IT’S OFFICIAL THE ‘LIVIN LA VIDA LOCA’ HUNK IS GAY

Back in the early 80’s when this group MENUDO has raved the world with their music, I am one of those who have gone gaga collecting all their albums. The ‘Explosion’, ‘Please be good to me’ fever was like a national anthem that made adult and teens during the heyday get some sort of connection.

But lately, news has been spreading like wild fire about casting some doubt Is Ricky Martin gay? On a personal level, I really don’t care if he’s gay or not, come-on people, everybody is entitled to his/her own choice of sexuality. If he admits, which he actually did, I just felt for him how he was able to free himself from some personal chains that letting him hold back his true choice of sexuality. If he’s happy and gay, go Ricky Martin, I’m an advocate of whatever rights you and your fellow homos will be fighting for.

Some show business analysts say his admittance will surely affect this career. I know this society if so limiting, but I think this kind of gender bias should be trodden down and honor each one’s choices.

HELP ME!

Call it my Holy Week penitence or what (too trivial), don’t judge me for that, LOL, spent quite a lot of time tweaking the inside of this blog …..

CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO TRANSFER THAT POSTS (RSS) COMMENTS (RSS) at the top of my header? To somewhere else at the butt or side bar of this blog?

Sorry guys just me, the OC me, … Have I known it I could taken my computer subject before seriously … waaaah! Gone Crazy!

Thank you.!

GONE FISHING!

Heard of an old adage?

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown

Ohhhh, never mind about the profound significance of that proverb that’s too cerebral it will require more of you, let’s just take its literal translation that’s easier to take, nyahahaha!

SEE MORE GREAT PHOTOS HERE:

Wordful Wednesday

Watery Wednesday

THE BIGGEST EAGLE IN THE WORLD

…. Is found in Davao, you can play, you can wander, shelter yourself from the rain, you can do whatever you want under its wings… as it is a sculpture made by a Davao’s homegrown artist Kublai Milan.

Thanks for dropping by... in this side of town

DAVAO SCENIC SUNDAY

You are seeing Davao City's heart junction, the blue building is the facade of Ateneo de Davao University. This is a junction of Roxas Boulevard and CM Recto Sts. with the wires stealing a scene.

Happy Sunday. Thanks for dropping by in this side of town.

See more scenic Sunday entries, click the button.

WHAT IS EARTH HOUR?

Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, the core principle? ask every households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights, in our case last year, it turned out to be a fun story-telling at our terrace, and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

Although I'm skeptic about the political undertakings of this campaign, what can be more important than being 'in'. So I'm turning off those, Oh, come-on we've saved energy way, way, low than the average Filipino family can consume, to make the long essay short, turn it off!

This year it will be tonight.

8:30 P.M. • SATURDAY • 27 MARCH 2010

HELP RAISE $5,000 FOR THE CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK

I was tagged by January of January’s Scraps of Life to join Hershey's Better Basket: Blog Hop. I’m joining and made this post.

It's so easy to join just copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

• Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
• Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
• Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
• Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.
• Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

And I’m passing the basket to:

Josie’s Window

Everyday As It Comes

Life Meets Happiness

Mary Anne’s Musings

MY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

In short, wala akong masulat (nothing to write), how can this be wordless? Photo taken at Catalina Gardens.

More Wordless Wednesday entries here.

ON FINDING A SOFTWARE THAT CLEANS

I’ve had enough headaches lately wondering why all of my photos have duplicate file folders, I never tweak the software side of my laptop since I hate it having to spend time fixing it after the trouble is done, but it annoys me even more having to see multiple copies of one folder in the same drive. Can somebody tell me why such a phenomenon, if I may call it that, happen?

I’m no techy momma, knowing the basics are just what are important for now. But near saint (nyahaha, sorry dear for the words) hubby would always prod me to go beyond what I just know and learn more, huh! So toxic …. But I’m into this already so my choice would be to go forward.

I’m now convince of the thesis that computers are masculine by gender, they are suppose to be a help to solve your problems, but half the time they become your problem. Ah… Oh! I forgot, the greatest invention of all time after antibiotics is here to help me, it just amaze me how internet makes life a little lighter. Finding software to eliminate all those duplicate files folders is just a click away and indeed been extremely successful in getting rid of that space-eating crap. I’m relieved to know I’m improving my tweaking skills …

WHAT? …. CHANGE?

