have to thank God for YouTube.

Show Your Gratitude, Share Your Blessings

Remember when one of your relatives came to you and asked for financial help, sure you want to help but are having second thoughts about it, with everything increasing in price, even the basic necessities, you don't want to be the one caught in a tight budget later on. Then you begin to go over several excuses in your mind- you also need the money, you have to pay for your son's tuition, you also have medical bills to pay, you have loans long over due. And you list reasons in your mind for not lending the money- this is the 10th time your relative has borrowed money, out of the ten, he has only paid three times, you are planning on celebrating your month long hard work by going on a little shopping spree, you feel that your relative depends on you too much and too often, you feel that you have no obligation to provide for them financially or otherwise.

I remember one time when one of our employees came up to my dad to borrow money for his son's tuition, my dad got some money from his wallet and handed it out to him. I asked him why he lent money again, when he still has not yet fully paid his last cash advance. He told me that I should just be glad that I'm the one who has something to give rather than be the one who has none and still has to look for someone who will.

Whatever your reason (or excuse for that matter), the best thing to think about and do first is be grateful. Be grateful that you are not the one needing the money, be grateful that you are not the one in their shoes, and be grateful that you're on the giving end and not on the asking end.

This is not to say that you have to give everything nor always. It's also your right to leave some for yourself, but if you do have something extra like time or money or knowledge or stuff, it's better to share than to keep them all to yourself. Be grateful for your blessings and a good way of showing gratitude is for you to share them with others. And you'll be pleased to know that blessings are like smiles, the more you give, the more you get in return.

Dating 101

Players: Ozzy’s Mom | Me,Myself + 2 | Kidd Designs | Fun.Fierce.Fabulous | Me and Mine | Little Peanut | Pea in a Pod | Creative in Me | Notable Bistro | Sugarmagnolias | Around the World | Eds Mommy Life | My Precious Niche | Just Me.. Eds |Pinaywife | Entrepgirl |YOUR BLOGS

1. When was your first kiss and where?
..::.. Hmm... I acutally don't remember... I think about 10 years ago ..::..

2. When was your first real relationship and how long did it last?
..::.. When I was 20, it only lasted for about 6 months ..::..

3. What age were you allowed to date?
..::.. When I was 18 ..::..

4. What’s the craziest thing you did (for love) when you were a teenager?
..::.. Crazy? Going out way beyond my curfew, cutting classes to date, just those things. None of those stalker obsessive stuff though ..::..

5. How long was your longest relationship and what’s the secret?
..::.. My current relationship, we're nearing our 7th anniversary. Secret? What secret? ..::..

6. How long did you date before you decided to settle down?
..::.. Two years ..::..

7. How did you know he was the ONE?
..::.. I didn't, I just have faith that he is ..::..

8. Now, at what age will you allow your kids(s) to date?
..::.. 20 years old probably ..::..

9. When it comes to your kids dating, will you be a cool parent or a strict parent?
..::.. I hope to be a bit of both, more of reasonable I should say ..::..

10. What piece of advice can you give to your child when they start dating?
..::.. Have fun but not too much. Be responsible for your actions. Think 10 times before you decide on anything, and think not only for the present but the consequences it may bring for the future ..::..

I'm tagging Liza, Cielo, KCee, and C.A... :) it'll be fun to know about your dating lives .. have fun!

Saksi Reporter, Say Whaaat???

This is a funny one. Couldn't think of a good way to introduce this video without revealing too much. Just see it for yourselves. Warning: this video may cause stomach ache, sore facial muscles, inhalation of too much air, rolling tears, tightening of ribs, and letting out some gas.



First thing I thought, wtf?? say whaaat?? Next, I thought, is this for real?? Apparently it is, and Bubble Gang's Michael V even made a spoof of it.

I Got Reviewed by The Blog Reviewer

I just finished reading the review of my blog, made by The Blog Reviewer. It really warms the heart to see people appreciating your work and putting in the extra time and effort to give reviews, comments or suggestions. My blog got a positive review, save for the Reach, which admittedly though, I'm not so knowledgeable in, in terms of increasing it. I've not yet set aside time to really work on my Alexa rankings nor my Page Rank, and I guess that pulled down my ratings a bit. I still got an overall rating of 8, pretty high considering my low score for the Reach.