Heard of Obama syndrome? We too in this part of the country are meted out by this symptom. I wonder what change these people are talking about. By the looks of it, seems like only people in power is set to be changed by this extravaganza. So long as this political system of ours will not go through radical change, as in change, like adopting a neo political system, think of a combination of socialism-communism and democratic system, I don’t think change is set to happen.

Apologies for these reckless rants of mine, I just can’t help it, politicians in this city …… same old rotten crap, recycled, reuse ….. Come-on tra-pos (traditional politicians), relinquish your chair and give chance to the young ones, the first-timers, alternate names (ewwww politicians surname…lu-ud na kaayo (loathsome).

Thanks for reading some crap rants in this side of town.

DON'T GIVE UP ON PRAYER

"Prayer gives us strength for great ideals, for keeping up our faith, charity, purity, generosity; prayer gives us strength to rise up from indifference and guilt, if we have had the misfortune to give in to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives us light by which to see and to judge from the Divine's perspective and from eternity. That is why you must not give up on praying!"

Click button to see more Scenic Sunday entries.

READ, READ AND READ

Awww, it’s so sad another school year has ended, another batch of students have to say goodbye. I really love this batch of students I have under my Women’s Literature class, I have written quite a number of articles regarding them in my previous posts.

I’m really challenged to take learning to further heights if my students are responsive. In our last session, one student asked me, maam, what can your last words be to us? I jokingly said, why do I look like I have to depart from this world and you are letting me say my last words? Being this a literature subject, I said …. Just read, read, read and read, I said it so, because at one point this certain student felt so down why he can’t articulate well and others can. And I told him, it’s because they read a lot, that’s why they know and talk a lot.

The internet provides countless articles that you can splurge on whenever you need it, there is Article Alley , Xomba, Article City etc, etc, where you can find good reads to mull over.

This is a vice I have spent quite a lot of money and still be spending more. I love that way how Dr. Seuss said it …. That the more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

EVEN THE DAVAO SKY

…. Is not spared with this opportunist, space opportunist politicians, who wants to get every voters attention, I read this letter frames everyday as I pass through it to work, do I need to mention the name?

For those who are familiar with Philippine politics this circus is no novel to the Filipinos. The May 2010 presidential elections holds too many promises of change to the populace of this country, I’m making my fingers crossed, looking forward to these changes that since the first time I exercised suffrage were already the mantra of these politicians. What change had these people in power had done to make the lives of the people in the grassroots better? Or do I really need these people to make my life better?…. Your answer is as good as mine.

See more of world's beautiful skies here.

EYE WEAR AS IDENTITY

According to an online dictionary, spectacles or eyeglasses are optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision, eye protection, and a defense against UV rays when you are wearing the colored ones, this is suppose to be the most obvious meaning of why a person wears eyeglasses. But analyzing the inherent meaning of wearing one goes beyond its tangible significance.

When I was in college I really envy those classmates of mine having eye wear that made them looks so genius, I asked my then mother to have me prescribed one, but then the optometrist would always in opposition that why wear one when there is nothing to correct, in short got a perfect vision. I probably been eating my yellow food stuff right, that until today that desire of mine was unfulfilled.

Eye wears are not just material thing you put on your nose and enjoy clear vision and see filtered things around when you're under a hot, sunny day, it also made up an identity of a person. Who doesn’t know Boy Abunda of Philippine entertainment, take off his eye wear and he’s not the Boy you used to see anymore, Ryan Agoncillo has a ‘boy next door’ image when not in glasses, but looks so damn good-brilliant executive in glasses, Betty La Fea is one classic example that eye wears can make or break a person’s identity and the long list continues.

Until today, I am factually convinced that eating my yellow food made me dispossessed of that genius identity I long for through wearing eyeglasses.

DEW DROPS

I took this so early in the morning when the first ray of sun kissed the morning dew.

Although this flower is known to be a native to South and Central America, I wonder how this has grown so bushy in my late father-in-law’s grave …. Oh, I remember it now; my goody-bitchy mom-in-law planted it there.

Yellow Bell, Golden Trumpet, Buttercup Flower, or Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica) is a genus of tropical shrubs or vines belonging to the dogbane family.

Thanks for dropping by everyone. See you again for another experience in this side of town.

More Watery Wednesday entries here

LOVE HERMIT CRABS?

If we converse about pets, the first thing that comes to our minds are dogs, cats, turtles, mice, fishes, but least we thought about hermit crab as pet.

But did you know that hermit crabs can actually be grown to be a pet? I also was amaze knowing that these creatures by the seashore can be sheltered in a fancy tank mimicking its wild habitat and can be provided with some happy and healthy, Hermit Crabs Habitats right under your roof. Yes, you read it right. And if you are curious and nosy enough to find out how interesting hermit crabs can be as pet, there are innumerable resources in the internet that can help you in starting how to raise a healthy and fit hermit crabs.

But what are hermit crabs? Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the super family Paguroidea. They are commonly seen in the tide pools, usually during low tides. I used to chase and catch some of these when I was younger. There are various species of hermit crabs, but most have long, soft abdomens and protect this by retracting to empty seashells. Hermit crabs does not have a shell of their own, they just make use of some other sea snails shell and abandon it after they have outgrown it.
Know the feeling of how it’s like to live in someone else’s home, raise a hermit crab.

STREET FOOD IN DAVAO CITY

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day, and some folks in this city, that including me, constitute that statistics.

Street food is food obtainable from a street side vendor, often from a makeshift or portable stall. Oftentimes, concerns of cleanliness and freshness discourage people from eating street food, but without these factors, I wonder if it will still be called a street food.

This photo is just few of the many street food stalls that proliferate in the city. I love eating ‘maruya’ (sugar-coated deep fried banana) with Coke strawed from a cellophane, and on late afternoons ‘kwek-kwek’ (boiled egg dipped in orange-colored four mix and deep fried) fish balls, squid balls, tempura where dip is a shared thing are just few of my afternoon favorites.

With the increasing pace of tourism in the city, the safety of street food has become one of the major concerns of city health, there are organizations just like the ones on the photo that look over the condition of this sector in this city.

Thanks for dropping by, see again for another experience in this side of town.

THE BURNING BUSH

This is last Friday's sunset seen from my workplace, it looks like a burning bush an after effect of a scorching cloudless day. We earnestly hope for the rain to come.

More Scenic Sunday Pics here

SECURITY AS PRIORITY

I was eating my lunch when somebody profusely thumb-in our doorbell, I was still munching on my food when I hurriedly opened the gate and my husband’s cousin was still panting asking to borrow money as Joel, her husband got swept by a truck while riding his motorcycle on his way to work.

After all the tests and diagnosis, thank God it were all bruises and cuts that he got from the accident. When everything has cooled down and he was there in the hospital bed recuperating, I dared to ask his wife if Joel has insurance, or even just a temporary insurance, and she said, not even one.

I was contemplating on this dire situation of these lowly workers here in this country. Even to insure yourself is least of every Filipinos problem. Joel’s wife added, we cannot even buy a decent meal for our children, how can we even think of buying insurance.

Well, I’m not making this crap up, but this is one serious problem that whoever the people would choose to lead this country, should take everyone’s security a priority.

ROMANCING MT. APO!

I met some girl friends at Catalina Garden Resto some days ago, it's a resto where you can see a panoramic view of Mt. Apo and the Davao Gulf. I brave the scorching sun, gosh, it’s been like two weeks we have not experienced rain in this side of town. But thank God for this – I’m sharing with you a scene of the majestic Mt. Apo during that day seen from Catalina Gardens at Shrine Hills here in the city.

Thanks for dropping by in this side of town.

See More Skywatchers here.

MY EXPENSIVE RETURN TO ENTRECARD

I was really bitter when I exited from Entrecard some weeks ago. I guess anybody whose computer that will get benched for quite a while for virus checking, reinstallations and all of those software things will be feeling bad.

I keep bugging my husband about it, maybe he got annoyed by my everyday nags and finally he gave in. I got a new laptop!!!! And guess what? This is all because of Entrecard. I have a dropping/downloading laptop, which is my old laptop, which I don’t care anymore if it will contract a thousand horses.