REVIEW #145. A blog with lots of cool things to learn from. This blog has it from the latest events like book fair, opinion on tv shows, on issues and many more. A personal blog with a little twist of making the reader involved in the story. Not all personal blog feels that way in which you felt that you are in someway actually conversing with the author. A Litte of Entrep and More, is something which is quite unique. She is a book lover, a real state agent and a frustrated wireless internet blogger.

For bloggers who want their sites reviewed, you can visit The Blog Reviewer. And you might wanna scroll down and check its reviews on other blogs as well. It's a very commendable site, wherein you get to take a peek into different blogs and a good way to discover a fabulous blog find or two, maybe even more. It gives blogs, especially those that are new, a chance to be exposed more than the usual because of the description, reviews and ratings this site provides.

Rich Dad Quotes

"People who try to become rich by being cheap are people who often try to live below their means, rather than finding ways to expand their means."

- Rich Dad (The Business School
For People Who Like Helping People
by Robert Kiyosaki)

This could not be more true. Although written for a book about the values of a network marketing business, I'd like to point out one more area of its importance.

I believe that it's better for you to find ways to improve, to expand and to grow rather than forcing yourself to live within the confines of your limitations and weaknesses, don't you think. Personally, I feel that in order to have abundance in your life, you should feel and live abundantly. This is not to say that you should waste money nor be careless of your finances, but if you live your life always with the mindset that you have to do some penny pinching in order to survive, chances are, you'll be penny pinching all your life until you change the way you think. More often than not, being cheap will not make you rich but will only leave you feeling poor, and that feeling and way of thinking will continue to manifest in your life, entangling you in a vicious cycle. It all boils down to the same law that governs everything, the Law of Attraction.

You need not feel guilty with a little shopping splurge once in a while if that would make you feel good and boost your morale. The key is to think about shopping in a different light. Instead of seeing it merely as an expense, try to think of it as an investment for self-confidence and self-improvement. Let's say for example you dream about being a businessman successful enough to associate with other tycoons, would you be able to do that wearing a t-shirt and jeans? I think not, so you go ahead and buy a classy outfit that would be more appropriate for the occasion, right? And going ahead and buying that dress leaves you feeling happier, more confident and those positive feelings will then retain in your mind, which in turn will help in the manifestation of your dream, hence Power of Positive Thinking and still the Law of Attraction.

How about a mother who's also a career woman, a wife and homemaker. Everyday she juggles her work, her chores, her wifely duties and attending to her children's needs. There's a saying that for you to love others, you first have to love yourself. In order for you to take care of others, you must first take care of yourself. Instead of feeling guilty in occupying an hour or two in one's week for some R&R or a visit to the spa, view it as an investment which makes you feel good and happy, and therefore, you have the positive energy to fill up once more your love jar, enabling you to once again attend to your family and work, refreshed and renewed.

And so all this "spending" can be positive, by thinking of it as unquantifiable investments. And when you do think of it this way, you will begin to see the importance of expanding your means to accomodate these necessary expenditures rather than depriving yourself of these, robbing you of a life you deserve.

New Blog Layout

Before

After

As you may notice, I've been changing my blog layout these past few days. I feel that in the old layout, everything is concentrated in the middle, wasting precious space in the left and right portions of the page. I've tried looking for a nice template so I could just automatically change everything, but so far, none I've seen matches the color effect I would like my blog to have. And so, being equipped with very limited knowledge in html or xml, I'm just trying to feel my way and take a guess as to what the syntax I see in the edit html template represents (good luck to me).

I felt that having a white background leaves me feeling lighter so I took away the dark green color and changed it to white. I also took away the border of my bottom side bar so that it takes away the impression of having a limited space for the stuff that I put there like some ads and widgets. Additionally, I removed the rounded corners which made me feel like a new blogger. I'm currently looking for a nice banner/header with a touch or splashes of green that exudes nature, very fresh and pleasing to the eyes.

I also would like to have an additional column, one that would be narrower than my current sidebar, mostly for ads so that more of my advertisers would have a space in the upper portion of my blog than having everything cramped into one column wherein the other ads are already way down below. I'm still trying to research on how to do that, though.

Which do you think is better? If you have some suggestions or comments about my blog layout, I would love to hear them. I'd appreciate it!