This is my old Compaq, contract horses, virus, germs whatever you call them, I don't care anymore.

And I have my new baby, It's a Toshiba, still under warranty if it will work well or not. So happy me! I made it sure some walls for horses are installed.

That may sound an expensive solution, but then so be it. My friends around I’m back to Entrecard you can drop now and I will drop back at you.

Thanks for reading see you again for another drop in this side of town.

FINDING THE RIGHT MUSIC

My class is coming up with a Drama as their final examination they are presenting this instead of a written one and that would be a great relief for me imagine checking piles of test papers.

The Drama is an adaptation of Mac Tiu’s ‘Ang Batang Dili Matulog’ (The Child Who Won’t Sleep). Mac Tiu is a professor at Ateneo de Davao University and this piece won First Prize for Short Story in Cebuano, in Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2001.

At first we were in dilemma in finding the right sound effects and sound backgrounds but least we realized MP3 Search Engine and mp3 downloads are readily available online, you just have to be patient and in no time your problem is solved.

Today is a time of frugality, so as a teacher I have to impose measures not to overspend with their props and costumes, and the surprising part is, they were able to come with props and costume that least I imagine they would think about. I am very excited with their presentation and I cannot wait to share the pictures with you.

We are presenting the Drama on March 24th and you are all invited.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT!

An afternoon scene at Magsaysay Park here in the city.

I love where this park is located, on good weather days you can see the whole stretch of Island Garden City of Samal but on the other hand, I hate it because authorities did not give much importance to this park as maintenance is very poor.

More Watery Wednesday entries here

DURIAN HERE, DURIAN THERE,

Durian everywhere, yes! It’s durian season again here in Davao and every city’s corner you can find ‘bangketa’, pick-up trucks, ‘karitons’ with different varieties at only P20/kilo. I’m really a durian eater, I can devour one fruit ( just a small one) in just one sitting and look what I’m getting devouring all those;

Nutritional Information of durian

Durian fruit contains a high amount of sugar, (huhuhu!) vitamin C, potassium, and the serotonergic amino acid tryptophan, (whatever that means you can Google it) and is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It is also a good source of raw fats and others classify it as a high-glycemic or high-fat food and recommend minimizing its consumption. Ok, Ok, I’m there but why deprive myself when nobody has gotten out of this world alive anyway …. LOL! Just seven times a week indulgence. Over!

Thanks for dropping by see you again for another experience in this side of town.

THANK YOU MY BLOGOSPHERE FRIENDS!

My Mellow Yellow Monday

I cannot count anymore how many times did I drive-thru this lane and it often thanked me, and if this sphere has a drive-thru I am thanking you all the same my friends for driving thru my blog.

See you again for another experience in this side of town.

BROWNOUT, BROWNOUT, NO WATER, NO WATER

Yeah that’s what we have been experiencing in side of town. Davao City is experiencing two hours of rotating brown-outs everyday and the schedule really made me awful, having to fan yourself and a walking shirtless toddler around and what is more disgusting brownout schedule lands on the time slot I’m suppose to be sitting on my swivel bloghopping.

And after all the sweating and the eternal swinging of fans, (I bought four big ones, my son call it anti-brownout tool, if that’s what he thought then go!) what can a SAHM do? A chronic fan of this ceaseless hehephoray show me, got to sit back and munch Nova with Coke, that while laughing along with the out-this-world outfits of my son’s idol Pokwang, a crawling text read …… There will be a water interruption from bla to bla …. Like 20 hours of not even a single drop of water, that while writing this post am still scratching my head … ‘walang paligo!’

Made me think of some extreme measures … what? … Yes, I’m buying a tank tomorrow, that silver tank outside the hardware I passed by everyday …. Yeah! You won you got my bucks tomorrow …. And on top of everything extra effort to be cautious not to contact any disease brought about by this circumstances and the hardest part? I cannot see my enemy.

Thanks for reading some rants in this side of town.

THE QUEST FOR AN UNATTAINABLE BEAUTY

We waited in fans for two hours for my aunt to finally show her face from the sea of people coming out of the airport hall. I was expecting for an aunt that is older, some traces of wrinkled history in her face, wrinkled eyelids, for it was already about 20 years that I have not seen her having stayed in the US for that long, thus we waited for two hours since I did not recognize her, she was there waiting for us all along.

She really had transformed herself 30 years younger than her age of 70, her wrinkles gone. She finally revealed that she had a Botox Injections, her quest to erase all the traces of history in her face is not an easy course, although she knew all along, being a nurse, of the dangers of Botox Injections still she pursued with her quest to look younger.

I have heard of this treatment many times over, there were who said it is good there were who said it is not and one thing is sure there are Possible side effects of Botox injections, this feature is very informative, it tackles issues and concerns relating to being treated with this injection. Who should and should not receive this injection. The article is well written and quite an absorbing read and the writer made accurate statements making it very useful for those who wanted to know more about this subject.

But did you ever ask yourself; is cosmetic surgery a good thing or a bad thing? Why do women quest for beauty, youth, sex and transformation? I stumble on this article and it explains why? An extremely useful read that embark on history, culture, popular culture and its enormous influence to women young and old who have gone too far in reconstructing their bodies, their faces to the point of harming themselves all for the quest of unattainable beauty. This article is written in academically styled manner though, but it is very sharp in bringing a real significance to the reader’s interest.

Thanks for reading see you again for another experience in this side of town.

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW!

I’m just feeling nostalgic coming from our school drama practice when one of my students sung this song out of the blue in a very melancholic passion. I can’t get over it, and I want to share this feeling ... This is a version of Eva Cassidy ... She's a legend ...

And this one is a reggae version by Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole, I love this Hawaiian guy… so sad he die young.



Somewhere over the rainbow is a song that depicts situations where sometimes we think and feel as if our life isn’t so grand, and that we wonder if there is something greener at the other side of the fence, well we often thought that grasses are always greener at the other side, but least we realize it’s actually the same grass.

Tired of blog hopping? Take a rest in this side of town, Enjoy!

MORE THAN A POT OF BEAUTY CREAM

We had our Educators’ Day ended with a big bang the other night, not with a bomb literally but with gay students presenting their SRO-type performance. That was the only time I got up of my chair and cheered for these ‘happy-and-gay’ as what they called themselves students of ours. I’m glad our school community is not homophobic or they’ll be banned from entering the campus. The song rendition imitating Beyonce, this Korean girl group was very entertaining I wonder where these young people get their energy for such a strenuous feat.

But the most highlighted part was when this old gray-haired lady in our campus was interviewed by one of the students, it was a talk-show type interview and every time this respected figure in our campus spew out words everybody got to listen to her wisdom … one of the questions thrown was … What is your beauty regimen that even at 70 you still look 20 years younger than your age? I cannot forget her answer …. Looked at the student interviewer straight to her eyes and said ….

I use for my lips truth, I use for my voice kindness, I use for my eyes compassion, I use for my hands charity, I use for my figure uprightness, I use for my heart love, I use for those who do not like me prayer…..

No amount of jars and pots and tubes and cubes of beauty products can measure up her strategy to beauty …. I remember I have read this somewhere, but even then she truly lives with the word that she spoke that’s why we really give all our senses every time she speaks …

Thanks for reading, see you again for another experience in this side of town.

ETERNAL THANK YOUS!

This is already a stalled post but I really have to.

My apologies to January of January’s Scraps of Life and Faye of My Life in Holland for just posting this award now.

But I am truly thankful to both of you for giving importance to my existence in this blogosphere. Awww. I’m gonna cry…… and as always recognitions like this make one go one and do more …. Thank you lovely ladies!

Another 7 things about me?

Chronic karaoke singer

Koreanovela Addict

Has a mind of a pomo

Mathematically challenged

Love the bear that live in the hundred acre wood

Willie of Fortune Chronic watcher

Durian gobbler

I’m passing this badge of inspiration to my new friends;

Jhownie of Jhownie's Haven

Jenn of My Sweet Haven

Josie of Josie’s Window

Sam of Davao Delights

MY LINKS

WARNING! ANIMALS CROSSING

My Mellow Yellow Monday entry.

Just some proof that humans can manage to co-exist with other species in this world.